Why did you choose to BF/FF

[BunnyFace]

I hope this doesnt turn into an argument but i was just curious to know why you chose to BF/FF your LOs.
I know some ladies wanted to BF but couldnt for various reasons but im really interested as there are so many opinions these days.
I chose to BF because of the many benefits for both LO and me plus the easy access and no hassle of bottles and sterilising. I also like the closeness and the fact that i alone provide all the nutrition my LO needs and seeing her put on weight and knowing that was all me is just amazing. That my body is still helping her grow and develop even though she is no longer inside me.

 

[claire99991]

i tried to BF with my 1st child she wouldnt latch on and was just screaming in hunger i got no support from the MW's they told me that i wasnt allowed to take her home until i had established some kind of feeding with her (my mum had just died in that hospital and i just wanted to go home ) so i sobbed get me a bottle then and took it from there, with my 2nd i was afraid of the same thing happening again and just FF him,

they are both happy and healthy and im pleased with that x

 

[honey08]

i was all set to BF , had everything sorted bought breast pump etc etc but i had a section and the pain and pressure after was just awful i cudnt even hold him, so then i agreed to OH to give him a bottle, a day later he was feeding at all just taking 30mil ( still in hospital ) day3 i was still in agony and just carried on tryin to get him to have a bottle x

 

[BunnyFace]

i tried to BF with my 1st child she wouldnt latch on and was just screaming in hunger i got no support from the MW's they told me that i wasnt allowed to take her home until i had established some kind of feeding with her (my mum had just died in that hospital and i just wanted to go home ) so i sobbed get me a bottle then and took it from there, with my 2nd i was afraid of the same thing happening again and just FF him,

they are both happy and healthy and im pleased with that x

Im so sorry about your mum And about the MWs
I also got no support from MWs at the hospital, i was just lucky that my LO seemed to know what she was doing.

 

[wantmoresleep]

I chose to BF for pretty much the same reasons as you...the biggy was the health benefits and the closeness. However, 2 other major factors were that I was lazy (sterilizing and washing bottles ugh!!) and tight (mama's milk is free!!). I only ever wanted to BF for 6 months and we just changed over last week to formula and I hate hate hate washing bottles!!!!!

 

[Serene123]

I was freaked out by breastfeeding when I was pregnant, but when my baby was on my chest, looking into my eyes I just wanted to feed her. No benefits, no best, just nature.

 

[wantmoresleep]

i tried to BF with my 1st child she wouldnt latch on and was just screaming in hunger i got no support from the MW's they told me that i wasnt allowed to take her home until i had established some kind of feeding with her (my mum had just died in that hospital and i just wanted to go home ) so i sobbed get me a bottle then and took it from there, with my 2nd i was afraid of the same thing happening again and just FF him,

they are both happy and healthy and im pleased with that x

Im so sorry about your mum And about the MWs
I also got no support from MWs at the hospital, i was just lucky that my LO seemed to know what she was doing.

Me too..MW in hospital weren't interested. LO latched straight away and we never had any probs. No pain or anything...very very lucky

 

[wantmoresleep]

I was freaked out by breastfeeding when I was pregnant, but when my baby was on my chest, looking into my eyes I just wanted to feed her. No benefits, no best, just nature.

Lovely xx

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

I wanted to BF but due to lack of support it didn't happen
x

 

[Cattia]

To be honest it never really occured to me to do anything other than BF. The vast majority of people I know who have babies BF, my mum BF me, it just seemed like the 'normal' thing to do to me. I had some trouble with LO latching at the start, but even then the thought of giving a bottle just never crossed my mind, I don't mean that in any kind of self righteous way, I mean it really never occured to me, and none of the midwives suggested it. I have since learned that I was very lucky, I had great support and I spent two nights at a birth centre when I left hospital where the staff were literally on call all night long and would spend hours and hours helping with BF, so although I didn't realise it at the time, I actually had a great experience which I am sure made a lot of difference with the inevitable problems in the early days. I thought everyonre got that level of support but reading on here I see that I was very very fortunate.

 

[xxxleeleexxx]

i feel i was a little bit cheated. i really wanted to BF but i had to have EMCS and had complications so she had to be fed whist i was still in theatre. she took 130ml on her first feed! lil piglet. i was still ill for 3 days later but i tried for 3 weeks. she wasnt having any of it tho, once she knew she could get as much as she wanted from a bottle that was it! i managed 3oz BM occasionally tho and that was on a good day!
she now hates formula and had to switch to cows milk!

 

[dani_tinks]

I was unsure on BF until I had him in my arms, but due to a traumatic afterbirth, being drugged up (very very bad SPD) and not being able to latch straight away it just didn't happen, neither of us could do it and it was making such a happy moment even more traumatising. So forumla it was, we still have the closeness and snuggle when it's feed time so no regrets.

I was also very much pressured to BF by nurses and midwifes and tbh they made me feel like a failure
I did manage to express my milk for over a month, so he did get both for a while, But still, we're both very happy now!

 

[OmarsMum]

I was also set to bf, but I had traumatic emergency CS. I tried to BF but Lo couldnt latch on. They pressured me at the hospital to bf, but after 18 hrs without feeds, my LO developed severe jaundice & was formula fed by a srynge. This put me off bfing, & I gave him a bottle when we reached home & he happily took it. I tried to pump but I didnt have any milk.

 

[Kota]

It was never a 'choice' I made, at least not a concious one, I've always just known that I would breast feed any children I had, we're mammals, mammals are designed to feed their young. End of.
I REALLY struggled to get it established, through a mis/undiagnosed tongue tie which wasn 't corrected for 5wks, and a boy that wouldn't latch AT ALL until he was about 3wks old, I was mix feeding to begin with and went through hell to get exclusive BF'ing going well, it would have been SO easy to give up, I guess then I made the choice that I was going to do absolutely everything within my power to give P the best I could, as well as the health benefits for myself. Thankfully, with a LOT of determination, a lot of tears and a lot of curled toes and teeth gritting through the pain, we got there, and its now the best thing ever.

 

[EmilyBDS]

I didn't even think about not breastfeeding, it's just the 'done thing' here. As silly as it'll sound, formula feeding didn't even cross my mind. My first night home and my milk hadn't come in yet, I had poor DH running out buying formula while I tried to figure out how to use the steriliser and searched for bottles (luckily all baby shower gifts).

My milk came in the next day and I was off and running, no problems and she was exclusively breastfed until I went back to work when she was 3 months when I started to combo-feed. I fully FF now as my supply started to dwindle and she had 2 teeth by 4 months old and the constant clamping down was really making the BF painful and difficult.

 

[emerald78]

Its something that I always wanted to do and it felt very natural for me to want to do it. I was worried that I would not be able to so I was always very open minded that I may not be able to do it therefore, may have to formula feed. Apart from a few shakey lack of confidence moments from me that dd was not getting enough, we never had a problem with it. She latched on marvellously and fed regulary and never had a spurt or dip in weight (apart from usual first few days).

We are still breastfeeding but as I am planning on stopping in August I have recently introduced one to two bottles of formula at night.

I really don't care what other people think, I have never had any negative comments or looks in my direction. Its been an absolutely marvellous experience and I will be very sad when it ends but it will have to end at some point. I could carry on for longer but I am choosing not too. My choice but I think its marvellous that people choose to feed for alot longer because thats whats right for them.

 

[Sam9kids]

I just didnt want to breastfeed and have never even tried it! Not once! I dont regret my decision either

 

[Mynx]

I wouldnt say it was a choice to not BF. I tried for a fortnight but Evie just would not feed properly from me. Every time my HV came round I asked her to check that Evie was latched on properly and she said she was, but she would just keep falling asleep while feeding. She was jaundiced as well for about 10 days after she was born so I made the decision to combine feed. BIG mistake... even tho I expressed every couple of hours, my milk supply just dropped and combined with the pain I was in while being literally chained to the sofa feeding Evie or pumping (I had SPD during my pregnancy which got worse after delivery due to Evie getting stuck and my having to be put in some wierd position to push her out) I then made the very sad decision to FF as I could see how much more settled and satisfied she was after a FF. I was in bits about it, and felt awful, so so awful that I couldnt do this for my baby
I still think about it now and wish that it could have gone better, but I look at Evie and see how well she's thriving and I know I made the right decision for both of us, but it didnt come easy and it came at a price.

 

[Seity]

BF is how babies are meant to be fed. Everyone I know breastfeeds unless there's some problem that comes up to prevent it. Besides I'm too lazy and cheap to want to deal with bottles and paying for formula.

 

[ljo1984]

i wanted to BF LO from the very beginig of pregnancy because of the benifits to us both, and im so lazy, i couldnt be bothered sterelizing and making bottles all the time lol. but i was happt to FF if she didnt take to it or if there were any problems. luckly she took really well, once over the inital nipple pain (oh the tears! from me not LO lol) i really enjoy it. shes not had formula yet, so proud of her for feeding so well as i know not eveyone is so lucky and the best bit of it all for me is shes never been ill! thats enough for me to want to feed all my future children no questions asked. im planning on weaning her onto formula when she turns 6 months, im ready to reclaim my boobs lol. although i will miss it im sure!