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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
Why do some women choose not to breastfeed?
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I always thought it was ‘normal’ to breastfeed and that all mothers do. Why do some voluntarily choose not to? -
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Joy Anderson
Dietitian, Nutritionist
Joy is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist, as well as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She has a special interest in … View Profile
Yes, it is ‘normal’ to breastfeed. It is what we have evolved to do as a part of the reproductive process following pregnancy. More than 90% of mothers in Australia begin breastfeeding and in the vast majority of cases, they want to breastfeed. What gets in the way for many are poor advice, lack of support, problems arising due to birth interventions, lack of confidence from past experience and probably other factors. Western society has medicalised reproduction and one of the down-sides is that it has made breastfeeding more difficult. So most mothers who end up bottle-feeding do not voluntarily choose not to breastfeed. Some factors that might account for mothers who don't even begin could be past experience of a difficult time with a previous baby, feelings of distaste for breastfeeding or even previous sexual abuse. Some may not understand or know the potential health effects of not breastfeeding. Some may be told not to breastfeed due to a need to take medication. However, there are actually very few medications or health conditions that rule out breastfeeding completely.
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