I wish that I could say that I chose to nurse my son because I read lots of books and articles and made an educated choice. The truth is, I didn't. I nursed my son out of spite. My sister, who had three children, told me during my pregnancy that I might as well just give my son formula because I'd never be able to breastfeed. After all, she hadn't been able to do it. And she'd tried three times.

Of course, I had that little sister syndrome going strong and decided that I was going to show her! And I did choose to nurse my son, though not without some struggles. I'm glad that she put me into challenge mode, and that that led me to a long, strong nursing relationship with my son, but I'm sad, too. I don't know the reasons behind why she stopped nursing and it's not something we talk about today.

In the end, I hope that everyone does make an educated and informed choice about feeding their babies, but I also hope that we can learn to respect each other's choices and realize that we may never intimately know why someone makes the choice they do and we may never know another's struggles.

Related:

• Is Breastfeeding Truly Best?
• When Should Breastfeeding be Avoided?
• Night Time Bottle Tips
• Video: Choosing a Baby Bottle
• What are the Benefits of Breastfeeding?
• How to Prepare Powdered Formula
• To Wean or Not to Wean?