Why are people suppose to feel guilty for bottle feeding?

[TwilightAgain]

Honestly i've never understood this.

So many women on here make those bottle feeding feel like they're poisoning their child or something and its complete bollocks.

If it were that bad, society wouldn't sell it

Where has that ever happened here?

On various threads i've seen it. Not necessarily in GS. You know those FF vs BF threads that always get closed? I've seen it a lot in them.

I seen in it the past but not in a long time here. Last one we had here went great no one was nasty and seemed to turn a new leaf. Not all breastfeeding mums look down on formula feeding mums, just saying.

Oh definitely not. I appreciate many bf mums will remain open minded/be non judgemental

 

[MustangGTgirl]

I just don't see how people go off and do something like compare formula to poison or wild things like that. Hell even the government backs formula feeding as well as breastfeeding or else they wouldn't suppose programs like WIC. I used to be on WIC with my last child and they give you the choice to formula feed or breastfeed... if you choose formula feed they will PAY for all of your baby's formula. If it was so bad the government wouldn't be paying for it. Oh and that is the U.S. government, not sure if the UK has similar programs.

I wish they would make a campaign for formula feeders that let women who couldn't or didn't want to breastfeed know that they didn't have to feel bad about it, that they were not poisoning their babies.

 

[Avalanche]

This subject has been done to death.

Either you're personally happy with our decisions or you're not. Don't let people you've never met, on an internet forum you can turn off anytime, influence the way you feel about your parenting decisions.

There are judgemental assholes in all walks of life. There are judgemental BF mums and judgemental formula feeding Mums. They are just judgemental people and feeding a baby doesn't actually come into it. They are the type of person who will judge every parenting decision someone makes.

Then there are the majority of people, probably about 99% of people who actually couldn't give a flying toss how some random total stranger chooses to feed a baby that they have never met before and they start getting annoyed at people going on about it all the time.

 

[Dragonfly]

Only time I ever seen formula compared to poison was from a formula feeding mum who said it. I have never seen any one who dosnt use it say that. Its just something I always notice. Like in here the person who said it uses it.

 

[Jem_x3]

Who cares what other people think? No person in this world has any right to think they're better than any one else. If they do, ask yourself, who's really got the problem? There will be morons and stuck up idiots in all walks of life. We all feed our children, shouldn't that be the point? Not HOW we do it. FF or BF? Same thing to me - food. Don't let it get you down. I FF from birth and I honestly can say I don't give a shit who thinks that's bad or not. Stick it where the sun don't shine I say

 

[Nibblenic]

This subject has been done to death.

Either you're personally happy with our decisions or you're not. Don't let people you've never met, on an internet forum you can turn off anytime, influence the way you feel about your parenting decisions.

There are judgemental assholes in all walks of life. There are judgemental BF mums and judgemental formula feeding Mums. They are just judgemental people and feeding a baby doesn't actually come into it. They are the type of person who will judge every parenting decision someone makes.

Then there are the majority of people, probably about 99% of people who actually couldn't give a flying toss how some random total stranger chooses to feed a baby that they have never met before and they start getting annoyed at people going on about it all the time.

Hell YEAH!

 

[indy and lara]

I wasn't aware that you were supposed to feel guilty. We all make our choices and surely part of being an adult is being able to make choices and stand by them?

However, (deep breath) breastfeeding DOES NOT mean that your boobs will be 'ruined' or 'torn up' or any other description you want to use. I BF for 14 months and was a 30DD before pregnancy and I am the same now. They also still point in the same upwards direction too

 

[MustangGTgirl]

I wasn't aware that you were supposed to feel guilty. We all make our choices and surely part of being an adult is being able to make choices and stand by them?

However, (deep breath) breastfeeding DOES NOT mean that your boobs will be 'ruined' or 'torn up' or any other description you want to use. I BF for 14 months and was a 30DD before pregnancy and I am the same now. They also still point in the same upwards direction too

You would think so but when you see women say they are ashamed and embarrassed to bottle feed in public it makes you wonder...

 

[LittleBoo]

Alicemummy, is that you? I jest! I don't feel guilty. I'd have preferred to breastfeed, but I don't feel guilty. My medication makes it impossible, why would that make me feel bad?

 

[Eleanor ace]

Not to sound like a total goody two shoes... but this really isn't the place for such a thread. There's a formula feeding support thread, the debates section... there are probably ladies in here who would rather avoid threads like this. And just to throw in my two cents haha as long as you are feeding your baby it's all gravy.

 

[jenny_wren]

i bottle fed mine from birth, NEVER felt guilty for it

my decision. my baby. end of



this thread has been done ten thousand times
no one gives a monkey's arse who's breastfeeding
and bottle feeding, if the child's been fed, who the
hell cares how they're doing it

my friends still breast feeding her 3 year
old, we're complete opposites and yet neither of us
give a damn what the other's doing because we're doing
it in the way that we see fit

parents do things differently!
always have always will

​

 

[Nibblenic]

Welcome to new and debates

 

[Avalanche]

You would think so but when you see women say they are ashamed and embarrassed to bottle feed in public it makes you wonder...

I think it sounds like you have some sort of issue with it all yourself. If people are ashamed to feed in public (you get this in BFing and FF funnily enough) then it is more about that Mother's own insecurities than random strangers on the street actually stopping to judge her.

You're making it sound like all FF Mums are judged and feel ashamed. Please don't. I was more than happy to bottle feed my daughter from 6 months and it never once crossed my mind what people thought, even after reading the threads on here.

I don't like being lumped in to a group by someone. I was more than happy to BF and FF and I daresay that my feelings are the same as 99% of mothers.

Actually putting FF Mothers into a group like this is just as judgemental as what you are saying people do.

 

[jenny_wren]

Welcome to new and debates

​

 

[Natasha2605]

Welcome to new and debates

Now it'll die a slow death because nobody seems to remember this forum exists! WWIII avoided...for now!

 

[feeble]

I think that the reason some people feel guilty about using formula is because they have tried to breastfeed and unfortunately haven't been able to and that leaves scars

I think that people assume folk look down on them for formula feeding because at the moment there is a change in trend from women being told their boobs are for 'men' and are too 'sexy' for babies etc and instead there is a movement promoting healthy breastfeeding and all the benefits it has, not just for the babies but also for protection against breast cancer and osteoporosis etc...

So there is a lot of pro breastfeeding information and people who feel very strongly about it being good for mama n baby and that can get misconstrue as an attack on formula feeders which it not. Its an attack on societies perception of both formula and women...

 

[jenny82]

I was one of the people that felt ashamed. I still feel ashamed. I never feed my LO outside of my home, my mums or MILs. I don't really know why - I tried my damn hardest and I let myself down, and I also feel the MWs let me down a bit too as my LO lost so much weight that they were adamant she needed formula. I know I'll get over it eventually, but I hate it atm.

Tbh there is a possibility that i wouldn't have felt as guilty if I didn't post on a baby forum. Some comments from some people do bother me a lot but I try to ignore and move on. Its just hard sometimes and especially when I've posted here for so long :/ but there ya go...

(btw I am sure that really nobody in the real world gives a shit about how I feed my baby, but I make myself feel bad even though a regular joe in the street hasn't done or said anything!)

This is just FYI btw as I commented on the other thread.

 

[Lightworker]

For some reason I am annoyed at the use of the term "third world country crap"..surely this is an international website, visited by "third worlders" , yes?

and nobody should feel guilty about anything

 

[Dragonfly]

For some reason I am annoyed at the use of the term "third world country crap"..surely this is an international website, visited by "third worlders" , yes?

and nobody should feel guilty about anything

Agreed , wasnt a nice thing to say at all especially when there are babies that die from it to in third world countries.

After re reading the original OP does sound bitter. Surely if you where happy with your decision and not feeling guilty there wouldn't be bitterness? breastfeeding dosn tear up your boobs either.

 

[mrs_park]