If Mom's Diet Not Great, Better to Stop Breastfeeding & Switch to Formula?

Updated on September 01, 2011
N.S. asks from Chicopee, MA
10 answers

If the mother's diet is not filled with "super" nutritional foods, would it be better to make the transition from breastfeeding to formula? For the first 7 months of my son's life, I breastfed exclusively and also had a very health diet - great, expensive postnatal vitamins, almost all organic, lots of fruits and vegetables. And then my return to work and a busier life and also a decrease in spending money resulted in the following: supplementing with formula, pumping less at work, buying less organic, eating more fast food, eating less healthy overall. Now my husband and I are wondering if a woman does not have the best diet, would it be better to switch to 100% formula?

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

No. People who are literally starving in Africa can still feed their child by breastfeeding.

I went back to work, nursed and pumped, ate too many frozen dinners for lunch and my DD is fine. I know it's not always easy, but a convenience diet is not, IMO, a reason to go to formula. If a woman is truly worried about her child's milk, she should worry about herself.

Besides which, I'm sure you noticed that formula is expensive. If someone is watching her budget, she can knock two birds at once by taking care of herself and thereby taking care of her nursling by proxy.

9 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

Even if you were starving and living in a slum eating nothing but Ramen noodles and Sprite, breastfeeding would be the best nutrition for your baby as long as you have a good milk supply. If you don't have to use formula and prefer to nurse, then I see no reason to switch. But if you WANT to switch to formula that's all the reason you need. You don't need to justify it.

3 moms found this helpful
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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

.

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P.N.

answers from Boston on

No, as the others said stopping breastfeeding is not better. You don't need to eat a special diet to make your milk the best thing for your baby. Though, if your diet is lacking in nutrition, breastfeeding or not, you will probably have less energy and not feel as well. You also might want to find a more affordable vitamin if your diet is not the greatest. That's for your sake. Your baby will benefit from whatever mama milk he is getting.

3 moms found this helpful

G.T.

answers from Redding on

Your body is going to do what it can to derive all the nutrients to go to your breast milk. Your child will get the best but you might start feeling drained.
Think about babies in third world countries that only get breastfed and the moms have a very limited diet, most of the kids still thrive. I wouldnt give up nursing unless you were taking drugs, drinking an excess of alcohol or using other chemicals. As long as you are still producing and feel okay, I'm sure your milk will be fine. Your baby will let you know. If your milk isnt rich enough he'll still be hungry so you might need to suppliment with some formula at times.

2 moms found this helpful

A.G.

answers from Houston on

no....you wont be healthy but your baby still will be. The breasts take what they need from you to make a proper meal for the baby, mom will be malnourished but the baby will be great. Your milk is specifically formulated for your baby. But even if you dont have lots of money you can still eat well.

Look up the top 20 things you should buy organic and dont purchase THOSE things non organic if you feel the need to get organic, only buy those things organic. I dont eat anything organic but my dairy and im very healthy and eat VERY well. Fruits and vegetables are fairly cheap especially if you find deals and eat whats in season. Make that the bulk of your meals and you cant really go wrong. You can buy grains in bulk and prepare your own dishes and freeze them.

Formula is powdered cows milk with additives, there's no comparison.

2 moms found this helpful

M.J.

answers from Dover on

No, like Grandma T. said, your body will pull what's best out of your diet & pass that through to your baby via breastmilk. Just because you don't eat all organic doesn't make formula better for your baby than breastmilk. I've never eaten organic in my life, but I BF both of my kids for months & neither one of them had any sort of dietary or health issues because of it.

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L.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I agree with Grandma T. Keep in mind that women all over the world are able to breast feed their babies... including places like Africa where they might be malnurished themselves.

1 mom found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Denver on

I am also still BFing and have wondered about this and asked a lactation consultant (I have not been eating great, and for some reason I have been craving sweets like nobody's business since I've been BFing) - From what I understand, the nutrients/fat content needed to make up breast milk are taken first, and then whatever's "leftover" is what your body gets. So if you're not eating super healthy, you will suffer more, not your milk content. Just like when you're pregnant, your body knows baby comes first! Your body will continue to make the good stuff no matter what—of course good nutrition does help! :)

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

The best nutritional food is nice, but it's not strictly a requirement.
It's more a matter of are you eating anything that would result in something harmful coming through in your breast milk.
Or - are you just tired of breastfeeding altogether and would like to quit?
When I went back to work, even with pumping and feeding as much as I could my milk supply just dried up.
I breast fed for 5 months then formula fed the rest of the way.
If you want to continue to breastfeed, don't worry so much about your diet (you can always take a vitamin) to offset an occasional fast food hamburger.
If you are ready to stop, formula is fine.
What ever makes you happy and is comfortable for your baby is what matters.

1 mom found this helpful
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