Are you going to bottle or BREAST feed?????

[budge]

When I get pregnant I hope to breast feed again - I only got to about 5 1/2 months with my daughter and I just couldn't do it anymore.
I was sore, was sick of leaking and just felt bad when I thought of feeding her.

I am determined to get it right this time

I do feel that all babies should be breast fed, BUT those on formula can still be happy and healthy.
I quite enjoy seeing the blinkies etc about breast feeding - it is an achievement people should be proud of - I know it's not always easy to do so congrats those that do!

(PS Mayday - there are some formula fed blinkies about aswell - it's not about fanaticism(sp) more about snazzing up your sig with relevant things!!!)

5 and a half months is fantastic monster!

 

[soexcited]

I planned to breast feed, i managed a week it was a nighmare. The first night he latched on for 5 hours, then the second i was so sore that i just couldnt do anymore and he screamed all night. My midwife told me to get a carton of the ready made milk in SMA just in case, and the next night i had to give it him and he was so happy and fell asleep.
So after 7 days i gave up and gave him SMA and i do express some for him.
My midwife did say because of my bad birth and that i am anemic that my milk did not come in.

 

[Minxy]

Ah, this old chestnut!

I bottle feed, my breastfeeding failed early on due to lack of proper support and advice (The NHS are as much use as chocolate teapots in this area I found).

I take responsibility though and next time I'll be more prepared and shout louder for help.

Having an information resource like this available with real breastfeeding mums is invaluable but I do feel some of our pro-breast lobby are getting a bit militant of late.

And I do think the title of this thread is leading.

If mums want your help ladies, that's fab. I'm sure you're on hand to help out and it's appreciated. If they are choosing to bottle feed (and it IS a choice remember) they don't need to be made to feel they are failing their child in any way. None of us want to feel that, do we?

 

[KJ]

I'm planning to breast-feed. I just couldn't imagine not giving it a go as that's what I was given them for!! Plus, being in medical research I appreciate it is the only way for babies to get all the great antibodies that breast milk provides to boost their immume systems.

Whilst bottle-feeding does babies no harm whatsoever, I think the additional benefits of breast-feeding make it a must-try.

K.xx

 

[Paula+bump]

Defo breast feed, breast is best and i want to give my baby the best start in life possible.... I fed my last 2 for 6 months each and i enjoyed it a lot once your over the pain it's so nice and really helps you to bond with baby better

 

[mrs_tommo22]

My son was breat fed for 3 weeks, then i gave up and put him on cow and gate, i do believe in that short time he got the anti bodies he needed and he thrived on formula and has done very well on it.

There is nothing worng with bottle feeding, and if i do tuen to formula again i wont beat myself up over it - as long as i tried my best and did the best for my baby then that for me will be aachievment.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Thanks as well minxy, i agree

 

[Sabrina]

Yes, it's a leading question thread isn't it? Maybe a simple poll might have been better.

There is a BIG push for breastfeeding everywhere at the moment. That's fine but I think it puts a lot of pressure on some mums who really don't need another thing to feel stressed about.

In an ideal world I would LOVE to breastfeed my son. However, with my first I couldn't do it for various reasons and was pushed hard by the nursing staff regardless of the difficulties and I found that stressful.

If I can feed this baby myself I will because I believe it is best. BUT I won't be surprised if it's not possible as I had major breast surgery and reconstruction 6 years ago!

Whatever decision a mother makes is personal to her. I don't think anyone should be pushed either way to breast or bottle feed if it's not what they want to do.

 

[Peachy]

I am glad you asked this question as I was going to ask for advice. I want to try breast feeding this time but I have a lot of anxiety about this. I didn't do it with my first I was very poorly and my baby was too and had no sucking reflex so SCBU just gave her formula down a tube. I must say at the time I was actually pleased about this because deep down I didn't want to BF and it gave me an excuse to state this as the reasom why I didn't do it. I remember feeling a lot of pressure from the "breast is best" brigade ha ha However this time I want to do it but my reasons are perhaps not as pure as they should be - it is convenience! Only 3 weeks after the birth of my baby (provided everything is all ok) we are travelling back to Bulgaria in the car from the UK - up to 5 days on the road and sterilizing could be a massive problem. Milk brands in the UK are also different to the ones here which means that if I bottle feed I will have to change the baby's milk very early on. I am a strong believer in choice and althougth I know for sure that breast milk is particulrly designed for the task in hand I feel it is only as good content wise as the mother's diet. If all she does is eat chocolate and drink wine then how much goodness is actually in her milk when she is malnourished herself? Fornula on the other hand is packed with all the necessary minerals vitamins etc - albeit synthetically. My
mother is absolutely horrified at me anouncing my intention - she is of the old 1960's and 70's mother school whereby you just don't do that sort of thing!!! Great eh? so loads of support there...... In Bulgaria you are not encouraged to breastfeed either, it is only gypsy women that do this kind of thing, decent Bulgarian women give their babes a nice warm bottle while they have a break and a cigarette - I kid you not. Hospital nurses will not show you what to do but will ignore your requests and give the infant a bottle anyway while it is in the nursey - no rooming in here either.

Anyway sorry for the monologue... I wanted to say that I am really quite afraid I won't be able to do it - I do not have a lot of patience... any tips?

 

[Natural mamma]

I didn't mean for the title to be leading...i am just genuinely interested in the motivation in the decision.....

When i fed breast fed my first he was a nipple sucker and it was agony i literally lost half a nipple (it did heal)

I had no support and the nhs was crap with advice i contacted the nct and they said the lady in my area had moved.....so after 11 weeks i cried and felt like such a failure and just had to give up. I was a single mum and didn't know anyone who had B F. So i do understand....

Also i don't blame the individual for their choice but rather our society...its still a taboo thing in alot of areas....And education in this area is sorely lacking

And as for fanatics i certainly don't consider myself one of those

It is a fact that breast is best and anyone who thinks that is fanatical is just trying to make themselves feel better about a decision they know deep down is not the best for their baby......but it is your choice and to call someone fanatical because of their opinion is just as fanatical in the opposite way.I do not judge anyone but at the same time do get a little bemused ...just because i thought to ask this question automatically makes me a breast feeding fanatic. ........You are therefore being judgemental......

 

[weenik]

To me there isn't really a choice to make - I've always known that I would breast feed. If I find it hard then I'll just keep trying because it's what I'm determined to do. I don't think less of anyone who doesn't though....everyone has their own ideas of what is right and I personally think it's right to breast feed x

 

[Peachy]

Why does this get such strong reactions from both sides? It is not that important really only personal choice. There are more important things going on in the world to get worked up about.....I think the sooner every one (society in general) calms down about it all the less pressure people will feel and the less anxiety about failure. Bottle feeding is absolutely fine and also has certain benefits. Breast is fine too but isn't it great that these days we have a choice either if things don't work out with BF or if we just don't want to in the first place. There should not be judgement either way...relax

 

[Natural mamma]

Actually there is a big deal about bottle feeding in third world countries millions of babes die every year from it dirty water used to make up bottles (un clean bottles) .....and it is not unheard of in this country either its not broadcast as mums do not want to admit that they didn't sterilize properly...but it nonetheless a problem
These websites outline the problem

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Proje ... _1977.html

http://www.organicconsumers.org/fair-trade/nestle.cfm

http://www.babymilkaction.org/press/pressindex.html

Check this out if your interested...i don't want to line there pockets do you????another consideration in the debate

 

[Urchin]

Hi i was wondering how many of you mums to be are going to bottle feed and how many are going to breast feed....please state your reasons for your decision....

Why? So you can jump down people's throats if they dare speak up and say they plan to bottlefeed?

 

[gingerpig]

Believe me I would love to have my baby latched on, but my boobs are horrendously big and saggy and i had problems feeding my last child because i had to support my boobs and my baby, not easy doing both!

My boobs are huge as well I'm now a 36G I couldn't support Debs as I was so weak after my c-section. I now feed her sat cross legged - she sits in the crook of my legs and I just sort of tip my boob into her mouth. Debs lies on her back or with her head turned into towards me. I support the boob that is doing the feeding I pull some of the top skin back a bit as Debs can really nip on that which is painful, plus it reduces the size of the booby and make it more teat-shaped. When she was younger I would put a thin quilt or cushion underneath her to lift her head higher but now I can tip my saggy old boobies (LOVELY mental image....) straight into her mouth as she has grown so much. I tried the more traditional breastfeeding holds - the hand-bag/rugby hold, the cradle hold etc and they didn't work for me. It wasn't until I worked how I normally sit and then fitted Debs in with that, that we got it sorted.

 

[Xena]

I'm going to breastfeed....erm just because breastmilk has antibodies for the baby and it helps to prevent breast cancer in women and helps shift the baby weight....blah blah blah all the usual reasons lol.

 

[lozzi]

My boobs arent as pert as id like.... at a 40G and im breastfeeding.


it is possible hunny you need to master the support with one hand and support baby with the other haha


god nearly 20 with sagging boobs its shocking eh...

 

[Tangerinedream]

My boobs are huge as well I'm now a 36G

Thats what I started off as before getting pg My last measurement a few weeks ago put me at 38 H but im a bit bigger that that now. getting measured for my nursing bras in a week- i dread to think what i'll be then

 

[pigletpoo]

Uh oh, here we go again..... same old question....

My 2 nephews were both bottle fed from day one - both are top of thier class at school - in the express learning group - and the 14 year old is already taking his GSCE's! He is also going to London next month to discuss the affects of global warming with various members of Parliament. So all I can say is that it didn't do either of them any harm!

I plan to bottle feed - and my reasons are just that. MY reasons.

But both ways are great - as long as baby is fed, cared, clothed and loved, I can't see the problem.

Piglet xx

 

[Melly+2]

It really doesnt matter how a baby is fed, as long as mother and baby are happy then thats all that matters, i breast fed for about 6 weeks and i had to give up because i had low milk suply, but at the end of the day it was a wise desision for both me and Hope because she was getting a much better amount of milk and she is thriving well now and is a healthy 22lbs, shes happy and very healthy. I felt guilty at first but now i just see how happy she is and thats good enough for me, i dont really care if people dont agree with bottle feeding, not saying that about anyone here in particular Whos to say whats best, the only person who knows that is yoursself and your baby what suits you best