For the BF mums, why did you choose to BF, esp if you found it tough at first?

[Kota]

To be honest, NOT choosing to breastfeed is something I never heard of until I registered here on BnB (no joke). The concept of a woman choosing formula aside from medical circumstances is something that is not done in my family. So for me, the question "why did you choose BF" is a weird one!

Same! I never 'chose' to breastfeed, to me, thats just what you do. We're mammals, mammals feed their young their own milk. For me it was a no brainer.
It absolutely broke my heart to have to give P formula at the hospital because he had an undiagnosed TT and wasn't feeding enough so his blood sugar levels were getting dangerously low. I cried watching the MW force a bottle down him and then him throw it back up everywhere.

P came home from hospital combi feeding, and the next 5wks were spent expressing, combi feeding using nipple shields, and speaking to everyone we could to finally get his TT sorted out. at 5wks we went cold turkey on the formula and nearly 12months later he's still a breastfed baby.

 

[charlotteb24]

I'm going to be completely honest wih everyone here, the more i read about breast feeding after having fed my son on formula the more put off i am getting. If its not breast feeding mums complaning about inadiquate areas in public places to privatly sit and nurse their child, its the continual up hill struggle stories on here where people are struggling to cope with the demand of a small baby, the problems with technique, the problems with no producing, the depression and feelings od inadiquateness when it doesn't go right for people and it makes me wonder other than it supposedly being better if its really worth it? My son is ahead of his years in development, is rarely ill these days and was no trouble to wean etc. All of which they suggest FF babies struggle with.
I worry that i will struggle like so many others currently do on top of trying to provide for my son at the same time. I can see it causing jealousy issues if new baby wants to cluster feed, i can see it causing sleepless nights with no sleep during the day as i have a toddler to keep up with.
I never found sterilizing bottles and preparing milk a problem, the bottles stay sterile in the sterilizer for upt 24 hours anyway!
I was so for breast feeding this time around too and already the guilt of coming to the conclusion again that i probably wont is making me feel less of a woman. I think thats unfair that society make me feel like this cos its not anyone else making me feel that way is it if you think about it?

I whole heartedly admire women who do it, i really really do but i've now come to theconclusion that it will make everything a lot harder than it already will be! why make it harder for myself? this way i can have more time to share equally with both boys as one wont be perminantly attached to me. Plus i have the step kids to look after too its just not going to work is it?

 

[xemmax]

I'm going to be completely honest wih everyone here, the more i read about breast feeding after having fed my son on formula the more put off i am getting. If its not breast feeding mums complaning about inadiquate areas in public places to privatly sit and nurse their child, its the continual up hill struggle stories on here where people are struggling to cope with the demand of a small baby, the problems with technique, the problems with no producing, the depression and feelings od inadiquateness when it doesn't go right for people and it makes me wonder other than it supposedly being better if its really worth it? My son is ahead of his years in development, is rarely ill these days and was no trouble to wean etc. All of which they suggest FF babies struggle with.
I worry that i will struggle like so many others currently do on top of trying to provide for my son at the same time. I can see it causing jealousy issues if new baby wants to cluster feed, i can see it causing sleepless nights with no sleep during the day as i have a toddler to keep up with.
I never found sterilizing bottles and preparing milk a problem, the bottles stay sterile in the sterilizer for upt 24 hours anyway!
I was so for breast feeding this time around too and already the guilt of coming to the conclusion again that i probably wont is making me feel less of a woman. I think thats unfair that society make me feel like this cos its not anyone else making me feel that way is it if you think about it?

I whole heartedly admire women who do it, i really really do but i've now come to theconclusion that it will make everything a lot harder than it already will be! why make it harder for myself? this way i can have more time to share equally with both boys as one wont be perminantly attached to me. Plus i have the step kids to look after too its just not going to work is it?

i think it's just that if you have an easy ride there's no reason to keep talking about it, whereas if you have struggled you share your problems so that people can help, but it certainly is NOT the case for everyone that breastfeeding has a rough start.

this is my breastfeeding story.

oliver was born, i was a bit doolally after the drugs and i said "can i feed him?" and the midwife said "of course you can" so i put him to my breast and he fed.

the following day he fed again and again and again and about 18 hours post birth the midwife asked me whether she could check my latch. i had fed him on my own for those 18 hours just fine. i agreed, she checked, and she said "your areola should be more in his mouth, does it hurt?" and i said "no, i just have massive nipples" rofl and she said to just carry on. i carried on doing it my way. we then came home and i carried on feeding him, i have never had soreness, cracked nipples, worries about his weight, nothing. it could not have gone better.

people are just less inclined to share their story if it's all problem free because they don't need advice, if you see what i mean. i wouldn't write breastfeeding off until you've tried it as you could have a completely hassle free time and wonder why you ever bothered making up bottles before! i guess you never know until you try something.

 

[Midsomer]

I'm going to be completely honest wih everyone here, the more i read about breast feeding after having fed my son on formula the more put off i am getting. If its not breast feeding mums complaning about inadiquate areas in public places to privatly sit and nurse their child, its the continual up hill struggle stories on here where people are struggling to cope with the demand of a small baby, the problems with technique, the problems with no producing, the depression and feelings od inadiquateness when it doesn't go right for people and it makes me wonder other than it supposedly being better if its really worth it? My son is ahead of his years in development, is rarely ill these days and was no trouble to wean etc. All of which they suggest FF babies struggle with.
I worry that i will struggle like so many others currently do on top of trying to provide for my son at the same time. I can see it causing jealousy issues if new baby wants to cluster feed, i can see it causing sleepless nights with no sleep during the day as i have a toddler to keep up with.
I never found sterilizing bottles and preparing milk a problem, the bottles stay sterile in the sterilizer for upt 24 hours anyway!
I was so for breast feeding this time around too and already the guilt of coming to the conclusion again that i probably wont is making me feel less of a woman. I think thats unfair that society make me feel like this cos its not anyone else making me feel that way is it if you think about it?

I whole heartedly admire women who do it, i really really do but i've now come to theconclusion that it will make everything a lot harder than it already will be! why make it harder for myself? this way i can have more time to share equally with both boys as one wont be perminantly attached to me. Plus i have the step kids to look after too its just not going to work is it?

i think it's just that if you have an easy ride there's no reason to keep talking about it, whereas if you have struggled you share your problems so that people can help, but it certainly is NOT the case for everyone that breastfeeding has a rough start.

this is my breastfeeding story.

oliver was born, i was a bit doolally after the drugs and i said "can i feed him?" and the midwife said "of course you can" so i put him to my breast and he fed.

the following day he fed again and again and again and about 18 hours post birth the midwife asked me whether she could check my latch. i had fed him on my own for those 18 hours just fine. i agreed, she checked, and she said "your areola should be more in his mouth, does it hurt?" and i said "no, i just have massive nipples" rofl and she said to just carry on. i carried on doing it my way. we then came home and i carried on feeding him, i have never had soreness, cracked nipples, worries about his weight, nothing. it could not have gone better.

people are just less inclined to share their story if it's all problem free because they don't need advice, if you see what i mean. i wouldn't write breastfeeding off until you've tried it as you could have a completely hassle free time and wonder why you ever bothered making up bottles before! i guess you never know until you try something.

When I was at hospital I had it written in my notes reluctance to call us to show she can feed. I had no problems so felt no need to call them, when I was at home MW and HV did nothing but praise us and say what naturals LO and I were.

 

[xemmax]

I'm going to be completely honest wih everyone here, the more i read about breast feeding after having fed my son on formula the more put off i am getting. If its not breast feeding mums complaning about inadiquate areas in public places to privatly sit and nurse their child, its the continual up hill struggle stories on here where people are struggling to cope with the demand of a small baby, the problems with technique, the problems with no producing, the depression and feelings od inadiquateness when it doesn't go right for people and it makes me wonder other than it supposedly being better if its really worth it? My son is ahead of his years in development, is rarely ill these days and was no trouble to wean etc. All of which they suggest FF babies struggle with.
I worry that i will struggle like so many others currently do on top of trying to provide for my son at the same time. I can see it causing jealousy issues if new baby wants to cluster feed, i can see it causing sleepless nights with no sleep during the day as i have a toddler to keep up with.
I never found sterilizing bottles and preparing milk a problem, the bottles stay sterile in the sterilizer for upt 24 hours anyway!
I was so for breast feeding this time around too and already the guilt of coming to the conclusion again that i probably wont is making me feel less of a woman. I think thats unfair that society make me feel like this cos its not anyone else making me feel that way is it if you think about it?

I whole heartedly admire women who do it, i really really do but i've now come to theconclusion that it will make everything a lot harder than it already will be! why make it harder for myself? this way i can have more time to share equally with both boys as one wont be perminantly attached to me. Plus i have the step kids to look after too its just not going to work is it?

i think it's just that if you have an easy ride there's no reason to keep talking about it, whereas if you have struggled you share your problems so that people can help, but it certainly is NOT the case for everyone that breastfeeding has a rough start.

this is my breastfeeding story.

oliver was born, i was a bit doolally after the drugs and i said "can i feed him?" and the midwife said "of course you can" so i put him to my breast and he fed.

the following day he fed again and again and again and about 18 hours post birth the midwife asked me whether she could check my latch. i had fed him on my own for those 18 hours just fine. i agreed, she checked, and she said "your areola should be more in his mouth, does it hurt?" and i said "no, i just have massive nipples" rofl and she said to just carry on. i carried on doing it my way. we then came home and i carried on feeding him, i have never had soreness, cracked nipples, worries about his weight, nothing. it could not have gone better.

people are just less inclined to share their story if it's all problem free because they don't need advice, if you see what i mean. i wouldn't write breastfeeding off until you've tried it as you could have a completely hassle free time and wonder why you ever bothered making up bottles before! i guess you never know until you try something.

When I was at hospital I had it written in my notes reluctance to call us to show she can feed. I had no problems so felt no need to call them, when I was at home MW and HV did nothing but praise us and say what naturals LO and I were.

yay, well done! see, there are many breastfeeding stories which are positive right from the beginning, they just aren't as common on this kind of forum. i really had no idea about breastfeeding, it was oliver who knew what he was doing, and i just let him at it. if he could have undone my bra then i doubt he'd have needed me at all!

 

[ellie]

i too found it a strange question to answer, for me it never felt like a choice, I could not think of a single reason i would want to FF. BF I thought would feel like a continuation of the nurturing and connection LO gets in the womb, there are jsut so many reasons there is not enough room / time to list them
However when birth did not go as planned, LO was FF'd in the NICU and I was encouraged to give him bottles, he Hated them and mostly refused them and they forced it down him through a tube if I ever asked to try bf'ing him I was mostly told I didnt have enough milk and he'd have to be built up on FF because he was poorly.
I will be totally honest here (about MY feelings only) - it felt to me just totally wrong to be shoving an artificial teat in his mouth and feeding him that milk, which he didnt want anyway. So that confirmed to me that I wanted to BF and I told the nurses this and eventually someone helped us and we got it going. And here we are 14 months later still bf'ing We have only had a few minor proiblems really, latching at first (he'd got used to bottles), a few bouts of thrush, biting when teeth came, but nothing we havent been able to work through pretty easily.

As for those who are now worrying about BF 'making it harder for yourself', please try not to worry, for the majority who BF it's pretty much fine, you only hear about the bad stuff mainly and not about the huge amount of good stuff about it. And to me, the thought of FF was a million times harder - I'd never get my head around all the equipment you need, all the rituals you have to go through to do it properly, not to mention the getting out of bed at night to do it - no thanks I think ff'ing is way harder

Oh and I kept being told about how unlikely it was that I would be able to do it / have enough milk / carry on, so partly I chose to keep going because I can be a bit stubborn and wanted to prove them wrong I had originally thought I would stop at about 1 but now we are self weaning whenever he decides to, though no signs of that happening!

(NB anything I say here is my opinion only about how I feel, in no way is it critical of anyone who does FF due to necessity or who chooses to ff...)

 

[hel_5]

I'm going to be completely honest wih everyone here, the more i read about breast feeding after having fed my son on formula the more put off i am getting. If its not breast feeding mums complaning about inadiquate areas in public places to privatly sit and nurse their child, its the continual up hill struggle stories on here where people are struggling to cope with the demand of a small baby, the problems with technique, the problems with no producing, the depression and feelings od inadiquateness when it doesn't go right for people and it makes me wonder other than it supposedly being better if its really worth it? My son is ahead of his years in development, is rarely ill these days and was no trouble to wean etc. All of which they suggest FF babies struggle with.
I worry that i will struggle like so many others currently do on top of trying to provide for my son at the same time. I can see it causing jealousy issues if new baby wants to cluster feed, i can see it causing sleepless nights with no sleep during the day as i have a toddler to keep up with.
I never found sterilizing bottles and preparing milk a problem, the bottles stay sterile in the sterilizer for upt 24 hours anyway!
I was so for breast feeding this time around too and already the guilt of coming to the conclusion again that i probably wont is making me feel less of a woman. I think thats unfair that society make me feel like this cos its not anyone else making me feel that way is it if you think about it?

I whole heartedly admire women who do it, i really really do but i've now come to theconclusion that it will make everything a lot harder than it already will be! why make it harder for myself? this way i can have more time to share equally with both boys as one wont be perminantly attached to me. Plus i have the step kids to look after too its just not going to work is it?

I breastfed my eldest and found it really easy, so im now b/fing my LO, i dont think my DD1 feels any more left out because i b/f than if i had chosen to ff, infact i always have one hand free which means i can give her a cuddle/help feed/play with her whilst i am feeding. unless your OH is home a lot or you have lots of family close by (which i dont) to feed LO then IMO theres not much difference x

 

[Ley]

I FF my first 2 but am bf my third. I always thought ff would be easier because others could help with feeds etc but after exclusively breastfeeding I now know how wrong I was.
When baby is hungry I can just put her on the boob. There is no worrying about preparing feeds and making sure they are the right temperature etc...
When she wakes at night I don't even need to leave my bed, I can just get her from her crib and lay her next to me and we both doze while feeding.
I suffered severe pnd with my other 2 but this time I feel breastfeeding is helping me feel better.
I feel good about myself knowing that, although it was painful to begin with, I persevered and in doing so I am giving my baby the best.

I am so glad that breastfeeding has worked for us this time, I don't regret ff my other 2 and I understand how sometimes the pressure to breastfeed can make you not want to do it as I felt this way myself.

However, for me, breastfeeding has been an amazing experience and I am looking forward to carrying on for the next few months.

 

[dacosta]

i had a terrible time bf-ing - got undiagnosed thrush for about a month and was in tears at every feed - i dreading feeing my lo and i do honestly believe it damaged our relationship at the beginning.

after eventually diagnosing myself and getting fluconazole prescribed i finally got to a point where it was pain free but whilst i bf then for 5 months exclusively - gave up at 6 mnths when i went back to work - i wont be doing it again if it gets painful like that. it's just not worth it.

i've seen my friends ff and they seem to have so much more freedom - i just struggled the whole time.

i stuck with it so my lo could have the best start in life and i'll try the second time around but i doubt i'll stick with it for so long especially if it's as painful as the first time around. i'm not putting me or my lo through that again.

 

[Mizze]

In now 3 weeks in - cant really remember the first few days - they werent the easiest and 1 nipple became a bit sore but I just rubbed vasaline on them both after each feed and now I dont have any issues. Am so glad I didnt give up and move to formula - I never liked the idea - its costly for a start and BF is free. It can feel a little restricting but the bonding is amazing -well worth it.

Have done 1 ebm bottle - god what a faff - all that sterilizing and checking temperature etc - really glad I dont have to do that in the middle of the night.

I chose BF because its better for LO, better for me and its what boobs are for. Being a bit of a scrooge I also begrudge paying for something that I can do for free!

Mizze

 

[chocolate]

I choose to bf because its natural, human milk, immunity benefits, free, less faffing at night.
I fed DS1 and feel I have to give the same to DS2 even though it means Im really tired, up in the night seeing to both of them at times, takes up all my evenings, means I have to be careful what I eat, cant go out as easily like I could do on formula, have to guess a lot of the time if he is getting what he needs etc.

The thing that really gets me through is knowing it isnt forever and Ill miss it once it stops, and Kellymom site is so great for getting rid of the desire to switch to formula as it gives you an insight to why things happen with breastfeeding and why its beneficial to battle through. Without that site I think Id have stopped or introduced a formula feed at night, but Im proud that Ive battled on, putting my desires and need for more sleep last.

I guess Id struggle with guilt of stopping if I or my baby really wernt ready to stop too

 

[silver_penny]

I bf bc I am lazy, cheap and stubborn!

Lazy: dont have to deal with cleaning bottles, packing bottles n water everywhere, mixing formula, and everything else involved w ff. I also dont have to worry about exercising as much

cheap: bf'ing is basically free (just pay for the extra food that I eat, and I must admit, I enjoy the extra food, without the weight consequence!)

Stubborn: With my first, it hurt like hell the first four weeks, to the point I would cry and hesitate to latch him on. However, I knew bf'ing was best for him and me, so I stuck to it. I'm not one to back down on a challenge, especially when the end results are super. I also don't care what ppl around me think of me bf'ing, which is why I'm still bf'ing my DS1 even though my mil has made "too old" comments. I told her that I would be feeding him until he was at least 2 yrs old.

 

[summer rain]

I'm going to be completely honest wih everyone here, the more i read about breast feeding after having fed my son on formula the more put off i am getting. If its not breast feeding mums complaning about inadiquate areas in public places to privatly sit and nurse their child, its the continual up hill struggle stories on here where people are struggling to cope with the demand of a small baby, the problems with technique, the problems with no producing, the depression and feelings od inadiquateness when it doesn't go right for people and it makes me wonder other than it supposedly being better if its really worth it? My son is ahead of his years in development, is rarely ill these days and was no trouble to wean etc. All of which they suggest FF babies struggle with.
I worry that i will struggle like so many others currently do on top of trying to provide for my son at the same time. I can see it causing jealousy issues if new baby wants to cluster feed, i can see it causing sleepless nights with no sleep during the day as i have a toddler to keep up with.
I never found sterilizing bottles and preparing milk a problem, the bottles stay sterile in the sterilizer for upt 24 hours anyway!
I was so for breast feeding this time around too and already the guilt of coming to the conclusion again that i probably wont is making me feel less of a woman. I think thats unfair that society make me feel like this cos its not anyone else making me feel that way is it if you think about it?

I whole heartedly admire women who do it, i really really do but i've now come to theconclusion that it will make everything a lot harder than it already will be! why make it harder for myself? this way i can have more time to share equally with both boys as one wont be perminantly attached to me. Plus i have the step kids to look after too its just not going to work is it?

I think a lot of women being so unsure if they are doing things right when BF and thus asking for advice here is due to society as well; to be honest through four children I have only come across a couple of HV/MWs who believe that the vast majority of women do have enough milk and don't need to top up; the majority believe most women don't produce enough milk or that getting BF right is physically too hard. Most health professionals don't have the first clue about BF.

That aside have you seen the FF section in here? The ladies there are dealing with very similar concerns and its fine if the first formula you try is fine for LO but what if it isn't? What if a baby has reflux or allergies? Then FF can be very hard and the way the NHS is it can often be months before a suitable formula or other treatment is prescribed; I know many babies where they finally got things sorted at 10 or 11 months; thats a lot of sleepless nights, poor weight gain, dealing with vomiting/diarrhoea etc etc. So FF can have its serious problems and drawbacks as well and there is no way of fixing those problems by making subtle changes to your diet as there is with BF.

Also even though in the first few weeks your baby may be 'permanently' attached to you (and this may not be the case; not all BF babies cluster feed or feed for hours on end a large number are efficient feeders from the get go); with a bit of practice you can easily give time and attention to your other child more easily than FF, BF is very easy to do one handed; unless you're going to prop the bottle, FF is not. I have three younger kids and am a SAHM, I also home educate my two eldest children and my 3.5 year old likes to join in. My son is six weeks old now and we restarted the home education about two or three weeks ago; it really hasn't been any more hectic than usual and I can be feeding him with one hand and helping my other LOs to spell something with the other. Also my LO doesn't have any colic or reflux problems (of course you can have these when BF but many BF babies don't) and he brings up his wind immediately when held upright during/after being fed, he also goes to sleep very easily and is generally very contented much more so than most FF babies I have seen. This all adds up to a lot of extra time during the day to spend with my other LOs.

I formula fed my second youngest from 3.5 months and it was like I suddenly 'lost' a hand! I could no longer go on forums etc typing with one hand or do anything else such as putting laundry on the airer, as both hands were in use; and as my son had to be on a thickened formula for medical reasons; even with a large teat hole it took ages for each feed. FF is only more convenient if your other half or other relatives are available AND willing to give most of the feeds; which in most cases they are not. Even if I didn't have medical reasons to BF (my LO has suspected allergies which would mean he'd have to have a hypoallergenic prescription only formula which doctors are loathe to prescribe without you trying every other formula invented first), and I didn't feel there was medical benefits if science said BF and FF are identical in that regard, I would BF anyway. Each to their own but any problems we have had when BF are minor compared to the benefits and ease for us as a family. My husband was brought up in a fully FF family and now he couldn't see us doing anything other than BF.

 

[Srrme]

I'm going to be completely honest wih everyone here, the more i read about breast feeding after having fed my son on formula the more put off i am getting. If its not breast feeding mums complaning about inadiquate areas in public places to privatly sit and nurse their child, its the continual up hill struggle stories on here where people are struggling to cope with the demand of a small baby, the problems with technique, the problems with no producing, the depression and feelings od inadiquateness when it doesn't go right for people and it makes me wonder other than it supposedly being better if its really worth it? My son is ahead of his years in development, is rarely ill these days and was no trouble to wean etc. All of which they suggest FF babies struggle with.
I worry that i will struggle like so many others currently do on top of trying to provide for my son at the same time. I can see it causing jealousy issues if new baby wants to cluster feed, i can see it causing sleepless nights with no sleep during the day as i have a toddler to keep up with.
I never found sterilizing bottles and preparing milk a problem, the bottles stay sterile in the sterilizer for upt 24 hours anyway!
I was so for breast feeding this time around too and already the guilt of coming to the conclusion again that i probably wont is making me feel less of a woman. I think thats unfair that society make me feel like this cos its not anyone else making me feel that way is it if you think about it?

I whole heartedly admire women who do it, i really really do but i've now come to theconclusion that it will make everything a lot harder than it already will be! why make it harder for myself? this way i can have more time to share equally with both boys as one wont be perminantly attached to me. Plus i have the step kids to look after too its just not going to work is it?

i think it's just that if you have an easy ride there's no reason to keep talking about it, whereas if you have struggled you share your problems so that people can help, but it certainly is NOT the case for everyone that breastfeeding has a rough start.

this is my breastfeeding story.

oliver was born, i was a bit doolally after the drugs and i said "can i feed him?" and the midwife said "of course you can" so i put him to my breast and he fed.

the following day he fed again and again and again and about 18 hours post birth the midwife asked me whether she could check my latch. i had fed him on my own for those 18 hours just fine. i agreed, she checked, and she said "your areola should be more in his mouth, does it hurt?" and i said "no, i just have massive nipples" rofl and she said to just carry on. i carried on doing it my way. we then came home and i carried on feeding him, i have never had soreness, cracked nipples, worries about his weight, nothing. it could not have gone better.

people are just less inclined to share their story if it's all problem free because they don't need advice, if you see what i mean. i wouldn't write breastfeeding off until you've tried it as you could have a completely hassle free time and wonder why you ever bothered making up bottles before! i guess you never know until you try something.

Ditto. Breastfeeding has been so easy for me too. My son was born 11 weeks early, and was fed my expressed breast milk through a tube and by bottle while he was in the NICU for 2 months -- but as soon as he came home, I started breastfeeding. He latched on well, and is gaining weight perfectly. He's now 7 pounds 3 ounces. I also haven't had cracked nipples, soreness, etc. Everyone kept telling me it would hurt in the beginning, but it didn't.

I am also not sleep deprived, even though he wakes up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours each night to feed (and I don't nap during the day and feel totally fine). It's a lot easier for me to breastfeed him at night, rather than have to get up out of bed and prepare a bottle (something I had to do while in the hospital rooming in). I enjoy my LO being "permanently attached" to me, especially at this age.

 

[Mrs Muffin]

Bf was hard to start with because he had jaundice and was too sleepy to stay awake to feed. The nurses in the children's department (he was admitted for jaundice and then weightloss) showed me how to pump and LO was supplemented with donated bm till we got the hang of bf and he started gaining weight. It was a hard regime of trying to feed him pumping and feeding the bm every 3 hours so I only got the odd hour of sleep at first. It was so worth it though.
I believe formula milk should only be used if you have a medical problem that prevents you from feeding or you couldn't feed due to insufficient help. I was lucky, I received good help. It shouldn't be used as a lifestyle choice in my opinion. It is the best choice for the baby hands down.

 

[summer rain]

Thats really good that your hospital supported you through the jaundice with helping you to keep BF and giving you the option of donated milk; mine sent me home the first night he was in the phototherapy incubator and insisted on putting him on a drip for 6 hours and giving him one bottle of formula which I still feel awful about. The underlying feeling they had was he musn't have been getting enough from me. The only 'benefit' of them giving him formula is through that I realised it doesn't agree with him and I have eliminated all dairy products from my diet very early on. They realised on the second day/night that the formula and glucose did nada to bring down his levels any quicker; and they ended up dropping most quickly when I fed him myself when I came in the next day, and they weighed him and he gained 3oz during the course of that day as well as his levels dropping significantly overnight minus the lights as I was feeding him constantly, so they had to eat humble pie. I had experience of similar with my eldest as well because jaundice runs in my family no matter how the baby is fed or how well fed and they just don't get this. I also had an outpatients consultant try to get me to top up with formula when he was 2.5 weeks to flush the jaundice out 'quicker' despite him having gained 7 or 8oz in 4 days, in his mind it wasn't possible a BF baby was getting enough food/fluids. Of course I didn't do it.

 

[venusrockstar]

I chose to breastfeed because there are so many health benefits for both me and my daughter, as well as being able to establish a strong bond with her. I had a horrible time getting started and it took me about 2 months to get all my bf'ing problems ironed out. I had a low supply and started on Fenugreek and it's been amazing ever since. But, those first 8 weeks were HELL. I literally cried everynight thinking I couldn't do it or that my milk was crap. I was attending breastfeeding clinics every week and was finally referred to a lactation consultant who finally was able to help me.

I'm so glad I've stuck with it because the closeness I feel with my daughter is amazing, not to mention that I am giving her the best nutrients I can...all from me. On Feb 10th, I will have made it to 7 months of breastfeeding and I plan to go at least a year and hopefully longer.

 

[Dragonfly]

2years for me today and so glad I tried it.

 

[greenlady]

Dragonfly - happy birthday to your little boy!

For me I just sort of assumed I would BF, seemed like the natural thing to do, my mum BF'd 4 children and tbh I didn't consider any other option. I now know more about all the health benfits etc and apart from all the convenince, cost-effectiveness etc I just love the bond I have with my daughter while breastfeeding her.

However we had a bit of a rough start, cluster feedings, cracked nipples, difficulty latching especially at night (the nights were so hard at first). Then a bit of mastitis followed by very painful thrush.... as someone above said I was too stubborn to give in, it was like a carrot dangling: 'it does get better', and I had no choice but to chase that carrot. It really did get better, around 8 weeks, and I think the best time for BFing was 4-6 months.

Now at 10 months, its almost getting a bit harder again. She has always been distractable but lately she is almost impossible to keep still while feeding, except first thing in the morning. My supply is going down as she doesn't take as much milk. I am at work 3 days a week and pumping twice a day there, and while I'm at work she has EBM and some formula in bottles. So she's now being fussy with the breast when I'm not at work because I think she's starting to prefer bottles.

But that's by the by, I'm so glad I persevered and I love BFing, I want to get to at least a year then see how it goes.

 

[mummyclo]

It was a nice feeling to feel like i was nourishing him myself...unfortunately that wasn't the case and have now switched, but i did like it and hope to do it for longer with the next baby