Forum home Pregnancy Pregnancy

Breast vs Bottle?

Hi all, i just wondered how many will be breast feeding and how many bottle feeding?
This is something i've just begun thinking about, i always thought i would only bottle feed but i'm coming round to the idea of breast feeding, just after a little advice as it's all very daunting stuff!

9+3
xxx
«1

Replies

  • i'm bottle feeding as i have medical problems and need to go back on medication as soon as the baby is born so cant breast feed.

    luckly my midwifes here dont pressure you into breast feeding as 'breast is NOT always best'

    do whats right for you, dont let anyone pressure you into doing something you dont want to do or dont feel you can do.

    you can also do both at the same time to make sure baby is getting enough.

    beccie 36+6
  • I will be combining which is what I did last time with Neve.
  • hi i breastfeed my 1st for 3 month and i loved it but i found it very hard work!!! also he got poorly becoz of breastfeeding so the hospital told me 2 stop so i will b bottle feeding again which is good for my oh coz he also gets 2 bond wiv the lo!!
    luv clare
    http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev185pb___.png

  • like the others day hun do what works best for both u and baby , i intended on breastfeeding sophia for at least a month as i did with jack but when i had her ...the hospital didnt help me latch her on ,assuming as i had done it before i would know how to do it ..but no i have very big boobs and its extremely difficult to feed and make sure baby isnt suffocating!! :roll: ....also i felt like i was leaving jack out as i was always feeding sophia ...breastfeeding is far more time consuming than bottle feeding as they tend to feed then rest then snack again etc ,not easy if u have other children i dont think .....have an open mind see what works ...i have put sophia on bottles from 3 days old she has settled very well on them .,.the downside for me being i have to work harder to shift the baby weight as bottle feeding obviously doesnt help like breast feeding does ....hope this helps

    xxxxx
  • I've started to think about this to-only 9wks but guess you start to think about lots!!
    I would like to combine both to be honest, I was a nanny for years and know that it is possible to get a good balance. Really want to breast feed but want OH to get a chance to feed bubs too.

    Not making any concrete plans though as if BF doesn't work out I'll just bottle feed.

    I know they say breast is best but if it makes me stressed or upset then I won't make myself continue.
    A happy mummy=a happy baby in my eyes.
  • i have been thinking and worrying about this alot lately....

    before my BFP i always had in my mind that i would BF, but now that thought makes me feel abit queezy?? iand i have no idea why and feel guilty /bad for feeling like that...

    xx
  • In my ideal scenario, I would like to breastfeed for at least six months, and once established, express some milk so my husband or friends & family can get involved with feeding too. However, I am trying to keep an open mind as I know it's not always easy and don't want to feel disappointed / guilty etc if it doesn't work out.
  • You do need to keep an open mind cos bfing does not work out for everyone. All through my pregnancy i wasnt sure and kept changing my mind. In the end i decided to give breastfeeding a go but i gave up after a day. My baby just wouldnt latch on and i didnt have any support - the midwife said my baby was just awkward! The hospital i could stay in to help establish it but after a long birth (and the comment from th midwife) i just wanted to go home. In the end bottle feeding has worked out very well for us. I did feel a bit guilty at first but my little girl is thriving so it has not done her any harm being bottle fed.
  • I have said i would like to BF for the first 6 months and also express the milk so hubby can do evening feeds and get my mum and that feeding her as well but who knows how it's going to go.

    I am having an open mind to it and will be doing the best thing for my baby at the end of the day, that will mean me being happy as well if i am upset or stressed she will be too

    K xx
    17+5
  • I'll be soley bottle feeding as I did with my first two. This may sound strange but for me my breasts are a very sexual part of my body and I can't detach from that. It's not that I'm a sex mad looney, (MrFloosy wishes!), by any means. I have a normal sex drive I'd say, and it's dropped dramatically during this pregnancy, I just can't make the total break away from that in my head for some reason. Many of my friends breast feed, but I never "grew up" seeing it as I was the youngest in the family, maybe that's made a difference. I'm a thirty year old mother of 2 who is perfectly aware of the benefits of breast feeding for baby and me, but I still won't be doing it, bottle feeding worked for both my children and I hope it works for this one too. As StephS said, the thought makes me queasy. Bit controversial maybe, but that's the way I feel!
  • i'm determined to breastfeed - its free, completely natural and convenient. i really don't have the money to spend on formula and i have had strong views on breastfeeding throughout my whole pregnancy. I will also express so OH can have a go but really want to give breastfeeding my best shot.
    lau 33+3 xxx
  • MrsFloosey i cant tell you how much better i feel knowing i am not the only women out there who feels like this..
    I jsut cant make it fit it my head and like you said detach from the fact that its a very sexual part of my body.. i really want to but i just cant...

    xx
  • I'll be soley bottle feeding as I did with my first two. This may sound strange but for me my breasts are a very sexual part of my body and I can't detach from that. It's not that I'm a sex mad looney, (MrFloosy wishes!), by any means. I have a normal sex drive I'd say, and it's dropped dramatically during this pregnancy, I just can't make the total break away from that in my head for some reason. Many of my friends breast feed, but I never "grew up" seeing it as I was the youngest in the family, maybe that's made a difference. I'm a thirty year old mother of 2 who is perfectly aware of the benefits of breast feeding for baby and me, but I still won't be doing it, bottle feeding worked for both my children and I hope it works for this one too. As StephS said, the thought makes me queasy. Bit controversial maybe, but that's the way I feel!


    I feel EXACTLY the same, the thought of it turns my stomach. I am in two minds, I want the baby to have the goodness of being breast fed, but I hate the idea of it, I get very uncomfortable in clinic when women sit there and whop em out infront of everyone.. as natural as it is, I just cant bring myself round to it. :\?
  • i plan to breast feed this one. my 1st son i fed solely for 7 months without him having a bottle as he just wouldnt entertain having one no matter how hard i tried! my 2nd was never satisfied on the breast and ALWAYS seemed hungry. i gave up at 16 weeks and he was so much happier and so was iimage
    just wonder how long it will last this time!
  • I want to bf this time. I started with my daughter when i had her but only managed a couple of months because i was not producing enough milk and she wasn't putting on enough weight. I was gutted and felt like a failure. I kept being told i wasn't eating enough ( although i believe i was) and so ate more and put more weight on my self! No extra milk. Not what you want when you have just had a baby. This time i know that if it dosent work i will go to bottle with out question im not going through that again. Will try to bf but if it dosent work i know there is nothing i can do about it.
  • i bf my son for 4 months just because he took to it very well- i hadn't thought what i would do before i had him. but it was hard work and i stayed in alot as i was embarrassed to feed him when i was out. i'm going to see this time maybe mix both.
  • I plan to breast feed as I did with my son, It is time consuming in that it can take a long time for lo to feed, but the benefits excluding so called health benefits are 1) its always ready, so if you need to feed in the middle of the night you dont have to either prepare or warm the bottle or when lo starts screaming and you cant warm the bottle quick enough. 2) money - at at least 5 for a large tub of formula, you save loads. esp in these times.

    if you can its a great exprerience, but just do wjat feels best for u
  • I'm planning on doing both. I tried with both of my boys and wasnt overly successful and i think the reason for that is because i was put under so much pressure to only breastfeed, and was told that its impossible to do both, breast is best, etc etc. Unfortunately breastfeeding is certainly not the "easy" option by any means, and i really struggled and felt like a failure. In fact i never produced a single drop of milk for my second baby, but rather than being reassured and given advice i was told not to be stupid. I think its stressful and difficult, and shouldnt be pushed on people simply because the government have decided this is the best way for every woman to feed their baby. It works for lots of women, but not all! I do still want to breastfeed and do believe it has benefits, but i won't be stressing out about it. Instead i'll be topping up feeds with formula. At least that way i'll know in my own mind that baby is getting something, and also DH and others can help out with feeding times so that i am able to still spend quality time with my older two without baby always tagging along just in case she gets hungry! xx
  • I'd definitely like to breast feed, but am likely to have to use formula as well when I go back to work. I am going to have a go at expressing as much as possible, but as a shift worker it may be a challenge. :roll:

    I suppose I saw my Mum feeding my wee brother when I was little so it may have helped form the idea for me.

    I also like the idea of it being free! (Until i get some kit for expressing I suppose).

    Will have to wait and see how it goes.
  • If you would like to give BFing a go Please do! Its not always easy at first but it does get easier and there can be a lot of plus points to it. Such as "milk on tap" you will never be out ond run out of milk and in the same way you can always express or have formula in for a bottle if you want to go out without the babe or for your OH to feed. Just do what is best for you and your baby.
    If you try and its not for you then you can say you tried but if you don't try and you would have liked to then you will regret it. x
Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions