fed up of being told breast is best!!!

[hayzeb]

In terms of providing antibodies, protection against certain diseases and being free, yes, breast is best. Breastfeeding mothers should be commended because it is hard work, and its a huge physical commitment to make to your child.

However, it is not best if it is having a detrimental effect to the welfare of the mother or child. It takes guts to hold up your hands and say 'no, I cant do this' or 'no, I dont want to do this' especially when it seems that the 'breast is best' mantra is being stuffed down your throat. But in many cases, formula feeding is whats best for the family as a whole, and there is absolutely no reason why anyone should feel guilty for it. Providing nutrition, whether it be from a breast or a bottle is the only thing that matters.

It is society that creates this huge pressure on women to 'perform'/'achieve' at motherhood which is just madness. No child is ever going to turn round at 16 and disown you because of the way you chose to feed them as an infant. Therefore, does it really matter? If society/the government/the media hadnt created such a hoo-ha over the whole BF vs FF thing, women wouldnt be battling guilt or the feelings of failure like they do now. Not being able to breastfeed is not failure - its just one of those things. As mums/mums to be/mums in waiting - we should be supporting each others personal decisions, not attacking each other or creating a divide.

100% agree xx

 

[fuzzylu]

sorry i dont post on hear very oftern as i tend not to have alot to say but thought i would add to a few points i have seen.

i have some exprience with midwifery training, all midwives while thay are at uni and before they are alowed to qualify have to have the knowledge and skills to assist women with breast feeding (they are assesed on this) so all should be able to support you with feeding your baby. there are specilist midwives who have had further training to help thoughs with very challenging breastfeeding issues like premature babies and thos with toung tie, or multible births.

most women can breast feed! ur hormones after giving birth kick in and make your milk. however there are occastions when women cant for example women who have had some kinds of breast surgery, some who have hormone problems or are on medications that can be transfered through your breast milk. also baby can find this difficult if they are early or have toung tie. these are just some examples and i am aware there are many more.
ff will not harm your baby it will deliver enough nutrients for a baby not to starve and enough for them to grow. breast feeding will provide more nutrients and delivers lots of nice antibodies for baby. so yes in most situations breast milk is what a baby should have.

However women should not be made to feel guilty if they cant or choose not to breast feed. as a mother to be and someone who has spent alot of time supporting new mums i believe it is the midwife/ health care profestionals duty of care to give women all the facts and for women to then make an informed choice as to how they feed their baby. it is a govement guideline that midwives support breastfeeding and in no way advertise (if thats the right word) f, so please dont blame the midwives for not supporting ff.

as im a due to have twins in november i am intending to breastfeed, however i will have some ff at home just incase there is a problem.

xxx

 

[izzysmummy]

I totally agree with the last post, I didn't even hesitate after my daughter was born to Bf her, it was my first reaction. I felt great that only i could do this one thing for her. My husband was more than happy winding our daughter after her BF's and he loved nothing more than seeing her very content "i am full face".

I can't believe that some ladies have put on here that their babies prob didn't take to BF as their child was given a bottle whilst they were in recovery! I would and will totally hit the roof if my child was given a bottle of formula without my say so.

There is absolutely no reason why you should not be allowed immediate skin contact with your baby after having a c section. I will INSIST that if i have to have one that my baby is given straight to me immediately after the birth as this is the best way to calm baby and bring their HR to a normal rate, and baby remain with me or my husband until he is ready for a feed. You can BF laid down and in loads of other positions. Also babies don't need immediately feeding after the birth, they are more than happy just having cuddles with their mummy or daddy. My daughter had 4 feeds in 24 hours when she was born.

I never wanted to BF and never thought i would, but i tried it and loved it. I was the only mummy at our local blooming babies group that was BF'ing and i felt a bit pushed out and out of place. There isn't many people that feel comfortable BF and i completely understand that. How we feed our babies is our business and we should not feel wrong or made to feel inadequate for doing it our way.

xx

I said this in my bit, but there was alot more to it, I was only 18 then and didn't have any support what so ever, I lost alot of blood after giving birth and the midwifes just took it upon themselves to feed him a bottle, to say the least I wasn't happy, they were terrible from the beginning as the whole reason my birth was so traumatic was that the midwife failed to see I had full bladder and let me push for 3 hours, then failed to notice I had teared inside! I went through so much the next 2 weeks after bringing him home, and ended up with mastitis and was very ill, that was when I gave up and felt a failure!

But i'd say that only made me more determined then the next time I was pregnant and im so so glad that I was and ended up fully breastfeeding until he weaned and went on the breastfeed my 3rd little man for 20 months I couldn't ever imagine not breastfeeding now, it just seems so natural to me! I did feel uneasy with this thread as I do feel for women who don't want to BF feeling like they are looked down upon but I also get a bit annoyed when people say things like BF makes it hard for dads to bond or I didn't have enough milk! I also have to agree that the title of this thread said it all really, they tell you breast is best because it is really!

Ah hun, must have been awful for you, xxx

 

[AppleBlossom]

Regardless of who its aimed at this is a horrible expression!

Bexy has obviously had a horrible experience with HV's etc. I don't see why that would offend you.

It offends me because the Nazi's killed millions of people! How can this be equated to breastfeeding in any way shape or form. It has nothing to do with Bexys experience Im just pointing out that its not a nice expression and imo should not be used on here.

I'm not making out like there are a bunch of health visitors going around slaughtering FFers, it's just an expression

And I say it because I was actually told by one or two people before I had Grace that I had to breastfeed or I would be a terrible mother. And when I had to give up I was beaten down like no-one's business and told I was a failure. So I'm sorry if I offended you but I have had all manner of horrible experiences when it came to Bfing

 

[hayzeb]

Regardless of who its aimed at this is a horrible expression!

Bexy has obviously had a horrible experience with HV's etc. I don't see why that would offend you.

It offends me because the Nazi's killed millions of people! How can this be equated to breastfeeding in any way shape or form. It has nothing to do with Bexys experience Im just pointing out that its not a nice expression and imo should not be used on here.

I'm not making out like there are a bunch of health visitors going around slaughtering FFers, it's just an expression

And I say it because I was actually told by one or two people before I had Grace that I had to breastfeed or I would be a terrible mother. And when I had to give up I was beaten down like no-one's business and told I was a failure. So I'm sorry if I offended you but I have had all manner of horrible experiences when it came to Bfing

 

[Kaitybug]

Sheesh! There seems to be A LOT of pressure where a lot of you live to BF! I have never once felt pressured to BF; my OB hasn't even brought it up except to tell me that if I do want to, there is a BF class being offered at the hospital. She didn't lecture me at all on what she felt was right, which I love about by doctor. I haven't decided yet. My mother-in-law and my mother both FF because they had to go directly back to work (MIL went back 2 weeks after OH was born). I can see if you have a long maternity leave, which in the states you don't really get the option of having unless you quit your job, it would be nice to be able to BF. I have to go back to teaching 5-6 weeks after, and I wonder how BF would go, with leaking and all that when I go back fulltime. There are so many wonderful formulas today filled with great nutrients, DHA, and the like. Most people I know were formula fed, and we are smart, happy, healthy people. It truly didn't hurt us. I am NOT against BF, I may give it a go, but I don't think it's right to say women should have to because mothers should have to sacrifice and be in pain. That's just silly!

 

[mummygiraffe]

not read every single post but it's whats best for you. I'm going to try Breast this time, but last baby i couldnt at all. baby was starving so went for bottle in the end.

if you think about it, yes breat is good but only if your own diet is. formula has EVErYTHING the baby needs whilst the diet your on mya not. I find it hard at the best of times to balance my diet perfectly.

And you dont want to beat yourself up over it if it doesnt work once the baby arrives. best to be flexible i say.

 

[Boudica]

When my mother had her children breastfeeding was not pushed at all. It was seen s preferable to formula feed. Indeed, they kept you in for 10 days after the birth and brought your child to you regularly but did all the work in the early days. My Mum didn't even know what meconium was until I just had my baby.

She still thinks FF is the way to go.

 

[Dragonfly]

not read every single post but it's whats best for you. I'm going to try Breast this time, but last baby i couldnt at all. baby was starving so went for bottle in the end.

if you think about it, yes breat is good but only if your own diet is. formula has EVErYTHING the baby needs whilst the diet your on mya not. I find it hard at the best of times to balance my diet perfectly.

And you dont want to beat yourself up over it if it doesnt work once the baby arrives. best to be flexible i say.

Your diet does not matter thats another myth. 3rd world mums manage to breastfeed and they have poor diets. Not attacking just pointing that out as I think I seen that on kells mom site somewhere. https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html

 

[Blah11]

I don't like the terms bf nazi, bf brigade etc etc either tbh... i do find them quite offensive too even if theyre not aimed at myself.

+ yeh, your diet doesnt really matter, your milk is still the best choice.

maybe the saying should be breastMILK is best?

 

[BabyNo.1]

Regardless of who its aimed at this is a horrible expression!

Bexy has obviously had a horrible experience with HV's etc. I don't see why that would offend you.

It offends me because the Nazi's killed millions of people! How can this be equated to breastfeeding in any way shape or form. It has nothing to do with Bexys experience Im just pointing out that its not a nice expression and imo should not be used on here.

I'm not making out like there are a bunch of health visitors going around slaughtering FFers, it's just an expression

And I say it because I was actually told by one or two people before I had Grace that I had to breastfeed or I would be a terrible mother. And when I had to give up I was beaten down like no-one's business and told I was a failure. So I'm sorry if I offended you but I have had all manner of horrible experiences when it came to Bfing

Hi Bexy,

Really wasn't having a dig at you, honest. Its just an expression that I hate.

Completely understand how bad people can make you feel when it comes to BF'ing and sorry that you had such a horrible time of it. I do know what its like honest - its a bloody miracle that i managed it.

 

[izzysmummy]

Wow wow, glad i didn't start this debate! Its nearly getting as heavy as the politics debate last month! Lol

Maybe we should all agree to disagree, this is a strong subject that people have completely different views on for whatever reason. It has just took me well over an hour to catch up from page 6!

In my opinion if every hospital in the UK stopped providing Formula like some have already for new babies, then this money they are saving should go towards training and employing BF support workers in every area of the UK to provide the support that every new mum needs to help her BF successfully. If you haven't been shown correctly how to feed and you crack it you deserve a bloody medal as it is very very hard. Especially after a long and painful labour.

The BF advisor in my area runs a charity called the honeysuckle centre. This is where she is based and they rely on mums like myself turning up to weekly groups, breakfast mornings and Summer Fayres etc to raise extra money to employ additional support workers for the area. She also runs a BF support group the 1st friday of every month for expectant mothers to attend to learn how to attach baby after the birth, to prevent any nasty bleeding nipples etc. I attended the group and knew exactly what to do after i had my daughter. The MW on the delivery ward could not believe she was my 1st baby as i could do it so well. Even though i knew what to do i got terribly sore with horrendous bleeding nipples for approx 10 days, and this was due to my daughter having a tongue tie. After 2 feeds i knew something was wrong as it was hurting, and BF should never hurt.

It might feel a bit strange at first as it is a new thing we are doing, but must never hurt.

There were days that i felt like i couldn't feed my daughter enough as she was always wanting to be fed, these days were around the weeks they have growth spurts. Within a day my milk supply had upped as she was demanding more milk at feeds so my body produced more. Your milk doesn't just dry up as some people on here put it or not make enough. If a BF mum is substituting a BF for a FF within a few days your milk supply will adjust and not make enough for that feed. This isn't my opinion this is a fact, our bodies are very clever things.

Even if you think that your breasts are empty and baby isn't getting anything, this too is wrong as you always have 25% of milk in your breasts weather they feel empty or not. Even if you think baby isn't getting anything as long as baby is suckling or you are pumping with a pump and stimulating the nipple, within a day or 2 your milk supply will be higher.

Alot of people on here are quite quick to have a go at the government for pushing BF and not encouraging FF. Another Fact is that FF artificially stretches your babies tummy, Breastmilk is a natural food made for your baby and is digested quickly and easily. Formula milk is much harder to digest, and stays in babies tummy for longer, causing their tummies to stretch.

I totally agree that if a mum decideds to FF then she should be shown how and told how much by someone who knows what they are doing. Most new mums do not know that a babies tummy at birth is only big enough to hold something tiny like 20mls of milk at 1 time, it horrifies me that you see new mums tring to force 4 oz bottles down their newborns neck every 3/4 hours because the carton of formula says so. This is the reason you have a sicky baby as they have been given too much.

When i stopped BF my daughter at 7 months, due to her wanting to stop, she would never take more than 4/5 oz bottles as she just didn't want it.

My friend has a baby who is due to turn 6 months old shortly and weighs 19.5lbs. My daughter is 16 1/2 months old and weighs 22lbs. He is formula fed and has massive 9oz bottles 5/6 times a day! My daughter is very healthy, she was fast at doing everything as a baby and i put that down to her not been over weight, she was able to roll front to back at 10 weeks, back to front at 16 weeks. She was sitting up unaided by 24 weeks, and began crawling and cruising at 29 weeks. She was walking with ease by 9 months old.

My friends little boy cannot even roll over at 6 months old because of all the weight he has to shift! lol poor thing.... hopefully he will be able to run it off when he starts walking.

It is so easy to overfeed your child by following what it says on a tin, rather than seeking expert advice on the matter.

Anyway i have said enough on this thread, it is clealy getting alot of peoples backs up!

 

[hayzeb]

Wow wow, glad i didn't start this debate! Its nearly getting as heavy as the politics debate last month! Lol

Maybe we should all agree to disagree, this is a strong subject that people have completely different views on for whatever reason. It has just took me well over an hour to catch up from page 6!

In my opinion if every hospital in the UK stopped providing Formula like some have already for new babies, then this money they are saving should go towards training and employing BF support workers in every area of the UK to provide the support that every new mum needs to help her BF successfully. If you haven't been shown correctly how to feed and you crack it you deserve a bloody medal as it is very very hard. Especially after a long and painful labour.

The BF advisor in my area runs a charity called the honeysuckle centre. This is where she is based and they rely on mums like myself turning up to weekly groups, breakfast mornings and Summer Fayres etc to raise extra money to employ additional support workers for the area. She also runs a BF support group the 1st friday of every month for expectant mothers to attend to learn how to attach baby after the birth, to prevent any nasty bleeding nipples etc. I attended the group and knew exactly what to do after i had my daughter. The MW on the delivery ward could not believe she was my 1st baby as i could do it so well. Even though i knew what to do i got terribly sore with horrendous bleeding nipples for approx 10 days, and this was due to my daughter having a tongue tie. After 2 feeds i knew something was wrong as it was hurting, and BF should never hurt.

It might feel a bit strange at first as it is a new thing we are doing, but must never hurt.

There were days that i felt like i couldn't feed my daughter enough as she was always wanting to be fed, these days were around the weeks they have growth spurts. Within a day my milk supply had upped as she was demanding more milk at feeds so my body produced more. Your milk doesn't just dry up as some people on here put it or not make enough. If a BF mum is substituting a BF for a FF within a few days your milk supply will adjust and not make enough for that feed. This isn't my opinion this is a fact, our bodies are very clever things.

Even if you think that your breasts are empty and baby isn't getting anything, this too is wrong as you always have 25% of milk in your breasts weather they feel empty or not. Even if you think baby isn't getting anything as long as baby is suckling or you are pumping with a pump and stimulating the nipple, within a day or 2 your milk supply will be higher.

Alot of people on here are quite quick to have a go at the government for pushing BF and not encouraging FF. Another Fact is that FF artificially stretches your babies tummy, Breastmilk is a natural food made for your baby and is digested quickly and easily. Formula milk is much harder to digest, and stays in babies tummy for longer, causing their tummies to stretch.

I totally agree that if a mum decideds to FF then she should be shown how and told how much by someone who knows what they are doing. Most new mums do not know that a babies tummy at birth is only big enough to hold something tiny like 20mls of milk at 1 time, it horrifies me that you see new mums tring to force 4 oz bottles down their newborns neck every 3/4 hours because the carton of formula says so. This is the reason you have a sicky baby as they have been given too much.

When i stopped BF my daughter at 7 months, due to her wanting to stop, she would never take more than 4/5 oz bottles as she just didn't want it.

My friend has a baby who is due to turn 6 months old shortly and weighs 19.5lbs. My daughter is 16 1/2 months old and weighs 22lbs. He is formula fed and has massive 9oz bottles 5/6 times a day! My daughter is very healthy, she was fast at doing everything as a baby and i put that down to her not been over weight, she was able to roll front to back at 10 weeks, back to front at 16 weeks. She was sitting up unaided by 24 weeks, and began crawling and cruising at 29 weeks. She was walking with ease by 9 months old.

My friends little boy cannot even roll over at 6 months old because of all the weight he has to shift! lol poor thing.... hopefully he will be able to run it off when he starts walking.

It is so easy to overfeed your child by following what it says on a tin, rather than seeking expert advice on the matter.

Anyway i have said enough on this thread, it is clealy getting alot of peoples backs up!

Well now I'm offended!! Your basically saying my baby is going to be fat and not do things as fast as a BF baby. How do you think that makes me feel as someone who CAN'T breastfeed due to medication I need to take to keep me healthy that will pass through breastmilk and make my child ill????

 

[izzysmummy]

not read every single post but it's whats best for you. I'm going to try Breast this time, but last baby i couldnt at all. baby was starving so went for bottle in the end.

if you think about it, yes breat is good but only if your own diet is. formula has EVErYTHING the baby needs whilst the diet your on mya not. I find it hard at the best of times to balance my diet perfectly.

And you dont want to beat yourself up over it if it doesnt work once the baby arrives. best to be flexible i say.

Your diet does not matter thats another myth. 3rd world mums manage to breastfeed and they have poor diets. Not attacking just pointing that out as I think I seen that on kells mom site somewhere. https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html

Agreed, the only food i avoided whilst BF was fresh orange as it made my daughters bottom sore! The only recommendations for food in BF is extra calcium for mum.

You can even follow slimming world whilst BF as it is a healthy eating plan, as you can follow it during pregnancy. I joined at 22 weeks and lost 11lbs as i had already gained 18lbs by then. I weigh now 7lbs more than i did at 15 weeks and feel great. My baby is growing fine and i am measuring ahead!

Mums in 3rd world countries BF all their children as they have no money to buy any other form of food for them.

 

[izzysmummy]

Wow wow, glad i didn't start this debate! Its nearly getting as heavy as the politics debate last month! Lol

Maybe we should all agree to disagree, this is a strong subject that people have completely different views on for whatever reason. It has just took me well over an hour to catch up from page 6!

In my opinion if every hospital in the UK stopped providing Formula like some have already for new babies, then this money they are saving should go towards training and employing BF support workers in every area of the UK to provide the support that every new mum needs to help her BF successfully. If you haven't been shown correctly how to feed and you crack it you deserve a bloody medal as it is very very hard. Especially after a long and painful labour.

The BF advisor in my area runs a charity called the honeysuckle centre. This is where she is based and they rely on mums like myself turning up to weekly groups, breakfast mornings and Summer Fayres etc to raise extra money to employ additional support workers for the area. She also runs a BF support group the 1st friday of every month for expectant mothers to attend to learn how to attach baby after the birth, to prevent any nasty bleeding nipples etc. I attended the group and knew exactly what to do after i had my daughter. The MW on the delivery ward could not believe she was my 1st baby as i could do it so well. Even though i knew what to do i got terribly sore with horrendous bleeding nipples for approx 10 days, and this was due to my daughter having a tongue tie. After 2 feeds i knew something was wrong as it was hurting, and BF should never hurt.

It might feel a bit strange at first as it is a new thing we are doing, but must never hurt.

There were days that i felt like i couldn't feed my daughter enough as she was always wanting to be fed, these days were around the weeks they have growth spurts. Within a day my milk supply had upped as she was demanding more milk at feeds so my body produced more. Your milk doesn't just dry up as some people on here put it or not make enough. If a BF mum is substituting a BF for a FF within a few days your milk supply will adjust and not make enough for that feed. This isn't my opinion this is a fact, our bodies are very clever things.

Even if you think that your breasts are empty and baby isn't getting anything, this too is wrong as you always have 25% of milk in your breasts weather they feel empty or not. Even if you think baby isn't getting anything as long as baby is suckling or you are pumping with a pump and stimulating the nipple, within a day or 2 your milk supply will be higher.

Alot of people on here are quite quick to have a go at the government for pushing BF and not encouraging FF. Another Fact is that FF artificially stretches your babies tummy, Breastmilk is a natural food made for your baby and is digested quickly and easily. Formula milk is much harder to digest, and stays in babies tummy for longer, causing their tummies to stretch.

I totally agree that if a mum decideds to FF then she should be shown how and told how much by someone who knows what they are doing. Most new mums do not know that a babies tummy at birth is only big enough to hold something tiny like 20mls of milk at 1 time, it horrifies me that you see new mums tring to force 4 oz bottles down their newborns neck every 3/4 hours because the carton of formula says so. This is the reason you have a sicky baby as they have been given too much.

When i stopped BF my daughter at 7 months, due to her wanting to stop, she would never take more than 4/5 oz bottles as she just didn't want it.

My friend has a baby who is due to turn 6 months old shortly and weighs 19.5lbs. My daughter is 16 1/2 months old and weighs 22lbs. He is formula fed and has massive 9oz bottles 5/6 times a day! My daughter is very healthy, she was fast at doing everything as a baby and i put that down to her not been over weight, she was able to roll front to back at 10 weeks, back to front at 16 weeks. She was sitting up unaided by 24 weeks, and began crawling and cruising at 29 weeks. She was walking with ease by 9 months old.

My friends little boy cannot even roll over at 6 months old because of all the weight he has to shift! lol poor thing.... hopefully he will be able to run it off when he starts walking.

It is so easy to overfeed your child by following what it says on a tin, rather than seeking expert advice on the matter.

Anyway i have said enough on this thread, it is clealy getting alot of peoples backs up!

Well now I'm offended!! Your basically saying my baby is going to be fat and not do things as fast as a BF baby. How do you think that makes me feel as someone who CAN'T breastfeed due to medication I need to take to keep me healthy that will pass through breastmilk and make my child ill????

You should not be offended, i merely stated that not all new mums know how much FM to feed their Child and should be shown by an expert. I most certainly am NOT saying you are going to have a fat baby and i am offended you have read that i mean't that.

I am sorry you are not able to BF through Medical reasons and i certainly haven't meant to offend anyone.

I simply stated a situation i have found myself in, as have many other ladies posting on this site.

I personally haven't got any issues with people BF or FF, but some people obviously do.

Apologies if you have taken my experience to heart, that isn't how it is written it is merely an experience.

 

[winegums]

sorry i dont post on hear very oftern as i tend not to have alot to say but thought i would add to a few points i have seen.

i have some exprience with midwifery training, all midwives while thay are at uni and before they are alowed to qualify have to have the knowledge and skills to assist women with breast feeding (they are assesed on this) so all should be able to support you with feeding your baby. there are specilist midwives who have had further training to help thoughs with very challenging breastfeeding issues like premature babies and thos with toung tie, or multible births.

xxx

hiya i'm not sure where abouts you live but where i live midwives do not have proper breastfeeding training. They get told about breastfeeding and qualified enough to show a women how to do it etc but it's just the bare bones! the breastfeeding specialists do thorough training of every aspect including perfectly normal women where neither they nor the baby have any known problems but for some reason breastfeeding is failing.

i thought the degree was pretty standard throughout the UK but i may be wrong?

 

[hayzeb]

Wow wow, glad i didn't start this debate! Its nearly getting as heavy as the politics debate last month! Lol

Maybe we should all agree to disagree, this is a strong subject that people have completely different views on for whatever reason. It has just took me well over an hour to catch up from page 6!

In my opinion if every hospital in the UK stopped providing Formula like some have already for new babies, then this money they are saving should go towards training and employing BF support workers in every area of the UK to provide the support that every new mum needs to help her BF successfully. If you haven't been shown correctly how to feed and you crack it you deserve a bloody medal as it is very very hard. Especially after a long and painful labour.

The BF advisor in my area runs a charity called the honeysuckle centre. This is where she is based and they rely on mums like myself turning up to weekly groups, breakfast mornings and Summer Fayres etc to raise extra money to employ additional support workers for the area. She also runs a BF support group the 1st friday of every month for expectant mothers to attend to learn how to attach baby after the birth, to prevent any nasty bleeding nipples etc. I attended the group and knew exactly what to do after i had my daughter. The MW on the delivery ward could not believe she was my 1st baby as i could do it so well. Even though i knew what to do i got terribly sore with horrendous bleeding nipples for approx 10 days, and this was due to my daughter having a tongue tie. After 2 feeds i knew something was wrong as it was hurting, and BF should never hurt.

It might feel a bit strange at first as it is a new thing we are doing, but must never hurt.

There were days that i felt like i couldn't feed my daughter enough as she was always wanting to be fed, these days were around the weeks they have growth spurts. Within a day my milk supply had upped as she was demanding more milk at feeds so my body produced more. Your milk doesn't just dry up as some people on here put it or not make enough. If a BF mum is substituting a BF for a FF within a few days your milk supply will adjust and not make enough for that feed. This isn't my opinion this is a fact, our bodies are very clever things.

Even if you think that your breasts are empty and baby isn't getting anything, this too is wrong as you always have 25% of milk in your breasts weather they feel empty or not. Even if you think baby isn't getting anything as long as baby is suckling or you are pumping with a pump and stimulating the nipple, within a day or 2 your milk supply will be higher.

Alot of people on here are quite quick to have a go at the government for pushing BF and not encouraging FF. Another Fact is that FF artificially stretches your babies tummy, Breastmilk is a natural food made for your baby and is digested quickly and easily. Formula milk is much harder to digest, and stays in babies tummy for longer, causing their tummies to stretch.

I totally agree that if a mum decideds to FF then she should be shown how and told how much by someone who knows what they are doing. Most new mums do not know that a babies tummy at birth is only big enough to hold something tiny like 20mls of milk at 1 time, it horrifies me that you see new mums tring to force 4 oz bottles down their newborns neck every 3/4 hours because the carton of formula says so. This is the reason you have a sicky baby as they have been given too much.

When i stopped BF my daughter at 7 months, due to her wanting to stop, she would never take more than 4/5 oz bottles as she just didn't want it.

My friend has a baby who is due to turn 6 months old shortly and weighs 19.5lbs. My daughter is 16 1/2 months old and weighs 22lbs. He is formula fed and has massive 9oz bottles 5/6 times a day! My daughter is very healthy, she was fast at doing everything as a baby and i put that down to her not been over weight, she was able to roll front to back at 10 weeks, back to front at 16 weeks. She was sitting up unaided by 24 weeks, and began crawling and cruising at 29 weeks. She was walking with ease by 9 months old.

My friends little boy cannot even roll over at 6 months old because of all the weight he has to shift! lol poor thing.... hopefully he will be able to run it off when he starts walking.

It is so easy to overfeed your child by following what it says on a tin, rather than seeking expert advice on the matter.

Anyway i have said enough on this thread, it is clealy getting alot of peoples backs up!

Well now I'm offended!! Your basically saying my baby is going to be fat and not do things as fast as a BF baby. How do you think that makes me feel as someone who CAN'T breastfeed due to medication I need to take to keep me healthy that will pass through breastmilk and make my child ill????

You should not be offended, i merely stated that not all new mums know how much FM to feed their Child and should be shown by an expert. I most certainly am NOT saying you are going to have a fat baby and i am offended you have read that i mean't that.

I am sorry you are not able to BF through Medical reasons and i certainly haven't meant to offend anyone.

I simply stated a situation i have found myself in, as have many other ladies posting on this site.

I personally haven't got any issues with people BF or FF, but some people obviously do.

Apologies if you have taken my experience to heart, that isn't how it is written it is merely an experience.

Why don't you RE READ what you wrote and maybe you will understand why I found it offensive, because I do. And I don't need your apologies that I can't breastfeed, I would prefer you to think about the statements you make first.

 

[AppleBlossom]

Even if you think that your breasts are empty and baby isn't getting anything, this too is wrong as you always have 25% of milk in your breasts weather they feel empty or not. Even if you think baby isn't getting anything as long as baby is suckling or you are pumping with a pump and stimulating the nipple, within a day or 2 your milk supply will be higher.

Try telling someone like me that when you are sat for up to 3 hours with a distressed screaming baby who is crying for food that they can't get it and are instead causing you a massive amount of pain...

Alot of people on here are quite quick to have a go at the government for pushing BF and not encouraging FF. Another Fact is that FF artificially stretches your babies tummy, Breastmilk is a natural food made for your baby and is digested quickly and easily. Formula milk is much harder to digest, and stays in babies tummy for longer, causing their tummies to stretch.

I totally agree that if a mum decideds to FF then she should be shown how and told how much by someone who knows what they are doing. Most new mums do not know that a babies tummy at birth is only big enough to hold something tiny like 20mls of milk at 1 time, it horrifies me that you see new mums tring to force 4 oz bottles down their newborns neck every 3/4 hours because the carton of formula says so. This is the reason you have a sicky baby as they have been given too much.

When i stopped BF my daughter at 7 months, due to her wanting to stop, she would never take more than 4/5 oz bottles as she just didn't want it.

My friend has a baby who is due to turn 6 months old shortly and weighs 19.5lbs. My daughter is 16 1/2 months old and weighs 22lbs. He is formula fed and has massive 9oz bottles 5/6 times a day! My daughter is very healthy, she was fast at doing everything as a baby and i put that down to her not been over weight, she was able to roll front to back at 10 weeks, back to front at 16 weeks. She was sitting up unaided by 24 weeks, and began crawling and cruising at 29 weeks. She was walking with ease by 9 months old.

My friends little boy cannot even roll over at 6 months old because of all the weight he has to shift! lol poor thing.... hopefully he will be able to run it off when he starts walking.

It is so easy to overfeed your child by following what it says on a tin, rather than seeking expert advice on the matter.

Anyway i have said enough on this thread, it is clealy getting alot of peoples backs up!

All of the above, especially the bit in bold, is ridiculous. My daughter was FF from 2 weeks old and was on hungrier baby formula by the time she was 8 weeks old on advice of a HV. She is not fat and never has been and was always either on or just below her average percentile for her age. Just because a baby is FF doesn't mean they will be fat and slow. Grace guzzled formula like there was no tomorrow and at almost 2 only weighs 25 lbs, very small for her age. When Grace was very little I used to take her to get weighed every other week. One time I went a woman was in there getting her baby weighed who was a bit younger than Grace and weighed more. The MW was asking about her feeding habits. And surprise, she breastfed. The MW told her she had to stop feeding on demand or her child would end up being overweight for it's age. So it works both ways...

 

[winegums]

Even if you think that your breasts are empty and baby isn't getting anything, this too is wrong as you always have 25% of milk in your breasts weather they feel empty or not. Even if you think baby isn't getting anything as long as baby is suckling or you are pumping with a pump and stimulating the nipple, within a day or 2 your milk supply will be higher.

Try telling someone like me that when you are sat for up to 3 hours with a distressed screaming baby who is crying for food that they can't get it and are instead causing you a massive amount of pain...

Alot of people on here are quite quick to have a go at the government for pushing BF and not encouraging FF. Another Fact is that FF artificially stretches your babies tummy, Breastmilk is a natural food made for your baby and is digested quickly and easily. Formula milk is much harder to digest, and stays in babies tummy for longer, causing their tummies to stretch.

I totally agree that if a mum decideds to FF then she should be shown how and told how much by someone who knows what they are doing. Most new mums do not know that a babies tummy at birth is only big enough to hold something tiny like 20mls of milk at 1 time, it horrifies me that you see new mums tring to force 4 oz bottles down their newborns neck every 3/4 hours because the carton of formula says so. This is the reason you have a sicky baby as they have been given too much.

When i stopped BF my daughter at 7 months, due to her wanting to stop, she would never take more than 4/5 oz bottles as she just didn't want it.

My friend has a baby who is due to turn 6 months old shortly and weighs 19.5lbs. My daughter is 16 1/2 months old and weighs 22lbs. He is formula fed and has massive 9oz bottles 5/6 times a day! My daughter is very healthy, she was fast at doing everything as a baby and i put that down to her not been over weight, she was able to roll front to back at 10 weeks, back to front at 16 weeks. She was sitting up unaided by 24 weeks, and began crawling and cruising at 29 weeks. She was walking with ease by 9 months old.

My friends little boy cannot even roll over at 6 months old because of all the weight he has to shift! lol poor thing.... hopefully he will be able to run it off when he starts walking.

It is so easy to overfeed your child by following what it says on a tin, rather than seeking expert advice on the matter.

Anyway i have said enough on this thread, it is clealy getting alot of peoples backs up!

All of the above, especially the bit in bold, is ridiculous. My daughter was FF from 2 weeks old and was on hungrier baby formula by the time she was 8 weeks old on advice of a HV. She is not fat and never has been and was always either on or just below her average percentile for her age. Just because a baby is FF doesn't mean they will be fat and slow. Grace guzzled formula like there was no tomorrow and at almost 2 only weighs 25 lbs, very small for her age. When Grace was very little I used to take her to get weighed every other week. One time I went a woman was in there getting her baby weighed who was a bit younger than Grace and weighed more. The MW was asking about her feeding habits. And surprise, she breastfed. The MW told her she had to stop feeding on demand or her child would end up being overweight for it's age. So it works both ways...

sorry but shes actually right, the breasts never completely empty even if you think they have. the more your baby suckles the more milk is produced so it is actually worth it. this is why people perservere

as for the second bit she used an EXAMPLE. she didn't say every formula fed baby would be fat. But she has a point, studies have shown that formula fed children generally weigh more and up to the age of 18 there are much higher numbers of child obesity in formula fed children.

 

[Blah11]

Bexy thats really normal for newborns BFing. Its rough but its what every newborn does.

+ It is a fact that BF babys are less likely to be overweight They take what they want where as a lot of FF mums go off the back of the tin whether the baby wants it or not.. they get obsessed with the ozs and if theyre getting enough or not IYKWIM?

++ a HV said to stop feeding a BF baby on demand how on earth would that work?