Breast feed OR bottle, at my age?

[PinkCupcake]

Well i'll be 17 when bubs arrives and I know breastfeeding is the most natural, best thing for a baby to develop and 'bloom' i guess. I would LOVE to breatfeed him/her, and i'm still early pregnant so there's time to think long and hard. I know myself and I know that i'd be way too embarrassed to just get my boob out in the middle of town to feed my baby! People say find a quiet cafe or shop, but I know i'd still be concious of everyone around me incase I know anyone.. I guess i'm just not that type of girl.

The other thing is i'd love my OH/babies grandparents to be able to feed him/her too, and i know i wouldn't find it easy to just get up and have a bath if I breastfeed compared to if I bottle feed- as someone else can just take over.

I was bottle fed and so were all my siblings, & we're all perfectly healthy.

Does anyone have any advice or opinions on what you think I should do?

 

[ke29]

I think you should try breast feeding and see how you get on. If you express a bottle then it lasts up to 6 hours at room temperature so if you were going to town for a couple of hours you could give LO a bottle to save the embarassment but I wouldnt try expressing until you have established milk supply.

 

[Frooty]

I agree you should try breastfeeding, if someone else wants to feed you can try expressing and there are slings that you can pretty much breastfeed and nobody notice you are. Whatever you choose good luck x

 

[SabrinaKat]

If you want to try BF-ing, then try! The other posters pointed out the possibility of expressing milk into bottles, which can be a life-saver, e.g. you can 'feed' whilst out and others (grandparents) can participate as well....

However, if you chose not to BF, that's okay as well -- do whatever is most comfortable for YOU!

best wishes

 

[freckleonear]

Try it and see how it goes. The benefits of breastfeeding for baby (and you!) are amazing. I was 19 when I had my first and extremely shy about my body, but feeding in public gets easier with practice. Nowadays I feed anywhere and everywhere! When a little baby who you love more than anything is depending on you for food, nothing else seems to matter.

If you want to involve others in feeding, you can express once breastfeeding is established. There are lots of other ways for dads and grandparents to bond with babies though.

 

[MikaylasMummy]

My sil was 18 when she had her first and breastfed lo til 20 months..

 

[kecie]

I think you should at least try breastfeeding I was 15 when my LO was born and I tried - failed but thought it was nice to give it a go it is nice when others can feed your baby too. So eitherway, it's your choice and do whatever you feel comfortable with

 

[Kage76]

i don't know if this will help but what i did before LO was born is i went around all the shopping centres and found all the parents rooms, I also went into quiet places like the library and scoped them for places i could NIP. I asked my local cafes if they supported breastfeeding and found the ones that were most supportive. So that if i was out in public i had a mental map of the best places to go while i was learning to breastfeed. I didn't know at the time that my research was really pointless as I wouldn't be able to BF- but it made me worry less about nursing in public.

 

[PinkCupcake]

Thanks for the replies ladies

I'm still not 100% sure what i'd prefer to do, and i don't think i'll know for sure at 40 weeks either! I think it's going to be one of those things where you have to physically give birth to the baby and then just see where things go, to decide on feeding arrangements. Part of me would still love to try breastfeeding as it's obviously the most natural thing and comes with so many benefits. I know nothing can compare to breast milk but i'm pretty certain that formula milk isn't a million miles behind the goodness of breast milk. Everything these days seems to work just as well, so i'm not going to bother feeling guilty if i try breastfeeding and fail (because i know i probably would feel bad if it didn't work!) I'm sure i'll know what to do in the end anyway

 

[BethHx]

I don't think you should let your age effect your decision.
If you want to try, or you are unsure then try - no harm done
If you decide its not for you that fine, atleast you can say you tried it.

I'm still undecided on what i am going to do so i'm going to go in open minded try BF'ing and see how it goes, but i do also have bottles & sterilisers ready at home incase i don't like BF'ing.

Its a personal decision but no decision is the right or wrong one xx

 

[katiekittykat]

Give it a try - what have you got to lose? There's plenty of help and support out there

Even if you plan to do it just while you're in hospital, or even for the first week or do and see how it goes, then that is better than not at all.

It's got nothing to do with your age either, if that makes you feel any better I just had my first baby at 34 (twice your age!!!!) and I really struggled with the whole BF in public thing too xxxx

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

People will always tell you to give BFing a go.

Do what feels right for YOU!! If you're not comfortable with BFing then you're not going to be happy doing it and baby will pick up on that.

See how you feel when baby arrives but ultimately you have to do what will make you happy

 

[Broodypants]

As there are amazing benefits for you and your baby then give breast feeding a go, you have nothing to lose. Just try not to put too much pressure on yourself, keep an open mind and see how you get on. It really helps to read up about it beforehand if you can as well. I didn't find written information about latching and positioning too helpful as I needed to see this for myself when she arrived but I found it invaluable to read up about newborn behaviour so I was reassured as to what was normal when breast feeding. Kellymom is a super website with tons of info.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Oh and I was 33 when I had Erin and it took me a good while to get the hang of breastfeeding in public too!

xx

 

[Arisa]

Hey pink, i am the same as you, I like having my parents and husband feed baby too and although there was some initial guilt over not being able to breast feed because when they are starving and crying and you are waiting for the milk to be heated just right, that is tough and I admit I cried for the first two days about it but now can you believe its only one week on and as we increase her feeds, she has been sleeping for three to four hours after each feed during the night, its fantastic, as long as we persevere and make sure she eats her full amount she will sleep and she sleeps four to five hours through the day so its a god send meaning we can actually sleep for those three to four hours during the night
mum told me I was not sleeping even one hour during the night when she breastfed because you cannot judge the amount you are giving your LO


I did not as a baby start sleeping for three hours at a time until I was weaned off breast milk and onto cows milk, due to mum having a bad infection. I was 8 months old before I started sleeping regularly and one year before I started sleeping six hours so yeah formula is great but make sure you get a bottle warmer and leave it in your room over night so you can instantly heat the formula mix without bubs waiting too long its a god send it really is xoxo

 

[PinkCupcake]

Hey pink, i am the same as you, I like having my parents and husband feed baby too and although there was some initial guilt over not being able to breast feed because when they are starving and crying and you are waiting for the milk to be heated just right, that is tough and I admit I cried for the first two days about it but now can you believe its only one week on and as we increase her feeds, she has been sleeping for three to four hours after each feed during the night, its fantastic, as long as we persevere and make sure she eats her full amount she will sleep and she sleeps four to five hours through the day so its a god send meaning we can actually sleep for those three to four hours during the night
mum told me I was not sleeping even one hour during the night when she breastfed because you cannot judge the amount you are giving your LO


I did not as a baby start sleeping for three hours at a time until I was weaned off breast milk and onto cows milk, due to mum having a bad infection. I was 8 months old before I started sleeping regularly and one year before I started sleeping six hours so yeah formula is great but make sure you get a bottle warmer and leave it in your room over night so you can instantly heat the formula mix without bubs waiting too long its a god send it really is xoxo

thanks for all the replies! i've definitely taken interest to your answer because it was only the other day my mum was telling me that breastfeeding can make it very hard to get your LO into a routine because as you said, you never know how much the baby is getting and they could be awake screaming and hungry in the next hour! i was listening to my mum but wondering to myself how breast feeding and bottle feeding could even change the sleeping pattern.. but now you've just said this i guess that's what my mum was trying to say, and it makes more sense to me now. i've been told by my midwife too that BF can make routines hard work because sometimes the baby can take an oz and be fast asleep. i'm leaning more towards bottle feeding now! although i was in the first place, and if i'm being honest i think i know that when the time comes i'd automatically know to FF straight away. i just don't think BF is for me! xx

 

[katiekittykat]

thanks for all the replies! i've definitely taken interest to your answer because it was only the other day my mum was telling me that breastfeeding can make it very hard to get your LO into a routine because as you said, you never know how much the baby is getting and they could be awake screaming and hungry in the next hour! i was listening to my mum but wondering to myself how breast feeding and bottle feeding could even change the sleeping pattern.. but now you've just said this i guess that's what my mum was trying to say, and it makes more sense to me now. i've been told by my midwife too that BF can make routines hard work because sometimes the baby can take an oz and be fast asleep. i'm leaning more towards bottle feeding now! although i was in the first place, and if i'm being honest i think i know that when the time comes i'd automatically know to FF straight away. i just don't think BF is for me! xx

Don't get bogged down with routines - it takes FF babies just as long to get into a routine as BF babies lol. They are still fed on-demand, and it's a while before they start sleeping through.

Personally, I had a very hungry baby and I hated BF, but if I were to have another baby I would definitely give it another shot. Even if you do it once, and decide it's not for you, it's better than nothing. Also, formula is bloody expensive!!!!

 

[tickledpink3]

I think you will be fine with whatever you choose. At least you cared enough to weigh in your options by researching. Good luck to you and your little one

 

[Lauki]

There's plenty of bottle fed babies that don't sleep through for months on end.

Breastfeeding is pretty amazing and it's really the best thing for you baby!

Yea it might be a bit more hassle in the first few months, but after we introduced solids we have always had a pretty stable routine. Now it's been so convenient for us in the last few months, I'm glad I stuck with it. My friends always have to make sure they have milk, sterilised bottles, boiling water and what not. I just grab my baby, a nappy and some wipes and I'm out the door. I can stay where I want for as long as I like and never have to be back home because 'she is due a bottle and I didn't bring it'.

Don't forget that it's also free (yay!) and will save you TONNES of money, plus breastfeeding is also a source of comfort which at a later age stops meltdowns, helps baby fall asleep when overtired, consoles baby when they hurt themselves or get upset etc!

Breastfeeding is so much more than just food! I would advice you to do some reading about breastfeeding (https://theleakyboob.com/2011/08/baby-explains-normal-newborn-behavior/ is a good start).

What you can also do is go to a breastfeeding support group, there are lots in Sure Start Centres around the UK. Then you can get used to the whole concept and see how lovely it can be! Might also make you a lot less self conscious about feeding in public, because as you say it's the most natural thing ever!

Edit: And for feeding in public you can also get a ring sling or something which means you can feed without anyone seeing a thing! Nice and cozy in the winter too as your baby is due in December !

 

[midori1999]

It's completely your choice as to how you feed your baby, but it's worth bearing in mind that it's very easy to start off breastfeeding and then switch to formula or mixed feed (where some feeds are breastmilk and some are formula) if you want to, than it is to start off formula feeding and then switch to breastfeeding.

Most formula fed babies are fine, of course they are, but that doesn't mean formula is anything like the same as breastmilk. Lots of people (even those who breastfeed) aren't aware of all of the benefits of breastmilk. For example, breastmilk is antibacterial, so it actually protects your baby from infections. You can also use it to treat eye infections because of this. You can also use it to treat cradle cap and eczema. There are loads of other benefits if you look them up, such as protection for you and your baby from certain cancers, reduced risk of hospital admission for your baby in the first six months, less risk of SIDS etc etc.

No two babies are the same. Some cry a lot and are awake a lot and very fussy, others are completely laid back and feeding method doesn't make much difference to that.

If you want others to be able to feed your baby then they can once BF is established and you can express, or as early if you want if that's what you prefer.

I have FF and I have BF and there is no doubt that I get/got more rest when breastfeeding and it is just soooo much easier. When I was FF I couldn't wait to switch to cows milk as it was so much easier. Now I am BF I just don't feel any need to stop.

 

[PinkCupcake]

I think you will be fine with whatever you choose. At least you cared enough to weigh in your options by researching. Good luck to you and your little one

Thanks for noticing that i really do care i've sat here researching breast VS bottle and weighed up the pro's and con's of them both because although i may be young, i still care so much about my little baby already xx