At last some one else who feels as I do. I find the whole idear of breast feeding revolting. My son was bottle fed and is a healthy happy 10 year old. I am currently pregnant and will be bottle feeding this baby too. I have to say no one ever made an issue of it last time and I am not expecting anyone to do so this time, but, god help them if they do, as it is not for anyone to so strongly push there idears or ideals or opinions on any one else. I would not dream of having a go at breast feeders, not that I wish to watch them do it in public, but some of them seem to think is ok to voice there veiws so loudly. Its about time we were given some support and a little less pushing from the goverment would not go a miss.

kay, nottingham, uk

I have just had my first child and there are so many opinions. Do what is best for you. I breast feed through the night and give two bottles of formula in the day now. This was after I tried breast feeding 100% of the time, I ended up sitting awake at night with my little boy, he wasn't getting enough and I was just crying, it was horrible. I was scared to give formula because of my doctor who said the baby would not go back to breast after bottle. He copes just fine, he is already in a routine at 7 weeks, sleeping for 6 hours at night and I have loads of milk to give him with the pressure off. Back off boob police!!!

Jo Morris, Fareham,

I really feel that breastfeeding in the UK is not promoted enough.

What is next Organic Formula???

I do respect every mother's right to choose how they nourish their babies. I do not however support Formula companies unleashing their unrelenting advertising campaigns to vunerable new mothers.

Shanna Nelson, London, UK

Before I had a child I thought that there would be this great sisterly thing and that all other mothers would be friendly towards me and my baby and we would share advice.

How naive!

Most mothers hate other mothers and their children and compete against them at every opportunity. I've never had so many snide, back-hand insults disguised as compliments since I started to hang out with other mothers. What a horrible state of affairs.

Katie Crawford, Edinburgh,

I am still breastfeeding my daughter at 7 months because I love it. For me it is the lazy option - quicker, cheaper, easier and cleaner.
However I will never judge any other mother and how they chose to raise their child.

Heather Carr, Belfast,

The outrage about the whole OK/SMA/ Katie Price was aimed at the formula company and OK magazine and not at Katie Price who has the right to choose for herself how to feed her baby. However the law against promoting formula to babies under 6 months is there for a reason and Ok blatently promoted SMA for newborns in that picture. If it was just a simple mother feeding baby picture why was the SMA logo so clearly shown?

(plus, breast-feeding is a middle-class thing and there is something revolting about middle-class types banging on about breast being best to their ignorant, deluded working-class sisters. They know how to have children, too, amazingly. Leave them alone). - Need to correct you on that one too - I'm very working class in fact until recently I lived on a council estate (where i grew up) and I have been bf for almost 3 years. I agree that its unkind to make women feel like failures for not bf but is labelling the women who do bf really any better?

Julie, Co Durham,

i bottle fed my two children but i don't feel the need to criticise breastfeeders. this is because i know that breast is best. it would seem the writer of this piece has a few issues with her bottle feeding her children which she needs to address rather than complain about breast feeders. i think there is a touch of guilt in this article.

liz, cheshire, uk

Not enough women in this country breastfeed, and while I support Katie Price's and every other mothers choice to feed their baby how they want, India Knight's column is very one sided. Some one who feels the need to defend her choices so vehemently must feel some degree of guilt about it. You can't escape the fact that breast is best, formula doesn't come close. The NCT has every right to demand that something is done about, in their eyes, the illegal advertising of infant formula. As for the woman who canceled her membership (I am NOT a member), I take you don't think they should give all women ALL the facts, so they can make an informed decision, unless they mention you by name, Ceri, I don't think it was personal.
"(plus, breast-feeding is a middle-class thing and there is something revolting about middle-class types banging on about breast being best to their ignorant, deluded working-class sisters."
This is a very offensive and ignorant comment to make, how dare you?

Mandy, Edinburgh,

I fully agree with the commentators who question whether India Knight fully understands the facts. These are quite simple: 1. Bottle fed babies are significantly more likely to develop serious health problems. 2. The WHO and every other professional health organisation acknowledges these problems exist. 3. The baby formula industry spends lots of money suggesting these problems do not exist. 4. The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe.

The notion that bottle feeding is fine 'because I/my kids didn't die from it' is a non-defense. There was a time when a smoker would have said the same thing about cigarettes. What happens when corporate and public interests clash would have made a far more intelligent and timely article than what Ms Price chooses to do (or not) with her breasts.

Harriet, bristol ,

I have just cancelled my NCT membership due to a breast is best article in the newsletter I received this morning. There were a number of statements in it against bottle feeding which I found extremely surprising from an organisation that is supposed to support 'all' women who have given birth.

I made a very informed decision to bottlefeed for a number of reasons which I won't go into here. I don't have a go at women for breastfeeding. Why are they allowed to make remarks about me for choosing to bottlefeed?

Ceri, South Wales,

Now I know a sample of one is in itself insignificant, but like many others I was bottle-fed in the 70s. And like many others, I've always been strong, healthy and fit, have had no significant illnesses with very rare sickness in childhood, have two good degrees and now an excellent job in the City. Damn my mother for ruining my chances in life... now if you'll excuse me, I have a half-marathon PB to work on.

Matt, London,

I am absolutely disgusted at the small mindedness of some people regarding breastfeeding and especially breastfeeding in public. How can anyone liken breastfeeding in a restaurant to having sex under a table?

I am a non-middle class women who has four children, the first two were breast fed until they were both three months old, the third until seven months and I am still feeding my six month old son. I do this at home and yes, SHOCK, HORROR, even in public when necessary. I have never seen a breastfeeding mother (myself included) exposing herself for all to see when in public, it is done discretely and the majority of people do not even realise. People who find breastfeeding in public offensive need to realise that breasts were intended for this purpose and not as sexual objects for leering at. All we are trying to do is feed a hungry child, if some people find eating in public so revolting why are they in a restaurant in the first place!!!

Lisa, Hull,

All these comments about ~ I had to stop breastfeeding because... ~ are very sad, and are a reflection of how little is understood about breastfeeding. All the common complaints can be avoided with correct breastfeeding management. Nipple pain, mastitis etc are not a natural part of breastfeeding, but a sign that something went wrong.
Guilt: we, as humans, feel guilty when we know we're OFF THE PATH...no-one will feel guilty for bottlefeeding unless they know in their heart, or instinctively, that it is not the optimal way to feed a baby. No breastfeeding mother is capable of making a bottlefeeding mother feel guilty... it's a choice the bottlefeeding mother makes.

The women who say they want to wean after a few weeks so they can get their life back... welI I suggest you read, and reread, your words over again. Your child IS your life. If you feel so desperate to abandon them ( bottlefeeding is camouflaged abandonment) then WHY have children in the first place?

Veronika Robinson, Penrith, cumbria

Thank you so much for putting this into such good words as to not annoy anybody and to keep the breast v bottle argument as sane and real as possible!! I have been made to feel like a failure after feeding for 1 week and having to quit due to crackd nipples, sheer tiredness (which comes with havin a newborn anyway but wanted partner to hel at nighttimes to) and I'm now pregnant again with my second and have no doubt in my mind that I shall not be attempting it again!!

I want a happy healthy child with a happy healthy mum and I was unrecognisable to myself and others after giving birth!!

Kayleigh, Cornwall,

"It all comes down to personal choice. Usually, when you have choice, you are allowed access to both sides of the picture. In the case of breast v bottle, only the former side is vocal ...."

You reckon? That's why formula companies spend £20 per head of population on formula advertising & the government spends 20p on breastfeeding advertising.

This whole deal is about giving accurate, unbiased evidence-based information to parents so that they can make choices without commercial pressure from advertisers. Nobody knows what exactly goes into a bottle of formula milk. Don't you think a parent should be able to know, without ads telling them (illegally & inaccurately) that now it's even "closer to breastmilk" . It's about as close to breast milk as pig's milk is!

I know I like to know what ingredients are in my children's food.

Formula manufacturers have got away with it for too long & nowit's time to stop them.

Lynn , Evesham, UK

Animals are smarter than humans. l dont see pigs feeding their piglets cow's milk and dogs feeding their puppies cat's milk. The only stupid creation are humans where they think it is so strange to feed their babies human milk. Breast produce milk and not saline solution or silicone substance!! They are actually there for the sole purpose of feeding and nourishing a baby and notice that milk production only happens when a baby is born. Surprisingly they are not there for pornographic purposes. Sounds like a lot of women are so shock that babies should be breastfed.. You only have a choice because as usual, some crafty smart alec have come up with some substandard substitute to make money. Did you think that babies are fed with cow's milk 2 zillion years ago? Dont kid yourself into thinking that there is not much difference with cow's milk and human milk. My 2 sons are both fully breastfed for 30 months, rarely sick, straight teeth, no allergies, and no regrets.

Virginia, Brisbane, Australia

'And all that matters is that it grows and thrives, however it is fed.'

But isn't the whole point that formula fed babies often grow too big and are at risk of obesity when they are older? And aren't breastfed babies more likely to thrive as they have an enhanced immune system?

I really can't reconcile your views on the merits of fomula feeding (and the lack of concern for the health consequences) with your diatribes against additives in foods and modern farming methods. Can't you see it is all part of the same problem? Where do you think the milk comes from for formula?

Mumof two, exeter, devon

I struggled to breastfeed my 1st son and gave up after 3 weeks. 6 years later and my 2nd son has arrived. I've breastfed him for 12 weeks and am now switching to formula. Breastfeeding didn't come naturally to either me or him. He was tongue-tied so latching on was very hard until his tongue tie was released. Feeding became slightly easier, but he'd feed for hours at a time and sometimes all night long. I was desperate to "do the right thing" and breastfeed. I continued breastfeeding but for my own sanity had to start giving him a bottle of formula late evening to enable me to get just a small amount of sleep. Was I producing enough milk? Who knows? Too many people have been more than happy to give me their opinion on this, thus adding to my feeling of inadequacy. You should do what makes you and your baby happy. I feel horrendous guilt about the fact that I've decided to switch to formula, but I need to have a gap between feeds and I need to be happy for my boys.

LUCY, Kenilworth,

I didn't know how I was going to feed my baby when I was pregnant. Several of my friends and family gently hinted that breast feeding was important in the first few weeks at least. It was only when I asked around that I realised people had been quietly b/feeding their babies until approx 8-12 months on average. I fed my daughter for 2 years and am so pleased that I did (though I'm glad I stopped when I did). I achieved something fantastic and the bond between us in amazing. My mum had to return to work when all 4 of her children were little and she was very glad that I could stay at home with my baby for almost a year. Middle class? I don't know....all I know is that it suited us both fantastically and my partner thought it was great. But then I didn't feel the need to get back to glamour modelling.......

Elaine Brunskill, Manchester, uk

I am a mother of 2 who breastfed my children for 7 months but couldn't continue when I had to return to work. After my first child, I went out to do some shopping with my mother and carried a shawl. I tried to discreetly breast feed my baby under it. The stares I received were so intimidating I went home and never went back.

I find the comment from Happy Mother of Two highly insulting "Breastfeed if you want to -- but admit that you do it for you, not for the baby." My first baby caused me agonising pain for a few days because my nipples were so sore. But I fed her through it.Being a good mother, (breast or bottle feeding) involves some sacrifices. I guess all the sacrifices you make for yours must be selfish, otherwise how could you say such a thing about other well-intentioned mothers. I feel for mothers who have been made to feel guilty because they could not breast feed their children. But believe me, the bashing goes on on both sides of the coin.

Jocelyn, Luton, UK

I've been an NCT member for over 3 years and in my experience the NCT is not judgmental towards women who choose to bottle-feed their babies. In sad contrast, India Knight does have a judgmental attitude towards the NCT and towards women who choose to breast-feed their babies. She also comes across as uninformed about the health benefits of breast-feeding, which I think is suprising for such a well-known journalist.

liz greenan, reading, berkshire

I breast fed my twins and their younger brother.

Generally, I was happy with my choice, as it was cheap- and I felt I was in some way ameliorating the impact on my twins, of the health risks associated with them being premature and twins. Yet, I have seen both sides of the story.

When I was in hospital, the woman next to me found breast feeding difficult and painful and had opted for the bottle. When the lactation nurses (milk nazi's) used to do their rounds, she would run and hide..

When my twins were hard to settle, I rang the breastfeeding mother's association. They told me that I was obviously causing colic in the way I fed; and that I should get down on all fours so that the babies would not suck air. When I complained of the difficulty of doing this with two babies, they said to feed them one at a time (a marathon 1 1/2 hour operation!)

Women should stop harrassing other women. We have been "divided and conquered" long enough. I support child-rearing choices for all women

Jacqui, Brisbane, Australia

I loved breast feeding my daughter until she was six months old... and I lost a stone in weight in the process - best diet I've ever been on !

Lisa Nicholl, Basingstoke, Hampshire

This woman is ranting from a 'middle' class position, whom else would deem to lecture the rest of society without ever considering the economic cost of what they preach?

Adi Proud, Rickmansworth , Hertforshire

I am a doctor and a new mum. I am also a member of the NCT & an advocate of BF. I however feed my 5 month old baby formula. This choice was made after 8 weeks of agony with cracked nipples, 3 bouts of mastitis, nipple thrush, my baby throwing up my blood from aforementioned cracked nipples, & my baby dropping off the centile charts from the 25th centile at birth, not to mention taking drugs to stimulate my non existent milk supply. After all this I still feel guilty that I dont BF, even though when i look at pictures of my then, almost anorexic looking baby at 6 weeks, & my now chubby baby, I know I did the right thing. All india is saying that no matter what choices we make to feed our babies, they should remain OUR choice and we should not be made to feel like a lousy mother for it. Some women cant/wont,/dont BF but they are still excellent mothers & no one should judge them. Jordan was being deliberately provocative but that doesnt make her a terrible mother, just an honest one.

Sophie, brighton,

Breastfeeding or bottle feeding aside, I find it quite disgusting that Jordan uses a brand new bottle for each feed and then just chucks it away. What kind of message does that send? Surely with all the money she must be making from all these daft magazine articles, she could pay someone to wash her bottles if she is too lazy to do it herself.

Christine, Guildford,

India Knight justifies her own (less healthy) choices by damning women who breastfeed as bovine.

Not very sisterly India. Not very logical, India. Not very insightful, India. And quite bizarrely unkind.

Sarah, London,

If babies didn't thrive on their mothers' milk, humanity would have died out.

But, "breastfeeding a middle-class thing"? My grandmother had eight children and fed each one until the next arrived. She certainly wasn't middle-class. My grandfather was a farm labourer, they lived in a tied cottage on very little money and she wouldn't have been able to afford formula milk.

Wasn't it the middle-classes who abandoned breast-feeding as something the peasants did?! Especially since the upper classes hired wet nurses to feed their infants! Maybe, as part of a return to nature (the 'Boden' lifestyle), it is now the middle-classes who breastfeed?

Babies don't care about class - they just like being snuggled up against their mum's warm body. And has anyone noticed how bottle-feeding mums sometimes don't even hold their babies? And why are some women bothered about their sexual allure or lack of it when feeding. Men find lactating women very sexy!

Pearl Wheeler, Petersfield, Hampshire

I tried to breast feed my son but couldn't as it was too painful in the end i was dreading every feed which was upsetting me and my baby. When i went over to formula i had to ask midwives how to make up a feed by phone as soon as i said i was swapping her voice changed and was very blunt with me after that. Women shouldn't be guilted into doing something they don't want to do.

Hazel Martin, Bournemouth, uk

Breast feeding is certainly natural, and in the developing world where people can't afford baby milk, it is the norm.

The study that showed the huge rise in heart disease in line with the advent of babies fed with powdered minl, was terrifying - that's why governments have removed that study from public record. Cows milk is for baby cows not for humans!

As to breast feeding in a public restaurant ... ok it's a bonding .. so is sex, but I think you'd object to people having sex (even under a tablecloth) in a public restaurant - do it in private!!

dr john, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ihave four children aged 12 and under. i breastfed them all. It was a bit of a challenge with my first child but i eventually got used to it - why did i presevere? Because breastmilk is superior to formula milk thus is better for a new infant. Think of it this way, is a glass of water better to drink or a glass of Cola? Everything is a matter of choice. Don't get upset with a truth, move on with your life.

patricia, london, uk

In the Sunday Times supplement on the Goodwood Revival Meeting you incorrectly state that the event is at Goodwood
House - It is in fact held at the Goodwood Motor Circuit.
It has NEVER been held at the House

Ann Ross, Beaulieu, UK

Really India, you completely miss the point. Picturing Katie Andre with a ready made SMA bottle is product placement for a powerful company which makes a lot of money from feeding babies artificial food. Advertising is persuasion to use a certain brand, it is not a matter of making an informed feeding choice.
The NCT exists to promote information to parents. Although it is in the best interests of parents and babies to breastfeed they also provide information on safe artificial feeding and our antenatal classes covered this topic as well as breastfeeding.
However breastfeeding is best and to deny this is to deny nature, science and common sense. If you feel guilty for denying both yourself and your children of the obvious health benefits of breastfeeding then that is something you have to live with.Breastfeeding advocates shouldn't have to keep quiet about the dangers of artificial feeding just to avoid offending your sensibilities.

Mary Yarwood, Dagenham, Essex

India Knight is clearly a tad sensitive on the issue. 'Choosing' not to breast feed your children as Jordan did will at some point become as anti social as choosing to continue to smoke. Society makes judgements on people all the time, its how we function and choosing second best for your baby will be judged as it is. To suggest that there is anything bovine about breastfeeding is astonishing. Human milk for human babies - maybe feeling bovine is what drove India to beleive that a milk derived from Cows was best for her children. And the view that breasts can now only be used for one thing so as Jordans earn her living from hers they can't be used for anything else, well somone please tell Eva 'hello boys' herzigova who looked radiant in the papers last week, feeding her son.

How long before we drop off our eggs and sperm at the clinic and come back 40 weeks later to collect our offspring becuase it feels a bit ' wierd' or 'animal' to carry our own child.

Sarah, Preston,

This is from the NCT's baby feeding policy:

"All NCT members have a responsibility to ensure that families are actively welcomed to attend NCT events and activities....whatever their decisions around feeding."

Every NCT event I have attendeed has done this. I breastfed my children but most of my friends bottle fed & were made welcome, given bottle warming facilities, etc. The NCT helped me make these friends and I think saved me from postnatal depression.

If anyone experiences differently, why not ring the NCT's head office rather than spending your life "hating" the NCT and perhaps putting other mums off getting much-needed support. The NCT relies on volunteer mums, and no doubt there are a few who, however well-meaning, let their own prejudices get in the way of supporting other mums - there are people like this in every area of life, not just parenting/baby-feeding. Just remember the thousands who have been given good support by the NCT before you rubbish the whole charity

catherine, london,

Breast or Bottle it is your choice. No one should be forced either way. However it is worth stating that the abundance of scientific data states that breast-feeding is best for both baby and mommy. Bottle feeding needs no advocacy, it is easy and self-explanatory. Breast feeding is natural, but it is also a learned skill. Women who wish to breastfeed want help.

I nursed both my children. My son until he was 2 and I am currently nursing my 3 mo old daughter. With my son I worked and pumped at work to give him milk the next day. Was it always easy, no. Am I every so thankful I did it yes. He was never sick and was as healthy as an ox. My daughter has not had one sniffle yet and is in the 85% in height and weight.

How you feed your children is your decision. Do not insult anyone on either side. Some breast-feed, some bottle feed, and some give a courageous effort at breast feeding but then decide to bottle feed. Rudeness and defensiveness is not needed.

Cali, Richmond, USA, Virginia

Being on this planet for a mere thirty-eight years, has left me long enough to watch the tide shift. If only it wouldn't shift to such an extreme. It would be nice if there could be balance between the two opposing sides, and if there were health professionals who could lead the way.

Eighteen years ago, in a Northern Ireland maternity ward of something like twelve women, there was only one other woman who breastfed. As I tried to breastfeed my daughter, I was made to feel like a freak by the staff, who would whip the curtain round the bed, at the first sight of flesh.

There wasn't one member of staff who supported me breastfeeding my baby. The only encouragement I got was from my breastfeeding friend, who was in the neighbouring bed. I remember a midwife who wore the attitude of, "if you insist," as she observed me.

I wonder if she is still within the NHS, and what her position is today.
Yes, the tide has changed since then. And i am sure it will change again, and again.

Vanessa H. Kee, Bayfield, ON, Canada

I think England is too narow minded when it comes to breast feeding. My sister had her baby 3 weeks ago and breast feeds. We went out for lunch for the first time since the birth, and I out of politness asked for a hidden table in case she needed to breast feed. When she did all we got was horrible stares from women and perverted looks from the men.
Then to my disbelief an older lady came over and asked my sister to stop. The thing is, my sister didn't just whip out her breast and got on with it, she had a cloth covering her breast at all times, but the lady said the sight was putting her off her meal. How is breast feeding an off putting thing? It's a beautiful thing that every new mother should be doing as its much healthier for the baby and mother. the baby becomes closer to you emotionaly and phisically, receives antibodies much needed after birth, etc. People like Jordan are just worried about their looks and getting breasts that are not as perky as they use to be. Get over it.

Liria Dal Molin, London,

What's the problem here, if you want to breast feed do it, if you don't want to breast feed don't. Its a personal choice.

Give me a break!!!

evienita, Charlotte, usa

What most of the "breast is best" brigade seem to ignore is that sometimes breast feeding simply doesn't work. From our own experience (2 kids and third on the way), breast feeding didn't work. This led to my wife getting depressed and upset about the fact that she had “failed” (all this after 24 hrs hard labour followed by an emergency c-section).

The "outrage" at this article expressed by the BiB brigade is exactly why Knight wrote it. It's actually none of your damned business what people choose to do as long as the children are healthy, loved and happy.

Most of the BiB brigade will see a bottle and assume that the mother hasn't tried and offer their "expert" advice - naff off! Yes, breast is indeed best, but sometimes it isn't an option so just mind your own business and don't judge - I'm sure if we scratched a little deeper into your lives we could find plenty of things to criticise.

Carlos, ,

Perhaps the implants make it difficult for Jordan to breast-feed.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I am shocked and appalled with the views offered in this article. Whats lacking here is not the ability to breastfeed its the knowledge and support. The view that breastfeeding is somehow repulsive is ridiculous- like saying for humans to eat isnt natural. Its what nature intended, its best the evidence is conclusive. Its society that somehow has given women the option to think its unneccesary and I have no problem in criticising anyone who doesnt or who days they cant. I expressed for 5 months determined to give my son the best start and the best health hope for his future. It was a trial and I am unusual though not some sort of mad hippy- he then started feeding naturally- relief and pleasure. we should all be working toward making breastfeeding the norm not the domain of the mad middle classes.I would not critise Jordan but it is irresponsible to inadvertantly promote this message to others. whats needed are positive celebrity role models breasfeeding and not being critised for it

patricia, Oxford,

Thank you so much for this article...

I am about to be a first time mother and have attended NCT classes. I am currently ambivalent about breast feeding - I plan to do the first few days (for the colustrum) but then move to bottles. To be fair to the NCT staff I have spoken with (and my midwife), I have been advised that it is my choice, etc, BUT they are not "allowed" to teach anyone how to feed a baby using formula. Fortunately, this does seem to be pretty straightforward.

I feel that the tyranny around breast feeding and natural/active childbirth has as much to do with saving the NHS/WHO money as anything else. Breast milk is free and therefore the government will not be expected to provide this to low-income families. Similarly, an "active" birth with little or no pain relief will cost the NHS much less than those engaging the services of an anaesthetist.

Maxine Allard, London,

I don't think hospitals send you home with formula: mine certainly didn't. Maybe if you put your foot down over breastfeeding?

I saw the Jordan article in question. I think the issue is that since breastfeeding is a) healthier, b) cheaper, and c) losing favour amongst the poorer women in our society, it is not especially useful for Jordan to be extolling formula feeding, given that her fanbase is largely made up of people from that sector of society. Plus women like India Knight of course, who make a living by taking the opposing stance to most of their ilk in order to cobble out a column.

OTOH, perhaps it is unfair to blame Jordan, a simple woman trying to make a living.

Perhaps too it is worth reminding ourselves that formula and breast milk are not on a par. Formula is a product first invented in order to use up surplus products from the milk industry - it was first marketed through economic convenience, not through a desire to benefit parents.

Myfanwy Nixon, Brighton, UK

The NCT has campaigned for women and their growing babies (pre and post birth) to be treated with respect. Why this should attract such bile from this journalist I can't imagine. The NCT (along with UNICEF and the WHO) would prefer that the climate in which women make profoundly important decisions about how to feed their child is not polluted by companies seeking to grow the multi-billion dollar market for inferior alternatives to breastmilk. What is shameful is how little money is spent by the NHS on the vital task of supporting new Mums while they learn the complex skill of breastfeeding. Luckily the NCT, along with La Leche League, the Breastfeeding Network and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, fill the void with passionate volunteers who spend years training to support women in whatever informed choice they make about feeding their babies. They give up hours and hours of their time to provide a deep well of knowledge and emotional support that is sadly lacking in the NHS.

Emily, Stroud,

I am training to be a breastfeeding Counsellor with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. We are here to help those mums who want help and promote the benefits of breastfeeding. More new mums, especially young mums need to know the benefits of breast from bottle, and there are loads! If you were to actually research this matter before slating all the breastfeeding mothers in the UK you would realise that it has health benefits for both MOTHER and BABY.
Formula companies spend £30 per baby per year on advertising of formula milk. This is huge in comparason to the advertising that is done to promote breast feeding. Young mothers seeing Jordan/Katie bottle feeding will aspire to be like her and follow in her footsteps. Buying expensive formula, bottles, sterilisers, bottle warmers etc. Breastfeeding is FREE! Why throw money away when you can give your child the best start in life and it wont cost you a penny. Yes it can be hard work, but that is what councellors are for.

Vicky, Lancs,

While I appreciate that a woman's individual circumstances play a large role in her decision whether or not to breastfeed, it is factually incorrect to assert, as Ms. Knight has done, that there is no significant difference between bottle and breastfeeding.

Dr Keith O'Neill, Dublin, Ireland

Well done India - I totally agree, except that you say in the last paragraph that only the breast feeding lobby is vocal. There are a few of us out here who are doing our best to redress the balance, and bring some common sense and sensitivity into the debate. I do agree that the way a mother feeds her child is her choice and her business. I think it's about time the Department of Health grasped the nettle, and detached themselves from this unhealthy alliance with Unicef and the baby friendly initiative.

Alison Wall, Watford, herts, England

I just think it's bizarre that women define themselves as mothers by how they feed their babies. Surely there are other issues in being a mother that are far more important than whether you used breast, bottle or both? The idea that women feel superior because they breast feed or give birth naturally is laughable. It's also offensive to mums to claim that women bottle feed because of formula milk advertising. Mothers are not stupid - most of us have a degree of intelligence and we are more than capable of making our choices to breast/bottle/mix feed against the background of follow on milk advertising. I actually thought the advertising was to persaude you to say use Hipp over SMA - not to get you to forego breastfeeding entirely. Oh well, glad to know that the NCT and others think we're all so stupid.

Helen , Fleet, UK

Wow - never, ever thought I'd agree with India Knight on anything but I have to say - I think this article is FAB! I'm just about to give birth to my first child and whilst I'm hoping to breast feed, I'm totally of the opinion that if you don't feel it's for you then you shouldn't be made to feel that you have to do it. I attended NCT birth classes and whilst I found alot of it very helpful, I'm sorry, but these people do have an agenda and it's nothing to do with making women feel good about themselves. Even if I do manage to breast feed sucessfully at first, I fully intend to stop at 6 months - I plan to go back to work full time and really, by then, I think I'll want my life back. There's no proof that breastfeeding beyond that stage really makes a lot of difference (even the NCT info sheets have to concede that one) and in my opinion the child should be moving onto pesto and houmous by then anyway (yep, I'm totally middle class). Breast or bottle? Who cares...

Cat Wallis, London,

This account of the “bovine and queasy” act of giving suck to a newborn could benefit from reframing. It’s helpful to consider the last 200+ million years of mammalian evolution and that humans are one of about 5000 distinct species, each of whose milk is uniquely suited to meeting the growth and development needs of its offspring. Even if everyone supposedly knows that breast is best, not everyone knows how damaging routine artificial feeding is for today’s children and tomorrow’s adults – and their mothers – and the price we pay for our collective ignorance. Two-thirds of brain development occurs after birth. Achieving our genetic potential then is simply not going to happen by ingesting a paediatric fast food prepared from the milk of an alien species. When this is understood, infant formula will re-migrate from the kitchen pantry to the medicine cabinet where it got its start as a life-saving emergency nutrition intervention.

James Akre, Geneva, Switzerland

India Knight seems to be confused in her excitement. She writes "In the case of breast v bottle, only the former side is vocal - not just vocal, but horribly condemnatory with it: the unspoken assumption is that you only care about your child´s wellbeing if you get ´em out." Are the "pro-breastfeeding" lobby "vocal" or "unspoken"? Which one? Furthermore, has anyone "pro-breastfeeding" written with the name calling Ms Knight thinks it is acceptable for her to resort to - eg hysterical, zealot, hippy? All the NCT is calling for is for women to have access to all the information to make an informed choice, free from commercial pressure.

A Salehi, Peterborough,

I am astonished that India Knight, who has so often written of the importance of good nutrition for children, and who has so often attacked parents for feeding their children junk food, chose not to breastfeed her children.

I also found the attack on the NCT distasteful. I attended NCT"s antenatal classes, and found no pressure at all to have a natural, drug free birth. The classes were full of good information about pain relief, caesareans and the potential interventions such as syntocinon.

Similarly, I breastfed my child and found the NCT very helpful and supportive. In my experience, at the first hint of a problem in breastfeeding, there is a whole army of people telling you to give up and switch to formula. And if you read the NCT's literature, you will find it very non-judgemental about women who bottle feed. They want to create an environment for women in which breastfeeding is possible because all the clinical evidence is that breastfeeding is more beneficial for the baby.

Kim, London,

Well said. It makes my teeth itch that women are constantly being berated for whatever they do.

I happened to breast-feed my son for the first 12 weeks (which was all I was intending to do) and was thrilled when I could give up. I'm pregnant again and am intending to breast-feed again for 12 weeks (not for the recommended 6 months. Six months?!! Never, no way.).

I met someone recently who'd had a baby and I asked how she was feeding her. She was bottle-feeding her but the look of horror and then the explanations she felt she had to give for 'daring' to bottle-feed her child were horrendous. Being a mother is hard enough as it is ... no-one has the right to to make anyone else feel bad about any decision they make.

Nicola, Bedfordshire,

You know, in some ways I can see it's not Jordan's fault. She's not the brightest of women and presumably SMA saw a golden chance to get their products seen by the precise sector of society they know would be most responsive to their marketing - the lower-income working class, who see Jordan as one of their own. And she IS one of their own - this is the background she's come from. It's quite probable that all her peers and family favour formula feeding too - she may not even have realised she was stepping into controversy.

What saddens me though, is reading through these comments. Clearly the Times knew that this was a good topic to get some infighting amongst its readers. It's not useful, nor is it pelasant, to have women fighting against one another for the choices they've made, informed or otherwise. What we should be fighting against is product placement influincing decisions as important as how we feed our babies - for the purpose of profit. No other reason.

M Tristram, Brighton, UK

Looks like your more worries about your personal image then the health and welling being of you child. Mother milk is far better then something someone put into a box. India you’re mad and trying to justify yourself through this article is wrong. We need to educate people in the benefits of breastfeeding and how it good for the mother and the child. I agree that in some case some mothers are unable to provide breath milk to their babies but by saying its breath us all is wrong.

U Ali, Bradford, UK

I have been following the infant feeding debate in the Times with increasing disbelief. How have two supposedly well-educated journalists whose job, i presume, involves researching and presenting facts, come up with so much 'over the garden fence', anecdotal rubbish to justify their parenting choices? Fact 1, India: Save the Children are rightly involved in this debate because in the developing world, thousands of babies die due to formula feeeding with no access to clean water and sterilising equipment. And, yes, i'm sure your bottle fed babies have been marvellously healthy and you personally know dozens of breastfed babies who have almost died of dehydration (almost certainly because their mothers weren't shown how to do it properly), but FACT 2: the MAJORITY of b/f babies will have less asthma, eczema, obesity, digestive problems than bottle fed babies.
And BTW, as a midwife, and 20% under-staffed in my unit, i don't have the time or energy to 'hector' women about feeding choices

Sharon Liming, Basingstoke,

I don't think the issue with the Jordan thing is the fact that she bottle feeds, it's the blatant advertising of the formula. It IS a big issue. It wouldn't be against the law if it wasn't.

I bottlefed one baby and am breastfeeding my 2nd right now. I felt judged when I bottlefed and I feel judged when I breastfeed. We all get judged and we just have to what's right for us.

Jordan wants to bottlefeed. I'm also assuming she's had her nipples removed due to boob jobs so she probably can't breastfeed. That's her choice and I for one respect it as long as it's an informed decision. The same with giving birth at home, hospital, c sections and epidurals. If you know the risks and you're making the decision based on facts and not what you've heard from so and so's brother that his wife's sister did then fine, the journalist is absolutely right. We should all stop going on at eachother. But having a go at the NCT is out of line. The NCT helps women.

Bel, Belvedere, Kent

I agree with India Knight,this should be a matter of choice.I breast my child for 6 weeks ,it was enough for me.the NCT mainly consists of sad, patronising middle class women.

t bennett, Leeds,

I was sadden to read your article this week India. I generally really enjoy them. But on this one, you lost me.

sue, Alberta, canada

So India Knight does not like to be judged for bottlefeeding? This is the same woman who judges women for placing their children in nurseries. Well India, I sent all of my babies to nursery but at least I sent in bottles of expressed breast milk for them. Do I get at least some brownie points for that?

Orla , Meath, Ireland

So India Knight had 3 c-sections and failed to breastfeed any of her children despite having all the advantages of health and education available to middle-class women in this country? Only a journalist would trumpet these sad shortcomings to the nation whilst trying to compensate for the shame she clearly feels by saying hurrah for silly women who can't breast feed because they have hang-ups about their bodies. She manages to insult working class women at the same time by suggesting they're incapable of breastfeeding. Many do. Ms Knight just won't see them around her leafy suburbs or slumming it with the kiddies in Pizza Express.

CJ, Nottingham, Notts

Bottle-feeding is not (as some here would believe) only a danger to babies in the Third World - read 'Artificial Feeding Risky For Any Baby' by Maureen Minchin for an overview if you believe so.

Breastfeeding only leads to saggy boobs if the mother weans too rapidily. Pregnancy leads to a change in breast shape not breastfeeding.

barbara, Ilkley, uk

My wife breastfed our daughter who had a tied tongue which made my wife very sore. Fortunately the problem was discovered, and after that it was plain sailing.

However, it is clear that there are one hundred and one things that can go wrong with breastfeeding, and moralism (and there is no question that some people really are the limit) doesn't help. Mothers need information not condemnation. By the way, my wife's breasts look as good as they did before her pregnancy; so no complaints from this husband.

Tim, Auckland, New Zealand

This journalist is perfectly entitled to her views on bottle feeding - I have no problem with that. But to attack the NCT in this way is appalling. My wife offers breast feeding support for the NCT for free. She frequently takes calls at home from mums who need help and takes them through some of the techniques required to breast feed successfully. She also runs a support group for new mums. Those who want help with breast feeding are given it but all are welcome and bottle feeding mums are among the regulars. The NCT is about a lot more than breast feeding and in many cases the local NCT group is one of the main support groups for new mums in our area. My wife has quite a few accounts of mums who have confided in her years later that their local NCT group helped them recover from post-natal depression. I really do think that for this writer to describe such an organisation as "ghastly" is ill-judged. I would have expected better from The Times.

Matthew Soane, Sunbury, Middlesex

Ooooo, difficult one this.....
A woman has breasts which contain milk and lactate at the birth of a child in order to, now let me think....... feed the baby ! This process is encouraged immediately after the baby is delivered to encourage baby/mother bonding etc
All totally natural, just as nature intended.
On the other hand Formula milk is made with lots and lots of chemicals and produced by Companies in order to be sold and make a profit.......so they have an agenda !
Formula Milk is created and developed by Man (not natural).
As a male, I have nothing but complete respect to all women who persist to breastfeed. When I saw, as a new father the initial torture my wife had to endure for around the first 10days of breastfeeding (cracked nipples, bleeding nipples etc) to then seeing the bonding, eye contact, reassurance and love my boy was getting by being in her arms and getting his feed, I'll never forget this. And she insisted on breastfeeding him for 2 whole years !

Jez, Tunbridge Wells,

I am so incensed at this article! I will admit I am a member of the NCT, but no matter what India says, we are NOT trying to force people to breastfeed, or have a 'normal' birth. What we want is for women to make an informed choice about how they birth and feed their babies based on research evidence. Research evidence states that advertising formula feeding has a direct effect on womens choice without understanding the implications of that choice. Comments like 'breastfeeding destroys your breasts' are neither helpful nor true.

Anyone who has been to an NCT coffee group or class will confirm that noone judges you on your choices. I had an emergency CS, I breastfed for 6 weeks then had to transfer to bottle feeding due to supply issues. The NCT groups I went to were both welcoming and supportive, and allowed me to access professional support in my local area. I only wish I had gone along sooner. And no, I am not a hippy, sandal wearing braless woman.

Sarah F, Huddersfield, UK

I'm sorry to disappoint Inda Knight but no one in the NCT has had a go at Jordan for bottle feeding, and no one has had a go at her for having her babies by caesarean birth. What the NCT, Save the Children and Unicef are outraged by is the blatantly unethical advertising by SMA. It would be unethical whatever they were advertising, but the fact they're advertising formula milk makes it worse. The World Health Organisation Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes sets out certain guidelines by which formula manufacturers should work by. In countries where the Code has been adopted as law in it's entirety, the breastfeeding rate is extremely high because the women who want to breastfeed receive the support they need to succeed. There will always be women who prefer to formula feed and they don't need advertising to help them do that. Banning advertising is about protecting breastfeeding for those who want to do it, not about chastising those who don't.

Clare Kirkpatrick, Gloucester,

Who cares if you're being 'made' to feel guilty? If you're sure you're doing the best thing for your child what are you worried about? Get over it. NCT do a good job. It's thanks to them that we have the information and choice that we do and can question our doctor's advice! It's hardly surprising someone who's had multiple caesereans and failed to even attempt breastfeeding is going to feel aggrieved by the presence and influence of a charity that champions all things natural.

What worries me far more than the feelings of women like you who chose a crappy milk substitute for your precious children is, just as you said, that 'breastfeeding is a middle class thing'. I'm amazed you used that as something to hold against the middle classes rather than something very sad for the lower!

And as for Jordan, a working class hero she is not.

Tracey, Warrington,

Dear India - normally I agree with a lot of your views and articles but I am appalled by your tirade against breastfeeding. It sounds completely uninformed. You are knocking something that you've never even tried.

You might discover that they bonding and sense of achivement that you get from helping your baby grow healthily, would get you over your quesiness!

Why is breastfeeding so disgusting? I suppose you must get nauseous at the thought of all other bodily functions like sex, kissing giving brith then? Its like something a child would say!

If breastfeeding doesn't work out for some reason then so be it, but more mothers need to at least try (and not just for a day).
It takes practice. You wouldn't give up learning music if you couldn't play an instrument after 1 class.

Breastfeeding needs to be encouraged and made fashionable. I hope that magazine does a cover story about some celeb mum who breastfeeds.

Carmen, Galway, Ireland

Breast fed 4 children born from 1979 ----------2002. Well I am in E class and it became PC meritorious after 1979,. If it had been pc meritorious, I would have thought twice about it! There are earth mothers from all classes . How does one work and breastfeed on demand unless one is in India's fields and can stop and take baby off your back? My children are pretty bright and great little individuals. They were happy at home when young and still are. I hate the middle class pc correct brainwashing eg abortion is not killing a child, its an operation and smacking is child abuse. PC says that it is fine to kill your child but not to smack. An example of which would be to smack a child for running ahead over a small road instead of waiting. The child had a smack and did not have to be restrained ' til 5 in a pushchair because he learned. Breastfeeding is not always practical. All the pc nonsense is shoved down ones throat & even good advice gets ignored!

essi, Brighton, uk

We're all getting away from the point here. Jordan's forst child had just about every handicap it's possible to have because of Jordons drug use during pregnancy. This time she's kept herself cleaner and had an apparently healthy child, but obviously can't breast feed due to her numerous breast operations and implants - she had no choice, she had to use formula and has obviously earnt some money from promoting it. The very last person in the world we should applaud for showing women have a 'choice' is Jordan, who is just about the worst role model of motherhood possible.

Keith, copenhagen, denmark

The NCT in no way impedes women's right to choose freely how they feed their babies.

If you want to bottlefeed you'll bottlefeed.

On the other hand tens of thousands of mothers every year fail miserably to realise their choice to breastfeed because of their own ignorance as to how breastfeeding works and because of the ignorance of health professionals who are supposed to be supporting them.

Why are you trying to shame into silence those organisations leading the way in tackling the damaging ignorance that puts such huge barriers in the way of free choice?

Real freedom of choice requires access to good quality information. Platitudes, formula marketing material and self-justifying flannel just don't cut it. As a parent you're entitled to ignore all the medical evidence when it comes to making your choice as to how you feed your children, but encouraging other mothers to adopt this stance? As a journalist, don't you think that's a bit irresponsible?

Minky Moo, London, England

I just find it strange that not once in this editorial is the word immune nor system used. That is usually the reason most people invoke for breast milk instead of bottled etc.

It's more like an editorial about tits'n bits instead of health versus flip of the coin.

Male, mtl, Canada

Why do journalists seem to think that they have the right to tell all of us how they parented and as a result offer implicit support to other mothers who do the same, with sweeping statements to back up their own choices? The breastfeeding counsellors who work for all the lay organisations only work because mothers come to them or phone them. Mothers do not need to seek extra help if the NHS serves them well. The amount of work the volunteer organisations are doing clearly shows this not to be the case. The political move to get infant feeding choices freed from marketing bias is not an NCT campaign-it is an international, multi-agency issue that effects all parents-every formula feeding parent pays for this marketing in the extortionate cost of formula.

philippa parrett, ashford,

A touch defensive on the part of India, perhaps? The idea that the NCT and Save the Children, among others, are on some sort of demented mission to force breastfeeding down people's throats is very unfair. A great many people have benefited from advice and support from the NCT, and from other individuals and groups charged with promoting breastfeeding. It seems rather paranoid to suggest there is some sort of conspiracy to punish bottle feeding mothers. India Knight is correct that breastfeeding rates are associated with older, better-educated women but not all women choose not to breastfeed because they feel the antipathy to it that she did. Surely it is a good thing that some funding has gone into organisations that aim to encourage the spread of breastfeeding outside of this socioeconomic group? Would India Knight feel the same scorn for the health professionals and people like Jamie Oliver who have attempted to explain the damage the poor quality food in schools does?

Nicky Busch, London,

I was made to feel like an utter failure in hospital when I could not feed my baby (four years ago so things may have changed). He was born a few weeks premature and was being fed through a tube. Once off the tube he had real trouble latching on & I could not breast feed & spent many hours w. a mechanical breast-pump straight out of Heath Robinson producing tiny quantities of milk - it was soul destroying & my baby wasn't putting on any weight - I simply had to use formula - anyone out there struggling to breast feed & can't - just use the bottle & don't make anyone feel you've failed - you've just produced a baby - that's the most amazing thing in the world

jenny, London, uk

I breast feed my daughter because I love doing it, she loves it, it's relaxing and I was so lucky to find it easy.

Quite honestly, I don't care what anyone else does! Make your own decision and do whatever it takes to have a happy, loving, relaxed relationship with your child.

Sarah, Switzerland,

When I struggled to breastfeed my first child, it was the NCT who supported me with *my* freedom of choice, and it was a few - not all - of the NHS staff who were 'toxic'. I did very much feel like I was bombarded with pressure to give in to the bottle: pictures of celebrities would have been just one more pressure. So, hooray for the NCT who respected what I wanted and helped me achieve the unfathomable closeness of breastfeeding. India Knight - please don't be so universally condemnatory of these fine people.

Kirsty Nicol, Edinburgh,

This account of the “bovine and queasy” act of giving suck to a newborn could benefit from reframing. It’s helpful to consider the last 200+ million years of mammalian evolution and that humans are one of about 5000 distinct species, each of whose milk is uniquely suited to meeting the growth and development needs of its offspring. Even if everyone supposedly knows that breast is best, not everyone knows how damaging routine artificial feeding is for today’s children and tomorrow’s adults – and their mothers – and the price we pay for our collective ignorance. Two-thirds of brain development occurs after birth. Achieving our genetic potential then is simply not going to happen by ingesting a pediatric fast food prepared from the milk of an alien species. When this is understood, infant formula will re-migrate from the kitchen pantry to the medicine cabinet where it got its start as a life-saving emergency nutrition intervention.

James Akre, Geneva, Switzerland

I've been involved with the NCT as a mother and as a volunteer for some 6 years now. India's picture of the NCT as a bunch of unsupportive, sanctimonious busy bodies who want nothing more than to upset and belittle mothers is so far from my experience of this organisation that it's difficult to know where to begin. I would just urge anyone who's not had any involvement with the NCT to take a close look at their publications and judge for themselves. Before stumbling across the NCT I had a horrible first birth involving every intervention in the book, followed by a painful and difficult experience of breastfeeding. The support I got from the NCT helped me to come to put all this in context and to equip myself with the information I needed to have a much better experience of birth and breastfeeding second and third time around. I've never come across the sort of zealotry and unkindness Ms Knight describes - quite the opposite in fact.

gabydolores, London, England

"Right on! I absolutely agree. All of this sanctimonious "but it's best for the CHILD" moaning is just a poorly disguised attempt to make mothers feel bad about not staying home and raising their children instead of having careers - who can breast feed and work at the same time, I mean really?? "

Who can breastfeed and work at the same time?

Any one who can do any of the below:

a) work from home

b) take the baby to work with them (works well up to about 6 months old, when babies sleep less)

c) manage to express milk

d) have the baby brought to them for breastfeeding on demand (amazing how many dads or childminders are quite happy to sit in the cafe around the corner with the baby and bring it along as soon as it needs milk)

e) get paged by the office creche or the nursery-round-the-corner whenever the baby needs feeding

Working with a breastfed-on-demand baby is easy. The more women who do it, the easier (socially) it will become, too. It just takes imagination.

Emma, UK,

How many bottlefeeding mothers would be horrified at the idea of smoking in front of their children? Or at feeding them on junk food? Why is it 'propaganda' to inform on the well documented risks of formula feeding but useful 'information' to point out the hazards of cigarettes and burgers?

barbara, Ilkley, Yorkshire, UK

You and your readers may be interested in the following medical facts:
1. Breast fed babies are statistically less likely to have allergy-related conditions like asthma and eczema.
2. They are less likely to have respiratory infections, middle ear infections and gastroenteritis
3. Childhood obesity up to age 6years is more common in bottle-fed babies
4. Diabetes is more common in bottle-fed babies
For the Mother:
1. Certain types of breast cancers are less common in women who breast feed
2. The bone-thinning condition, Osteoporosis is less common in women who breat-feed

Breast milk constituents change with time to meet the exact needs of the feeding baby. It contains antibodies which the baby needs to fight infection with, in the ealy months of life.

It is for these reasons that the firm medical opinion is that breast feeding is to be encouraged.
It is of course understood that for several reasons, many mothers can not breast-feed.

Dr. I Adoki, Eastbourne, East Sussex

Prue, that's just another one of the many myths surrounding breastfeeding - fair skinned redheads are just as capable of pain free breastfeeding as the vast majority of mothers.

barbara, Ilkley, UK

"You also know what quantity of milk is drunk - which you can't do when breast-feeding directly. It's also more hygenic - how many mums deep-sterilise their breasts every feed?"

I just couldn't let this one rest. It shows the appalling misinformation and myths around regarding breastfeeding. Also this comment:

"Heres the secret they DO NOT tell mothers: breast feeding destroys the breasts. The breast are for your husband not the child."

First one first: The breasts do not need to be deep sterilised because the milk coming from them is already completely sterile and as it emerges, it cleans and sterilises the nipples too. So expressing is not more hygienic. True you do not know how much the baby takes but you don't need to know, as long as he is thriving.

Secondly breastfeeding does NOT destroy the breast. Being pregnant and giving birth changes the shape of the breasts forever, not how babies are fed, so if you want the breasts of an 18 yr old, don't have children.

Ruthie Pearlman, London, UK

India writes: 'all that matters is that a child arrives healthy. And all that matters is that it grows and thrives, however it is fed.'
Good reason then to arm onself with the facts how best to achieve these goals.

barbara, Ilkley, uk

Our first two children would under no circumstances stay latched on the breast for more than 5 seconds at a time despite the attentions of a never-ending stream of breast-feeding counsellors - so my wife was going demented from lack of sleep from staying up 4 hours at a time in the night to try to feed the baby, who was fast losing weight.

So we invested in this fantastic Swiss-made "Ameda" electric breast-pump (works off mains adaptor, torch batteries or even a car cig-lighter socket, so that you can express when belted up on long car journeys).

It completely empties both breasts at once in 15 minutes flat - so if you bottle-feed the baby with the results of the previous session whilst breast-pumping the next lot to be stored in the fridge, your entire time out of bed is 20 minutes instead of 4 hours.

You also know what quantity of milk is drunk - which you can't do when breast-feeding directly. It's also more hygenic - how many mums deep-sterilise their breasts every feed?

John West, London, UK

Well said, India!

Wendy Lamb, Bergerac, France,

I bottle fed the first, the 2nd had, breast, expressed or formula and cared not who fed him. The 3rd would have only me (never in a public place) that was fine too. They learnt fast to drink their fill as swiftly as possible, i'm not patient and bore easily. slept through at 7 days. No 4 on the way we'll see how it goes, no expressing though it's the road to insanity. I don't want to leak, or pump, nor did I feed constantly, I find a friend who feeds her baby in dribs and drabs irritating, out comes the boob again, ideally with an audience. not my style. I think you should do what your comfortable with. I haven't liked being told it's disgusting to breastfeed either so it swings both ways.. All 3 of mine are healthy, robust balanced kids. As for the NCT, well I did join but don't fit the bill, it's a bit of a closed shop, and indeed smug! I had c.section, forceps, c.section, and this will be c.section, so put me up against the wall and shoot me!

sharon knight, london, middx

Yup she's right. I've a healthy adult daughter to whom I will not admit that I only breast fed her for a month because I got horrific blisters etc. Because she will then believe I didn't care about her welfare, and fed her awful synthetic food. Nothing could be further from the truth but who cares when there are vulnerable women about who can be blamed yet again for all the ills in the world.

Not Gonna Be a Victim, Coventry,

To avoid breastfeeding failure:

Before birth, get in touch with La Leche League, the (not-so-ghastly) NCT Breastfeeding advice line, Little Angels, or any of the other myriad breastfeeding support charities in your area. Keep their phone numbers handy after birth.

Make sure your health visitor and midwife have themselves successful experience of breastfeeding. If not, demand to have an expert assisting you. You wouldn't invite a non-swimmer to teach you to swim. At the very least, make sure their growth charts are designed for breastfed babies (thousands of mothers give up, disheartened at their "malnourished" babies, who are actually being compared to the overweight formula fed baby chart)

After birth, get in person on-the-stop support from someone who has breastfed successully - mother, friend, sister, a doula.

4 in 5 give up within a few weeks? If that sort of attrition rate was natural, the species would have died out. New mums need to demand more information and help.

Emma, UK,

Hurrah! Finally, someone talking sense about breastfeeding! I really wanted to do it but for a number of reasons, it all went wrong. I stuck it for 10 weeks, as my baby lost weight and I went slowly insane. I then discovered the joys of formula. Only, however, after sitting with an NCT breastfeeding counsellor for and hour and a half of feeding, at the end of which my baby was still obviously starving. The NCT's answer? "You really need to spend 48 hours feeding whenever the baby wants to feed, and when she's not feeding, express". This with thrush and cracked nipples. Not once did anyone say to me - your baby is obviously starving, and you are unwell - it is OK to give her formula. On the contrary - the NCT gave me helpful "literature" that said "even the smallest amount of formula can increase your baby's risk of developing a number of diseases". Just what an already guilt-ridden new mum wants to hear.

Jane, Hants,

I never particularly wanted to breastfeed but I did a) because I live in Italy b) because I had my first in the seventies in England when breastfeeding was the rage and c) because I became hooked after having done it once with success despite having had to overcome various obstacles.

My mother never breastfed, neither did my sister who was, I think, worried about losing her figure, but I don't condemn them. From what I've heard bottlefeeding can be more problematic than breastfeeding. Each to her own.

Whatever women choose to do should be based not only on the baby's well being but also on the mum's. What's the point of doing what you think is right or what society is brainwashing you into thinking is right if you resent it?

roberta, sassari,

My first child was bottlefed. My husband didn't like the idea of his son 'sucking his mum's tits' and his mother persuaded me that because of my on the small side chest I wouldn't produce enough milk for him. At the time I thought the formula was fine - it would do. I didn't give breastfeeding another thought.

When my second son was born the midwife - to my complete surprise - immediately placed him on my chest and he latched on staight away without aid. It felt fantastic. This continued for 10 months. All he needed was my milk, I could provide everything he needed through my bosom. It was so weird and wonderful. I resisted pressure from my husband and family to put him onto the bottle, I nearly exploded with rage when I caught my mother in law pushing one into his face on the sly!

The health benefits just cannot be denied. He was never ill unlike my first, his nappies hardly smelt, he was more affectionate - still is - and hardly cried!

Formula just isn't good enough, period.

Lisa, Kidderminster,

Can this be the same India Knight who bangs on week after week about how important it is to feed children healthy food and how terrible people are if they let their children eat junk food? Given the evidence for the nutritional superiority of breast milk over formula milk is unequivocal, there must surely be some mistake.

Kim, London,

This article is shocking! There is noone that promotes breastfeeding other than the NCT - even the government breastfeeding council has 2 top CO's from bottle milk companies! The point of breastfeeding is not about feeding the baby but that the breast milk gives babies all the immunities, caleries, intelligence and protection that the baby needs...there is research which confirms that breast milk helps tumour patients (thats how fantastic it is!).

I work as a midwife and see first hand what SMA formula does to babies - constipation, colic, childhood obesity to name afew! Why do we have a nation of fat people...it starts here!

Hurray for freedom of choice! No one should be made to feel guilty for the decisions they make but make informed decisions. I wonder how much money Jorden received for that ad and how many mums will be influenced and informed that SMA is the best for their baby? This isn't a question about choice but about the uneven avaliability of information for parents

Sophie, Basingstoke,

absolute rubbish. Breastfeeding in public is "frowned on in all quarters", that's why there's such a crisis at the moment. If you fail to even acknowledge the consequences of bottle milk, which contains fish eyes and all sorts of crap in it, then you really are missing the point. After the milk formula has ommitted the use of nuts in their products, due to the rapid increase in nut allergies they have decided to use fish derivitives instead, so a few years down the line many children may have fish allergies.
what an infuriating article.

Sarah , Leeds,

p.s
As someone mentioned before its science..let it work for you and not against you. The fact that breast milk is better for babies is not some cruel anti-woman ploy..its just simple scientific fact that we should take advantage of. It is not a view that it is better...just a fact.

Who would have thought that women now campaign for their right to give their babies nutritionaly inferior milk.

Lea, London, Uk

I've always been a great fan of India. But I'm appalled by her latest article. I did'nt for one moment think she (of all people) could be so narrow minded. I choose to breastfeed my babies. And it wasn't easy. In a region that promotes bottle feed I was the only one to choose breast. I was constently criticised and told the harm I was doing my newborn. But it felt right for me. So I continued. And I'm damn glad I did. Not all of us have the support network around them that India is obviously privvy too. She is very lucky. Hope she appreciates it.

McCallum, Archignac, france

S Madsen, London, UK asks: "who can breast feed and work at the same time, I mean really??"

I can. And have done since I went back to work when my daughter was six months. Sorry if I sound smug - I'm not. Just happy since it means I can give her the best nutritional start in life - something I couldn't have done without the 'sanctimonious' (oh c'mon) NCT and the support of the fabulous mumsnet forum boards.

Like India, I'm all for personal choice. What makes me sad is that not everyone gets the right information or support. Otherwise why would the women at my NHS antenatal group have come out with such rubbish as "(formula) is much better for the baby" and "(breatfeeding) is selfish cos the dads can't feed the baby"?

"Freedom of choice"? Don't think so.

Sarah, London,

Thank you for stating the tyrannny that the NCT has wielded for years over new mothers! I have a chronic illness, undiagnosed when my son was born, and I could barely manage to get a drop out of myself.He was pre-mature and needed to gain weight, so when the paediatrician said to bottle feed him,I was fine with that. I kept trying though because it was supposed to help us "bond".I stopped when I began to do nothing but bleed into the milk I was trying desperately to express into a jar.Further, the NCT were nothing but cruel to me.I phoned them up to try to find out about a pregnant mother's group near me as I had just moved to Middlesex from Central London and knew no one.I was really isolated.They asked me on the phone where I was having my baby. I told them I was having the baby in a private hospital.They snapped at me to go find a group there, that they could do nothing to help me and hung up on me.I cried for hours and continued to be completely isolated.

Linda K. Berkeley, Hampton Hill, Middlesex

I think Ms. Knight is right about sanctimoniousness, smugness and competition among women being counterproductive. But I see the NCT's point. To see a celebrity bottlefeeding (with the formula label obvious, no less) glamourizes bottlefeeding and the formula brand. This kind of inadvertent advertising is even more subtle than the well-crafted ads of the formula companies. Breastfeeding advocates can't compete with that -- the way produce vendors can't compete with McDonald's advertising. The NCT is simply raising awareness -- it's free advertising, just like SMA is getting!

Allison Evans, London,

My respect for you just halved, India.

Sharon, Hull,

Breast feeding is disgusting and dirty. Its only for mothers in Third World countries. Formulas are clean and convenient. Heres the secret they DO NOT tell mothers: breast feeding destroys the breasts. The breast are for your husband not the child.

Baz, Sydney,

India's views are the usual anti- breastfeeding, NCT-bashing we have come to see as normal. Just to put the record straight; the NCT, whilst helping and supporting mothers who choose to breastfeed, have never had a policy of making formula feeding mothers feel a failure or guilty. All we want is that they make an informed choice, and unfortunately the formula manufacturers have an agenda that women who choose to bottle feed, do so without all the facts to hand. Maybe if there was a warning system similar to that on cigarettes people would have a clearer idea of the downside of formula, which is by far the inferior choice for both mothers and babies. Breastfeeding need not hurt; we NCT breastfeeding counsellors spend our days and nights (without pay!) helping women so that it is a pleasant and enjoyable experience and has long term health benefits. Maybe India would have done well to have all facts at hand before launching such a vitriolic attack on a worthy organisation.

Ruthie Pearlman, London, UK

Breastfeeding can be hard work to establish, particularly following a medicalised birth. There are many lay counsellors within the breastfeeding charities who give their time selflessly on a voluntary basis to help mothers who want to make breastfeeding work. While they are all convinced of the superiority of breast over bottle, they work tirelessly to support mothers who WANT to breastfeed and are not in the habit of trying to make anyone feel guilty for choosing to bottle-feed. If you seek their help and don't succeed please think first before labelling their encouragement as propaganda.

barbara, yorks, UK

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hate the NCT and have nothing nice to say about them. I had every intention of breast feeding my children and after suffering appalling mastitis, cracked and bleeding nipples, etc. put my first one on bottles after ten days. I then attended an NCT tea party when she was about a month old, and I was treated like a criminal when I pulled out a bottle to feed her. Every woman in the room stopped talking to me immediately. I fed my baby and left, and would never have anything to do with the NCT again. It's all about choice and personal circumstances.... good luck to Jordan.

Jean Woods, Cambridge,

I agree, i think bottle is best as it means that there's more for adult boys to play with and there not half way down to your knees either.. I base this on no scientific research just observation..

adrian holt, reading, UK

You are living in a fantasy world if you think the majority of pressure on women is to breastfeed . There is a vast amount of pressure use formula. Comments such as yours about breastfeeding being "bovine" and making people "queasy" are fairly typical. Don't you think it is hypocritical to criticize breastfeeding in an article supposedly about our right to choose without undue influence from either side?

I agree that we have the right to choose. As parents we will all make dozens of choices that aren't the best ones for our children but are the most convenient for us. For most of those we can make an informed decision. The advertising for formula makes it hard to decide (for example, 1/3 of women think formula is as good as breast milk which is blatant nonsense spread about by formula milk manufacturers).

If we shouldn't ban advertising formula then perhaps we should be spending much more money advertising breastfeeding so that it is perceived as normal rather than "bovine".

Sarah Knight, Oxford,

On C-sections and other hospital interventions, I agree entirely - those who have needed a C-section, a forceps delivery, been rushed to theatre to remove a retained placenta, or whatever else, should feel grateful not guilty - 100 years ago, either the mother, or the child, or both, would have almost certainly died in childbirth.

But breastfeeding is another matter entirely. Bottlefeeding is suboptimal for babies. They are designed to drink human milk, not cows' milk (you only have to compare the nappies of babies on each diet to become aware of the difference - breastmilk poo doesn't smell or look unpleasant at all).

Bottlefed babies are at increased risk of asthma and other allergies, of stomach upsets and other illnesses, and have a greatly increased risk of later obesity (formula companies are working hard to work out how to introduce the appetite-reducing hoemone leptin into formula milk; in the meantime you can only get it in breast milk)

It's science, not zealotry.

Emma, UK,

India, last week you threw your hands up in horror over how our livestock is treated, what horrors were added to their diet and how it could all only lead to doom and gloom and a whole load of nastiness for the humans who eat it. Now, concentrate hard here - SMA is made from milk, which comes from COWS!!! and a whole load of crap thrown in to help babies digest it.

Anna, Linwood,

Absolutely!! I couldn't agree more! Why is it so fashionable and "right" to bully people into your point of view, your decisions? Why don't people mind their own business? I'm glad you explained the source of the row and I always have admired Jordan ( Katie Price) for her integrity and courage to be herself. No one really bothers to look at her, her strong marriage, her love for her 3 children and self evident good sense. People like to see her as a "bimbo" no matter what she does.
I breast fed my daughter for 6 weeks, it hurt sometimes, sometimes it didn't. I must have passed on something good in that time: she had measles at 7 months just after I did, and a light case of chicken Pox at 4! But she was bottle fed from the time I returned to work onwards, letting her father, her aunt and anyone else have the joy of holding her as well as I. But I was also relieved not to be tied to her, not to feel guilty about my needs as well, but then I am a "strong" woman.
P.S. SMA Rules! OK!

Carlyle Braden, Croydon, UK

Exactly, freedom of choice is no longer tolerated by certain groups of public sector