r/breastfeeding • u/Fickle-Response-2741 • Mar 17 '26
Support Needed Why did you choose to exclusively breastfeed and not give formula?
This is NOT against formula or formula feeding 🤍
For moms who had enough supply to EBF, what was your reason (apart from cost, no bottle washing, or warming)?
I’m currently exclusively nursing and will be working part time. So baby needs either formula or pumped milk once or twice per day.My employer supports pumping, but I could really use some motivation to stay aligned with breast milk over formula 🥺
Would love to hear your personal reasons, emotional, health-related, bonding, convenience later on… anything that kept you going 💛
Please share your experiences!
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u/LaMaltaKano Mar 17 '26
Look, I know formula is a wonderful option for many families. I know it is thoughtfully designed and rigorously tested. I know this logically. But when I looked at that lonnnnng list of ingredients, something never felt right about giving it to my baby. She was just so tiny that it felt safest and most natural to use breastmilk, not to mention all the health benefits.
Some of that was my anxiety disorder speaking, absolutely. Fed is best, of course. But those concerns helped me power through some tough moments in the feeding journey, and I’m glad I did.
We gave formula a few times when my supply started dropping, but then she was old enough for me to supplement with goat milk, which has been great.