It is important for you to make a choice about how you will feed your baby. The same choice is not right for all parents. There are many factors to keep in mind as you decide whether to breast feed or formula feed.

Here are some of the most common thoughts parents have about how to feed their baby.

I have heard that “breast is best.”
But is breast feeding really better now that formulas are more like breast milk?
Breast milk is perfectly designed to provide your baby with the correct amounts of protein, fat and other nutrients. It is easier for baby to digest than formula. It causes fewer allergies.

Formula has improved over the years, but it is still not as good as breast milk. Formula will never contain the antibodies found in breast milk that fight and prevent infection in babies. Mother’s milk, especially the first milk called colostrum, contains them. Also, breast milk changes over time to match the needs of the baby, but formulas are always the same.

I really want my baby’s father to help with baby care as much as possible.
Wouldn’t formula feeding be the best way to go?
Feeding is only one of many ways parents spend time with baby each day. Often, when a mom chooses to breast feed, fathers are the ones to pick up the baby and give him or her to mom to feed. Fathers can bond by changing diapers or playing with, bathing, or dressing baby. Fathers can help with feeding by giving baby a bottle of expressed breast milk.

I am concerned that I won’t be able to eat certain foods or ever have a glass of wine with dinner. It seems like breast feeding will restrict me.
There are no foods that all moms must avoid while nursing. Some foods that mom eats may give baby gas. Babies don’t all respond the same way to each food. There is no need to restrict your foods if you are breast feeding unless you have seen that baby has had a reaction to a certain food. Having a single drink that contains alcohol, especially with a meal, is okay. Moms should not use street drugs or drink a lot of alcohol while breast feeding. It is also best to quit smoking or at least smoke as little as you can. Do not smoke around baby or just before nursing.

My baby is at high risk of being born prematurely (early).
I have heard that infants born too early are not able to breast feed until they are out of intensive care. Do I have any other choice but formula feeding?
Yes! Premie babies benefit the most from breast milk. You can express your breast milk by using an electric breast pump until baby is old enough to breast feed. Early and frequent pumping helps you provide a good milk supply. Giving breast milk to your premie baby is often the one thing that only you can do for your baby while he or she is in the hospital. No doctor or nurse can do this for your baby.

So many of my friends who have breast fed their children talk about how painful it is and how sore their nipples got. I am not sure I want to try to do it if it is that hard.
Breast feeding should not be painful. It can cause some nipple tenderness in the first few days to few weeks. But you can do a lot to prevent pain or treat any skin cracking if it occurs. The best way to prevent painful nursing is to make sure that baby is latched on well and deeply. Most pain problems result from baby not taking enough of mom’s nipple and areola into his or her mouth with each feeding. Your nurses will teach you how to help your baby latch on.

If you get sore or cracked nipples, there are many ways to help. Rubbing breast milk or lanolin cream on your nipples is often soothing. You can place hydrogel dressings over your nipples between feedings to help them heal. Letting your nipples air dry helps too. If you get an infection, it is important that you get it treated right away.

There are many support resources to give you tips and help you breast feed. If you are not sure if your baby is latching correctly or if you have other breast feeding questions or
concerns, call the MacDonald Lactation Center. The lactation center also hosts a weekly mom’s support group.

Once you and your baby become better at breast feeding, it will no longer hurt. Breast feeding causes hormones to be released that help you to relax. It can decrease your anxiety, improve bonding and closeness with your baby, and promote your maternal instincts.