breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding

angelil

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.

I am sorry if I offended you with my post; rest assured that this was not my intention.

Equally if my choice of words offended you then I am sorry for that as well. Again it was not my intention but it is how I feel and you are entitled to disagree with my opinion.

I do believe in the importance of the child's wellbeing but feel that there are other factors in raising a child which are more important to its wellbeing than whether it is fed from the breast or from the bottle. Again you are free to disagree with this and I have already cited the reasons why I believe this to be the case.

Positives of formula feeding: I did already cite at least one of these (dad getting involved; less pain associated with feeding from the breast/mastitis etc - although I know that the breasts 'recovering' from being full of milk can also be painful; not having to express milk which I have also explained is not an idea that appeals to me) but I can cite a few more as well. From my point of view it also is more helpful to bottle feed in seeing how much milk the baby has actually consumed; plus, the mother can take oral medication (e. g. paracetamol) and not worry about it affecting the breast milk and subsequently the baby's short-term health.

Again I am sorry if you do not like my opinion but if you participate in an opinion/discussion forum you cannot expect to always meet people whose opinions and feelings match yours.

MadDogWoman_2

Hi,

I've not read all the replies.

I do agree with the go with the flow philosophy, you have nothing to lose by giving it a go (as I see you are).

I decided to go with the flow when my DD was born.

Please be aware that it isn't completely pain free as the experts say, there is an uncomfortable almost painful feeling for a few weeks when you let down, the muscles and nerves just have to learn that it's normal.

Support is all important, I loved going to my breastfeeding support group tea, biscuits and adult company.

Our breastfeeding came to an end last month after 3 years 9 months, I never went into this with any deadlines and left it up to DD to self wean. We were down to morning feeds only by 1 year.

MDW

PS when feeding in public I never experienced any negative comments only positive, I did ensure that it was done as discreetly as possible though.

skintchick

rainbow81 wrote: »

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.

Sorry I used the capitals for emphasis, not shouting, i should have used italics. I just didn;t want other people to read your post and think 'oh it's not possible to breastfeed with a tongue tie', because if it's diagnosed in time, and is not at the extreme end of severe, then it is possible to have it snipped and to teach baby to latch on again, but I also didn;t want you to think I was judging you in any way, because I'm not.

blah11

angelil wrote: »

I am sorry if I offended you with my post; rest assured that this was not my intention.

Equally if my choice of words offended you then I am sorry for that as well. Again it was not my intention but it is how I feel and you are entitled to disagree with my opinion.

I do believe in the importance of the child's wellbeing but feel that there are other factors in raising a child which are more important to its wellbeing than whether it is fed from the breast or from the bottle. Again you are free to disagree with this and I have already cited the reasons why I believe this to be the case.

Positives of formula feeding: I did already cite at least one of these (dad getting involved; less pain associated with feeding from the breast/mastitis etc - although I know that the breasts 'recovering' from being full of milk can also be painful; not having to express milk which I have also explained is not an idea that appeals to me) but I can cite a few more as well. From my point of view it also is more helpful to bottle feed in seeing how much milk the baby has actually consumed; plus, the mother can take oral medication (e. g. paracetamol) and not worry about it affecting the breast milk and subsequently the baby's short-term health.

Again I am sorry if you do not like my opinion but if you participate in an opinion/discussion forum you cannot expect to always meet people whose opinions and feelings match yours.

Yes, you will still get engorged and mastitis isn't common so chances are you wouldn't get it anyway. I think the whole seeing what baby is taking is a curse more than a blessing if i'm being honest. I think women are way too focused on how many ounces at however many months. Some days I eat way more than the next and some people weigh a lot more or less than I do and I expect babies to be the same. Besides, you can see the baby sucking and swallowing milk and if theyre growing, they're obviously feeding.
Paracetemol is also fine whilst breastfeeding.

babyfruitella

You've nothing to lose by having a go. I breastfed for 10 days but I dont have the "right" nipples apparently....... so had to stop as LO was losing weight rapidly. It killed me giving him his first bottle & I sobbed the whole time. But he thrived. Im so glad I managed to get those first days milk in to him though as its very good for them. Do what is best for you.

bexta

Blah, that's a very good point about knowing 'how much' baby is taking being a bit of a curse. I've noticed my bottle feeding friends get very focused on this, and find it harder to deal with when baby wants less/ more. In that respect, it's easier for me, as I know Sophie is in control and will have as much or as little as she wants at any time. I won't lie - it is time consuming, and the early growth spurts when I couldn't even go for a wee without her shrieking with hunger were stressful.

There's pros and cons for breast and bottle. It's all about personal choice and circumstances. Give it a try, like you say, there's nothing to lose

gizmodo_2

Breastfeeding is tough, but it gets easier. I'm doing it because I'm a bit lazy and to me BF is so convenient. I don't have to worry about packing a bottle when going out and don't have to steralise any bottles and can feed my DD at the drop of a hat. It's great really. And there's something so lovely about having DD fall asleep on my breast with a smile on her mouth (even if it is because she's pooping).

The main negatives for me were just getting through the pain barrier of the first couple of weeks, and having to get up and feed her in the early hours when I'm ill. But if I was really that ill OH could feed her an expressed bottle, so not the end of the world.

ailuro2

I breastfed my DD, when the going got tough I told myself that if 97% of Swedish mums managed it then so could I... and OK, I did need the cabbage leaves a couple of times but once we got settled into it and I found a comfy position to feed in, it all went swimmingly well.

I think you need to relax though, and not be shy about getting them out in front of people - and realise that once the baby is feeding it just looks like you're giving it a cuddle.:D

It's a no brainer, really, it never ceased to amaze me that so many older women would discourage it because it was kind of frowned on in their day ( my mother would never have dreamt of BF us, think the bottle was the thing back in the late 60s early 70s the way she speaks)

Good Luck, hope it all works out fine for you.

I agree the first few days you worry whether they're getting enough or not - but aren''t their tummies about the size of a teaspoon anyway? Once you're used to it you'll know when they're not on right and when they've had enough.

poet123

It is down to personal preference. I never had any intention of breastfeeding, and I didn't. None of mine had any issues and all thrived. Make your own decision and stick with it, there are many well intentioned people who will try to sway you one way or the other, and many who will try to sway you their way. Do what suits you and your family.

Good luck.

barbiedoll

ailuro2 wrote: »

It's a no brainer, really, it never ceased to amaze me that so many older women would discourage it because it was kind of frowned on in their day ( my mother would never have dreamt of BF us, think the bottle was the thing back in the late 60s early 70s the way she speaks)

My mum never discouraged me but she did get horribly embarassed when I used to breastfeed. She was at my place a couple of weeks after the birth when OH had gone back to work and every time I began to unbutton my top she would disappear into the kitchen to make a cup of tea! :rotfl:
(To be fair, I think she was protecting my modesty more than anything but by that stage, I was past caring who saw me, certainly at home anyway)

My mum was the youngest in her family so she had never seen anyone breastfeed before, her 3 children were all bottlefed. They were told then that it was much better for the baby because you knew exactly how much they were getting. It's no coincidence that my generation is the most obese in history, reckoned to be a direct result of formula feeding and the idea that a bouncing, chubby baby was a picture of health. In contrast, my (childless) auntie, who was the eldest child, wasn't fazed by it at all and asked me what it felt like, did it hurt etc and happily took photos, :eek:.

My brother was quite fascinated but my sister was initially a bit "Ewwww" although she soon got used to it and now seems quite proud, telling her friends "oh, my sister breastfed for years, it's no big deal"

Hopefully, our next generation of daughters and granddaughters will have seen more and more breastfeeders, now all we need is a bit more exposure on prime-time tv and in magazines. It's a shame that magazine editors are all too keen to get pics of celebrities with their baps out but if any of them dare to breastfeed in public, there's a national outcry. :mad: