1. Breast milk is best, no matter how it's delivered. Sure you bond better with baby if he or she has direct access but as long as baby has what they need who cares. I did not breast feed my youngest and he is closer to me than my older child. We all make the best decision for us and our babies. Just because you wouldn't do it doesn't make it wrong!

Kathy at 10:15AM on Jan 18th 2008

2. You neglect to mention that for MANY women, breastfeeding can be extremely painful, particularly for those with fibrocystic breasts or very sensitive nipples. This was the major cause of most women turning to bottle feeding with formula in modern times. Now, the breast pump method offers a much less painful option, not to mention a "toothless" one.

Stating that it is all about the sexualization of the breast is wrong, obsessive, and detrimental. You shouldn't stigmatize the practice like that. After all, isn't the most important thing that the babies are getting real breast milk with all it's benefits above formula?

This method will encourage more women to give their babies their own breast milk. Lactation consultants should be offering it up as an option when women are having difficulties with breast feeding, not discouraging them from it with some shame game about sexualizing the breast!! That is just stupid, cultish, and creepy.

Vikki C. at 10:35AM on Jan 18th 2008

3. While breast milk is best, and pumping is 100% better then formula, pumping does not produce the same amount of milk as baby stimulation.

I give women credit who pump then bottle feed.
It is 2x the amount of work.
Cleaning the pump is no picnic either.

Been there done that. My first baby was a preemie, so I had to pump. It was truly a labor of love. :)

Mary at 11:03AM on Jan 18th 2008

4. Better than bottle, but I would argue that delivering right from the breasts is much better.
Some people can't get over the "sexuality" of it, but let me try to expain.
When breastfeeding your baby, you experience the closeness. It's the way it's "supposed to be."
It's pleasant (and a relief!), but NOT in a sexual way. It also makes a woman sit, with her baby, and busy moms, esp. bottle feeders, can easily pass this "job" onto someone else or the baby him/herself with a propped bottle. I find this sad.
It's not easy at the beginning though. Women who say they "can't"probaby simply won't. It was sheer H*** the first three days or so. OW! But like a new pair of shoes, you get warn in! :) You must make the commitment saying you WILL!

mary at 11:19AM on Jan 18th 2008

5. Gee...I wonder if "in all the rage" anyone has even remotely considered the following:

1. Other than the nutritional value of breast milk...uuuh I think that the nurturing aspect is equally as important. But then again, why would anybody these days think that "natural nurturing" is important? It's all about OUR personal comfort - right?

2. Breastfeeding is not about YOU and a sore nipple or two - get over it. I breastfed three children and believe it or not...I have survived intact.

I am having a hard time believing that by using pump on a breast rather than allowing a baby to suckle - due to some (benign) physical issue..is really out there...like so far out that I am struck by the idiocy of it.
OMG - I just had an epiphany.

This is eerily similar to "restless leg syndrome"AKA "lazy leg syndrome"

Haiku1VT at 11:31AM on Jan 18th 2008

6. and a PS: i found pumping MORE painful

AMajor at 11:32AM on Jan 18th 2008

7. Dr. Ruth Lawrence is sort of an goofy, with that assumption that most women who don't wish to breast feed have an aversion because of a "sexualization" process.

Puh-lease. All of the new moms I know have tried to breastfeed, and many of them turn to the pump because breastfeeding makes them SORE. Adding guilt doesn't help.

All of that "obesity is determined in the first year of life, and you overfeed your baby when you bottle feed" is a guilt/scare tactic. Anyone who steps on their panic long enough to think it through will agree. Breastmilk IS best - but you cuddle and communicate with your baby when you bottlefeed the same as when you breastfeed, so what's the crisis? What silliness...

Lionruby at 1:02PM on Jan 18th 2008

8. Ah - here we go.. the typical stuff I expected back. FYI - I am not speaking about personal experience, but rather PROFESSIONAL experience.

I have been a floor nurse in L&D for over 10 years. During that time I have watched overzealous and cultish La Leche League advocates totally put off scores of young women from even trying breast feeding by having an attitude of trying to shame them into it, ridiculing their pain (as a poster above did), and basically intimating that they aren't caring for their child properly or nurturing them if they don't feed from the breast, as again, an above poster did.

These young women might have at least been encouraged to pump and feed if this had not been done in this severe way. Pumping and feeding may have even lead to natural breast feeding as they got comfortable with it, or at least encourage them to attempt to try again with the next child.

But, by the time the breast feeding advocates were done with them, they had basically all been made very upset and resistant to listening to anyone in the hospital about the subject. Many nurses in my unit were disgusted with the overzealous breast feeding advocates destroying our patient rapport on this issue.

We succeded in having some rules put in place that limited the overzealousness and harsh methods and laid out all options with gentle suggestion, plenty of support, lots of sympathy for pain or difficulties, and NO PERSECUTION OF A PERSONAL CHOICE.

Due to this, we now have far more young moms giving it a go. Our ratios of moms leaving that are trying to breast feed has gone through the roof, and quite frankly, the mood on the unit is much, much happier.

I am struck by the lack of compassion of someone that would suggest a woman is not naturally nurturing her child if she feeds formula from a bottle or chooses to pump and feed. I am also struck by the sadism of someone that would ridicule or minimize another's pain. To me, that is abuse.

Is this a game of who can be a bigger martyr for their child? I see this too much, and it is really mentally ill. Women need to quit being such backbiting shrews and support each other instead of seeking to cut each other down.

Vikki C. at 1:26PM on Jan 18th 2008

9. Ada, sleep medicine and orthodontic studies show that actual breast feeding is best. While bottle feeding actual breast milk is better than feeding your child formula, it is not the best for your child. Kids that do not breast feed many times end up with underdeveloped palates, constricted tongue space, orthodontic issues, TMJ problems, and can develope sleep apnea. Many kids that are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, actually have sleeping problems because they have developed Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) because their mouths did not develop properly during infancy. The childs suckling presses the nipple against the roof of the mouth, puts pressure on the soft bones up there, causes them to spread, and generates plenty of tongue space for the tongue. Mothers, if you have an infant, and you want that child to be their best, they can be; breast feed your children

ken at 1:41PM on Jan 18th 2008

10. While i understand and value the lovely experience of bonding with your baby through breast feeding i must say i was forced into pumping and bottle feeding. Simply because i had to return to work and once my son got the bottle, he was no longer interested in the labor of suckling. I picked up the pieces from feeling unwanted and allowed him the liberty to choose. Thus i lost and the pump and bottle won. It was all about giving him what he wanted and what was healthy for him. This issue shoul be more widely considered when women are looked down upon for not allowing the baby to suckle. Sometimes it's the baby that is not interested.

Rio at 1:42PM on Jan 18th 2008

11. Haiku, have you stopped to consider that by bottlefeeding breast milk you are allowing the father some bonding time to nurture his child? Bottlefeeding breast milk gives infants the best of both worlds, better nutrition and equal bonding opportunity with both parents.

Jennifer M. at 1:55PM on Jan 18th 2008

12. I think my oldest daughter latched on wrong the first day or two and bruised the sensitive tissue in my nipple. The next week was hell. I cried every time I nursed, but pumping was equally painful. I almost gave up altogether but my husband was very supportive and wouldn't let me quit (thank goodness). I think more women should try toughing it out for at least a couple weeks to see if it gets easier. If not though, then hey, at least their babies are getting some of the benefits of breast milk. They'll miss out on a fulfilling experience but that's their choice.

Lola1979 at 2:21PM on Jan 18th 2008

13. I went all 3 routes with my kids. I bottlefed one one breastmilk, I fed one formula, and I nursed the last. Breastfeeding was the best experience by far but expressing and bottlefeeding breast milk was the worst. My first child had a high palate and was not able to nurse but I wanted him to have breastmilk. It is exhausting during a time when you're already exhausted. It becomes your full time job, if you aren't feeding then you're expressing milk (which can take half an hour or more) or sterilizing bottles, or cleaning out and sterilizing the pump and then by you have all that done, it's time to feed again. I started supplimenting after 6 weeks, it was TOO much. People need to stop being so militant about this and trying to make young women feel like they're bad mothers for making the very personal choice to give formula. Even though he had formula, my firstborn turned out better than fine. He is on the honor roll, in the gifted program at school and is actually a little underweight for his age. I think all of these 'formula problems' are the result of other parenting choices, not the formula.

Jen at 2:42PM on Jan 18th 2008

14. I nursed two babies....My husband was a bit jealous with the first(boy)(hmmm....) and sometimes gave me alot of grief for nursing..(even though I also pumped so that he could feed) I think if I wasnt so stubborn I may have given in to his grief and stopped nursing pretty early. I wonder how many do not nurse their babies because of how their men respond to it??hmmm.....Second baby he was alot more suppotive(girl)(hmmm.....)Silly boys tits are for kids! LOL and by the way nursing was sometimes painful if the latch on wasnt quite right..(thank you LANSINOH!) but it would heal in a couple of days..pumping was sometimes uncomfortable as well but not so bad.............. And also......something that helped me around the idea that there are teeth to contend with when nursing...knowing that they cannot suck and bite at the same time...so never had a problem with that either....and one more thing, I promise :) I never saw anyone one from Leleche league at my hospital either time and the nurses were all about breastfeeding...they even gave me my first pump :)

rubylily at 3:47PM on Jan 18th 2008

15. My breasts have been fibrocystic for as long as I have had breasts. When I had my daughter, I tried desperately to breastfeed, but she became severely ill from dehydration. Turned out my cysts were surrounding my milk ducts and limiting my supply. Her pediatrician and my lactation consultant told me to exclusively pump because that was the only way to measure her intake. I had to supplement the remainder with formula.

So there are good reasons to pump that have nothing to do with the sexualization of breasts. But for the record, I found pumping far more painful that breastfeeding.

Indigo at 3:58PM on Jan 18th 2008