Although there are only a few instances when a woman physically cannot breast feed such as trauma which has injured the milk ducts, or hormonal and glandular deficiency or other medical reasons, a woman should not be made to feel bad because she isn t breastfeeding. What it does mean is that for one reason or another she has chosen not to nurse her infant. The following are some common reasons why a mother may choose not to breastfeed her baby, and often more than one factor influences a woman s final decision not to breastfeed.
Some mothers have jobs or other children and nursing is a time-intensive process.
Others simply don t want to be tied down, for whatever reason. Some women may have only six weeks leave from work and don t want to start something that they cannot continue with due to the intense dedication it takes to express milk, work and still breastfeed. Some women feel that it would be indecent to nurse in front of someone else, or that their body secretions are yucky or nasty. Others are simply not comfortable with their anatomy as a food source. Sexual hang-ups and fears.