There are many reasons why people choose not to breastfeed their babies, even though it's best for the baby. Some of the more serious reasons I discussed in other pages. This page discusses reasons people have come up with that just don't make any sense. This just illustrates the tragic extent to which the bottle-feeding culture we live in has blinded us.
    It was sometimes hard to decide whether I should put a reason some people have for breastfeeding in this page or the pages on personal or practical reasons. If you don't find something here, check those pages too. Then fill out the form at the bottom of any of these pages to tell me about your reason.

• I don't want to deal with the extra poopy diapers of a breastfed baby.
  • This is based on the observation that breastfed babies tend to have more frequent bowel movements than bottle-fed babies. In the early weeks, some breastfed babies have a bowel movement after each major feeding--about ten times a day.
  • If you are concerned with the cost of extra diapers, rethink your math. The money you save on bottles, nipples, formula, and extra visits to the doctor's office will cover the cost of the extra diapers many times over.
  • If you are concerned about the inconvenience of changing all the poopy diapers, rethink your reasoning. The time and effort you save by not having to shop for bottles, nipples, bottle brushes and formula, and mixing formula and warming up bottles, having to wake up fully and get out of bed at night will more than compensate for the inconvenience of changing a few extra diapers. You should change wet diapers often to avoid diaper rashes anyway.
  • If you knew why formula-fed babies have fewer bowel movements, you might reconsider your decision. It's because they are often constipated. Here is the story in a nutshell: breastmilk contains a low quantity of iron that is absorbed very efficiently by the digestive system. Iron in formula is absorbed at about one tenth the rate of iron in breastmilk. So, formula manufacturers put lots of extra iron in infant formula. Iron is highly constipating, however. Bottle-fed babies end up being constipated much of the time. This extra iron is harmful in other ways too. Many harmful bacteria (especially coli family) thrive in iron-rich environments. A bottle-fed baby's guts are colonized by these coli bacteria. A breastfed baby's guts are full of beneficial bifidus cultures, thanks to the low iron content and the presence of bifidus factors in breastmilk. The extra iron also interferes with the absorption of other salts and minerals, and infant formula contains high amounts of many of those. As a result, the liver of a bottle-fed baby has to work extra hard. If you put in too much formula and too little water in your mixture, you can cause serious liver damage.
  • Breastfed babies may have more poopy diapers, put it is infinitely more pleasant changing those than a bottle-fed baby's diapers. Thanks to the good bifidus cultures in an exclusively breastfed baby's guts, the bowel movements are sweet-smelling. There is no offensive odor at all. A bottle-fed baby's bowel movements have the characteristic foul odor of feces, because of the harmful coli bacteria.
• It's too much trouble dealing with all the pillows.
  • New mothers are often told to use plenty of pillows while nursing. Some breastfeeding videos show mothers using up to eight pillows all at once.
  • What you need to realize is that those pillows are recommended just for your comfort. If you're comfortable without them, you don't need to use them! As long as your baby is properly latched on and you are comfortable, you're fine. I've seen mothers nurse their babies just sitting on a chair, on the floor, on a fallen tree trunk, or even standing up and walking around. Once you get used to it, it's much easier than bottle-feeding.
• I bottle-fed my baby's older siblings. It would be unfair to them to breastfeed my new baby.
  • You are not doing any of your children a favor by bottle-feeding your new baby.
  • You did what was best for you and your children at the time, based on the knowledge you had then. You should do the same now. What would be really unfair is not act according to what you know now.
  • If you breastfeed your new baby, you'll probably be able to a better mother to your older children too (you'll also have more money and time to spend on them--don't forget about the extra visits to the doctor and time spent comforting a sick child if you choose to bottle-feed). You won't be cheating on them by breastfeeding now; it's best for everyone.
• Make sure you see the following pages too:
  • Personal reasons for not breastfeeding
  • Practical reasons for not breastfeeding
  • Dealing with bad advice
  • Dealing with criticism

Go to:

• Reasons for not breastfeeding

The breastfeeding page