by BabyCenter Guest Blogger posted in Parenting

By Coleen Smith
Being a mom isn?t easy. After months of managing the joys of pregnancy (ha!), we deliver our sweet babies into the world -- at which point we?re immediately prompted with what many women feel is a life-altering decision on how we?re going to feed them. The stress of feeding your baby is real -- and all moms I know feel it from the moment our babies are born until they are old enough to make their own choices.
While what and how our babies eat is critically important, there?s no "right" answer and these are decisions that should be left up to each family without guilt, shame, or unsolicited advice. As a seasoned mom of three who?s done breast-feeding, formula-feeding, homemade baby food, and everything in between, here?s my advice to guilt-free feeding at any stage. ADVICE FOR GUILT-FREE FEEDING

Educate yourself. Everyone has an opinion about whether to breastfeed or formula-feed, when to introduce a bottle, whether to go organic, make homemade baby food, etc. but there is absolutely no right answer. My recommendation is to do some homework -- talk to moms who have breastfed, talk to moms who have formula fed, consider whether organic formula and/or baby food are important to you. Do some reading and have a discussion with your partner about what you learn. Come up with a strategy on how you?d ideally like to feed your baby, realizing all may not go as planned and flexibility is the key to mainta...