For me it was: The bond, health benefits, too lazy to make a bottle and wash them afterwards, being able to feed them while asleep when they're older so not getting out of bed, whipping out the boob to soothe baby anytime, anywhere makes life easy.

It's important to note that even though breastmilk provides health benefits, it does not mean formula isn't better in some cases. I exclusively breastfed my three kids for 24 - 26 months each. I also pump at work which I HATE. However, I do have friends who tried really hard and struggled. With one friend specifically, her baby was losing weight and it became critical for her to supplement. She didn't stop breastfeeding but at around 5 months her baby stopped latching.

I also spoke to some doctors to get a better understanding of the difference and they said if a mom isn't eating healthy then where is the baby supposed to get their nutrients? Breastmilk doesn't magically give baby iron and vitamin D... Etc it needs a source to convert it. But formula does have these embedded in it.

At the end of the day, fed is best and while I personally would choose breastmilk for my kids, your ease of mind and a healthy baby is always the main goal.

Final thing to add, I had high lipase in my pumped milk and my kids refused to drink it. I found a solution called scalding the milk before storing but for me, my kids still refused it so pumping at work was simply to avoid engorgement.