I don't want to hammer on too much about my personal breastfeeding journey, instead I want to use this space to speak as a nursing mom who strongly advocates for fed is best. I get the sense mostly formula feeding moms are working hard to normalize this and I think the community could use support from those who are able to feed from the boob.
I'll start by saying before I became a mom I had a ton of anxiety around breastfeeding but not for the reasons most moms do. I was struggling to come to terms with IF I even wanted to do it AT ALL. I was unsure I wanted to feed another human from my breast - it seemed a bit.... bizarre. I felt this right up until the moment my midwife grabbed my boob and plopped my daughter on it after my first delivery. It was kind of a whirlwind that left me no choice & no time to second guess. It was the best case scenario for me because it was out of my control. The outcome would be decided for me by my boob. Fast forward to 7 months pp and I decided it was time to ween.... my supply was lowering and honestly I was kind of over nursing. I switched full time to formula ( I had been supplementing along the way) and I never looked back.
For me, I enjoy breastfeeding because of one thing & one thing only. It's best.... for me. Are there health benefits? Sure! But I don't believe it's more bonding....or more beneficial for mom and baby. I was a formula fed baby and my mom and I are very close. I think my health has been pretty stellar so far too. I also don't know which of my friends were breastfed or not. I don't believe it sets you up for some sort of head start in life.
That said I am happy nursing worked out for me - the shame formula moms feel is real. I even felt it when I switched to formula full time (I'd often find myself referencing that I had at one point breastfed) so that's why I am so passionate fed is best. With my second, breastfeeding has worked out well again and I hope to do it for 6 months (or honestly as long as it still feels good for me) but I won't be worried if and when I turn off the tap.
I think feeding your baby should be about what works for you. If you like breastfeeding that's awesome. If you don't want to do it at all that's OK. If you try and it doesn't work out it's not your fault and it doesn't mean you didn't give it your all. If you decide you want to do a bit of both I'd tell you that variety is the spice of life and that you can literally do whatever the heck you want. None of these choices define you as a mother.
I fed on the boob. I fed from the bottle. In both cases I was feeding the child. In both cases it's good enough.