Did anyone choose to exclusively bottle feed from birth?

[leeanne]

I breastfed my first two children, but with my third I decided to bottle feed for various reasons, and a number of them of which were more advantageous to me and my family because I had my other kids to take care of with school runs, etc.

If your decision is set to FF, then don't let anyone change it for you. There are advantages and disadvantages to both ways of feeding, HOWEVER, as ryder says, the bonding is still the same no matter which way you feed. Honestly, I've been on both sides.

 

[swanie974]

I dont want to BF at all. My midwife is ok with that. Ill just have to deal with the hospital staff when the time comes , ill bring all my FF gear with me.

My main concern is colustrum, what did you guys do if you FF from day one?

 

[SabrinaKat]

Nope - bottle fed from day 1! In my case, I really couldn't have anyway as was recovering from pre-eclampsia and an emergency c-section (we were going to have a c-section anyway, tho!). I did find leaky breasts for a while, but used breast shield pads (you can get at boots or most chemists), but it was a good decision for us (made beforehand as I personally felt uncomfortable with BF, but absolutely no problem if others want to!) and nobody tried to dissuade me (plus, I take medication for thyroid and if anybody did have a bit of an attitude, I said about the meds - LOL!)....

hugs!

 

[bumblebeexo]

LO has been bottle-fed from day one! I was very ill shortly after the birth, and ended up in theatre for a few hours so she had to be fed formula by OH as I wasn't there. We had decided to FF before that.
It took me a few months to feel myself again (I had a 4th degree tear, very high up, which went unnoticed until I stood up and fainted and I needed 3 pints of blood!) so I was so glad OH could help with the feeds. Every Friday night I slept in the spare room so I could get a full nights sleep which was bliss and really helped.
I'd definitely do it if I have another, breastfeeding isn't something which I have strong opinions on, doesn't bother me either way!

 

[Butterball Ma]

I FF my (11 yrs) DD from the beginning. I just didn't want to BF. My sister had just had a really hard time BFing her DD and the baby lost a lot of weight before switching. I know that's not due necessarily to BFing, but I kinda didn't want to have to deal with that. My DD had no problems and I will FF this time, also.

 

[tristansmum]

I ff my first from 4 days. I had tried to bf but an emcs made it very difficult. Don't regret it at all as was best decision for us. This time I'm combi feeding although majority bf. I have to admit I'm finding it so hard but feel guilty to stop (stupid as I promised myself I wouldn't). I'm at 4 weeks so going to start introducing more ff. I find it hard to get out with bf and sick of feeding in the car or the loo while out.

 

[Jendra]

I didn't choose FF, it chose me when my milk was delayed and my son lost 12% of his birth weight. On top of that I had medical problems and he stopped latching (And his latch was perfect- ugh!!) so formula has made up most of his diet.

He is a very healthy and happy little nugget, though. Seeing him thrive gives me peace about not being able to breastfeed. It's easier to formula feed sometimes, and others it would be so nice to breastfeed. There's pros and cons to both.

I did give him colostrum, though. I'm happy he got that much from me.

 

[ispeakinsongs]

My cousin did and I dont think there is anything wrong with it! I bfed the first 6 weeks and then changed to formula. I think everyone needs to make this decision themselves without being pressured by anyone!!! I don't like the pressure coming from breastfeeding groups.

 

[lunawaffles]

I had to be induced early then when that didn't work, I had to have a c-section at 37 weeks. My milk wasn't even close to coming in, and even though I still tried, my son became very lethargic and unresponsive. Once I gave him a bottle of formula (despite the LC rolling her eyes at me and telling me I didn't know what I was doing), he perked right up within an hour and was acting like a normal newborn again. Eventually my milk did come in, very slowly, even though I had to try a bunch of stuff to get him to finally latch (still using a nipple shield even). And I even used formula still when I got very sick and couldn't eat or drink anything and stopped making more than an oz of milk every few hours. Once in a while, if I feel like he didn't get enough milk and I'm empty, I'll make him a bottle of formula. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for doing it. My whole family told me basically that it was horrible to use formula and I'm being detrimental to their health for even using a little, and I basically just thank them for the advice and tell them they can raise their children and I'll be the one raising mine, thank you very much. It's a choice- neither breastfeeding nor using formula is right or wrong, it's just what works best for you and your baby.

 

[Nessicle]

I decided to ff from birth with Austin due to awful memories from trying to bf Ava. As it turns out I gave him colostrum in the hospital but switched to formula within 3 days the pain with my section wound and after pains second time round were horrendous and worse when he latched on. I've been so calm and happy round him and it must've rubbed off as he's the most chilled content little boy ever. Happy mummy = happy baby. If you do t want to bf then don't its your body, your choice and whatever fits in with your family. Formula is very advanced these days. Yes it'll never replace breastmilk or ever come close to that but the millions of happy healthy ff babies all over the world shows how good it is nowadays x

 

[skunkpixie]

I chose to FF my 2 younger children from birth. Even thouhh I succuessfully BF my first for 22 months I still thought the decision to formula feed our next 2 was the right one. The decision was partly due to the fact I had GD and other minor complications with my second pregnancy. Another factor in my decision was that I didnt feel I would be able to dedicate the time to establish breastfeeding at the expense of my 2 year old getting very little attention. More power to people that do breastfeed and alsi have toddlers but I personally didnt feel it was right for our family. I didnt ( and still dont) feel that the benefits of breastfeeding are worth spending alot less time wuth my other children. Newborn take up enough if your attention as it is. Xxxx ps I just want to add that these are my own personal views and decisions relating to my family only. Xxx

 

[onetwothreebp]

I FF from day one. I had no desire to breastfeed and truth be told, still don't.

 

[purplespecs]

I FF from day one, BF wasn't something I felt particularly comfortable with. I then, about a month pp, had to have some radiation therapy and lifelong medication which meant I would have had to switch to FF if I had been BF. So I'm glad I had FF from the beginning so I didn't have to worry about the transition, and DH could feed DS whilst I was in hospital.

 

[swanie974]

thanks for all your answers ladies.
Could you all give me an idea of the gear I need to buy to FF my newborn from day one? eg: number of bottles, types.....

Cheers

 

[Balloo]

I ff from day dot, didn't have any interesting bf and was really lucky that mws didn't try and tell me different. I just made very sure that they knew that's what I wanted to do and I wouldn't be persuaded otherwise. In the end it worked out much better as I was so poorly after having her that. Wouldn't have been able to bf which I think would've been even worse as I'd of had to give it up. The things we had/have are
6 bottles; we never bought smaller bottles but I know some people find them helpful
2 anti colic bottles;
Steriliser (electric);
Bottle cleaner;
Microwave steriliser;travel size
Cold water sterilisation tablets; just incase!!
Descaling tablets; for electric steriliser!
It sounds like sooo much I know but our travel steriliser lives at my mums and my MIL has one at her house so we don't have to cart around the electric one!! Lol. U can get steriliser sets that come with bottles, bottle warmers, which are really good! Tbh we got a second hand steriliser, which came with bottle cleaner, which I scrubbed again and again, sterilised it with tablets twice and then sterilised it using itself and few more times and its amazing, really cheap aswel!!

 

[skunkpixie]

Some people say not to buy lots of the same bottle and to buy a few different ones so that you can see which bottle your baby prefers and stick to it. I havnt found this to be the case and if you're going to bottle feed from birth (no worries about finding a teat your baby will like if they are used to breastfeeding etc and are very choosy) then I would just buy a set of 6-8 simple good brand bottles eg tomme tippe closer to nature or avent and your baby will more than likely be fine with whatever bottle his is given first. My dd2 had MAM, was fine with them and my dd3 has TTCTN and is fine with those. You may only need to xhange bottle if your lo is a big sufferer of colic or reflux in which case dr browns are very good, but I wouldnt recommend them to use first as they are fiddly with lots of parts so not worth the hassle if your baby doest need them.
You will also need a steriliser. I love the Milton cold water steriliser. Very versitileas it will fit any type, brand and size of bottle. Good for travel as no electricity required.
When it comes to bottles brushes I love the dr browns one. Xxx

 

[Amy89]

What teats would people recommend for a nb? I'm going to be ff from birth but not sure which bottles/teats to get! Medium flow? Uhhhhh...

 

[TRINITY25_99]

I was planning on BF, but after birth was put on Heaprin shots so I could not, but had tried in the hospital before the shots started and LO would not latch and was very upset and hungry and wasn't working, so I think that it wouldn't of panned out for me in the long run, I was getting so upset. FF babies are more content and fuller. It's all up to Mom on what she feels comfortable with doing. My baby is thriving on formula and is very happy.

 

[Nela]

What teats would people recommend for a nb? I'm going to be ff from birth but not sure which bottles/teats to get! Medium flow? Uhhhhh...

I'd go with anti-colic bottles from the get go (such as Dr.Brown's, Mam, etc) and start off with the slowest teat which is the recommended newborn teat anyway. With bottle babies, you want to try and get the least amount of air in them to avoid them getting gassy as much as possible.

 

[Nela]

I had planned on breastfeeding but things didn't go to plan. Luckily, I had kept an open mind and not put myself under too much pressure. Now, if I have a second, I might just go straight to formula. The breastfeeding just wasn't great for me. It completely drained me of my energy, I was extremely sore, and I really appreciate being able to hand LO over to OH whenever I want/need a break (if OH is home of course). Also, one of the biggest things was needing to go back on birth control and the pills tend to cause me major migraines. If breastfeeding, I cannot be on the migraine meds. I had made that 'sacrifice' during the pregnancy but with the sleep deprivation and the constant screaming from a reflux baby, I think I'd jump off a bridge if I couldn't take my migraine meds. Plus, I certainly am not complaining about the fact that he can go longer between feeds...