Breastfeeding or bottle feeding?

[Charlotte1993]

Hello guys. Hope you are alll doing well.

So I wanted to know what all your views are on breastfeeding or Bottle feeding?

Personally, I don’t know if I’m going to Brestfeed or Bottle feed.
I have red that breastfeeding is the best for your baby, as it helps you to bond.
But in my view I think bottle feeding could be better as you have already bottles prepared and made up. As for breastfeeding you have to get it out anywhere in public.

But most importantly, what are your guys views, if u can put this it will help me to think what I want to do.

Thanks, Charlotte​

 

[Charlotte1993]

Hiya, can some of you guys please reply to this?
Thank you

 

[night owl]

Hi Charlotte there is already a thread on this under TTC - it’s called breastfeeding uncovered, you could have a read through that xx by the way breastfeeding is a lot better for the baby nutritionally then bottle fed, helps them develop a better immune system etc, it’s not just about the bonding x

 

[Princess81]

It’s personal choice.however, Research shows breastfeeding is the best for you and your baby, on many levels.’

 

[EllieH]

The reasons why I love breastfeeding:

1. It’s free!

2. Can feed anytime, anywhere. So no worrying about sterilising bottle and worry if you have enough incase you’re out and haven’t packed enough for the day. It gets easier in public, and you use baby to cover you, don’t need special tops, vest top under normal top, vest top stays down to cover tummy and pull top one covers top of breast.

3. (My favourite) It is ALL your baby needs, until you decide to start weening, if you’re in a hot climate, your breast milk changes to be more watery and more fatty when it’s cold. Also as soon as baby latches, signals are sent to mum from babies saliva to know how to change the milk to provide baby with what it needs. It was such a comfort that when my DD was ever ill, that breastfeeding her was the best thing I could do to help with antibodies and help make her better.

My daughter latched on well and I had a good supply, not everyone gets that and can have a difficult start in their breastfeeding journey, hey, I wanted to give up at one point, she’d taken the top layer on skin off my nipples so it was SO painful to first latch on, I’d cry out, but I carried on (mostly cos I was too lazy to get the steriliser out and use it )

Good luck x

 

[Shepherdess]

I love breastfeeding. I breastfed my first until 2 weeks before her first birthday and I'm currently feeding my 8 week old

There are loads of opportunities to bond and interact with your baby but in my opinion there is nothing like the rush of emotion and love that flows through me when my baby latches on, it's incredible. It's such a physical thing her latching on but the two of us looking at each other as she's doing so makes it so emotional

You said in your first comment formula might be better as you have bottles prep'd but honestly the boobs are always ready to go. I'm more then happy to feed in public but I've never exposed myself it's so easy to be as discreet as you like

Breast milk really is magic juice, so full of goodness and so much better than formula in its properties

That being said if you want to formula feed go for it, there's nothing wrong with that and everyone is different. Read some articles and books and talk to tor midwife to help you make the best decision for you

 

[Charlotte1993]

Thanks everyone! I’m just scared to get my boobs out in public lol. I’d love to breastfeed though as I know it best for the bab.

 

[Chase]

You don't 'get your boobs out' to breastfeed, it can actually be very discreet. How discreet you want to be is a personal choice.

I don't think anyone has mentioned yet that making bottles up in advanced isn't recommended anymore due to bacteria. There is a machine you can buy that does this but I can't say I've done any research on the safety of it.

I'm definitely pro breastfeeding for many reasons (mostly that it's free and it's easier in the long run).

I'm not however. Anti formula at all. How you feed your baby is a very personal choice so I'd suggest that you do some reading on both and decide how you feel about it

 

[Charlotte1993]

You don't 'get your boobs out' to breastfeed, it can actually be very discreet. How discreet you want to be is a personal choice.

I don't think anyone has mentioned yet that making bottles up in advanced isn't recommended anymore due to bacteria. There is a machine you can buy that does this but I can't say I've done any research on the safety of it.

I'm definitely pro breastfeeding for many reasons (mostly that it's free and it's easier in the long run).

I'm not however. Anti formula at all. How you feed your baby is a very personal choice so I'd suggest that you do some reading on both and decide how you feel about it

Yes, that will help me. But I waned to see other people’s choices and views on it too.

 

[Elven]

Personally I have chosen to go down the breastfeeding route. Definitely worried about how hard and uncomfortable that can be, but it does provide the baby with everything it needs and is ready on demand at any time. I know I would regret it if I didn't try.

Not that I'm against formula; as long as your baby is fed, growing nicely and is happy, that's ultimately all that matters. x

 

[Summergurl]

I bottle fed DD1 from the moment she wasn't born and will do the same with this one too.

I chose that way because I wasn't sure if I could breastfeed as I've had a breast lift and implants and so my nipples were removed and reattached so I had no way of knowing in advance if my milk ducts reattached themselves, so to save myself some stress and anxiety I planned bottle. So glad I did as husband took all the night feeds for the first 6 weeks so I could recover fully from the csection (he's a good egg!) That's one bonus to bottles in that your partner can help you out. Give you a little break etc

I wouldn't worry about bf in public. Don't let that put you off what you want to do. You can be as discreet as you want to be or as out there as you want to be, at the end of the day you are feeding your child and if anybody has a problem with that then that is their problem, not yours.

 

[Charlotte1993]

I bottle fed DD1 from the moment she wasn't born and will do the same with this one too.

I chose that way because I wasn't sure if I could breastfeed as I've had a breast lift and implants and so my nipples were removed and reattached so I had no way of knowing in advance if my milk ducts reattached themselves, so to save myself some stress and anxiety I planned bottle. So glad I did as husband took all the night feeds for the first 6 weeks so I could recover fully from the csection (he's a good egg!) That's one bonus to bottles in that your partner can help you out. Give you a little break etc

I wouldn't worry about bf in public. Don't let that put you off what you want to do. You can be as discreet as you want to be or as out there as you want to be, at the end of the day you are feeding your child and if anybody has a problem with that then that is their problem, not yours.

Summer,
I have seen you mentioned you had a c-section, what are they like?
As for me i don’t know if they give me one as I had a very trumatic birth with my first pregnancy.

 

[Summergurl]

Everyone's experience of them is different but for me I suffered more mentally than physically. Yes I had a sore stomach for a few weeks. It was a bit of a nuisance not being able to lift anything and having a husband that insisted I didn't lift a finger until the 6 week recovery Mark but by 4 weeks I felt back to normal again.

Mentally I struggled with the fact I got to 9cm and never got to push or deliver her naturally.

 

[Charlotte1993]

Everyone's experience of them is different but for me I suffered more mentally than physically. Yes I had a sore stomach for a few weeks. It was a bit of a nuisance not being able to lift anything and having a husband that insisted I didn't lift a finger until the 6 week recovery Mark but by 4 weeks I felt back to normal again.

Mentally I struggled with the fact I got to 9cm and never got to push or deliver her naturally.

Bless you. I just hate the idea of stopping in hospital for a few days after a C-section
(If I need to have one)

 

[MissKW]

Formula might meet nutritional needs for baby but there is far far far more in breast milk than just vitamins etc, things which simply cannot be mimicked by formula. Breast is by far best and is what nature intended, nothing man made can compare. Although formula is a fantastic alternative for mothers who are not able to breast feed for many reasons, if you can breastfeed it is one of the greatest gifts you can give your baby and is definitely worth doing!!
I exclusively breastfeed, it's free, the bond you get with baby is amazing, i find it very calming and relaxing, it makes night feeds easy in my opinion, it's easier in general (no bottle making, washing, sterilising etc) and there's far less chance of colic and reflux. My boy is 5 months, never had colic and never throws up.
Plus if you don't feel comfortable feeding in public (I don't) you can pump or just work around times (feed just before you set off and plan your day around the feed schedule etc).
Yes breastfeeding can be hard at first, for me it hurt like heck, bleeding, scabbing, engorgement, mastitis, but your body soon adjusts and it eventually becomes easy like second nature and there is no pain. You just have to grit your teeth, use lots of nipple cream and get on with it through the hard parts. Lucky for me my baby took to the nipple right away with a perfect latch so that was easy for us, but for many it is much more difficult.
If you can, please do give it a try, it's definitely worth it!!

 

[p1ngu]

I believe every baby has the right to be breastfed. For mothers to at least try. So many don't try and it makes me sad. It's the best thing nutritionally for your baby and is much more convenient than bottles!
And it's not just about the nutritional value, it has antibodies, your body makes them especially for your baby. Your babys saliva sends messages to your body, telling your body what viruses they have been exposed to, and then your body creates milk to help protect against that virus. Absolutely amazing! It's comfort. It's for thirst when it's hot. It's so many things. And the bond is amazing.

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[Charlotte1993]

I believe every baby has the right to be breastfed. For mothers to at least try. So many don't try and it makes me sad. It's the best thing nutritionally for your baby and is much more convenient than bottles!
And it's not just about the nutritional value, it has antibodies, your body makes them especially for your baby. Your babys saliva sends messages to your body, telling your body what viruses they have been exposed to, and then your body creates milk to help protect against that virus. Absolutely amazing! It's comfort. It's for thirst when it's hot. It's so many things. And the bond is amazing.

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Looking at your comment and all the other comment its helped me i will deffinatly give breastfeeding a go, as i wont whats best for my baby.
Thank you

 

[p1ngu]

Fab! Being open minded about it is the best thing to be. It can be tough to begin with, as you and baby will both be learning, but once you both get the hang of it it's great. If you do have any issues there should be a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor/peer supporter in your area who can help. I wish you lots of luck. x

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[Summergurl]

Most believe that every child has the right to be fed, breast or bottle and every mother has the right to decide how they feed their child.

Some mothers don't try because they know they can't. Some mothers don't try because it will affect their mental state and it's far more important to have a fed baby rather than an unhappy mother, struggling because she feels she has to at least try.

There are plenty of benefits and negatives to both breast and bottle feeding and no mother should be made to feel guilty for chosing one over the other. We all have the same interests at heart and that is to feed our babies, love them, make them happy and keep them safe.

 

[Emily0505]

I was desperate to bf my children but struggled both times due to supply issues. Everyone talks about how uncomfortable it is when your milk comes in and leaking and engorgement etc. I've never experienced any of that. I produced milk, just not enough and as my breasts don't respond to a pump expressing to increase supply wasn't an option for me either. Everyone says that there's very few women who can't bf etc etc but both my babies dropped weight and didn't have enough wet or dirty nappies when exclusively bf but did when ff. I took medication and supplements to increase supply, nursed, nursed, nursed, ate lactation cookies, carrot juice gator aid and any other little hint or tip that I could find to help increase supply. Heck if someone had told me to dress in a potatoe sack and do the salsa I'd have tried it!! But nothing worked and there was just not enough milk.

My inability to bf has affected me a lot and I'm still very triggered by things relating to bf. It's taken me days to respond to this post even!

Nobody can deny that breast milk is best for your baby but that doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with formula. The next time you're in a queue of people, look at the person in front of you and the person behind and tell me if they were bf or ff.

I combined fed both my children as rule number one is: feed the baby! I used a supplemental nursing system with my daughter (a thin tube which has one end in the formula and the other slides into babies mouth as or once they've latched) which meant I could supplement her at the breast. This meant that although she was having formula I still got to nurse her. That tiny little tube saved my bf journey and prolonged it to six months at which point my daughter decided she wanted bottles only.

I had complete strangers asking me if I was breast feeding but nobody gives a toss what I feed my six year old! There is no right or wrong way to feed a baby, the only rule: make sure baby is fed! Everyone will have an opinion on it and it is a topic in which passions tend to run high, but do what works for you and your baby.

XX