Breast feed OR bottle, at my age?

[BethHx]

I have done that ^
Wrote a list of pro's and con's for both,
although for me formula feeding has many more pros i am still going to give breastfeeding a try for her
Im sure when you see him/her you will want to do best by him/her & you will give BF'ing a try

 

[Lauki]

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

I think it's awesome that you are researching it! .

 

[PinkCupcake]

I have done that ^
Wrote a list of pro's and con's for both,
although for me formula feeding has many more pros i am still going to give breastfeeding a try for her
Im sure when you see him/her you will want to do best by him/her & you will give BF'ing a try

To be honest i probably will try it, because it doesn't mean that i have to stick with it i could do it for the first few days and then switch to bottle feeding. I myself have also found more pro's with formula feeding but there's never any harm in trying

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

I think it's awesome that you are researching it! .

thankyou it's the only way i'll be able to understand breast and bottle feeding clearer and i'm so hell bent on making the right choice because i want what's best for bubs. luckily i still have so long to think about it, or i'd be none the wiser on what to do! x

 

[Lauki]

Would you mind sharing what the pros and cons are for you about breast and bottle feeding? Maybe we can help out and explain a bit more! From FF and BF point of view!

 

[BethHx]

Im interested to see your list too, to see how it differs from mine etc as by the looks of things were both in the same boat here

 

[PinkCupcake]

Would you mind sharing what the pros and cons are for you about breast and bottle feeding? Maybe we can help out and explain a bit more! From FF and BF point of view!

Im interested to see your list too, to see how it differs from mine etc as by the looks of things were both in the same boat here

Sure!

My pros for bottle feeding

• the baby gets measurable amounts
• anyone can feed
• the mother doesn't have to constantly be aware of things she eats
• may not need to be fed as often as a breastfed baby

Cons

• It's expensive
• It's not on tap like breast milk
• It contains no antibodies like breast milk does so the baby is more open to infections

My pros for breastfeeding

• It's a complete food for the baby and perfectly nutritious
• It's on tap, wherever you are
• It's the right temperature so there's no need for bottle warmers etc
• Contains those antibodies to help prevent infection/illness to the baby
• Helps mother get back in shape quicker
• Creates a special bond from mother to baby
• Protects mother from some cancers so it advantages not only baby but mum too

Cons

• It's time consuming, as is pumping
• It's not as easy for others to feed the baby
• It's embarrassing!!
• It doesn't always work out for every mother and baby
• I heard it's sometimes harder to get the baby into a routine

I think that's basically it, i tried to add in all the main points. The thing is it's hard because I know breast milk is the best milk, everyone knows there's nothing better but I just wish that it didn't take so long to pump, so that every time before you go out, you're sitting there pumping milk because I know that I probably couldn't BF in public, well maybe who knows. If only you could just open your boob and pour it straight into a bottle, That's the only way I can see me and breastfeeding working, is if I pumped most of the time and maybe breastfed most of the time at home. It's just so time consuming sitting there pumping every time the baby's hungry :/ Hmm decisions! But yeah anyway they're my pro's and con's xx

 

[Lauki]

My pros for bottle feeding

• the baby gets measurable amounts
  True! But when breastfeeding you know baby is getting enough when they gain weight and have plenty of wet and dirty nappies.
• anyone can feed
  I can't argue with that! Although I have to say I loved feeding my baby. It was time for both of us to just relax while I ordered hubby around to get me a cuppa or a sandwich . To tell you the truth, I would much rather sit and feed baby for 30 minutes than do the dishes or the hoovering!
• the mother doesn't have to constantly be aware of things she eats
  This is true for some mums, but you never know until your baby is born if he/she is intolerant to anything. I have never had to cut out anything of my diet. I even have the odd drink here and there (I'm not a big drinker, but having a drink or 2 is perfectly fine when breastfeeding).
• may not need to be fed as often as a breastfed baby
  Can't argue with this one either, but personally the benefits of the actual breastmilk outweigh the benefits of less feeds!

Cons

• It's expensive
  Indeed it is! I think it can cost like £50 a month or something?
  [*]It's not on tap like breast milk
  My hubby did give Sophie the odd bottle when she was small and I always used to hate that she was screaming and crying from being hungry while he couldn't feed her yet because it still had to cool. Breastmilk is sterile, right temperature and you always have enough!
  [*]It contains no antibodies like breast milk does so the baby is more open to infections
  There are quite a lot of risks to formula feeding. I don't mean to be horrible, but just because of the way it has to be made and the ingredients and bacteria in it, makes it riskier than breastmilk.
  

My pros for breastfeeding

• It's a complete food for the baby and perfectly nutritious
  It also tastes different depending on what you eat, so baby gets used to different tastes before solids are introduced!
• It's on tap, wherever you are
  My favorite one! I never run out, I never have to prepare anything. All I need is my baby!
• It's the right temperature so there's no need for bottle warmers etc
  I remember being so conscious about feeding in public, I used to lug all the bottles and milk and boiling water and a bottle warmer and cold water around. I seriously got a sore back from carrying it all!
• Contains those antibodies to help prevent infection/illness to the baby
  Such an awesome thing! Sophie only ever had 1 cold since she was born! And because of the nursing, which also acted as comfort we got through that so easily!
• Helps mother get back in shape quicker
  It's good for your uterus after giving birth, as it triggers contraction like motion to get your uterus to shrink back again!
• Creates a special bond from mother to baby
  I think if you bottle feed you can still create a wonderful bond with your baby! Snuggling up while bottlefeeding is a great way! The difference with breastfeeding though is that it's also a source of comfort. So for example Soph is learning to walk now which results in her falling and really hurting herself. If I just try to comfort her she's sooo upset and crying for minutes. 20 seconds on the boob and she's off on her merry way, forgotten all about the incident!
• Protects mother from some cancers so it advantages not only baby but mum too
  It protects against osteoporosis too =)!

Cons

• It's time consuming, as is pumping
  It certainly is in the first 2/3 months! But after that it was so easy here! She got herself in a little routine and feedings became shorter and more efficient! Since about 7.5 months she fed 4 times during the day and once at night. Since 8.5 months she's been sleeping through (nothing to do with breastfeeding, she used to be a crap sleeper!) so feeds between 2 and 4 times a day. The morning feed lasts about 5 minutes, feeds before naps about 3 minutes and the before bedtime feed about 15 minutes. No washing bottles, no sterilizing, no making up feeds, no making sure there's enough formula. I spend less than 30 minutes a day feeding!
• It's not as easy for others to feed the baby
  True, but truth be told, my husband really wasn't going to get up at night anyway to feed her (I don't think many OH's do if I believe people on this forum!) like I said, Sophie did get the odd bottle of formula when she was younger and it never effected my supply. You can also look into combi feeding! There's plenty of ladies on here that do it. But trust me, breastfeeding at night is so much easier than bottlefeeding, you feed baby before they fully wake up + it contains sleepy hormones helping them to go back to sleep again!
• It's embarrassing!!
  Our society makes it out to be weird, but really it isn't! I'm sorry you feel this way .
• It doesn't always work out for every mother and baby
  Very true, as it can be pretty draining in the first few weeks, but with research and support you can make it through that! I just hope it isn't a reason for you to not try it, as your baby might be a real star with feeding!
• I heard it's sometimes harder to get the baby into a routine
  I suppose it could be, but Sophie has been in quite a steady routine since 4 months. Before that I'm sure even bottle fed babies don't really do routine. They sleep lots, have quite a few growth spurts and don't really play yet. Most babies get themselves in a loose routine!

Right, I really hope I don't sound too pushy! Because I don't mean to be. I'm just very passionate about breastfeeding and wanted to tell you about all the good things. I've never been good at pumping. But a lot of women are! You never know until you've tried right?

I really hope you're willing to try it out! And maybe look into something like a ring sling or another carrier to feed your baby in when you're out and about. People wouldn't even know you're feeding then as they can't see a thing!

I've never once in nearly a year had any weird looks, bad reactions or mean remarks from anyone when feeding in public!

I hope you can make the decision that works best for you! Remember, in the end all that really matters is that you love your baby !

 

[katiekittykat]

Also, you can store breastmilk and freeze it, so you can defrost it and put it into a bottle before going out

I don't know about the hospital you're going to, but a lot of them now don't provide you with bottles or formula, so if you made a plan to breastfeed at least while you're there it's less to worry about.

I guess you won't really know what's right for you or your baby until he/she is actually here, but I would advise anyone to at least give breastfeeding a shot. Get some formula and bottles in, as well as a breast pump For all sorts of reasons, it's worth a try

 

[midori1999]

Cons

• It's time consuming, as is pumping
• It's not as easy for others to feed the baby
• It's embarrassing!!
• It doesn't always work out for every mother and baby
• I heard it's sometimes harder to get the baby into a routine

I haven't quoted your whole post, I hope you don't mind?

I was a bit older than you when I had my first, 19. I can remember I did feel a bit embarrassed about the thought of breastfeeding, but once I started doing it and got used to the idea myself, it wasn't so bad. It is possible to breastfeed discreetly so that no one can see anything and I'm not sure if you know, but you can get breastfeeding covers that cover you and the baby up.

You're right that it is time consuming and that it's not as easy for others to feed the baby, but that's only at first and if you really wanted to then you can breastfeed most of time and give formula some of the time when you want a break etc. You would need ot get advice on how to do this so it didn't affect your supply too much if you did it early on, but it is possible. ANY breastmilk your baby has, even if you just breastfed a few times, will benefit them. After the first 4-6 weeks it's much easier for other sto feed the baby and it stops being so time consuming, in fact it's less time consuming than making bottles and when you're tired you don't even really need to get out of bed or off the sofa.

It's a a bit of a myth that it's not as easy to get the baby into a routine, some babies are just easier than others, regardless of how they are fed. The good things about breastfeeding is that once it becomes easier after the first few weeks you have the added benefit of thing slike being able to still feed your baby to sleep, which is a very handy parenting tool if your baby gets over tired or you are out somewhere.

You're also right that it doesn't always work out and that's often (not always) because of lack of support. In our area we have a 'best buddies' scheme where Mum's from your area who are breastfeeding themselves are trained to be able to offer you support/friendship and help you to breastfeed if that's what you want. It can be things like giving you information or checking that everything is going well, that the latch is Ok etc or coming out with you when you first feed in public if you want them to or just being a listening ear. If you thought this might help you then you could ask your HV about it.

 

[jillypoop]

Hey hun
When I was pregnant I was determined to breastfeed exclusively til at least 6 months but a combination of anameia (made me feel like crap!), my daughter having colic and me getting PND I gave up after 3 1/2 weeks. I still feel very guilty about it now but I am proud of myself for managing those 3 1/2 weeks as I gave it a go and she's got that extra boost.

I do miss breastfeeding (especially when you're just about to go to bed and realise there's no bottles in the fridge so have to sterilise and make a load!) but as soon as I switched to formula my daughter turned from a stressed and upset little baby to the happiest baby in the world (still is at 14wks-all she does is smile and giggle!) and I believe it was because I was relaxed and happier when I wasn't breastfeeding.


My opinion is always give something a go (even if its just while you're in hospital so your LO gets the colostrum) but at the end of the day you will be really shocked at how much your mood affects the baby so if you're unhappy breastfeeding then your baby will pick up on it. I think a lot of people can be "breastfeeding snobs" and although I do think breast is best I believe formula is also very good.

At the end of the day this is your baby and however many people tell you whether or not to breastfeed you are their mother and the choice is ultimately yours.

Good luck
x