How in the world do I answer this question?
My daughter gets breast milk every time she eats.
She has never nursed.
She only knows how to drink from a bottle.
I can't tell you the amount of articles I read that nursing is best and breastfeeding is only natural. It drives me crazy. You know what happened to babies that couldn't breastfeed? They died. Yeah. How about keeping my kid alive is best? Some babies can't nurse (Natalie included - she has a ridiculously small mouth - she'll need a jaw expander by the time she's 8 or 9). Some babies are breastmilk intolerant (did you know you could be allergic to what you're supposed to drink?). Some babies are allergic to things like supplemental iron or vitamin D - things that their mothers could be required to take. Some moms have to take medication that babies can't have.
Guess what?
It. Doesn't. Matter.
Is your baby eating? Is it growing and thriving?
Then it doesn't matter what you feed your baby.
For now, I say Natalie is breastfed. She may not take the breast itself, but everything she eats is from it. I still feel a little guilty lying about it. Often, I explain why I exclusively pump. I think it's a world that not too many mamas know exists, and support in a pumping world is definitely needed.
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