breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding

heretolearn_2

although I agree that it's a personal choice, one issue I never see discussed in relation to human babies is colostrum - apart from it being quickly mentioned in the books as an explanation for the appearance of breastmilk in the first few days.

this is odd to me - with animals it is considered essential - literally lifesaving - for foals/claves/lambs etc to get their colostrum. Even to the extent of feeding a different mothers colostrum, hand-stripping it out of the mother and bottle feeding, or if worst comes to the worst, feeding an artificial version of it. But no-one seems to think it's important for human babies. As far as i'm concerned every mother should be made to feed their baby, either naturally or by expressing and bottle feeding, while the colostrum is in. It's so important, I don't understand why mothers aren't being taught this, I'm sure even those who want to bottle feed would do this for a few days if they knew.

onlyroz

heretolearn wrote: »

It's so important, I don't understand why mothers aren't being taught this, I'm sure even those who want to bottle feed would do this for a few days if they knew.

Surely all mums-to-be know about colostrum? It was in all the baby literature I was given...

barbiedoll

That's the main reason why a lot of hospitals (including mine) won't let new mums home until they have breastfed, unless they are adamant that they don't want to. This is why some mums feel "bullied" into breastfeeding.

And you'd be amazed at just how many people don't really know about colostrum, despite being bombarded with information during the ante-natal period. I get lots of comments like "there's something wrong with my breasts, the milk is really hard to get out, it's a funny colour, and there's not much of it" etc etc.

Women tend to spend 6 months reading about birth plans and how much to spend on a cot/pram etc. The behaviour of their breasts after the birth seems to come as a complete surprise!
:rotfl:

Make-it-3

I agree, I've read a lot of posts on baby forums where mum's say I didn't have any milk or LO wouldn't feed so after a number of hours/day they gave up. They seem to forget that its colostrum you get at first and you need very little of it, but it is liquid gold in terms of nutrients, you might not even notice your baby is getting anything.

My LO didn't want to feed at first, was traumatised from birth and very sleepy. I was shown how to express into a syringe and feed, even then LO wasn't very interested in the first 24 hours. Babies come with reserves so if they don't feed straight away that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen for you.

Gefjun

I'm just 2 weeks off my due date with my first and going to give breastfeeding a go. It's mainly because I can't be faffed with making up formula and bottle sterilisation and timings etc, but also to save money. It's nothing to do with the fact it's best for baby. Having said that, we've bought four bottles and a breastpump so DH can do the late feed (he's a night owl, whereas I'm the morning lark in the house) and he doesn't want to feel left out in caring for our baby, plus it also means that I'm not completely tied to the baby as the only person who can feed it. I'm thinking of breastfeeding until 6 months, then maybe expressing to bottlefeed after that for another couple of months.

If breast feeding doesn't work, we'll go to bottle feeding. I say never say never, just go with the flow and see how it goes. Good luck!

angelil

No experience yet...just opinion (planning to hopefully have a baby in 2012 or 2013)...but I'm really interested in all things maternity so here goes anyway

I would imagine that by the end of pregnancy one would almost want their body back after being put through the mill of pregnancy and then birth. Equally, by breastfeeding this means the father would not have a chance to get involved with feeding the baby. The right decision for me personally (at this moment in time...with me never having been pregnant ) would therefore be to breastfeed for a few days so baby can get the colostrum (sp?) and then switch to bottles relatively soon after.

The idea of expressing milk just does not appeal to me at all...all part of the "getting your body back" thing I suppose, plus the idea of being 'pumped' just seems horrid.
I have also heard plenty of other horror stories along the lines of bleeding nipples, mastitis and so on and just don't understand why you'd want to put yourself through that (a mother's love?!). Not to mention why on earth you'd carry on once they had teeth...!

I do agree with whoever said, though, that it is better to breastfeed initially and then switch to bottles if it doesn't suit as it is virtually impossible to pursue this the other way around.

I also think there's a lot of negative and guilt tripping propaganda put out by the "breast is best" brigade and I cannot say that I really buy into it. My sister and I were each only breastfed for a very short time or not at all and it has had no effect on our health or brains; we are both relatively small (size 8 for her, size 10-12 for me), can count the days we've had off school or work on one hand, and have impressive academic records. It also hasn't negatively affected our relationship with our mother by not being breastfed so don't really understand why people sometimes say that bottle feeding can negatively affect bonding between parent and child.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti breastfeeding in any way - but for me personally I can see more advantages to bottle feeding and think it is wrong for anyone to berate another woman's choice. Sometimes the pro breastfeeding lobby can be very hurtful in their comments and suggest that you are a bad mother/woman for even thinking of bottle feeding, when there is of course so much more to being a good parent than whether you choose bottle or breast for your baby.

I am also really encouraged by the way everyone has managed to discuss this so nicely on here - probably the most civilised discussion I have seen on the subject!! Just part of what makes the MSE forum such a nice place to be

vincenta

Before my baby was born I decided that would breastfeed,I read a bout benefit for baby and mum and to my mind it was the best possible way to feed baby.
Yeh.My son had his own thought about this theme, when I tried breastfeed him, he was crying and shouting it looks like I wanted to do him harm not simple feed him.
Midwifes suggested breastfeeding positions and we both tried to make our best but no success, Daniel refuses to eat...If someone told me stand on my head and try to feed baby I even try to do this too.I was desperate.
But if I decided something I would do everything possible to achieve it. i was expressing breast milk for one month, offering my baby breast(a lot of cries with no success and give him expressed milk.
One day my wishes come true he started to eat from breast, it was my victory!!!
By the way he is nearly 2 year old and I still breastfeed.(didn't know how to stop it,tried some ways but didn't worked in our case)
I'm glad that i didn't give up, because it is so easy no bottle making, formula buying, it is easy when you are on the go, you didn't need to think, oh where to warm my bottle, or find hot water to make formula.
The most important thing is this bond between you and your baby, it is something special....

Caroline73_2

pigpen wrote: »

That depends when it is fixed and how severe it is. My neice had a total tongue tie and literally had to have milk poured into her mouth which she struggled to swallow so couldn't breastfeed at all she didn't have enough motion in her tongue to suckle.

I think they should all be sorted before they leave the hospital it takes minutes to do.. but there is 1 mw here who does it and she was off the week neice was born so she was 6 weeks before it was done. So while it is an easy op it isn't always available immediately as it should be... it isn't always diagnosed until later either.. Squeak has a small tongue tie which went unnoticed until she was 4 months.

Lots of oral surgeons are now reluctant to just snip tongue ties as it can lead to scar tissue and cause problems in later life due to reattatchment. They now prefer to wait until the tongue tie breaks naturally as it does in many cases. Don't ask me for the research as it has been 5 years since I read it all, but I think the research was started in Southampton or Portsmouth somewhere.

I have to say I'm surprised at the legality of a midwife cutting a tongue tie.

For the record I bottle fed my first and fed my second expressed breast milk, he had a tongue tie and I think (as a paediatric nurse) that the snipping of tongue ties is necessary unless the child cannot feed at all or have speech problems.

pinkclouds

angelil wrote: »

Not to mention why on earth you'd carry on once they had teeth...!

I don't want to put you off if you *do* have a baby and want to breastfeed *but* some babies teethe early (my youngest cut his first tooth at 4 months) and it is actually possible to be born with teeth! However, from personal experience, babies don't actually "bite" you. If you get an accidental nip, then scream/cry "ow" and take them off the breast immediately - once they realise they've hurt you, they don't do it again.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1346754/Baby-teeth-Oliver-James-Jones-born-incisors.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1336055/New-mother-astonished-baby-girl-Faye-Armstrong-born-TEETH.html

LadyMorticia

I'm not pregnant yet but have been reading this thread with interest. I have one little question which may seem embarrassing but I haven't see it asked yet.

Is it possible to breastfeed with inverted nipples?

There. I asked it.