is FF easier than bf?

[eulmh82]

Also haven;t read it through completely but have you seen the doc about mastitis? that's what it could be also - is it in pain because it';s so full? can you express some to relieve some of the pain?

 

[kerrie24]

I have done both and breastfeeding is by far the easier way.No question.

 

[dgirllamius]

I only BF for 4 days because the hospital I was staying at were the most useless bunch of people I've ever met. They never helped me get the hang of it, and even if I did I think I would have quit after a few weeks. It was bad enough for those 4 days, my nipples were red and bleeding and I dreaded feeding time.

Since F I have found it much easier. I didn't like the idea of breastfeeding in public - one moment would have been when we were out at the Christmas market, it was freezing cold and I didn't fancy getting my boob out while my OH enjoyed his bratwurst >.<

Plus it's easier if we're travelling...OH can sit in the back and we can get a move on without needing to stop every 20 minutes. Driving for 13 hours is bad enough let alone adding another 4 on top for feeding or whatever.

I don't regret my decision in choosing FF over BF. It's made me happy and my baby happy. She sleeps well, it's very content and reaching all her milestones before she's meant to. I think I would have gone bonkers if I kept up with BF.

 

[Twinkie210]

I haven't read all the responses, but I would say it all depends on the situation.

I have done both. For me FF was easier at least mentally. BF was very stressful for me. It was painful, he wanted to feed all the time. I only lasted a week with DS #2 and I FF DS #1 from the beginning. But when you FF you have to wash bottles, make formula, and warm it, where milk is always available when BF.

So I think you have to look at the reasons you want to switch to figure out if it would be easier for you.

 

[socitycourty]

I wish I would have supplemented on her first or second day, she was extremely hungry and on the breast literally all day after my emcs, and all night, and the next day. my milk didn't come in for 6 days. the nurses refused to give me formula and also refused to keep her for even an hour so i could rest=after 31 hours of horrific labor and then an emcs. by the time she was 2 weeks old i was hallucinating.

 

[pinksmarties]

I don't think it is mastitis as I don't have any other signs of that, seen by hv this morning who checked my latch and she said it did look good at that time but he may be pulling away after initial latch due to forceful let down. So will keep persevering for now.

I think my mum is supportive but seems more keen for me to move to ff, especially when she realised today I was feeding every 2-3 hours. Initially when I did my original post I was just at the end of a few bad/sleepless days and tbh just wanted someone to say 'do this (bf or ff) and everything will be a breeze'.

I don't have issues with sorting out bottles etc but just didn't want to swap one set of problems for another.

 

[Twinkie210]

Well you will be feeding every 2-3 hrs either way that is just how a newborn eats! And yes there are pros and cons to both ways, if one way was clearly "easier" then the debate to BF or FF would not be so heated

 

[mommy0629]

I don't think it is mastitis as I don't have any other signs of that, seen by hv this morning who checked my latch and she said it did look good at that time but he may be pulling away after initial latch due to forceful let down. So will keep persevering for now.

I think my mum is supportive but seems more keen for me to move to ff, especially when she realised today I was feeding every 2-3 hours. Initially when I did my original post I was just at the end of a few bad/sleepless days and tbh just wanted someone to say 'do this (bf or ff) and everything will be a breeze'.

I don't have issues with sorting out bottles etc but just didn't want to swap one set of problems for another.

As has been covered, each has their pros and cons as far as ease, I just wanted to make sure though that you don't have a false impression of ff babies.
A newborn ff baby will still need to eat about every 3 hours and just because they are on formula doesn't mean they STTN. My lo is almost 4 months and still eats every 3 hours during the say and at night she's just starting to go 5 hours some nights, but more typically still gets up every 4 hours during the night to eat.
Of course, you make the decission that you feel is best for you, I just noticed by this post and one other one that it seems like you're expecting your lo to feed less often if you switched to formula and that's not necessarily going to be the case, so don't base it on that.

 

[Gina91]

I also thought formula can give baby bad belly/wind? I don't know though :/
The best thing about bf is that when LO is crying putting her on the breast will comfort her 99% of the time. I dunno what you can do for formula babies?

Also, in regards to painful nips have you tried nipple shields? They're really handy when you're sore

 

[socitycourty]

I also thought formula can give baby bad belly/wind? I don't know though :/
The best thing about bf is that when LO is crying putting her on the breast will comfort her 99% of the time. I dunno what you can do for formula babies?

Also, in regards to painful nips have you tried nipple shields? They're really handy when you're sore

I can comfort my baby without my boobs. Surprisingly, nursing actually caused her pain instead of relieving it. This is kind of a rude assumption that FF babies can't be comforted.

 

[Eala]

I also thought formula can give baby bad belly/wind? I don't know though :/

So can breastmilk, if baby disagrees with what Mum is eating. Enough babies have issues with cow's milk protein (just for a start) that it's one of the most common questions I see on here regarding feeding. An elimination diet isn't for everyone.

The best thing about bf is that when LO is crying putting her on the breast will comfort her 99% of the time. I dunno what you can do for formula babies?

Just off the top of my head: - rocking, shushing, cuddling, offering a soother should you choose to, singing, walking up and down, baby-wearing... All the things that fathers, siblings, grandparents, and every other carer who doesn't breastfeed the baby use to very successfully comfort them.

 

[mommy0629]

I also thought formula can give baby bad belly/wind? I don't know though :/
The best thing about bf is that when LO is crying putting her on the breast will comfort her 99% of the time. I dunno what you can do for formula babies?

Also, in regards to painful nips have you tried nipple shields? They're really handy when you're sore

See, these are the posts in the FF section that get people on the defense. Of course you can easily sooth a formula fed baby and MANY bf babies have tummy issues and MANY ff babies don't, if you don't know then why did you say that?

 

[aliss]

For my 1st (formula fed), the sling always did the trick. And same for the 2nd, not all breastfed babies are sucky at the breast, he doesn't use it as a pacifier.

 

[Rachel_C]

I haven't gone from BF to FF but I FF my first LO and am BF my second. I would choose BF any day. Both of my kids need feeding the same number of times per day and night. My younger LO actually sleeps better than my first - she is much more likely to 'sleep through' (by that I mean from 11pm or midnight till 6am-ish from several months old). Both were windy babies, both fussed a lot in the early days. Both have wanted feeding little and often rather than one big feed every 4 hours and we've been as baby led as possible in doing that. My older FF LO started sleeping through properly from bedtime (8pm-ish) till morning at around 20 months and I guess my youngest is on track to do similar.

My OH is pretty great but I can count on my fingers (don't need to use my toes!) the number of full nights sleep I had before my older LO started sleeping through (before baby arrived). He always said he would help with night feeds but I always woke first - by the time he was awake enough to get a bottle, LO could be half finished if I did it! I think a lot of men say they will help and fully intend to, but in reality I think mum usually ends up doing most of the feeds still anyway. For me, those ten nights in two years I got a decent sleep aren't worth the extra hassle of making up feeds, plus the extra risks with FF. I'm not talking about the long term benefits of BF either, I mean the need to sterilise, boil water, make up feeds freshly etc.

 

[pinksmarties]

I wasn' necessarily expecting to feed LO less if FF (slightly less overnight maybe) but I know FF babies may still need feeding often and will be baby led as Bf babies are. As for wind, I am going through that atm. He has been extremely unsettled and didn't sleep until 4am last night due to wind and not much today either so I know bf babies aren't necessarily better for wind/colic. I just wanted other opinions as people do seem to be keen to get me onto FF thinking it would be a better option for me. My sister/mum both FF and both suggest it would. I think they think with FF other people could help with the feeding therefore taking some pressure of me.

as for OH, yes he has good intentions. He took LO off me last night to calm him down so I could sleep but only to stay in the bedroom and calm him by doing what worked for him before (lying him on his chest) but this wasn't helping and he just didn't seem to want to take him away. In the end he OH fell asleep and I ended up rocking comforting LO till he finally went to sleep.

 

[Melandmartyn]

I personally think bf is easier! I bf for first 2weeks (had to stop due to poor latch and LO not put on much weight) I found it Alot easier in the night as there is no making up bottles in middle of night and also no winding!!! I used to be up for about 15mins wen bf but with ff it was more like a hour! But on the plus side I started fully ff at 3weeks and my LO has sttn since that day he is now nearly 9weeks! But if I had the option I would of carried on bf! X

 

[aliss]

I wasn' necessarily expecting to feed LO less if FF (slightly less overnight maybe) but I know FF babies may still need feeding often and will be baby led as Bf babies are. As for wind, I am going through that atm. He has been extremely unsettled and didn't sleep until 4am last night due to wind and not much today either so I know bf babies aren't necessarily better for wind/colic. I just wanted other opinions as people do seem to be keen to get me onto FF thinking it would be a better option for me. My sister/mum both FF and both suggest it would. I think they think with FF other people could help with the feeding therefore taking some pressure of me.

as for OH, yes he has good intentions. He took LO off me last night to calm him down so I could sleep but only to stay in the bedroom and calm him by doing what worked for him before (lying him on his chest) but this wasn't helping and he just didn't seem to want to take him away. In the end he OH fell asleep and I ended up rocking comforting LO till he finally went to sleep.

The issue here really does sound like an overactive letdown. I know 2-3 weeks was the worst for mine and now it is almost completely gone. I made bottles with #1 and to be truly honest, waiting out an overactive letdown/minor BF issues is far easier than bottles, it really is. I know your family is trying to help but really, you will still be doing 99% of the work anyways, I think it will just make things more difficult in the future.

 

[clarsair]

I'm not sure i want to try to BF next time to be honest. I couldn't establish a latch with my daughter, had PND and am convinced FF stopped me sliding deeper into depression. I'd had an emergency c-section so was exhausted as well, and my daughter wanted to be fed every 1.5 hours. FF allowed me to share the workload, get some sleep, recover from surgery and take a walk when it got too much.

FF is a hassle with all the bottles that need to be cleaned, sterilized and made-up. And the delay in warming up bottles is annoying during the night when you have a crying baby. And formula gets expensive when they get to weaning age but are drinking a lot of formula. But then again, I've seen the difficulties others have had in returning to work with a baby who won't take a bottle or who take a long time to wean and the physical and emotional strain that can create.

 

[Gina91]

I also thought formula can give baby bad belly/wind? I don't know though :/
The best thing about bf is that when LO is crying putting her on the breast will comfort her 99% of the time. I dunno what you can do for formula babies?

Also, in regards to painful nips have you tried nipple shields? They're really handy when you're sore

See, these are the posts in the FF section that get people on the defense. Of course you can easily sooth a formula fed baby and MANY bf babies have tummy issues and MANY ff babies don't, if you don't know then why did you say that?

I don't mean to offend anyone, I asked the same question but in the bf section last week and a lot of the people there said that formula can cause a bad tummy.

I said it because that's the response I got from asking that question but I don't know from personal experience as I haven't tried it.

 

[Gina91]

I also thought formula can give baby bad belly/wind? I don't know though :/
The best thing about bf is that when LO is crying putting her on the breast will comfort her 99% of the time. I dunno what you can do for formula babies?

Also, in regards to painful nips have you tried nipple shields? They're really handy when you're sore

I can comfort my baby without my boobs. Surprisingly, nursing actually caused her pain instead of relieving it. This is kind of a rude assumption that FF babies can't be comforted.

Eek, sorry. I guess all babies really are different, I should have reworded it as MY baby is pretty much only comforted by boob.