There are of course hundreds of reasons to breastfeed from nutrition and bonding, to supporting the mental and physical health of both babies and mothers. This is something that (anyone who knows me will tell you!) I am very passionate about.

Firstly I want to be clear. I am in no way formula bashing. I understand that, in some situations, formula is needed. It most certainly serves a purpose and is constantly saving lives.

But in this day and age, with all of the information available to us it truly saddens me to know that some women will not even attempt to feed their babies and will actively choose formula over their own milk.

As a mother of two, now doing this for the second time I want to share some of my reasons for choosing and continuing to breastfeed.

1.    Its Free!

Breastfeeding doesn’t cost a penny…well maybe a few new Bra’s, but Formula and everything that goes with bottle feeding can be very expensive. Also, why would I want to waste something so valuable that my body is going to produce anyway?

2.    Best for baby

It’s what babies are naturally supposed to drink. It’s what boobs are made for! Breastfeeding is not the right choice for every family and every situation is different, but nutritionally breast is best. There is a reason that formula fed babies feed less frequently, they are having something put into their stomach that it is not designed to digest. Given the choice to feed my child the best, or second best was quite an easy decision for me.

3.    Quick

So imagine the situation, its 3am and I have an unhappy, hungry baby. It is sooo much quicker to just stick a boob in their mouth, in fact I can still be half asleep and breastfeed. I do not find the alternative of spending half my night making bottles with a crying baby very appealing. And yes you can pre make bottles or make them with cold water, but in doing so you go against the product guidelines and all medical advice. This advice exists for a reason, formula must be made hot, it is not sterile and can make babies very ill.

4.    Convenient

I don’t have to spend my day sterilising and packing up half my life every time I want to go out. I can go wherever I want and be out for as long as I like, no need to rush home before the next feed. Providing I remember to bring my boobs then we are all good.