Formula (or Bottle) Feeding Benefits

Less embarrassment, less public attention. How often do you see a mother breastfeeding in public? Unless you’re a known personality or a high profile individual, bottle feeding your baby in public doesn’t draw attention as compared if you were breastfeeding. No curious glances, disapproval, or even malicious glaring from passersby. No need to refasten bra or to redoing the buttons of your shirt after bottle feeding.

Monitored intake. Feeding bottles have calibration marks which give mothers an idea of just how much her baby is taking. Freeing her from the worry that her baby is not getting enough as is the usual concern of mothers with small breast (milk supply can be proportional to the density of milk glands within).

This can be a disadvantage for some parents pressing on to their babies to take more than is necessary. They think fat is cute but it ain’t healthy for the baby.

Gives you more time. As my wife stressfully remembers, carrying the baby in breastfeeding position for long periods can be exhausting. Plus it ties her down most of the time.

With formula feeding, the mother can ask someone else in the family to monitor the feeding as she takes a break to her favorite noontime show. It also gives her the option of sleeping through the night un-interrupted if dad is kind enough (hopefully) to take on the task.

Or if a mother intends to go back at work after her long maternity leave, she can request her in-laws (or even grandma) to supervise the feedings instead.

Dad can participate. Daddy can take a part and share the experience of joys in feeding the baby. Although he would probably prefer to watch his favorite game, you can appeal (or better yet – demand) that he can do so after feeding the baby.

Can wear any clothing. No need for specialty wardrobe (one that can easily facilitate breastfeeding without the need to lift the dress from the waist up) usually worn by nursing mothers.

Less restriction on medication and dietary consumptions. A breastfeeding mother has to be wary of her diet and any supplement she takes. For everything that a mother has taken, it usually has an effect on her health and on the quality of her milk which is then passed on to her baby. Though most babies react rather mildly to the change in the usual composition of their milk, some of them are. And it’s better for mothers to be always on the safe side.

A formula-feeding mother doesn’t have such restrictions.

Longer satisfaction for baby. As compared to a mother’s breast milk, infant formula derived from cow’s milk is more difficult to digest for a baby’s developing digestive system. As a result, babies feel full longer extending the duration between feedings to several hours more.

Summing it up, formula feeding is done at a lesser frequency than breastfeeding is, giving most mothers time to do other chores (or even rest if they prefer).