Nipping over from 3rd tri with some questions!!

[kayleigh&bump]

Hi ladies,

Basicially im after some advice if thats ok

Im getting myself into a tizz with the whole bf vs ff saga and just when i think ive decided what im going to do, i get new information or something makes me question myself and my entire plan!

Soooooo... I was wondering if some of you ladies could give me an honest opinion on ff and how you are finding it? Have any of you breastfed aswell and how would you compare the two? How did your mw react when you said you wanted to ff? I know its completely your choice as to how you feed your baby, but im worried that my mw is gunna think less of me if i dont give bf a go?

I did originally want to bf, expressing when im out and about or have people visiting. But after reading more and more about this, i seriously have admiration for the ladies who do this, cos it just seems like my whole time will be feeding... expressing... feeding... and more feeding!! I really dunno if its gunna be for me.

So any advice?? Ive posted something similar in the bf section aswell and hopefully i will get enough replies so i can weight up the pros and cons of each and make an educated decision!

Thanks girlies xx

 

[Mummy~L]

Hi,

I breastfed for the first month but had to give up as Bobby put no weight on in 3 weeks so the health visitor made me switch. I was absolutely gutted as loved bf but just wanted to do what was best for my baby. I tried to carry on doing 1 breast feed a day but my milk dried up within the week.

So switched to formula and I must admit now dont miss bf at all! I found it so much easier and I can now go out and about for longer not having to be home to feed (didnt like feeding in public as was still fairly new at it). Also OH can now feed him now whih he enjoys doing, while he does that gives me a chance to have a soak in the bath Bobby is now thriving which is the most important bit.

If I hadnt of been told to give up bf then I have no doubt that I would still be bf now as found it great for bonding and having my time with baby.

I would reccommend trying bf as you may find you enjoy it, I was very surprised that I did as am a very self concious person. However is you decide to bottle feed dont beat yourself up or feel bullied by your midwife as it is your choiceand what is bet for you! I fully believe in the motto Happy Mummy = Happy Baby

Sorry if I have rambled on a bit and not been any help

xxxxxx

 

[kayleigh&bump]

Thanks for your reply hun. I think if I do breastfeed it will very much be with the attitude that if it doesnt work out, at least I tried. I just really cant get my head around feeding in public, and the fact that even if I wanta break for an evening, I will still need to be expressing. Thats why I think ff feeding might be more for me, but then i kinda think I would feel guilty if I didnt at least give bf a go.

Thanks again, i guess I got a lot of thinking to do! xxx

 

[Mummy~L]

Like you say try it and and if it doesnt work you can at least say I tried. When I was pregnant I brough some botles and ready made milk just in case I didnt bf so was prepared either way!

Hope you decide what is best for you soon. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy xxxx

 

[faille]

I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do whilst pg.

I was never comfortable with the thought of BFing, we had bottles, steriliser and everything for FF. But when the time come, I gave BFing a go and it did feel natural. However, it didn't work out for us and we ended up switching to FF on day 3.

It was definately the best choice for all of us (won't go into that here!).

I don't find doing her bottles "a pain" - it's something that either myself or OH can do. OH loves feeding LO and enables them to have some quality time together, too.

Once you get into some kind of routine with washing/sterilising/making the bottles, it's fine - became second nature to me and I just automatically do it.

Only thing I don't (or should I say, didn't) like was having to heat her bottle up to the right temp (to add powder) whilst she was sitting there crying her eyes out for it. We demand feed so this was quite stressful at first as obviously noone likes hearing their baby cry. BUT, at least I knew how to fix it - she'd scream and cry whilst trying to BF and that I couldn't fix. However, after a couple of weeks we learnt her 'hungry' cues and she become sooooo predictable with her feeding times that we could get a bottle heated and made in advance.

HTH? If you need any more info about specifics then just ask

 

[Rachel_C]

I tried BF and I loved it. Unfortunately LO was jaundiced and the hospital advised us to top up with formula and eventually LO ended up prefering the bottle so we now just use formula. I do find it a pain to make up bottles and miss the feeling that I am all my baby needs, but it is easier in some ways like when you want to go out.

I'd say give BF a go - if it isn't for you, you can easily switch to FF, but if you start off FF and then want to try BF, it isn't so easy!

 

[MommaBunni]

We do both, but moving more to BFing now. When DS was first home, he forgot how to latch and needed formula for three days before we got into a doctor. A week later, we found out I wasn't producing enough, so he wasn't gaining weight. So we BF first, then offered 2-4 ounces of formula after. And boy, did he put weight on after that! He still gets one "big" bottle of formula at night when my milk levels are low or when we go out into public. I love BFing. Really, it is a bonding time for us (even when my nipples are sore) and honest, for the first month, you will be feeding a lot. Breast milk digest easy so it goes quicker as the curds are smaller. Formula produces bigger curds, so you don't feed as often. Which is why we do a bottle at night. I would try BFing first and if you feel like a human cow or need a break, introduce a bottle a day.

Good luck sweetie!

 

[loopdido]

I went in with the try bf and if it didn't work- switch to ff.......it never worked out with Nathan so wasn't expecting to feel different this time.

I bf from birth and she latched on better than my son did.....so carried on - but she was a big baby - 9lb - and she wouldn't settle on bf only (esp as proper milk hadn't come through) so we started top up ff which she loved. But by the time my milk came in she was so liking the way the bottle gave her instant satisfaction she stopped latching and just cried and screamed while at the boob - til we gave her ff!

Another aspect I didn't like was for the 3 days I did bf was the uterus contracting back to size while she was on the boob - it was so painful and uncomfortable that I associated bf with pain and dreaded her next feed - which is obviously not ideal!

I also thought mw would give me a hard time - but she just said - well if your happy, that's the main thing!

 

[loopdido]

I went in with the try bf and if it didn't work- switch to ff.......it never worked out with Nathan so wasn't expecting to feel different this time.

I bf from birth and she latched on better than my son did.....so carried on - but she was a big baby - 9lb - and she wouldn't settle on bf only (esp as proper milk hadn't come through) so we started top up ff which she loved. But by the time my milk came in she was so liking the way the bottle gave her instant satisfaction she stopped latching and just cried and screamed while at the boob - til we gave her ff!

Another aspect I didn't like was for the 3 days I did bf was the uterus contracting back to size while she was on the boob - it was so painful and uncomfortable that I associated bf with pain and dreaded her next feed - which is obviously not ideal!

I also thought mw would give me a hard time - but she just said - well if your happy, that's the main thing!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I wanted to BF but my baby had other ideas so it had to be FF. I've never found getting bottles annoying, like Faille says, it's easier than them trying to BF and crying because they can't...I also agree with her that once you get into a routine with sterilising etc you barely think about it, it's so easy and quick. HOWEVER I use very the expensive ready made formula so powder is probably more inconvenient. Also my baby slept through the night from a very young age so I didn't have to make many bottles in the night which I guess would be way more annoying than getting a boob out.

 

[sobersadie]

You need to work out what will fit in best with your lifestyle. I breastfed my 1st son for 6 weeks and i was like the walking dead - he wanted to fed every hour and i was physically and emotionally exhausted. It really wasnt any 'easier' than FF as it hardlt takes any time to make up bottles. I couldnt leave the house to BF either as when my son was feeding from one boob the other one just poured of milk and i had to sit with a big towel under it to catch all the milk. With my 2nd and 3rd babies i have FF and i was back to 'normal' within a few days and felt so much better. I felt like me again real quick and me and hubby cud share the feeds so i wasnt exhausted especially having the other kids to look after. However, other people wud swear by BF it just didnt work for me. Also when the midwives asked about how i wud feed my 2nd and 3rd babies i just said FF and i dont want to be talked into BF. Been there tried it and it wasnt for me. If u ask the BF thread they are all gonna support BF so best advice wud be to try it and then if it doesnt suit then u can switch to FF (bit difficult to do it the other way round!)

 

[jen26267]

I breast fed Olivia for the first 8 weeks then have switched to formula as going back to work and not had much luck with expressing. I realy enjoyed breast feeding and didnt really have any difficulty. I would have continued if I wasnt going back to work so soon. I found it more rewarding to breast feed as its something only you can do for your baby, and I felt like I was bonding more. I think it also helped me to loose weight, as was back to pre-pregnancy weight in 2 weeks. The disadvantages of breast feeding are that you cant really leave your baby unless you express and that it is very demanding in the first few weeks.

As for formula feeding I suppose the advantages are you can leave your baby with others. I also find that Olivia is in much more of a routine now, and sleeps alot longer during the night. The disadvantages are cost, time taken making up bottles with a baby screaming and Olivia has had much more wind and has been constipated since switching to formula.

I think it's an individual choice, but if your thinking about breastfeeding, give it a go and if it doesnt work, switch to formula. x

 

[steph1505]

I went thru this decision while I was pregnant! I never really felt entirely comfortable with breastfeeding but felt I should give it a go because of I knew it was best for baby. Once Brandon was born, he fed well for the first day but then it was as if he forgot how to latch on and I really struggled after that. After I was allowed home I was a WRECK!! I spent my first nite in hysterical tears because I was so stressed out that I didnt know whether or not I was feeding him properly! So after I did the guilt thing, I switched to formula! My midwife was very supportive and after looking and Brandon she said that he was dehydrated and wasnt feeding properly and should definitly switch to formula!

I have decided that all future children of mine will be formula fed from birth! Its just what I prefer and feel works best for me and my OH!

Its a very personal thing and everybody has different reasons for their choice!

The pros of FF for me is that is did relax me and I could see how much milk Brandon was taking. Also, OH can do feeds, we can leave him to be babysat, Brandon is very much in a routine, and he has slept thru the nite since 6 weeks old.
The main con is the price! And obv it takes more time to sterilise bottles than to whip out a boob! But once I got used to it, its just part of my routine now!!

But as my MW told me, a happy mum makes a happy baby, and as long as your baby is getting fed, it doesnt really matter! So whatever decision u make, know that u are happy with it And know that you will get plenty of support whatever way u decide to feed ur baby!!

Good luck in making your decision...I know it is a hard one x x x

 

[kayleigh&bump]

thanks ladies, everyone on here is so supportive x

 

[lola]

Hey, just wanted to say first of all that you sound like you want to do whats best for your baby so you will make the right decision when the time is right, no one can tell you what that is and its got to work for you.

I bf for 3 months + and my daughter hated it I struggled through endless boughts of oral thrush and her refusing feeds, latching poorly etc, pumping to regain supply when it diminished when she wouldn't latch etc and it was really really hard work! but I really really miss it now I ff (go figure!) it gave me a real sense of bond and closeness to my baby and I knew I was giving her all the nutrients and antibodies etc she needed to set her up for life........but..........it didn't really make her happy I guess!

I would say if you are comfortable enough give it a go, even if it is just for a day and she gets some clostrum (sp?) and if it doesn't work out, don't worry! you'll be a great Mum by the sounds of things good luck xxxx

 

[RJ01]

Hi hun I agree with some of the pp about giving it a try I bf for 4 months and loved it I run my own business so had to give up as I did not have time to bf as going on to 4 hourly bottles was a little easier, well with feeding anyway as I use ready made cartons but you do have to wash and steralise bottles but I had to anyway when I pumped.
I think if bf works for you then you will enjoy it I realy did but don't worry if it doesn't work out at least you gave it a try.
It can be hard the first few days and I think it took about 2 weeks before I was really settled but once you have it sussed it really is second nature.
Good luck in what you decide motherhood is fantastic so don't worry too much about how you will feed just enjoy. x

 

[Klb8916]

I BF for the first two weeks. The first week was great but the second week was really hard my LO forgot how to latch on and I got sore and cried ALOT! My midwife was really supportive when I rang her up in tears and told her I couldn't do it anymore. I decided to introduce Formula a few bottles a day and express a few a day. After a few days my LO decided she didn't like the expressed milk so I now only FF.

After a few days of making up bottles etc me and the OH were a pro at it and now I don't think about it we just get them done with out even thinking about it.

The one downside of FF is having to plan before you go out. How many bottles you need etc which with BF you have everything you need right there!

You need to do what you feel happiest with.

Happy mum=Happy Baby. (thats what my midwife told me)