Pressure to breastfeed
Breastfeeding organisations recognise that mums have the right to choose how to feed their babies. No mum should be made to feel a failure or turned away if she rings a breastfeeding line or visits a breastfeeding clinic to seek information on how to stop breastfeeding.
Yet some mums feel they have been judged and found wanting when they seek information on how to switch from breast to formula.
Others feel bullied by healthcare professionals, by relations or by breastfeeding mums. This is especially hard for mums who suffer from medical conditions and who cannot breastfeed.
A recent study by the University of Kent, which aimed to research how women experienced feeding formula to their babies, found that 32% felt a sense of failure about not breastfeeding, 33% felt guilt about using formula and 23% worried about what healthcare professionals might say.
If you are feeling guilty about not breastfeeding or stopping to breastfeed, your baby and your wellbeing should be your priorities. After all the most important things a child need are security, nurturing, guidance, and protection.
Yet some mums feel they have been judged and found wanting when they seek information on how to switch from breast to formula.
Others feel bullied by healthcare professionals, by relations or by breastfeeding mums. This is especially hard for mums who suffer from medical conditions and who cannot breastfeed.
A recent study by the University of Kent, which aimed to research how women experienced feeding formula to their babies, found that 32% felt a sense of failure about not breastfeeding, 33% felt guilt about using formula and 23% worried about what healthcare professionals might say.
If you are feeling guilty about not breastfeeding or stopping to breastfeed, your baby and your wellbeing should be your priorities. After all the most important things a child need are security, nurturing, guidance, and protection.
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