It’s Sunday morning, and you’ve met a couple of girl friends for coffee. You’re pregnant, they have small babies, and you’re excited at the thought of bringing up your children together. Both babies start to cry, and one friend gently latches her baby to her breast while the other prepares a bottle of formula. This gets you thinking: What will I do—breastfeed or formula feed?

There’s no right answer to this question, and each woman will have to decide what works for her and her family. However, there are benefits and challenges that may inform your decision.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding is a biologically normal and appropriate food for human babies. Your milk is individually tailored and bespoke to your baby. It contains different hormones and antibodies depending on factors like time of day and exposure to viruses. It provides all the nutrition, immune support, and fluids that your baby needs in the first six months of life. As it is the food your baby’s body is adapted to receive, breastfed babies digest their milk easily and well.

Breastfeeding can have lifelong health benefits. Breastfeeding contributes to lower levels of obesity throughout childhood (and probably beyond). We are just starting to understand how breastfeeding contributes to the infant microbiome, which has implications for gut health and immunity. And in the UK, over half the hospital admissions for diarrhoea and over a quarter of the admissions for lower respiratory tract infections could be prevented through exclusive breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is good for mum’s health too. There is a lower incidence of certain cancers (including breast and ovarian cancer) for mothers who have breastfed, and a lower incidence of them developing type II diabetes.

Breastmilk supports an infant’s immature immune system. A child’s immune system isn’t mature until they are more than 5 years old. Breastfed infants and children gain ‘borrowed’ access to mum’s mature immune system. When a baby is exposed to a virus, a small amount of the virus enters the mum’s body via the breast while they feed. Mum’s mature immune system will make antibodies to the virus, which pass back into the milk in subsequent feeds. It is an ever-changing, bespoke milk.

The skin-to-skin contact creates a bonding experience between mother and baby. One significant benefit of breastfeeding is that it allows for a special bonding experience between a baby and their mother.

It’s cheaper and more convenient than formula feeding. Feeding via the breast is, of course, cheaper and often more convenient than other options.

Breastmilk provides a variety of tastes (this prepares the baby for solid foods). Breastmilk also provides the baby with a variety of different tastes, depending on what the mother has been eating. For this reason, the baby is more likely to accept the cultural family foods when that time comes.

These benefits are impressive, but to be honest, they are not the main reason that many women choose to breastfeed. For many mothers, the reasons are more personal and intangible than that.

As one breastfeeding mum put it:

“Putting my baby in my breast just felt like the right place for her to be, and although it was hard to get the hang of initially, with the right support, it quickly became my favourite time with her. I loved that I could comfort her and feed her in a way that no one else could. I loved looking down at her fat and growing body and thinking “I did this—my body is growing a person!”. Nothing will ever beat the joy of watching your baby unlatch from the breast to look up and smile at you with pure happiness.”

Another mom just loved the convenience of it.

“I had two winter babies, and the thought of going downstairs in the dark and cold to make up bottles in the middle of the night would have filled me with dread. I loved that I could simply reach over, scoop up my baby, and have a warm, yummy feed ready to go. The administration of bottle feeding and organisation required to safely clean and make up feeds would have been more than my tired brain and body could have handled.”

For a third mum, being able to travel with her young baby was important.

"We flew with my 3-month-old to visit the in-laws in Australia. The whole flight was a combination of feeding, cuddles, and peaceful sleeps in the bassinet. That baby is now 10 years old, and I can honestly say this was the easiest flight I’ve ever taken with him! Managing with bottles, appropriate water temperatures, cleaning, sterilising, and taking enough formula to last through potential delays would have probably meant that we wouldn’t have attempted that trip, and our baby wouldn’t have met his family for several more months.”

Trying to describe the positives of breastfeeding is a little like explaining to non-parents the joys of childrearing. From the outside, it looks like an awful lot of hard work (it is), and the rewards are intangible and hard to appreciate until you’re doing it. Imagine trying to explain how a baby’s first smile at 6 weeks makes all the sleepless nights and challenges worth it, but somehow it does.

Breastfeeding can have challenges that can lead to ending breastfeeding earlier than some moms would like. Many of these challenges can be overcome or managed with appropriate support, so if you are experiencing any of these and would like to continue breastfeeding, please reach out to your local lactation consultant.

What are these challenges?

Breastfeeding is not always easy. Many mums will have challenges with discomfort in the early days. It can also be very intense in the early weeks. Getting professional support to ensure there are no latching issues and having supportive family and friends can help new mums through these early weeks.

A low milk supply can be an issue. For a small percentage of mothers (approximately 5%), their bodies won’t make a full milk supply. In these circumstances, if they want to include some breastfeeding in their journey, a lactation consultant can help them to balance mixed feeding. However, the majority of issues with low milk supply are not biological in nature but rather a result of a difficult start to the breastfeeding journey. The vast majority of these women can be supported in rebuilding a full supply.

Mum’s medical needs may prevent breastfeeding. There are actually very few medical conditions and/or medications that entirely prevent breastfeeding. Finding a supportive provider can be important in balancing mum’s medical needs with her desire to breastfeed.

If you’re struggling with any of these challenges but want to breastfeed, please be in contact with your local lactation consultant for support.

However, breastfeeding isn’t for everyone, and there is one hugely important reason that a mum may not breastfeed: She doesn’t want to!

If you don’t want to breastfeed, then please know that this is a valid and legitimate choice, which you don’t need to justify. Entering into a breastfeeding relationship is as much about consent as anything else, and if this is not a way you feel comfortable using your body, then that’s absolutely your right.

So, how can I use this information to make an informed decision?

While breastfeeding is the biological norm, it is up to each individual mum to make a decision about what’s right for her and her baby. Everyone’s personal circumstances will differ, and how you feed your baby does not define you as a parent.

If you choose to breastfeed, then getting good-quality support can make your journey both easy and enjoyable. If you choose not to breastfeed, then please visit the formula feeding section of this journey to find out how you can do this responsively and safely for your baby.

Should I breastfeed or formula feed?

Unii Expert Wendy Lever looks at breast and formula options for our Baby Feeding Journey.