World Breastfeeding Week: Breast vs Bottle with DR. Philippa Kaye

It is a debate which has been raging for decades - breast feeding vs bottle feeding, which is best?

Unfortunately, like many debates, there is often judgement and stigma on both sides, be that women being asked to cover up while breastfeeding, or feeling guilty for using formula. But there are both advantages and disadvantages to all methods of feeding!

Advantages of breastfeeding

There are many pros of breastfeeding, it is free, convenient and does not need preparation and the health benefits of breastfeeding are varied and clear. Breastmilk contains antibodies and is known to support the immune system of the baby - babies who are breast fed have lower incidence of infections such as ear infections and pneumonia. It supports their digestive health and they are less likely to have diarrhoea. It also reduces the risk of allergies, asthma and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, also known as cot death). And the health benefits don’t just stop with the baby, it is good for the feeding mother as well decreasing their risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Disadvantages of breastfeeding

It’s also important to recognise that breastfeeding is not always easy, especially in the beginning as you may need a lot of support in order to establish feeding. You may need to watch your diet, for example, watch how much caffeine and alcohol you have, or you may need to change medication as some can be passed through breastmilk to the baby (please discuss any medication with your pharmacist or GP).

Breastfeeding is tiring and newborns feed very regularly, meaning that you can’t leave your baby for significant periods of time, for example to work, or if you do need to be away, you would need to pump. Breastfeeding means that most of the feeding burden falls to you, which can be exhausting and even the constantly being touched can in itself be tiring. Breastfeeding is not as simple as it looks!

Advantages of bottle feeding

Bottle feeding also has its advantages and disadvantages. Formula is now easily accessible and means that other people can help feed the baby, which can help them bond with the baby as well as meaning that you can leave the baby for longer periods of time. You can also see how much your baby is drinking, which you can’t do with breastfeeding!

Disadvantages of bottle feeding

On the other hand, formula feeding is more expensive and preparing the formula and sterilising bottles and teats is time consuming. And formula feeding does not have the same health benefits to you or your baby as breastfeeding. Some people also still feel that they are judged for bottle feeding.

You may have heard the phrase ‘breast is best’, but that may not always be true! In the UK, we have access to clean water and formula is easily available and it is important to recognise that breast feeding is not always easy and can lead to stress and distress. From my experience as a GP, it is clear that ‘fed is best’ no matter how you choose to do it, the most important thing is that your baby is fed, no matter how you do it!!