Hi, puzzled Arly: I too have seen quite a few moms pumping for
long periods, not willing to put their baby to breast. I couldn't
figure them out at all, then it occurred to me that maybe they
were ashamed of bfing in front of their bottlefeeding friends.
In some circles here in Israel, bfing is regarded as "primitive"
(every time I hear this, I want to scream), so a mom who wants
to "fit in" with her peer group, yet wants to give her baby the
best, may figure that she has it all if she bottle-feeds her
breastmilk. How does this sound to you? Peer group opinion and
peer pressure here is REALLY strong. Much stronger than the
States (and I was born and lived in the States until I was 23),
so, well, maybe this is not the answer for your area. Judy Knopf