Questions ?

[lesleyann]

so i am doing some college work of breastfeeding and bottle feeding and i would like to know what you picked and why you picked that type of feeding ?

so i can put it into a book/booklet i am making at college with opinions and facts about both so i thought i would come and ask you lot so maybe sometime the work i am doing at college may help out other mums to be in what they pick rather then feeling they have to bottle feed or have to breast feed..

Many thanks in advance from myself and the other girls on my college course.

 

[Pyrrhic]

I picked bottle feeding over breastfeeding because it felt right to me (I tried both). When pregnant I wanted a natural birth, so it's just a follow on from that really. I want to be able to provide for my daughter myself, because I can. I also feel closer to my daughter and feel as though I have a very close bond with her (not because I BF over FF, but because of the struggles we went through). Also I found bottles, sterilising and formulas a bit of a headache and disliked having to do them. I also co-sleep with my daughter and love the fact I can feed her without having to get up out of bed and try to get bottles ready.

It's just what I prefer, and what works for me. I think, having done both formula and breast feeding, that there is nothing wrong with either.

 

[ryder]

I bottle feed, I attempted BFing but it was far too frustrating IMO. And it was very painful. I also had some health issues after birth, and felt sick... so BFing was just way too much of a struggle for us.

She is perfectly happy bottlefeeding though. I dont find bottles and sterilising a hassle... It takes about 20 mins of my day to do it all... My baby and I have a perfect bond and still get lots of skin to skin contact.

My personal pros and cons of bfing:

Pro

its free

as rawrife said its easy in the night, but my baby has been sleeping through for over a month now.

It can help you lose weight


Con

I didnt want to feed in public

it was painful and frustrating

I was afraid that I would end up spending months doing night feeds as some bfing babies do.

 

[Samantha675]

For me there was no other choice but BFing. I couldn't imagine feeding my son anyother way. I was sooo very lucky that he latched on just after birth, and we had no problems with his latch. My milk came in quickly and we never looked back. I love BFing, it is such an incredible thing, and its hard to describe what I love about it. Don't get me wrong, it is a hard thing to do at first, so exhausting and time consuming and just frustrating. But everytime I imagined giving up I would picture giving him formula, I just couldn't do it. I have no issues with feeding him in public, night nursing is fine by me too. We have been BFing for over 8 months now, and I still love it!

 

[AC81]

I'm breastfeeding and for me there was no other choice, I just always thought I would bf. It was very difficult for the first few days at home and I was in a lot of pain (cracked bleeding nipples, skin flaking off them - it wasn't pretty) and I'm not quite sure how I stuck at it. I think it was because the thought of giving her a bottle to suck on felt so wrong to me personally, although I've started introducing them now. I also co-sleep, and being able to just whip out a boob in the middle of the night is great - definitely the lazier option! Although she's starting to sleep through now, so I am waking up with painfully full breasts. In the early weeks, and even now when she's having a growth spurt, I feel like its all I ever do some days!

 

[alio]

bottle feeding. i loathed the feeling 'trapped' i experienced with breast feeding and i didn't really think the pros far outweighed the cons. it definitely was not for me.

 

[Freya]

8 weeks on I still BF. For me@

Pros:

Cheap & easy

helped me bond and feel close to my LO, also feel a sense of satisfaction and personal achievement.

my uterus shrank like billy-o after giving birth (although who is to say this would have happened anyway)

the reported health benefits (although only time will tell)

Cons,
1st couple of days are a learning curve with nipples a little sore while both mum and bub get hang of it.

Limited social life whilst mum and bub are 'tied' to each other.

No alcohol - eeeek! Lol.

feeding in public.

frequency of feeds is more as breast milk digests quicker.

no one else can take a turn feeding unless you express.

expressing doesn't work for me

 

[Whisper]

For me too breastfeeding was my only option, i couldn't imagine giving her formula. (although i did try it once lol)
I don't have any problems feeding her out and about in public and i don't have to carry around lots of bottles and warming stuff.
Breastfeeding Pro's:

*Free
*Easy to do
*always calms her down
*makes her sleepy!
*good excuse for a cuddle and a sit down
*less chance of tummy upset, milk is always the right temperature and no chances of bugs from not sterilising properly.
*easy night feeds
*healthier & better for my bubs IMO
*weight loss(didnt seem to help me much though)

Con's:

*only i can feed her
*haven't had a night off or an hour away from her since birth (not that i mind)
*always down to me to get up at night
*leaking (doesn't happen anymore though)
*pain in the beginning
*having to think about what top to wear for easy access to the boobies lol

 

[Chellebelle]

I breastfeed and I am starting to express some milk too. I always thought I would breastfeed... it's what I have been brought up around and I always just believed it was the only option for me.

Pros:

Very cheap
Easy to just whip it out and latch him on
Healthiest option for Simeon
Health benefits for me
Easier at night if he is lay beside me I dont even have to move to feed him sometimes
It is a wondeful feeling looking down and seeing my little man staring up at me while he's gulping away

Cons:

Pumping / expressing can be time consuming but for me is necessary as I don't always feel comfortable bfeeding in public and it's nice for my OH to have a go
Those first few days are hard
More difficult to get into a routine

 

[Spartacus]

Breastfeeding for me and my little man. Is everyones choice completely but I am glad I stuck with it as was difficult to start with but thankfully I have lots of milk and it came in quickly and once we mastered the latching on we were sorted I can see why people don't breastfeed especially as it can be frustrating at the beginning and also the trapped feeling.

Pros
helping my little man with my antibodies to help improve his immune system
time just me and him
its free
convenient
my weight has come off quickly

cons

lack of time for yourself if you have a little guzzler!!

i am planning to breastfeed for 6 months so not forever and thankfully having a good amount of milk I express so hubby can give Oliver a bottle of expressed breastmilk before bed time so they get some nice time together too

whichever way is best for baby and mum even if breast or bottle

 

[lesleyann]

thanks for all your replys so far

Alot of the girls on my course when first asked the questions was "EWW im defo bottle feeding"

i want to try and Bf/Express if possible

 

[PeanutBean]

I picked breastfeeding though for me I can't imagine there is a choice unless one runs into great difficulty after trying to breastfeed. It's free, it's always around without needing preparation, it's best for baby and it's natural. It's certainly not always easy. My baby wouldn't take at first and became jandiced after not feeding frequently enough and recently he has become lazy with his latch so I've become sore but we work on it together and it feels great to have a long relaxed feed with no discomfort and my boy totally satisfied and content afterwards.

 

[Sarah88]

I bf. It's best for me and my LO, I have alot of help and support with it and it is afterall best for LO. It's a no brainer for me, I can do it and don't feel uncomfortable doing it

 

[Lucy&Pard]

For me I was just amazed that my body produced this ready to go perfect milk just for my baby that I thought it would be so sad to go and buy a replacement. I always set out to breastfeed its just brilliant and so cool I love it. Wouldnt have it any other way. Plus Ive lost 7lbs in 2 weeks! Not that thats the main reason! Plus the cons dont bother me at all. Natures intention was for the mother to be 'tied' to the baby for a few months IMHO.

 

[bex]

I desperatley wanted to breastfeed but was unable to as Niamh was born with some medical problems so she needs to be tube fed. I expressed breast milk for 4 weeks to put down the tube and she now has formula as expressing milk 8 times in 24 hours was exhausting.
Unfortunately my decision was made for me.