Some mothers choose to replace breastfeeding with pumping all of their milk to feed to their babies in a bottle. In these cases, the babies are still getting all the health benefits of human milk.

Some mothers may choose this way of feeding because they are uncomfortable with the act of breastfeeding. Others might have found that their babies had problems latching on due to a physical problem like a cleft palate, or that the babies preferred bottles after a long temporary weaning. For mothers who have sore nipples at the beginning of breastfeeding, some feel that pumping does not hurt or that pumping and bottle feeding better meets the needs of their lifestyles.