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Breast feed or bottle feed?

Good Evening ladies,

I hope you are all well, i was wondering what you are all planning on doing breast feeding or bottle feeding?
I'm asking because i really don't want to breast feed as i dont totally feel comfortable with the idea but so many people think i should but i really don't want to.
Please help what do you all think? x
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Replies

  • I'll be breastfeeding this one like I did with Ollie for up to a year till she can have cows milk.
    I personally think breast is much better than formula, but thats what works for us, not for everyone.
    Maybe compromise and give it a go, then if you're still not sure about it move on to ff - although if you want to try and have a go at it be prepared for it to be a steep learning curve as its not something that comes naturally to everyone. If you go into it half heartedly then its likely you'll end up switching to ff very quickly, so try to keep an open mind about it if you can and see how it goes.

    xxx
  • Thanks hun, well its one of the only things i keep thinking about and i don't know why something in side me is just shouting out no and i feel so bad for feeling this way cause i know every1 says breast is best so why would i not want to give my little baby the best start to life, i really can't put my finger on it but i just feel like i just don't want to.
    I have plenty of time to think about is as i have another 24 weeks to go lol.
    I will carry on thinking about this so i will try to keep an open mind.
    Thanks hun x x
  • I am def planning on bottle feeding, I have never wanted to breast feed, thankfully everybody has been fine with it and no negative comments so far.
  • Saint Bertie, I couldnt have put it any better myself xxxx
  • I agree - well said Mrs Takers! image

    I am going to give BF a go, but breast isn't always best, and if it's not right for you then it wont be right for your baby. Feeding should be an enjoyable, bonding experience (for both of you) and if you aren't happy then baby will miss out on that. Which is more important to you, slightly hightened imunity for a few months? or building a really solid, relationship with your child that will last forever!? (personally I think the latter!)

    Having said all that - it is worth keeping an open mind, as I know of loads of mum's who have been dead against it all through pregnancy, and then got the urge to give it a go when the time came, (and even if you just breast feed for the first few days then it is a huge bonus!)

    At the end of the day it is up to you how you feed your baby, don't let anyone guilt you into doing something you don't want to!

    Hope I haven't upset anyone (like SB said - I am probably going to get shot down now, eeck!)

    Nx
  • I didn't breast feed my first baby nearly 7 years ago. I knew I wouldn't want to but tried to keep an open mind so didn't take any bottles when I went in to hospital during labour.

    After giving birth the nurse asked me if I wanted her to warm up some formula and i said yes. and that was that! that easy! nobody made me feel bad at all! My son never had any colic, coughs and colds, or any problems unti he started school and picked up the odd cold, so to be honest I will probably do the same again.

    It doesn't feel natural to me for some reason and I don't know why????? I view my boobs as a sexual thing I suppose and cant get my head round the thought of a baby sucking away and destroying my nipples whilst I struggle to get it right!! frightening! I would try expressing though this time but I'm not prepared to pay ??80 approx for a decent electric pump! so if the hospital have one, I'll have a go!

    Dont feel guilty about your decision, after all it is YOUR decision and your baby! if people dont like it tell them to get their baps out so they can be chewed to bits!

    xxxx
  • damn i just wrote a big reply and its dissapeared!!arrhh!! start again lol!
    i will be breastfeeding like i am doing with gracie,i do believe that breastmilk is best as its been proven.After doing a peer supporter course and finding out all the benefits to mum and baby i was quite amazed and proud that i had given my daughter this wonderful start to life.I understand that its not 4 everyone and nobody should be made to feel guilty for the way they choose to feed their lo,as long as mum and baby are happy thats the main thing.For me it has been a wonderful experience and grace is still feeding from me 10 mths on,its so much easier than sterilizoing bottles and remembering to take enough out with u etc! i know iv done both!! i didnt feed my oldest for as long as grace so have done ff and bf.You never know i may feel differently when u have your lo in your arms and even if u just give the 1st feed the baby will get numerous benefits from the colostrum.
    mrs ikea-i find it a bit mind boggling that u wouldnt want to spend ??80 on a breast pump but u are willing to spend hundreds on infant formula!!
    please dnt be put off by the comment about your nipples being destroyed!!the only way this would happen is if your baby wasnt positioned correctly and lots of women have no trouble at all!! xx

  • Just want to speak up for the Breast corner image I am pro-bf, but only if both mum and baby are happy.

    My personal reasons for bf are it's the best source of nutrients, it's a lovely bonding experience and something which is almost guaranteed to calm LO, and it's convenient (not to mention cheap).

    Perhaps this is a failing, but I can't see a good, unselfish reason not to at least TRY bf. Biologically speaking & extreme cases aside, breast IS best as any health professional will tell you - as a mother you want the best for your child, so....? I do appreciate that some people are unable to bf, or desperately want to but can't make it work, or have genuine issues with it - I'm not talking about those people. I'm only talking about not understanding those people who dismiss it out of hand.

    Just one last thing:

    if people dont like it tell them to get their baps out so they can be chewed to bits!

    I'm not sure as someone who hasn't bf why you think this happens - I can assure you it doesn't! My nipples aren't "destroyed", they're exactly the same as they always were. :\?
  • Hi there. I always knew that i would at least try and bf my Lo. we managed for three months until he decided he was too nosy to face me all the time and so we switched to formula. Personally i think that if you at least try once you may find that it feels really natural to you and it comes easily like it did for me but dont beat yourself up if it doesnt work after you have tried a few times. Make sure that you have a midwife who is knowledgable and can help you to latch Lo on properly!I promise you your nipples do not get destroyed if LO is latched on properly!After bf my boobs are exactly as they were. BTW it is pregnancy that causes stretching in the muscles and ligaments round the boobs so sagging not bf!

    it is so convenient as a comforter to your LO to bf and can be extremely discreet. i have fed pretty much everywhere without people even noticing...and my boobs are G cups so not exactly small and discreet!

    Whatever you choose just make sure that you have lots of cuddles and enjoy being a mummy as it is the best thing in the world. Best of Luck!xxx:\)
  • Hi all

    I'll be bf again, like I did with my son. I found it to be a great experience and I think helped to bond after a very difficult birth and later problems. Iknow its not for everyone, and you need to have support from family and health professionals. I was lucky that even when my lo went into scbu, and was being tube feed I was encouraged to express and to put him on the breast, he took to it with very little problem and by day 3/4 was being exclusively bf.

    The best bit is not having to steralise anything and being ready to feed your lo as soon as they want it. No making up bottles or warming then, In fact you dont have to get out of bed in the night to feed them.

    if you decide to bottle feed there is def nothing wrong with that. I fyou arent happy bout bf, what is the point, as babys will pick up if you are miserable, so its not good for either of you.

    My suggestion is to give it a go, and if you are still not happy dont worry about giving formula.

    Rach
    35+2
  • Hi All
    I really think that mums2be shouldnt dismiss breastfeeding before they have even tried - and vice versa pro breast mums 2 be shouldnt be anti bottle (you never know what is gonna happen).

    I feel it is a shame to ignore all the midwives and books that explain the massive benefits of breast feeding. We were given breasts for a reason, and unfortunately it wasnt for 'heated pleasure' lol ....

    At the end of the day though it is solely your decision, you can only process the information that is given to you and use it accordingly.

    I do believe once you become a mum though, your way of thinking will alter dramatically on all subjects and you just want whats best for your baby and not whats best for you.

    Good luck with whatever your decision is xxx
  • I wanted to bf Charlotte but she would not latch on however much me & the midwives tried when I was in hospital. I was so upset as really wanted to bf but in the end gave up and gave her formula. I've always felt guilty and have only started to feel ok with the decision now (and she's 14 months). I know it was the best option as she needed milk and even the mw's in hospital were running out of ideas! We would like another one and I will try and bf again. however if I'm unable too again I will try and not beat myself up about it.
    It's a very personal decision how you feed your lo. Don't feel pressured either way. Maybe you could try bf in hospital. You will be producing the colostrum first which is the 1st creamy milk and this is very full of nutrients for the baby so if your lo could have that that would be a great start. I managed to express some into a syringe at hospital for my lo!! Took ages but at least she had some.
  • CCb mommy - I think you are completely right - you tried and it didnt work out - but you tried! And it sounds like you tried very hard! Goo dluck with your next lo xxxx
  • I am really hoping to breastfeed but was an SMA baby myself so if it doesn't work for me I will switch to formula too.

    Bec 31+4 x
  • This is such an emotive subject! I did try with my first nearly 7 years ago but I was only 17 and tbh I wasn't committed,the first few weeks are very hard for both mum and baby so I gave up after spending 2 weeks sobbing!

    With my 2 yr old I really wanted to try again and was actually pretty successful,he latched on etc but was sooo lazy he'd fall asleep in 5 minutes! Nothing would wake that boy up after that! But the midwife told us to put him on formula after 6 weeks as he'd lost 1 1/2 lbs,he was basically too lazy to feed!

    I'm now expecting twins and I'm determined to breast feed,mainly because I can't afford formula for 2 babies! But we're buying an electric breast pump,just so if there's a problem they can have my milk through a bottle.

    I suppose what I'm trying to say is that we all know breast is best but if either mum or baby isn't happy it won't work. And some babies ARE just too lazy on the breast,bottles are a lot easier for them. So I'd say to keep an open mind,give it a go and see what happens. But don't feel bad if you can't/don't want to!

    K 20w today xx
  • Aww thanks for that Mrs Kittyboo, you've made me feel much better about the decision I made.

    Charlotte was also a fussy monkey with formula & bottles so I couldn't win either way!! :roll:
  • with my 1st son who is now 12 i tried to breast feed and he just wouldnt latch on properly. which made me quite uptight and anxious every time i tried. this might have been down to him having jaundice which can make babies sleepy and lazy. after 2 days though the midwifes in the hosp advised me to bottle feed as he was v hungry. and it was bottles all the way after that.

    im going to try brest feeding again with this one but im not going to get myself worked up about it. if its not working for baby i will try to express for the 1st few days so baby gets the good stuff but ultimately will end up using formula. i also know how much hubbies love to help bottle feed their babies.


  • Perhaps this is a failing, but I can't see a good, unselfish reason not to at least TRY bf. Biologically speaking & extreme cases aside, breast IS best as any health professional will tell you - as a mother you want the best for your child, so....?

    PTB - it's not that I don't get where you are coming from, and if you look at bf V's ff in a purly clinical way then it does make sense, but bf'ing is a very emotional thing and I think it is important to take people's feelings on the matter into consideration. Implying that someone is selfish for not wanting to try seems a bit insensitive.

    One of my best friends, just didn't like the idea of bf'ing (as others have said) and couldn't explain why, the idea just made her feel sick. She felt bulllied into "trying" (because she was made to feel like a bad/selfish mother if she didn't) and has said since that it ruined the first few weeks with her LO, and really affected early bonding. So in her case (although there was no physical reason) breast was not best.

    No one should ever be made to feel guilty for how they choose to feed their baby, whether their reasons are physical or psychological.

    (Oops - I seem to have got on my soap box a bit there! Sorry! - I am having a bit of an emotional day!) xxx

  • Afternoon ladies, Thank-you for all your replys and comments all very different, As i said before of course i want the best for my baby and this subject does upset me cause why do i feel so uncomfortable with Breast feeding and its working me up even thinking about it.
    I have loved all your comments they are all make sence and i really think if i feel that uncomfortable about it im not gonna make myself ill over not doing it, im gonna enjoy just loving my baby, so you all have helped me make up my mind even tho i still try to keep an open mind and if it feels right when baby is here i will give it a shot.
    Have a good day Girls x x
  • Afternoon ladies, Thank-you for all your replys and comments all very different, As i said before of course i want the best for my baby and this subject does upset me cause why do i feel so uncomfortable with Breast feeding and its working me up even thinking about it.
    I have loved all your comments they are all make sence and i really think if i feel that uncomfortable about it im not gonna make myself ill over not doing it, im gonna enjoy just loving my baby, so you all have helped me make up my mind even tho i still try to keep an open mind and if it feels right when baby is here i will give it a shot.
    Have a good day Girls x x
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