My absolute pleasure Honeybee. I fully support breastfeeding and I acknowledge that it is the best option for babies, particularly before they are on solids; but I also think that sometimes there is a tendency to equate breastfeeding with so much more than just nutrition, and mums can feel pressured by all sorts of people and places. Infant formula is not breast milk, but these days it is a pretty good substitute. It also frees up the mum to eat a more varied diet herself, like chilli, onions and garlic. In my experience it can also help with reflux and settling in some babies.

The advice I'd give you if you decide to go down this road is, to try a few different brands if your baby doesn't like the first one, to try lots of different bottle teats and flows to see which works best for him, to start him on a bottle as soon as possible if you haven't been expressing for bottle feeds yet (after 4 months they can get a bit hesitant with the bottle but they have all come round with time and loving patience in my experience), and to be mindful of allergies or intolerances (you can get goat milk formula now for example) and to offer water as well as formula because bottle feeding can sometimes cause a bit of constipation at first.

Best of luck with everything.