breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding

chalkiesalem_2

I breast fed my son for about 2 months before i changed to bottle feeding. He was very hungry and was permently latched onto my boobs. i would shift him from one to the other constatantly, it even got that bad that i had to eat my tea while i was feeding as he never came off. I got pretty down with it all and one night broke down in tears to my mam, she told me to start bottle feeding. It was the best thing i did and he was a much happier baby. I think both bottle feeding and breast feeding have the places.

bexta

Angelil, feeding is only a small part of having a child. There's lots of others ways that daddy can bond with baby, such as winding them after a feed, or bathing them. Personally, I've never expressed (yes it is down to finding the idea a bit off putting) so I'm the only one who's fed Sophie in that respect. However, now she's on BLW solids as well, my OH enjoys getting her food ready and helping clean her up afterwards (BLW is fun, but messy).

It is down to personal choice, we struggled horribly in the beginning, not helped at all by the very midwives who were spouting the 'breast is best' line. In my case it was down to bl0ody mindedness that this was something I was going to do. No one would have judged me had I chosen to quit, but it was important to me. I'm certainly not against formula - so long as baby is being fed is all that matters really.

OrkneyStar

I breastfed, and am so glad I did. DS was a bit slow to latch on (sleepy baby and a bit drowsy after c-section too) and would scream like mad as he wasn't getting the milk he wanted, especially at first, so we did express and syringe/cup feed in hospital. On the day we were due to leave however he suddenly got what he was meant to do (5 days after his birth!) and we didn't really look back. In the early days we did one feed from expressed milk, the late night feed (about 11.30) as DH was normally still up then anyway, meaning I could get to sleep from about 8 to until the early am feed about 5.30/6, and DH got some daddy time!.....to be honest I was lucky though as even early on DS slept for a good few hours at a time. I remember the growth spurt times where we almost laid on the couch for most of the day while he fed/slept/fed/slept......I actually remember the times fondly, yes I couldn't do much else but it was a great bonding time for us! After about 3 months we stopped the expressed feed, he was breastfed exclusively until about 5.5 months, then he was gradually weaned and we stopped breast-feeding completely at 13 months.
So basically, breastfeeding was great for us. I do remember the early days in hospital and it was busy and I was struggling, and being so glad I had listened to the midwife in the breastfeeding sessions at ante-natal clinic.
Conclusion- try it, it is not always easy (especially at the start), but it generally gets easier. Get support, read up, speak to people for advice if you need it!
If you do decide against it that is your decision, but don't feel guilty about it, a happy mummy is all baby needs!
xx

blah11

chalkiesalem wrote: »

I breast fed my son for about 2 months before i changed to bottle feeding. He was very hungry and was permently latched onto my boobs. i would shift him from one to the other constatantly, it even got that bad that i had to eat my tea while i was feeding as he never came off. I got pretty down with it all and one night broke down in tears to my mam, she told me to start bottle feeding. It was the best thing i did and he was a much happier baby. I think both bottle feeding and breast feeding have the places.

This is very normal for the first 12 weeks or so. Then it gets better and baby isnt on the boob all the time.

tinkers

blah11 wrote: »

In regards to 'getting my body back' surely your childs wellbeing is more important?

I actually found quite a lot of your post quite offensive if I'm being honest. 'best is breast' brigade, why I would feed my baby with teeth, expressing as horrid etc. Yes, express your opinions but don't make your point by putting the other choice down. I noticed you didn't point out the positives of formula feeding, just the cons of breastfeeding.

Which posts do you find offensive? We usually feel offended because we feel defensive in some way because something has touched a raw nerve. Most women who breast feed would never wish to come across as the 'breast is best' brigade maybe it is just how you have interpreted it?

Breast is best is a naff term, we are physically built to breast feed it is normal but our whole society does not value it or is set up for women to do this confidently at all and so we have to question will we or won't we do breast feed? We have no confidence at all in it and neither will our daughters if all they see is bottles because they will feel that is the only way too.

FatVonD

I've not read the whole thread so if there's an argument raging this post has nothing to do with it!

I breastfed my son until he was 3, I was never evangelical about it, I knew that was what I wanted but I never joined NCT or La Leche League or anything like that.

Contrary to a lot of other people's experiences I really had to push at the hospital to breast feed. My son was jaundiced and had low blood sugar so they insisted he was bottle fed at first. If I hadn't read about it and asked whether I should be expressing the same amount he was taking so that when he came off it I had enough supply nobody would have told me to and I'd not have had enough milk.

I got precious little support from friends and family who clearly didn't think it acceptable to breastfeed after about 6 months, if I had a fiver for every time someone asked me when I was going to stop I'd be a rich woman.

I always said I'd stop at 1 year and then when it came to it got very angry because I felt I was being pressurised into stopping by my bottle-feeding friends and my mother who was acutely embarrassed at having a daughter that was doing something out of the norm *again*. It was only then that I thought 'stuff you all', he was happy, I was happy so why stop? What was so magically different that it was supposed to be good for him at 11 months but not at 13 months?

I still try not to be evangelical about it but it was right for me, I was far too neurotic to have been sterilizing bottles and (once you get the hang of it) it's so easy and convenient I can't see why anyone would make life difficult for themselves...

rainbow81

skintchick wrote: »

Oh and to the poster whose child had severe tongue tie and 'didn;t stand a chance' of breastfeeding, I AM NOT JUDGING YOU, but felt it important to say that you can get tongue tie snipped very easily, after which breastfeeding should be perfectly possible. Tongue tie doesn;t automatically equal a failure to breastfeed successfully.

It kind of prevents it when it's not diagnosed until the "baby" is 7 years old though! So thank you for NOT JUDGING ME.

vroombroom

wow thanks for the input guys, very interesting. I went along to the BF group yesterday and they were a lovely bunch of girls.

I think our plan will be to BF for the first few months, then try bottlefeeding from about 6 months. Mainly as I will be going back to work part time (shift work) and college twice a week.

Obv thats the plan, but it might change! :money:

pinkclouds

vroombroom wrote: »

I think our plan will be to BF for the first few months, then try bottlefeeding from about 6 months. Mainly as I will be going back to work part time (shift work) and college twice a week.

Goodness, shiftwork must be an organizational challenge with a baby to consider! (I assume your hours change pattern all the time?) I haven't reached the stopping stage yet but I've been told that it's important to stop gradually - dropping a feed every other day - instead of going cold turkey. Worth bearing in mind if timing is going to be a critical issue?

blah11

tinkers wrote: »

Which posts do you find offensive? We usually feel offended because we feel defensive in some way because something has touched a raw nerve. Most women who breast feed would never wish to come across as the 'breast is best' brigade maybe it is just how you have interpreted it?

Breast is best is a naff term, we are physically built to breast feed it is normal but our whole society does not value it or is set up for women to do this confidently at all and so we have to question will we or won't we do breast feed? We have no confidence at all in it and neither will our daughters if all they see is bottles because they will feel that is the only way too.

It was angelils post. I think you misunderstood my post completely, lol.