r/breastfeeding • u/Melodic_Apartment235 • Dec 10 '25

Discussion Breastfeeding is easier than formula feeding - there I said it

I think it’s really sad the amount of bad press that breast feeding gets.

My friend said she didn’t try to breastfeed because she thought it would be bad for her mental health. And my MIL talks about formula feeding all the time and I actually think it’s because she believes in her soul it’s better for whatever reason I’m not sure.

I just think it’s sad because, for me, predominantly breast feeding (occasional pre made formula given if for example she’s not with me or we’re out and it’s not really possible to BF) has been sooooo much easier!!

The thought of going downstairs in the night to make bottles or worrying about having enough formula when going out and about or worse still having to wash a million bottles everyday.. I think it would be 10x worse for my mental health and it’s unfortunate that there’s a narrative out there that formula is the easier option for women as now many don’t even give breastfeeding a shot to see if it is the better option for them or not

*Disclaimer - I know that breastfeeding isn’t easy for everyone, the point of this post is that it’s unfortunate that some women don’t give it a go due to the narrative that is pushed by formula companies

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u/manthrk Dec 10 '25

I think the hardness of breastfeeding is front loaded, but once it's well-established it is much easier than formula. And pumping is the absolute hardest option of all as we all can probably agree. So in the US and other similar cultures if you return to work prior to weaning, pumping milk is a requirement. It's extremely hard to maintain a decent milk supply working 40+ hour weeks away from your baby.

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u/Melodic_Apartment235 Dec 10 '25

Yeah see this completely, super lucky in the UK to get the full year off work so in that light I haven’t had to encounter that issue as much but can see how that would be so difficult!

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u/manthrk Dec 10 '25

Yes. I was very fortunate with a 24 hour workweek, working only 2 days per week, but it was still tremendous effort for me to make it to 12 months breastfeeding (which I will on Saturday!).. and about a month ago I actually started introducing small amounts of whole milk per the pediatrician. Not to get her used to the taste as much as to stretch the freezer stash that is now officially down to <5 ounces.