There is widespread consensus, among researchers and pediatricians, that breastfeeding is the healthiest form of nutrition for the newborn and infant. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the mother breast feed for the first year of life. Mothers in the US have taken this to heart and 70 percent of mothers currently report that they breastfeed, this is up from 53 percent in 1993. However, by six months only 36 percent are still breast feeding and the number drops to 17 percent by the end of the first year. (source: Centre for Disease Control)

There are many different reasons both why some mothers do not breast feed and why others stop long before the suggested time period is over. Some mothers do not breast feed because of insufficient milk, excessive pain or simply because they find the experience stressful. Other mothers stop breast feeding because of the demands of their jobs, or because it takes more time than they had anticipated.

There is a social factor as well; many people disapprove of mothers nursing in public even when this is done discretely. Mothers are glared at and have even been asked to leave restaurants and stores. Breastfeeding becomes so confining they give up.

There are options to actual breast feeding. The breast pump allows mothers to store breast milk so that it can be fed to the baby by means of a bottle and by other than the mother herself. This gives the mother much more freedom of movement. A disadvantage is that the mother and baby miss the opportunity to bond that breastfeeding makes possible. Another, more controversial option is milksharing or cross nursing. The idea of milksharing is as old as wetnursing. Wetnursing was the practice of paying poor mothers to nurse the children of wealthy mothers, along with their own, Today, some young mothers who are friends may sometimes feed their friends baby. Mothers who engage in milksharing with friends say they enjoy the flexibility and four way bonding that it induces. This practice has some advantages, but poses a number of risks as well. Milk suitable for one baby may not be so for another. Most experts regard the practice as very risky and do not recommend it.

Another, much safer, alternative is the milk bank. Most pediatricians approve of milk banks because the mothers who donate their milk are held to strict standards. These mothers are required to adhere to strict lifestyle guidelines and are not permitted to smoke or drink. Donating mothers are also tested to ensure that they have no diseases that can be passed on to the infant. A drawback of the milk bank is that it can be expensive.

Finally there is always formula. Despite the fact that it is not breast milk, the feeding process can be pleasurable and bonding for mother and infant. In the best of all possible worlds, every mother would breast feed. But we do not live in the best of all possible worlds, and there are other options that are healthy for both mother and baby.