'Choosing not to breastfeed doesn't mean I failed'

Amy said choosing not to breastfeed was right for their family

An Isle of Man mum has spoken out against the pressure to breastfeed her baby son, maintaining the decision to use formula, from birth, was the right choice for her family.

Amy had a little boy in 2022, and said choosing not to breastfeed meant her and her husband could be more equal parents.

It comes as healthcare operator Manx Care said it hoped to raise the percentage of breastfeeding mothers on the island, from 48% to a target of 70%.

Amy said she found the healthcare operator's stated aim "problematic" as it suggested mothers who don't breastfeed "aren't doing a good enough job - which is not the case".

Amy cited several reasons for choosing not to breastfeed, including giving her husband more bonding time with their newborn son, before he was obliged to return to work after just one week.

"For us as a family, it was so important that my husband really felt included," she said.

Amy decided against breastfeeding while pregnant with her son

She also said not having to deal with the physical demands of breastfeeding gave her more energy to put into being a good parent.

"I wanted to prioritise being the best mum that I could be to my baby in those already really challenging early weeks, and for me that meant not breastfeeding," she explained.

A campaign from Manx Care and Public Health this year is focused on raising awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding.

Currently, 48% of babies on the island are exclusively breastfed at six to eight weeks old, which the healthcare operator would like to increase to 70%.

Manx Care's Head of Midwifery, Regan Baggley, said breastfeeding "not only provides essential nutrients, strengthens immunity, supports development and helps to foster an emotional bond between parent and child, but also has many maternal health benefits".

Josie said she was proud to give her boys what she called the "best start" by breastfeeding

Mum-of-two Josie, who breastfed continually over the course of five years, said there was "so much about breast milk that formula can't recreate".

Having grown up among breastfeeding women, Josie said choosing not to was "a decision I don't understand".

However, she said she realised that other factors played a part in people's decisions about whether to breastfeed, and she did not "judge anyone" for making different choices to her own.

Josie's sons were born just over two years apart, and she said she was still breastfeeding while pregnant, and then in tandem after her second son was born.

While she admitted "feeding for five years straight is not for everybody", Josie backed the healthcare campaign, on the basis more information and support should be available to new mothers.

While some say "fed is best", Josie said, "informed is best".