Got Milk? The Great Breast Vs Bottle Debate

Mizzie knows the importance of providing optimum nutrition for your new baby and wants to support you through your feeding journey, no matter which way you choose to feed. There has always been a major debate on breast vs bottle-feeding and which is better - with some people swearing by one side and completely disdaining the other. But, which is better for you?

So, let Mizzie help you break down the benefits of breast and bottle-feeding your bub!

The Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding does have some fantastic benefits and it is pretty clear why it is suggested as a premium method of feeding. Genetically speaking, post birth our hormones gear up to breast feed baby (regardless of our choice), with our bodies following an evolutionary pattern focused around survival. These days the environment in which we find ourselves supplying milk have changed, making breast feeding a choice rather than a necessity.

Some benefits of Breast Feeding include:

• Helps to protect baby against infections including gastrointestinal, chest, urine and ear infections.
• Helps to protect baby against diabetes in both mum and bub (particularly if you have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy).
• Research indicated that breast feeding can also help protect against coeliac, heart and inflammatory disease along with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and childhood leukemia.
• Breastfeeding can also aid in post birth body weight, iron supplies and reduced risk of post birth haemorrhage.
• During feeding, your body releases both prolactin and oxytocin. Prolactin is what helps you to produce more milk and oxytocin is the feel good hormone that helps you to bond with bub and help deter feelings of postpartum depression.
• It is a free renewable resource that you always have with you.

The Benefits of Formula Feeding

Formula Feeding has always gotten a pretty bad wrap from society, with false information, and unsubstantiated judgements sometimes being forced upon new mothers. Because of this, the idea of formula feeding can be daunting for a new mother and for some, it’s is the only option. We have a wealth of information that is slowing making formula feeding by choice more understanding and acceptance, from both mothers and medical professionals.

Regardless of whether you made the choice or didn’t get one at all, there are so many wonderful benefits of formula feeding:

• Using bottles allows you to accurately measure babies milk intake, allowing you to monitor increases or decreases in feeding amounts and compare to weight gain or losses.
• Bottle feeding allows more family members to become involved in the feeding process, which increases their bonding time together.
• The vast range of formulas allows you to provide optimum nutrition for your baby, with some babies unable to tolerate certain carbohydrates or proteins found in breast milk.
• Adding formula to a premature or underweight baby’s diet can help to improve healthy weight gain.
• Generally higher vitamin and mineral content.
• Bottle feeding helps with the transition to sippy cups later in life.

Mixed feeding is a combination of breast and formula feeding, with some mothers electing to add formula to their breast feeding routine for a number of reasons - with many benefits of mixing the two together! These can include

• If Bub requires the extra sustenance gained from formula thought are still very happy to breast feed with mum.
• Mum is looking to return to work sooner and just the thought of expressing a days-worth of feeds is exhausting.
• Mum may wish to formula feed when out and about and breast feed privately at home.
• Dad wants to join in on the feeding action and bottle feeding is a way for them to bond differently to mum.

The bottom line is as long as you are happy and bub is healthy, any combination of feeding is perfect. At the end of the day, bub will only be milk fed for a short period of their life and you don’t want to spend this wonderful time hiding away in fear of judgements from others. At Mizzie, we suggest going with your gut and what you prefer! If you're not sure, try a few things out, see how you, and your little one responds and go from there!

It is all just food and as long as your bub is fed, you are doing a wonderful job !  So enjoy the time you do have right now, cuddling together for a feed in a quiet corner just the two of you guilt free, knowing that regardless of opinions, you are giving your baby the best start in life just by being there.

At some point during your feeding journey, bub is going to start developing teeth, so it is important you look after their teeth after feeds! Make sure to start brushing bubs' teeth with an age appropriate rubber toothbrush. When they start teething, make sure you check out our Mizzie Teething Toys so support this journey! 

Good Luck!