mother can’t be separated from the baby for longer than it takes them to get hungry, and must handle every nighttime wakeup. In the newborn phase that can be every 1-3 hours.
you can get around this by pumping, but this has its own costs. Pumping is uncomfortable to painful, time consuming, and then has all the inconvenience of formula feeding and then some (like maintaining a cold chain, and more steps requiring sterilization). It’s also a hardcore logistical puzzle to get as much stored milk as possible without underfeeding your infant in the moment. The best solutions are the least convenient to the mother.
and this is all pretty best case scenario. Lots of women or their babies have medical impediment or just don’t produce enough milk, even on medication.
some babies suck at breastfeeding and need a bottle. you could always pump and bottle feed, but as we covered, pumping has its own cost.
some women need medications that are contraindicated by breastfeeding.
None of this contradicts the evidence that breastfeeding is beneficial, or easier for some people. But the frame should be “this is (usually) a sacrifice that we want to quantify the benefits of, to figure out if it’s worth it” not “hey, free value!”
YES! These points are tremendously overlooked. Breastfeeding was a major psychological issue for my partner for these reasons, as well as some others that might have been a bit personal or idiosyncratic. Either way, it’s not AT ALL a zero-cost choice.
Continuing the list...
mother can’t be separated from the baby for longer than it takes them to get hungry, and must handle every nighttime wakeup. In the newborn phase that can be every 1-3 hours.
you can get around this by pumping, but this has its own costs. Pumping is uncomfortable to painful, time consuming, and then has all the inconvenience of formula feeding and then some (like maintaining a cold chain, and more steps requiring sterilization). It’s also a hardcore logistical puzzle to get as much stored milk as possible without underfeeding your infant in the moment. The best solutions are the least convenient to the mother.
and this is all pretty best case scenario. Lots of women or their babies have medical impediment or just don’t produce enough milk, even on medication.
some babies suck at breastfeeding and need a bottle. you could always pump and bottle feed, but as we covered, pumping has its own cost.
some women need medications that are contraindicated by breastfeeding.
None of this contradicts the evidence that breastfeeding is beneficial, or easier for some people. But the frame should be “this is (usually) a sacrifice that we want to quantify the benefits of, to figure out if it’s worth it” not “hey, free value!”
YES! These points are tremendously overlooked. Breastfeeding was a major psychological issue for my partner for these reasons, as well as some others that might have been a bit personal or idiosyncratic. Either way, it’s not AT ALL a zero-cost choice.