Pressure to formula feed

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I’ve often heard the phrase ‘I felt pressured to breastfeed.’

While I don’t wish to dismiss the experiences of the people who feel this way, if we look at it realistically, does pressure to breastfeed really exist? It’s my view that it’s actually the other way around. The pressure is to formula feed.

How many TV adverts have you seen for breastfeeding? Full page ads in magazines, Pop ups on that baby website you read, Facebook ads ‘tailored’ to you, well-meaning friends and relatives telling you ‘you did your best, why not just give a breast? Not everyone can bottle feed you know.’ When a baby is screaming in discomfort due to being unable to digest formula, how many people say ‘it’s the formula; you need to give the breast.’



It’s a very rare circumstance that any of these things happen, in fact if anyone were to say any of those things to a bottle feeding mum they would be accused of being unsupportive, a ‘breastfeeding Nazi’, they’d be accused of putting pressure on mums and being judgmental. Why not the other way around? Why is it supportive to suggest a bottle but not to encourage people to continue on with breastfeeding?



Mothers however, are faced constantly with formula ads, well-meaning friends and relatives telling them to just give a bottle when things are tough with breastfeeding.

It’s because of very clever marketing from formula companies, touting their products as the next best thing. It’s because of the ‘breast is best’ campaign. While the meaning of this campaign is obviously to get mums thinking about how they feed, it also puts breastfeeding up on a pedestal. It makes it an unattainable goal that only a select few can achieve and it makes formula seem good enough.

The unfortunate truth us that formula should actually be the fourth choice when it comes to baby feeding (according to the World Health Organisation). First is directly from the mother’s breast, second is her own milk expressed, then donor milk from another mother and then formula.

We have to stop viewing breastfeeding support as pressure. Breastfeeding is biologically normal. It’s not an impossible goal only achieved by elite mummies. In the absence of true medical problems, any mum can breastfeed. All she needs is support and knowledge, a lot of determination and an open mind.

What formula manufacturers will never admit to is that their products come with health risks, including increasing the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), childhood cancers, obesity, diabetes, digestive disorders, allergies, eczema, asthma and a host of other problems. These products need to come with health warnings not pictures of teddy bears and smiling babies. Any nutrients added to formula are artificial and largely indigestible by a baby’s immature gut.

We have to start being honest about formula feeding if we are to increase breastfeeding rates and we need to be talking to mums before they have their babies. Before they have made their minds up or given up breastfeeding (when they have already given up this is the time mums will feel guilt for changing over, feel attacked and switch off so any conversation is pointless).

There need to be leaflets in our pregnancy folders about the dangers of formula and midwives need to be having in depth discussions with pregnant women so that they can make informed choices. We have to counter the aggressive marketing methods of formula companies who have the money to pay the fines they receive for illegally marketing these products.

I hope that after reading this people will realise the pressure to breastfeed is non existent. All that exists for breastfeeding is support groups, peer supporters and health care professionals doing their best while trying to avoid the label of ‘pushy’. It’s almost impossible to do because any mention of breastfeeding now is sadly seen as pressure.

For help and support with breastfeeding please visit La Leche League here

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