Breast feeding vs. Bottle/Formula Feeding

[donna-c-86]

i will definately be bottle feeding, i think its easier, less painful and i personally wouldnt wanna get me baps out in front of mil lol. also i want oh to help out and be as much involved as i am and i know my sisters will want to feed bubs whenever they're about too!

 

[Savannah11]

thanks celtic
x

 

[tina3747]

It's funny as before I gave birth and decided to b/f I very much took the moral high ground of I'm such a good mother for doing this , breast is best ... Blah blah! What actually made me a better mum was getting some sleep and resting when I should , made me far more patient, less emotional and just a better mumma!!! If it doesn't work out again there's no way I'll be on the verge of a breakdown at 3 weeks in this time...I'll have a carton of formula ready and waiting this time!

 

[Bmonki]

Just to add another spin on this thread those who have expressed can you give any hints and tips as I really struggled to get anything out and would be there for ages. any advice greatly appreciated

lol, well perserverance is the only thng i can say really... and as often as possible. i had a manual pump and could never get that much out but i managed enough for 2 feeds a day until she was 6 weeks. took a long time for my milk to start flowing using a pump and did make my nips bleed (TMI!) but i got out enough to give her as much of my immunity as poss...

 

[Pippasdvision]

Just to add another spin on this thread those who have expressed can you give any hints and tips as I really struggled to get anything out and would be there for ages. any advice greatly appreciated

lol, well perserverance is the only thng i can say really... and as often as possible. i had a manual pump and could never get that much out but i managed enough for 2 feeds a day until she was 6 weeks. took a long time for my milk to start flowing using a pump and did make my nips bleed (TMI!) but i got out enough to give her as much of my immunity as poss...

bleed ooh not so good! IS a manual pump better or is it worth getting an electric? DO you have to sit quietly? have baby with oyu anything like that?

 

[Bmonki]

Just to add another spin on this thread those who have expressed can you give any hints and tips as I really struggled to get anything out and would be there for ages. any advice greatly appreciated

lol, well perserverance is the only thng i can say really... and as often as possible. i had a manual pump and could never get that much out but i managed enough for 2 feeds a day until she was 6 weeks. took a long time for my milk to start flowing using a pump and did make my nips bleed (TMI!) but i got out enough to give her as much of my immunity as poss...

bleed ooh not so good! IS a manual pump better or is it worth getting an electric? DO you have to sit quietly? have baby with oyu anything like that?

i used to use my pumping time as a bit of a break tbh, DH would take her off into another room and i'd sit quitely pumping for a while. gave me some of my sanity back lol!

have never tried an electric pump - would be interested to find out if they work tbh

 

[Cloberella]

I'm really hoping I'll be able to breastfeed, I think it's best for baby, it helps with bonding and its cheap! But my best friend wasn't able to breastfeed and if I can't then I'll use formula because at the end of the day its about baby getting fed and what works for your family.

 

[cheree89]

I was a formula fed baby as I was very premature and didn't have the suck reflex. Back then, they just put you on a feed and didn't ever try to go back to breast feeding. I turned out fine - if I do say so myself.

That being said, I will be trying my darnedest to breastfeed. As an amateur nutritionist and professional chemist, I know that there are antioxidants and micronutrients (vitamins) that we haven't even discovered yet. However these antioxidants and micronutrients exist in our food and our breast milk. They are not replicated in formula b/c we are simply unaware of all of the nutrient properties of breast milk. So, just like we can't simply take a multivitamin and then eat only junk food and be healthy, I think formula is sort of like a vitamin that does a good job, but not the entire job - YKWIM?

I will be going back to work after 6 weeks, so I will be pumping and letting daddy do the late night feeds! I think 4-5 weeks is the best time to introduce a breast fed baby to a bottle (to avoid nipple confusion).

So I think breast is best, but if there is a medical reason to formula feed - don't beat yourself up for it. Loads of babies are perfectly healthy on formula.

 

[My_First]

I will see how I get on with BF but I am not going to beat myself up about it, if I am finding it hard work and change to FF.

 

[Pippasdvision]

I was a formula fed baby as I was very premature and didn't have the suck reflex. Back then, they just put you on a feed and didn't ever try to go back to breast feeding. I turned out fine - if I do say so myself.

That being said, I will be trying my darnedest to breastfeed. As an amateur nutritionist and professional chemist, I know that there are antioxidants and micronutrients (vitamins) that we haven't even discovered yet. However these antioxidants and micronutrients exist in our food and our breast milk. They are not replicated in formula b/c we are simply unaware of all of the nutrient properties of breast milk. So, just like we can't simply take a multivitamin and then eat only junk food and be healthy, I think formula is sort of like a vitamin that does a good job, but not the entire job - YKWIM?

I will be going back to work after 6 weeks, so I will be pumping and letting daddy do the late night feeds! I think 4-5 weeks is the best time to introduce a breast fed baby to a bottle (to avoid nipple confusion).

So I think breast is best, but if there is a medical reason to formula feed - don't beat yourself up for it. Loads of babies are perfectly healthy on formula.

My first was very prem and had to be tube fed he did not get suck reflex for ages and the MW at the hospital just gave him formula I did not even get a say (12 yrs ago).

 

[WeenieWoo]

Its been good to read all of the responses on here as i have been worrying about this for a while.

I do want to BF as i know it has many benefits etc but am very worried about not knowing if baba has got enough of it. Im also very consious of sore nipples (sorry i know that is something minute to worry about over baba feeding but it scares me). I would have wanted DF to take in turns with feeding too for bonding etc but he wont be able to feed baba as he only has the use of his right arm so wont be able to bring up wind or hold him properly etc.

i will say tho that i i dont get on with BF or expressing, i dont have any issues switching to FF. As long as my baby is being fed and we both r very happy, it makes no odds to me. As long as i can say i tried it, thats all that matters.

Want to say thanks for everyones opinions on this thread too as it has made me abit more aware of what i might expect with my baby xx

 

[Vickieh1981]

Thanks mummy - thats my reason for wanting to bottle feed - i want my husband to be able to feed whenever and wherever he wants so he can bond with his little boy xx

Nobody should get opinionated hunny It's just a question Personally I am bottle feeding, I would LOVE my husband to be able to bond with his daughter through feeding her too, that's just my reason. I no you can put breast milk into a bottle but i would just prefer to bottle feed xxx

Yeah Plus through the night when she need's a feed he can do it sometimes in my personal opinion it will just be much easier x

I have concerns about this too... having never had a baby I don't know how easy it will be to express the milk. If it turns out to be too hard for me, then it would be a shame for DH not to be able to feed the baby and it might put me off. I will certainly be giving it a shot though.

You have to do whatever is right for you. Personally the two babies I breastfed were 5 and 6 weeks premature and they had formula in SCBU. It took a while to drop each top up and get them on solely breastmilk.

I did keep the evening bottle though. 1) Because I wanted to make sure they would take a bottle at a later stage if I ever wanted to go out and 2) I found they slept better at night if their last feed was formula. I don't care if that sounds selfish, it worked brilliantly for us. 90% breastmilk.

Just to add another spin on this thread those who have expressed can you give any hints and tips as I really struggled to get anything out and would be there for ages. any advice greatly appreciated

lol, well perserverance is the only thng i can say really... and as often as possible. i had a manual pump and could never get that much out but i managed enough for 2 feeds a day until she was 6 weeks. took a long time for my milk to start flowing using a pump and did make my nips bleed (TMI!) but i got out enough to give her as much of my immunity as poss...

bleed ooh not so good! IS a manual pump better or is it worth getting an electric? DO you have to sit quietly? have baby with oyu anything like that?

I found I got nothing with a manual pump and loved the medela electric (they had this in SCBU for me to express). They say to have your baby with you, a large glass of water and somewhere you are not stressed.

It's all very personal though and different things work for different people. I breast fed for 3.5 years solid but NEVER got more than a couple of ounces expressing, it just didn't work for me.

 

[Pippasdvision]

Can I just say I take it all back so proud of everyone for not getting too pasionate about this

 

[My_First]

Can I just say I take it all back so proud of everyone for not getting too pasionate about this

I was just about to say exactly the same thing, that it is possible...

 

[Pippasdvision]

Yea and its so nice to get the answers without feeling caught in the middle

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I agree, I've seen too many of these threads turn sour!

I think the main thing I got from my reading is not to use a bottle or pacifier because it will teach the baby an incorrect sucking reflex....something like that lol! Where they won't latch on properly and that's where some women find problems.

Again, it's what works best for your family

 

[Bmonki]

wowzers, our hormones must be taking a back seat lol - must be all the cold weather... and chocolate

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Well, my morning sickness has seemingly subsided...........fx'd! So I'm in a better mood!

 

[Lianne1986]

hello

i FF Tyler. he was in SCBU too, i could of expressed but decided not too.

this time howeva, if baby arrives 'on time' i will be trying to express my milk and FF right from the start.

i dont feel comfortable with gettin my boobs out etc.

i want to feel relaxed whilst feeding my baby not worrying!

if expressing doesnt work for me then he'll have Formula, i wont beat myself up about it, whats the point

i know i am and will be a good mum whateva milk my baby has and tht goes for everyone else too

 

[Pippasdvision]

wowzers, our hormones must be taking a back seat lol - must be all the cold weather... and chocolate

Yea, we sound like grownups haveing a sensible conversation is really refreshing when I first saw the thread I thought, here we go again and each time I came back to it I would squeeze my eyes shut hoping that it had not turned sour