I didn't breastfeed my baby simply because I didn't want to. Every parent should have that choice.

• I formula fed my baby from day one as I had no interest in breastfeeding.
• My son is now 4 years old and thriving, both my husband and I bonded with him while bottle feeding.

I remember sitting on the examination table for the first time after finding out I was pregnant. My stomach was in knots, partly because the first trimester is awful and partly because I was so excited to finally start getting a plan together for my first venture into motherhood.

I met with a midwife, and she did a quick assessment. She asked me a few basic questions about my plans for labor and assured me that they'd support whatever I wanted. But then she followed that up with this: "Well, of course you'll be breastfeeding."

I looked at my husband quickly, and then I looked at her and said, "No, I won't."

She looked me up and down once more, only this time with a lot more judgment.

"Well, it's what's best for the baby," she informed me. And then, she went on to list all the benefits of breastfeeding, for both of us. I sat there and silently nodded, pretending to truly consider everything she was saying, as if I didn't already know it.

After the appointment was over, I informed the receptionist that I didn't want to see that midwife again. I was not going to have anyone force me to do something I didn't want to, especially when it came to my own body.

I wasn't comfortable with the idea of breastfeeding

My breasts have always been prominent. I mean, I was in a bra by second grade. And as I grew up, they became a large part of my sexual pleasure. It created a mental block for me that I couldn't overcome. Even throughout my pregnancy, as my body continued to amaze me with what it could do, I didn't come any closer to feeling comfortable with it.

When the time arrived and my sweet boy made his way earth-side, I asked the nurse to get me formula. I never even attempted to breastfeed him.

And I'm not sorry one bit.

It just so happened that my milk didn't even come in for two weeks, and I was deep in the throes of postpartum depression. There's no doubt in my mind that breastfeeding would have exacerbated the situation.

We can't tell parents to 'just breastfeed' amid formula shortages

Parents today should have the same choice that I had. Whatever their reason to use formula, be it personal preference or sheer need, the fact that this nation is in a formula-deficit crisis should be of top priority to everyone.

Telling someone to "just breastfeed" is not only incredibly medically ignorant but also violent. Breastfeeding is not free, and as a society we shouldn't be throwing more onto parents who have been dealing with a heavier load for the past two years thanks to a pandemic, a childcare crisis, and a lack of parental leave.

My son is now 4 years old and completely thriving.

He hit developmental milestones early, and we bonded well. As cheesy as it is, he's my best friend, and that was achieved even with bottle feeding. In fact, he's also incredibly close with my husband, who got to bond with him during feeding time, too.

I'll be honest, I don't attribute his successes or failures to formula, except that it kept him strong enough to weather all of it.

While I won't sit here and deny that breastfeeding is beneficial, it isn't the only way to feed a baby. And as a mother, I want other parents to have the same right to choose for their little ones as I did years ago.