When my baby was born I had the preconcieved notion that breast feeding, because it was natural, was also easy.  I was dismayed to discover that breast feeding is not easy.  In fact, it is a skill that my baby and I were never able to conquer.  He wouldn't latch, but would scream whenever I tried to present my breast to him.  So I began pumping exclusively and feeding him breast milk from a bottle.

I am grateful that I was able to find a way to provide my little man with the breast milk my body was making for him, but I sometimes feel that I have missed out on something special.  Every once and a while I try to breast feed my baby, but he screams and refuses to try.  I have to admit, it does hurt my feelings a little to have my son scream when I try to feed him in that natural way.  What bothers me more, though, is the judgemental looks I get when I'm in public and feed my baby from a bottle.  Perhaps I'm overly sensitive but it feels like people think I am feeding my little guy formula and they view that negatively.  I feel like I need to shout out to everyone I see, "I'm feeding him breast milk, he just won't latch!" 

Now that I've been through the struggles of unsuccessful breast feeding, I have a lot more understanding when women choose formula instead.  No one deserves to be judged.