breast, bottle...why?

[jessesgirl]

Hello again ladies!!! I am posting this and then heading to bed to try and get some much NEEDED sleeeep! I am curious to whether everyone intends to breast feed or bottle feed...and why? Not trying to start debates or anything...just complete curiousity!!!! Thanks a million and y'all hav a great night!!!

 

[Naomi4Christ]

I've breastfed all five of mine - never used a bottle.

Why - because it's the healthiest, safest and most convenient option.

 

[InTheFlame]

Probably breastmilk from a bottle a fair bit of the time - what does that count as?

 

[lin1235]

Breastfeed, sometimes giving breastmilk from a bottle (especially as I have to go back to work once she's 3 months old). I want to give her breastmilk because it's tailor-made by God for her, it will boost her immunity, and hey, it's free!

 

[karla]

I've breastfed my three and plan to with the fourth. There are many reasons. Here's a few:

Cheapest
Always ready (don't have to mix anything or heat anything up)
Travels well (not lugged down with a diaper bag)
Healthiest for baby
I love that bonding time
Some studies say it reduces chance of breast cancer

Whatever you decide breast or bottle will be the right choice. You need to do what you will be most comfortbale with. I will say that I loved breastfeeding my children otherwise I wouldn't have done it all 3/4 times. I also used a breast pump so that DH and I could go out on dates and a baby sitter could feed the baby.

 

[Athene]

Breastfed, it never occured to me to bottlefeed, in my family we're all breastfeeders so I grew up in the knowledge that when I had kids I would breastfeed.

And all the reasons from the above posters are why I would not consider formula.

IntheFlame - breastmilk in a bottle would count as breastfed.

 

[Cright]

I will breast feed (seems like the choice of popularity here I'm glad to see).

I have several reasons, I'll name the ones for John and I first:
Cost
Time savings (no stearalizing, making, warming bottles)
Can feed him laying down
Will help my uterus contract down to the normal size MUCH faster
Will help me lose those extra maternity pounds
I can control what baby eats (by eating right myself)
bonding time (which John can also have when I start pumping)

For baby:
The colestrum (pre-milk) gives baby vital nutrition for their first few days out of the womb, as well as provides him with my immunization.
It's made for human babies (not cow babies).
bonding time


For both:
Life is sooo hectic these days, it provides both baby and I with a wonderful excuse to seclude ourselves for a few mins to have a quiet time for him to eat when we're out visiting for hours.

It's also my personal feeling that parents should be the ones feeding, nurtureing, careing for and teaching baby. So I prefer that anytime possible that John or I are feeding baby. If you bottle feed, everyone in the world wants to do the job for you. We lose out on that bonding, and some other neice, nephew, cousin or aunt is getting that time.

 

[~Mrs. A2J~]

Breastfeed definitely.

Cheaper - have you seen the price of formula?
Healthier - too many health benefits for mother and baby to list
More convenient - no mixing formula, washing bottles, making sure formula's the right temperature, no lugging bottles around when out
Bonding - breastfeeding my daughter was such a rewarding experience. Nothing like looking down at your 6 month old baby knowing you're the reason they're so healthy and thriving and you did it all from your own body
God - it's the way God intended us to feed our babies so why fix what ain't broke? God designed breastmilk himself so why give baby something that's second best?

 

[Linnis]

I plan to breastfeed.

Better for baby, cheaper, easier for me(no mixing at 2am), easier for baby, that's why I have boobs.

It never dawned on me I could choose to bottlefeed(with formula) until after I got pregnant. I always assumed I would and unless I have to go on any medications for my RA or FMS I will.

 

[ksbriscoe]

I was bound and determined to have my babies natrualy and breastfeed ONLY. Needless to say, neither of them happened. My first baby wouldn't even try to breastfeed so I pumped then I got sever mastitus twice and had to stop and went to formula. With my second baby I was able to breastfeed for 3 weeks then got sever mastitus AGAIN and had to once again go to formula. And guess what... they are both just fine. My oldest is 2.5 years old and can almost count to 20 is learning spanish (thianks to Dora) and knows her shapes and colors. My baby will be a year next month and she is walking and doing just fine. I guess what I'm getting at is that while breast may be best, the world wont end if you have to just formula, your child will be just as smart and grow just the same. And please don't let people try to make you feel bad if you do use formula. Not every woman is capapble of breastfeeding.

 

[~Nikki~]

I am breastfeeding, because God designed breastmilk especially for babies and He made it to exactly suit their needs.

Also, for the bonding aspect it's great.

And I don't have to sterilise my boobs every time he feeds or try and get it to the correct temperature...it already is.

Also what I noticed during my hospital stay is that the breastfed babies seemed to have a lot less wind than the bottle fed babies...and the two ladies I got to know who were bottle feeding, found that their babies spent quite a while each night coughing up mucus and were often sick after a feed. I don't know if that's just coincidence or not, but Ben does have a small bit of wind here and there, but has only been sick twice in this first week of his life, rather than at almost every feed like my friends' babies.

Like I said, coincidence or not I don't know. I just know that God gave me boobs and breastmilk especially for my baby, and so far it's working very well for us, he's healthy and happy (not saying other peoples' babies aren't) and so I don't plan on changing to a bottle (unless it's expressed breastmilk).

 

[PegasusOnFire]

I guess what I'm getting at is that while breast may be best, the world wont end if you have to just formula, your child will be just as smart and grow just the same. And please don't let people try to make you feel bad if you do use formula. Not every woman is capapble of breastfeeding.

I went through Antepartum depression and was put on anti-depressants, that I stayed on until my daughter was around a year old. Because of the medication the only choice that I had open to me was bottle feeding my baby, and no not everyone and their mother is going to want to feed your baby, and you have the RIGHT to say no to them, so you won't lose out on any bonding time with your baby.

Make the healthiest choice for you and your baby, don't listen to what others tell you is best for THEIR baby, it may not be best YOUR baby.

I got a lot of grief for bottle feeding my daughter, both on this site and off this site. No one knows your circumstances but you, so do what is right for you and your baby.

 

[RoseofLima]

I've never given formula to any of my four-- and planr to breast feed this one.

I had to pump with my first- and so deal with bottles, and what not.

Mostly I breastfeed because I am far too lazy to bottle feed.

 

[Athene]

I was bound and determined to have my babies natrualy and breastfeed ONLY. Needless to say, neither of them happened. My first baby wouldn't even try to breastfeed so I pumped then I got sever mastitus twice and had to stop and went to formula. With my second baby I was able to breastfeed for 3 weeks then got sever mastitus AGAIN and had to once again go to formula. And guess what... they are both just fine. My oldest is 2.5 years old and can almost count to 20 is learning spanish (thianks to Dora) and knows her shapes and colors. My baby will be a year next month and she is walking and doing just fine. I guess what I'm getting at is that while breast may be best, the world wont end if you have to just formula, your child will be just as smart and grow just the same. And please don't let people try to make you feel bad if you do use formula. Not every woman is capapble of breastfeeding.

Did you have it in both breasts? I've only ever had mastits in one breast but on two seperate occasions, and that was bad enough. I hope I don't get it while I'm feeding Grace.

And here's a big hug because we're all mothers here and we should respect each others choices, I know that bursing mothers probably can be a bit over zealous when talking about breastfeeding.

 

[ksbriscoe]

Did you have it in both breasts? I've only ever had mastits in one breast but on two seperate occasions, and that was bad enough. I hope I don't get it while I'm feeding Grace.

And here's a big hug because we're all mothers here and we should respect each others choices, I know that bursing mothers probably can be a bit over zealous when talking about breastfeeding.

It went back an dforht bewteen both breast. I was in the hospital for a week with a 104 temperture with the first one. And was in the hospital twice after I had my second baby, and had to "dry up" by my doctors orders. After both times I found that I was looke ddown apon because I was giving my babies formula, mostly by stangers. I was in the store when my baby got hungry so I started to feed her a bottle when a lady came up to me and said, "You know you shouldn't be embarassed to breastfeed in public" I told her that is was ok and tried to ignore her. Then she looked at the bottle and said point blank, "well I hope that is atleast breastmilk. You sure don't want to feed you baby anything but, they may not be as bright as everyone else" Yes she actually said that to me. To the sad thing is that it wasn't the first time I was flat out TOLD that I should be breastfeeding my baby. It was a very degrating and embarassing expirence every time it happened. There is noting like being put in your place by a complete stranger who knows nothing about you or your situation.

 

[RoseofLima]

I went through Antepartum depression and was put on anti-depressants, that I stayed on until my daughter was around a year old. Because of the medication the only choice that I had open to me was bottle feeding my baby, and no not everyone and their mother is going to want to feed your baby, and you have the RIGHT to say no to them, so you won't lose out on any bonding time with your baby.

Make the healthiest choice for you and your baby, don't listen to what others tell you is best for THEIR baby, it may not be best YOUR baby.

I got a lot of grief for bottle feeding my daughter, both on this site and off this site. No one knows your circumstances but you, so do what is right for you and your baby.

Can I ask you what medicaton you were on? You can PM me if you want. Were there options about medications?? ( I am asking because I am seriously praying about and thinking about going on something myself. It is not as bad as it was firts trimester--but I am taking my first trimester as a warning sign of what post-partum might bring. However I cannot afford both medication and formula)

 

[RoseofLima]

It went back an dforht bewteen both breast. I was in the hospital for a week with a 104 temperture with the first one. And was in the hospital twice after I had my second baby, and had to "dry up" by my doctors orders. After both times I found that I was looke ddown apon because I was giving my babies formula, mostly by stangers. I was in the store when my baby got hungry so I started to feed her a bottle when a lady came up to me and said, "You know you shouldn't be embarassed to breastfeed in public" I told her that is was ok and tried to ignore her. Then she looked at the bottle and said point blank, "well I hope that is atleast breastmilk. You sure don't want to feed you baby anything but, they may not be as bright as everyone else" Yes she actually said that to me. To the sad thing is that it wasn't the first time I was flat out TOLD that I should be breastfeeding my baby. It was a very degrating and embarassing expirence every time it happened. There is noting like being put in your place by a complete stranger who knows nothing about you or your situation.

That is horrible! Everything about it is just horrible! I HATE that-- I just always figure all moms are just doing the best they can in the situation they are in....I can't understand why people feel so free to comment on everything....

 

[jessesgirl]

Wow, thank you all for your responses! I have almost completely decided to bottle feed, simply because the thought of breast feeding just terrifies me for some reason. No one in my family (extended or immediate) breastfed, so I guess it never occured to me to do it. Thank you all so much for your input!

 

[andiesmama]

I chose to bottle-feed Andie, no real reason, just because. It worked great for us, the midnight feedings were EASY (I worked out my own little system so I wouldn't have to do measuring/mixing in the middle of the night), and there was no "perfect temperature" for her, she was perfectly happy with room-temp formula!

Don't worry about the bonding either....whether you breast or bottle-feed your baby, the feeding time is STILL bonding time. As for the health issues, it totally depends on the child....Andie was healthy all through "baby-hood", some bottle-fed babies aren't as healthy, and some breast-fed babies aren't as healthy.

It all boils down to you doing whatever makes you comfortable. If you're stressed about whatever choice you make, then it's not good for you OR baby....God Bless!

 

[RoseofLima]

Wow, thank you all for your responses! I have almost completely decided to bottle feed, simply because the thought of breast feeding just terrifies me for some reason. No one in my family (extended or immediate) breastfed, so I guess it never occured to me to do it. Thank you all so much for your input!

There is also the option of trying nursing - but being totallly prepared to bottle feed. It might turn out that you like nursing! But it might turn out that it really does not suit you...and then you are totally prepared to give your sweet little one a bottle!

I didn't know anyone AT ALL who nursed, I had never even seen anyone nursing (or ever even changed a diaper, or seen anyone change a diaper) when I had my oldest....but I wanted to give nurdsng a try, just so that I would be able to have tried it. It turned out I have been pregnant and or nursing ever since then .

That said- it's also a great thing to know yourself and your limits and your circumstances, and prayerfully make the decision that will be the best for you and your baby!