How breastfeeding can get you an LV (or the economics of breastfeeding)

When I was still in training, I could not forget when a nurse commented that breastfeeding is only for charity patients who cannot afford to buy milk formula. I don’t know where she got that distorted notion. But I think that is the reason why when we were still in medical school, we have always been taught that when teaching the benefits of breastfeeding, we should not focus on the economic aspect of it. The mother should never have this notion that the main reason she is going to have to breastfeed is to save money. Otherwise, she may end up thinking she’s not giving the best for her child when in fact she is. Worse, it may even become her goal to shift to formula just to prove she could afford it. So we teach you all the other benefits of breastfeeding--antibodies will help protect him/her from illnesses, DHA in breastmilk is most superior, mother and infant bonding provides emotional security--everything except the extra savings!

Thanks to patient education, a lot of mothers now know better than that nurse. And thanks to fabulous women like Angelina Jolie, breastfeeding now has some sort of glamour to it.

Now going back, I say that while saving money is not the goal of breastfeeding, it is an inevitable (and definitely welcome) consequence. Let’s make a rough estimate of how much you will save if you breastfeed instead of give formula for six months. A can of formula that would last around 5-7 days is around 800 pesos. That is around 4000 pesos a month for 5 cans of milk. That’s already at least 24,000 pesos in six months. If you’re a bag-aholic like a number of women I have encountered, that can already get you one of the latest bags from Coach. If you continue to breastfeed for another six months, that is at least 48,000 pesos! Now that can already get you a basic Louis Vuitton handbag. The above estimate does not even include all the other medical expenses you can avoid because your baby will be much less sickly compared to a formula fed one. Or the cost of sterile water- both the commercially available bottled water or boiled water entail some additional cost. Why, maybe you can even get a Prada!

Again, these worldly splurges should never be the reason why you breastfeed. But you can consider the extra savings as your bonus. The point is, you can have extra money to put into whatever your passion is. You can simply save it. You can use it as your family’s extra vacation money. You can even donate it to your favorite charity if you want.

It really depends on you. But personally, I think a new set of jewelry is not a bad idea either!