| Almost every mother can make, and almost | | | | Instead of soul-searching about whether your |
| every baby can take, breast milk. "Almost" is | | | | body can adequately nourish his, you know that |
| accurate but still leaves a few who cannot. If | | | | almost anyone can feed him. The bond between |
| your baby cannot have your milk because | | | | father and baby may be tighter because he can |
| medication that is vital for you would be damaging | | | | feed him from the beginning, but the bond |
| to him; or if he especially needs your milk but | | | | between you and your baby may be looser |
| cannot nurse because he is immature or ill, or | | | | because you don't have to. |
| prevented by an anomaly such as cleft lip and | | | | Many of the physical advantages of |
| palate, the advantages of bottle feeding from the | | | | breast-feeding are to do with the milk rather than |
| beginning will be obvious to everyone. | | | | the process of nursing. With the help of bottles, |
| If you and your baby cannot sort out the | | | | you may be able to give your baby breast milk |
| demand and supply of breast milk to his | | | | without the breast (and you) having to be there |
| satisfaction and your comfort, the advantages of | | | | for him. This may be particularly important if you |
| bottle-feeding will all too readily become obvious | | | | very much want to breast feed (or your baby |
| to both of you, even if the nursing problems | | | | especially needs to have breast milk rather than |
| were unnecessary or reversible. | | | | formula for some medical reason such as a |
| Be careful though; sometimes apparent | | | | familial tendency to allergy), but you have to |
| advantages of bottle-feeding at the beginning of a | | | | return to work at an early (but hopefully not too |
| baby's life are less because bottle feeding is | | | | early) date. |
| wonderful than because breast-feeding takes | | | | Provided you have had time to get your milk |
| longer to become so: Getting a baby started on | | | | supply fully established, it may be so copious that |
| the bottle is easier than getting him started on | | | | as long as you nurse your baby freely (probably |
| the breast because you only have to consider his | | | | frequently!) at night and before you leave for |
| comfort and competence, you can take your | | | | work in the morning, you can also express |
| own for granted. | | | | enough breast milk for daytime bottles. If you're |
| Bottles of formula from the beginning let you off | | | | going to rely on expressed milk for part of your |
| the intense (and sometimes uncomfortable) | | | | baby's feeding you will almost certainly want to |
| physical and emotional involvement with your | | | | use a breast pump. Expressing milk by hand is a |
| baby that establishing breast-feeding requires. | | | | useful technique in emergencies, but collecting |
| If you are neither pregnant nor breast-feeding, | | | | whole bottles of milk is achingly slow work. There |
| your body is no longer enmeshed with your | | | | are manual and electric pumps available ranging |
| baby's wellbeing, so it can belong to you again. | | | | widely in sophistication. |