Weaning Power of Lisa

I am Lisa Campbell and I bottle-feed my son.

It feels like an admission of guilt, but it is true.

Dr Jennifer James of RMIT University believes that formula is too readily available and should only be obtained via prescription.   

"The majority of women and new dads that you speak to will give you some reasons why it's important to breastfeed but there's still this pervasive belief that 'I'll try it and if I can't do it, formula's just as good', she is quoted as saying in today’s Courier Mail.

I tried. 

I couldn’t do it. 

So what would she suggest that I feed my son?

I bottle-feed my baby.  Don’t get me wrong, I was made totally aware of the huge benefits that he would receive from breast milk.  I was given countless pamphlets, schedules for classes and numbers for helplines.  But no information prevented me from getting a very aggressive case of mastitis and a recurring breast abscess that had to be surgically removed twice.  My son spent his third week on this earth, in hospital with me hooked up to an intravenous drip of antibiotics, trying to express milk whilst ensuring that I did not rip the ravaged skin of my breasts in the process.  I could not express enough to satiate my son, but could not put him to the breast because of the dressings and scars. 

I did not take the decision to bottle-feed lightly.  We all want our children to have the best start in life, but I discussed the options with my husband, obstetrician and surgeon and I truly believe that I made the right decision.

I have not spoken to many people about this, as I have been embarrassed by the grotesqueness of my problems.  But breastfeeding is a difficult and highly sensitive business and should be treated as such. 

Giving birth to your first child is hugely overwhelming.  Not only do you have the realization that this vulnerable being is totally dependent on you, you are dealing with the trauma that your body has gone through to bring this person into the world, hormonal changes and lack of sleep.  Then you are faced with a helpless little soul whose hunger your body cannot satisfy. 

There is only so long you can watch that child cry without turning to another source.

If you try breastfeeding and cannot do it – formula is the ONLY option, Dr James.  Gone are the days of the wet nurse and there is only one Salma Hayek to go around.  We as a society should be supporting women who cannot breastfeed, not castigating them or making their difficult plight harder.

Cans of formula carry a printed health warning on them.  Like cigarettes.  However, unlike cigarettes, formula is not damaging.  It may not be ideal but it is the best that some of us can offer our children.  We should not be made to feel like bad mothers because of our physical limitations.