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Breast or bottle feeding?
Comments
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dantheman2010 wrote: »Thanks for the masses of replies, all much appreciated.
She has said she will try BF and then if she doesnt feel comfortable or if little'un doesnt take to it then switch to bottle feeding. I have said I will support her in both.
That sounds like a good plan. You sound very supportive as well which is really important. I'm expecting in February and plan on BF, my hubby supports me 100%. A lady I work with wanted to BF but her husband felt jealous and wanted more attention, so she switched to bottle feeding after 2 days, I couldn't quite believe it!:heart2: Newborn Thread Member :heart2:
'Children reinvent the world for you.' - Susan Sarandan0 -
I think that everybody should give BF a go - and by that I mean a proper try of at least two weeks. The benefits are well known (so no point in going into them again). Everybody is different, but it's common to find that the first few weeks are difficult and painful, but then it gets easier as the body adjusts and the nipples toughen up.
So try it, and if difficulties are encountered seek support from local BF councellors - but ultimately, don't beat yourself up if you end up using a bottle.0 -
Giving it a go with an open mind is the best way I think. BF'ing is not the easiest thing to do and it doesn't come naturally like you think it would. Both Mam and baby have to learn the best position to settle in for feeding otherwise it hurts Mam and baby gets frustrated at not getting enough milk.
Plenty of time and no pressure, and once you've cracked it, it's a doddle! I BF'ed all mine, and liked it because it was much easier during the night just lobbing a boob out than having to go downstairs and make up a bottle.Here I go again on my own....0 -
A lady I work with wanted to BF but her husband felt jealous and wanted more attention, so she switched to bottle feeding after 2 days, I couldn't quite believe it!
:eek: some people really shock me. I can't believe what I'm seeing. Some people need a slap around the chops
The frontier is never somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out.0 -
That is shocking....
The plan we had was to give breastfeeding a try, and to express as well, so DH can help out with night feeds (I know, best laid plans and all that....
).
If that doesn't work, I will switch to bottle if I feel it's necessary.0 -
dantheman2010 wrote: »My OH's two sisters have both just had little ones too, one bottle feeds and one breast feeds. The bottle fed one seems like such a placid thing whereas the breast fed one always seems to be crying and "searching" for the breast.
the plural of "anecdote" isn't "data". Who knows, the breastfed baby might be much worse if bottle fed!
It is daunting, but there is lots of support out there, and feeding your baby yourself is a wonderful feeling for a mother.
Being breastfed honestly doesn't stop a baby bonding with his father (and grandparents too, etc).
Generally speaking, there are lots of health reasons in favour of breastfeeding, and it's definitely worth giving it a go....much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.0 -
dantheman2010 wrote: »Thanks for the masses of replies, all much appreciated.
She has said she will try BF and then if she doesnt feel comfortable or if little'un doesnt take to it then switch to bottle feeding. I have said I will support her in both.
Good idea. The first few feeds are the absolutely crucial ones, containing lots of antibodies and so forth. So it's not a failure if she does it only for a few days.
When she is feeding, offer lots of glasses of water, snacks, and meals you can eat with one hand! Nothing makes you thirsty and hungry like breastfeeding!...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.0 -
LegalBlonde wrote: »Thank you Oh I see. So I think those pumps are probably just for one off occasions like if mum is going away or something.....hmmm.
You can express milk regularly - I did it until my son was a year old, for when I was at work. But it's harder than breastfeeding, babies are better at getting the milk out than a pump is!...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.0 -
There are lot of advantages to breastfeeding, once established.
If you get delayed, you don't need to panic about running out of formula, steralising bottles, heating milk up, etc - it's all there, ready sterile and warm! And no faffing about in the middle of the night, either....much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.0 -
Def encourage your OH to give BF a go, then just take it from there. Some mums decide it isn't for them, some it can work so well for. You don't have to come up with a plan that you have to stick with right now,see how it goes.
I have 4 children. I bf my eldest (12) til she was 6 months and being a teen mum at the time hadn't neccessarily planned that, it just worked well for us at the time. I bf ds (10) for a few weeks then found having a toddler as well we moved over to formula earlier. Same with dd 2 (7). And I now have dd 3 (16 months) who is still bf and shows no signs of wanting to give it up!
All have been very chilled out babies and as for undernourished??!! Not a chance- none of them lost weight after birth (although this is normal) dd3 went from 7lb 13oz at birth to 8lb 6oz at 5 day check with the midwife.
Good luck with whatever you choose! xBusy mummy of 4.:j0
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