Mothers are made to feel guilty whether they breastfeed or formula feed their baby

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-11/uol-mam111616.php

Public Release: 16-Nov-2016
Mothers are made to feel guilty whether they breastfeed or formula feed their baby
University of Liverpool

New research conducted by the University of Liverpool shows that mothers can experience negative emotions such as guilt, stigma and the need to defend their feeding choices regardless of how they feed their baby.

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In the overall sample of formula feeding mothers 67% reported feeling guilty, 68% felt stigmatized, and 76% felt the need to defend their feeding choice. Mothers who initiated exclusive breastfeeding but stopped and mothers who intended to exclusively breastfeed during pregnancy were at a much higher risk of experiencing guilt.

For breastfeeding mothers, negative emotional experiences did not occur as frequently but were still present, particularly for those who supplemented breastfeeding with formula. Interestingly, family members and breastfeeding in public appeared to be the primary external source of these emotions. Returning to work was also a common concern raised by mothers who were exclusively breastfeeding.

Further analysis of the responses from both breastfeeding and formula feeding women revealed that guilt and dissatisfaction was directly associated with how they chose to feed their babies; these emotional experiences were far more common in those supplementing or substituting with formula.

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