Breastfeeding or formula? It is the mom’s choice and no one has the right to judge
Print Edition
As a mother of a 1-year-old daughter, one of the most hotly debated topics among new moms is the preference for breastfeeding over formula feeding.
Some moms who have to use formula feeding have feelings of guilt, with some even being criticized or stigmatized. Worse, they often cannot even count on support and sympathy from their own family.
How to feed a baby is entirely up to the mother.
In a recent poll on Weibo, nearly 60 percent of the roughly 15,000 respondents agreed people should respect moms’ choices on how to feed their babies. A related video from the public account “FOKi” has been viewed 3.56 million times.
The comment drawing the most likes (more than 6,000) was: “As long as the mom is happy, the women’s right to free choice is the most important thing.”
While there has been considerable consensus among the scientific community that “breast is best,” it by no means it’s the only way. For most moms, formula is often the last resort, due to inadequate breast milk supply, the difficulty some babies have in suckling, or other complications.
Sadly, instead of sympathy for moms who cannot breastfeed, some people cruelly accuse these moms of being lazy or selfish. Although I breastfeed my child, I have not been spared the guilt associated with formula feeding.
Giving birth to my baby was like a walk in the park, the whole process of labor and delivery lasted less than 2 hours. My mother joked that I was like a chick laying an egg, which is not so off the mark, considering that my Chinese zodiac happens to be the rooster.
But I was proved wrong in assuming everything thereafter would be as smooth. The excitement in the first two days was soon followed by strong feelings of fatigue and melancholy, since the baby, jaundiced, had to be taken from my bosom and hospitalized.
During her week-long hospitalization, I suffered from mastitis and ran a fever of over 39 degrees Celsius. I still remember vividly the time when my husband brought our baby home: the homecoming was greeted with loud cheers from the family, as I lay on the bed, feeling helplessly weak.
My emotional distress hurt more than my physical pain. Since I had a fever, my baby could only drink formula milk. I suffered a sense of guilt, blaming myself for my inability to feed my child properly.
When I shared my experience with other moms in a WeChat group, it resonated with many, who said they also experienced difficulties ranging from lactation to pain. The worst part of this was when the mom had to suffer in private.
Being a new mom is never easy. There is no excuse for others making it even harder.
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