How you feed your baby can affect your mental health and wellbeing during pregnancy and postpartum. Lactation consultants, doulas, La Leche League and other feeding specialists can offer guidance every step of the way. Find support near you in our Service Finder.
Our experience with infant feeding can impact our overall experience postpartum. Taking time on your own to consider infant feeding options or working with someone to develop a plan for infant feeding while you’re pregnant can help ease stress related to feeding in the early newborn days and beyond.
Some parents have a strong desire to feed their babies one way or another. Others are unsure about their feeding preferences. In all cases, the best feeding method is the one that fits best for you and your baby and supports your overall health and wellbeing.
How do I decide?
Feeding choices get a lot of attention — online, from family and friends, and from care providers, whose advice is often conflicting. It can be difficult for new parents to navigate pressures and opinions about how they should feed their babies. Some know what they prefer, and others do not. Educating yourself and seeking support in making these decisions now can help clarify the best path forward and reduce future feeding-related stress.
If you’re trying to figure out what’s best for you:
- Talk to your healthcare provider
- Reach out to trusted family members or friends who can talk with you about their experience
- Reach out to peer support groups (e.g., La Leche League) to learn more about feeding options Some parents may feel pressure, guilt or anxiety about their feeding choices.
You can use our Service Finder to find professionals who can help you navigate the options and manage any tough feelings that come up when thinking about feeding.
Thinking it through:
Weighing the options
Why some parents want to breastfeed. Some parents have a strong desire to breastfeed. This desire may be based on several factors, including evidence that demonstrates the many benefits of human milk. Major health organizations like the World Health Organization, Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend exclusive breastfeeding up to age 6 months and then continued breastfeeding until age 2 or beyond, where possible, and when desired by the parent and child. Due to these recommendations, healthcare providers like doctors and public health nurses often promote breastfeeding as a preferred infant feeding option.
Support in the early days. Whatever the reasons, it’s important to know that breastfeeding is a specific skill that both the parent and baby must learn in the early days of postpartum. If you have a desire to breastfeed, it’s important to have the support you need. Many people think breastfeeding comes naturally and either works or doesn’t. But the truth is that while some parents have an easier time establishing their breastfeeding relationship, many need education and hands-on practical and informational support.
When bottle feeding is the better choice. While there is lots of evidence that breastfeeding has positive health impacts, these health impacts should not be at the expense of parental mental health and wellbeing, and bottle feeding is often the best choice for some families. Additionally, many factors can affect a family’s ability to breastfeed, requiring them to consider alternative feeding methods that better meet their baby’s needs. Some parents cannot breastfeed, have no desire to breastfeed or may decide that bottle feeding is the better overall choice for them.
Whatever the reason, no matter how you choose to feed your baby — breast, bottle or some combination — you deserve to be supported and applauded for that choice. You know best what’s possible and in the best interests of your baby.
Whether you breastfeed or bottle-feed, the early days of newborn feeding present us with an often steep learning curve — we need information, support and practice to figure out things like:
- Bottle preparation
- Latching
- Hunger cues Your experience with infant feeding can impact parental mental health and overall wellbeing during pregnancy and postpartum. La Leche League, lactation consultants, doulas and other feeding specialists can help by providing information and support to you before and after the baby arrives.
This article was developed using sourced educational content from Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings (CPMHT), and informed by the collective knowledge and expertise of CPMHT professionals and Karen Clarke, BA, MSW, RSW, Doula (Open Book Doula, Counselling and Consulting Services).
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