Confused.. whats best BF or FF (in this circumstance)

[kirsteen]

I was wondering if BF is actually best for my baby considering my diet.. since having LO i've mainly been living of sandwiches and microwave meals as we have barely any time to cook, that and we can't really due to our living arrangements.. Im starting to wonder if FF would actually give him more nutrition and nutrients than a not-so-healthy diet BFeeding? I LOVE breastfeeding but don't know please help.. Is BFeeding still best despite this?

 

[booda]

Yep your body is pretty amazing, your milk will still have everything it needs in it despite your diet! My diet is awful, i forget to eat half the time, when i do eat its convenience crap, and my 10.5 month old is very healthy despite my crap diet

So eat what you want and good luck! x

ETA: although formula is advertised as having "all the nutrients baby needs" these nutrients are in a form which is very difficult to absorb in the right proportions

 

[lisa1980]

^WSS

Much like in pregnancy, your body ensures that your baby gets first pick of the nutrients so they don't get what they need even if your diet is pretty horrendous (mine has not exactly been perfect ).

 

[Dk1234]

Keep taking a prenatal

 

[kat2504]

formula might have nutrients such as vitamins etc in it that your baby needs but it can never have your antibodies in it which is what protects your baby. If you are in doubt about the health of your diet then take a multivitamin supplement - check with your doctor if you are unsure about if yours is ok to take and bf

 

[Kess]

Yes, breastmilk is still much better, no matter what your diet. There's just no comparison. Your body will make sure your baby gets what s/he needs, it would be you who became deficient in anything if that was going to happen. If you're worried, take a multivitamin.

There's a lot of propaganda around about how breastfeeding moms need the perfect diet and must adhere to a particular lifestyle. I'll give you three guesses where it originates .

 

[veganmama]

breast milk is always better. but maybe try to squeeze in some fruit and salads?

 

[patch2006uk]

At 6 weeks pp, I was living on guinsters pasties and beans. Unless you're severely malnourished (like, living on a scoop of rice a day for months malnourished) your milk will always contain what LO needs. Your body might suffer, so it's a good idea to eat as well as possible, but you by no means need a perfect diet

 

[Sunshine12]

Hi hun, hope you and bubs are well. Ive been living on toast and chocolate since Daisy was born and she is thriving. Not great having a crap diet I agree but I still think BF is the best choice providing you still want to do it. x

 

[BlondeShorty]

Your body will give baby all the nutrients first.. so breastfeeding right now is perfectly fine.

Think of women in third world countries as an example.. They breastfeed, don't get the best of food and their babies still grow..

I would take a vitamin or something but wouldn't be too concerned. My first trimester all I could eat was subs, grease and pizza and the dr.'s were just happy I was eating. When I first came home after giving birth I wasn't always able to eat healthy.. my dr. told me not to beat myself up too much as long as I was taking a prenatal vitamin and trying to take care of myself it wouldn't be an issue.

You can keep on BFing worry free.

 

[chrissy&marty]

WSS to all the ladies above ...
Bf is best

 

[pinklightbulb]

Parking my truck with the other ladies who say BM is still preferential in terms of nutrition. Eat up those microwave meals and don't worry hun, so long as you're getting fed at all, you're good!

 

[summer rain]

Unsurprisingly it's formula companies who have put the myth out there that BF mums need to have the perfect diet, to this day many of them give out extremely misleading information regarding the topic on both their website and through info sent out via their mum and baby clubs. Even if you've never read these things personally people you know probably have. You don't need to have a perfect diet while breastfeeding, they have done studies on the amino acid and vitamin contents of milk of women from around the world, women living on diets ranging from almost or wholly protein based foods to pretty much just carbs. Their milk was very similar. In a couple of cases there was a lack of vitamin C compared to other samples but it was still enough, in other cases maybe one amino acid was missing out of the many that are in breastmilk but most amino acids are not in formula, only a few are added in xx

 

[Dragonfly]

https://bcbabyfriendly.ca/whatsinbreastmilkposter.pdf shows you whats in each in comparison despite your diet. I think its clear to see which one has more in it.

 

[flashy09]

Be sure to take prenatal vitamins and give your baby Vitamin D drops. Keep breastfeeding though!

 

[Stacey_Ann]

I was wondering this myself as Im really wanting to BF

Good to know for future reference!

Xx

(PS: I'm not far from you, I live in ilchester!)

 

[jenniferttc1]

Your eating habits are fine to me. I lived off the same before feedings spread more far apart.

 

[summer rain]

Be sure to take prenatal vitamins and give your baby Vitamin D drops. Keep breastfeeding though!

OP is in the UK, official advice from the government based on research is not to give BF babies vitamin D drops if under 6 months, it is only the US, Canada and a handful of European countries where this advice is in place . The UK government have looked at research and found that for mothers who take the recommended 4mcg of vit D a day throughout pregnancy and BF themselves in the form of a supplement; deficiency in their babies is non-existent. Babies are also born with stores of vitamin D and breastmilk does contain enough vitamin D, the amounts are tiny but like many other nutrients these are far more easily absorbed than synthetic supplements xx

 

[Chiclet2012]

Be sure to take prenatal vitamins and give your baby Vitamin D drops. Keep breastfeeding though!

OP is in the UK, official advice from the government based on research is not to give BF babies vitamin D drops if under 6 months, it is only the US, Canada and a handful of European countries where this advice is in place . The UK government have looked at research and found that for mothers who take the recommended 4mcg of vit D a day throughout pregnancy and BF themselves in the form of a supplement; deficiency in their babies is non-existent. Babies are also born with stores of vitamin D and breastmilk does contain enough vitamin D, the amounts are tiny but like many other nutrients these are far more easily absorbed than synthetic supplements xx

That's good to hear! I live in the US and my pediatrician has recommended Vitamin D drops for my LO. I have purchased it but I always forget to give him the drops.

To the OP -- yes breast milk is the still the best! Whatever your body needs to make the milk, it will take out of your body though. So you should take prenatals and especially a calcium supplement or else you will lose calcium in your bones...

 

[summer rain]

Calcium is best obtained from diet (and no that isn't just from milk there are many veggie and vegan sources too); there has been some evidence recently that calcium supplements lead to calcium deposits in the artery; thus increasing the risk of heart problems

https://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/24/calcium-supplements-heart-risk

xx