Why is breastfeeding seen as the number one choice?

There are a few disadvantages to bottle feeding breastmilk, but it is a far better choice than bottle feeding formula.

Without the mouth to breast connection, the baby is not able to inoculate the mother's breast with any virus or bacteria that (s)he has come into contact with, so the mother's body can't form protective antibodies. And the act of breastfeeding itself helps with the proper oral musculature and dentition.

There are probably some social aspects as well, and perhaps some issues with bonding in high risk populations, but this has not been well studied.

Yes, the most important thing is that the baby is getting breastmilk.

Aside from the fact that pumping is less convenient and doesn't give your baby as much skin-to-skin contact with you, pumping exclusively is hard work. It's absolutely great you were able to exclusively pump, but for a lot of exclusively pumping mothers, they just can't maintain their supply no matter how much they pump because pumps are just not as efficient at extracting milk as baby's mouth. Pumping mothers tend to stop much earlier than mothers who can nurse normally because of this.

Yes, pumping is way better than formula feeding... but breastfeeding is easier and better, and should be used whenever feasible.

Because no matter how good your pump is, the baby can always get milk out more efficiently which causes your supply to keep up. Also, your baby swollows air when bottle fed which cause more spit ups and upset tummies.

Most people CAN'T exclusively pump. The supply dries up when you don't physically feed the baby.

Breast milk comes out in three stages when you feed. Watery, nutrient rich, and then fat rich. This hydrates the baby, nourishes the baby, and then makes them feel full.

But i mean REALLY, as long as the kid is healthy and happy, does it really matter if it's breast bottle of formula? Every mother does the best she can with what she's got.

Breast feeding is the best because apparently it helps children develop the healthy way and can also help the child logically.

If you exclusively pump, you will lose your supply much faster. You will not be able to keep up with your baby's demand.

The baby's saliva sends signals to your breasts to produce the perfect breastmilk for him/her.

Breastfeeding reduces the air intake, reduces the chance of ear infection and gets the hindmilk out more effectively.

It's just more convenient and less expensive than pumping. Otherwise, there's no reason to choose one over the other.

Nursing is far better at stimulating supply and far less time consuming for mom.