Breastfeeders - if you had another baby now

[BaconAndEggs]

Would you breastfeed exclusively with no bottles or cups? Or would you get your dc used to taking expressed milk or formula from a different source? I am interested as I know all the arguments for only direct bfing, but I am not sure if the chance of time off occasionally, even just to catch up on sleep, and the reassurance of knowing that you can leave your dc with someone else without worrying that they won't eat, negates this?
I know it will be different for everyone but I would like opinions.

Thank you.

[BaconAndEggs]

I mean just bottles really I suppose. Unless there's anyone who has cup fed a young'un just for the purpose of knowing your dc will take milk from another source?

[weegiemum]

I bf all 3 of mine (all much too big these days!).

I would still exclusively feed with no bottles or cups, excpet if I had a problem. Dh never had any problem getting them to take ebm from a bottle if I wasn't available (had a lot of postnatal hospitalisations).

I suppose after dd1 (also dc1) did it, I didn't worry about the others.

[deepdarkwood]

I'd bf exclusively - until they were ready to drink from a cup (ie 6/7 mnths ish)

Did this with ds and it worked brilliantly. Spent ages struggling to get dd to drink from a bottle, but she would only take it from me, and it buggered my supply (hate expressing) - no bloody use at all.

[Unlurked]

Nope I did consider it but it seemed like too much of a hassle! In an emergency the lo would adjust rather than starve.

[Babieseverywhere]

With my first I would only leave her with my mother if I also left several bottles of expressed milk also.

With my second. He has never had a bottle or expressed milk and he has just turned one. I still have had a few short breaks from him and his sister and he does just fine with water in a cup and solids, until he sees me again.

So if the stork dropped off a baby today, yes I would aim to exclusively breastfeed and no I wouldn't bother with bottles/cups of formula/expressed milk.

[Caz10]

I would offer the occasional bottle from a very early age tbh, but also I wouldn't panic if he/sge didn't take it.

I am still bf-ing dd 20mths, and I remember clearly sometimes feeling quite claustrophobic about the constant feeding, but also being adamant that a bottle would be the devils work at that stage...now I think that literally one a week or something would give me a teensy break and would not spoil b-fing. Ideally expressed milk but in a total emergency would give formula.

I also had a nightmare trying to get dd to drink from anything other than me at 9mths when I went back to work, but dunno how I could handle that differently!

[Theochris]

Hi well I EBF both DC and 1st time I wasted lots of time expressing and storing milk and trying to train baby to bottle feed. Eventually at about 8 months took a cup.
This time (baby 6 months) I haven't bothered to get my steriliser and breast pump out yet. I will though for my return to work. But it's a lot of faff IMO. From about 4m I would have been able to leave both for an evening, and tbh unless they have colic etc. I never wanted time off that badly.

Not sure I've helped? Sorry

[TheDailyMailHatesWomenAndLemon]

Yes. In fact, I had DS and spent ages trying unsuccessfully to get him to take bottles and/or cups. Then when I had DD I just didn't even bother with any of that.

[bunnybunyip]

I don't think i woulb bother with a regular bottle, hv said had to do several times a week to keep them used to it which is too much like hard work.

[KristinaM]

I woudl plan to bf exclusievly with no bottles or cups

IME expressing " to give you time off" is rarely worth the hassle

i understand there are some mums who have to do it because of problems eg mum or baby is sick. or to keep up their supply when the go back to work etc

it always took me ages to express even a tiny amount. one weeks i exclusively Bf a whopping great 2yo toddler ( who was poorly and off his food) and i still coulndt even express enough to cover the bottom of the bottle

so the idea that i woudl spend hours expressing to get enough for a feed so i coudl go out and " relax" was a bit of a joke

I'm always impressed by these mums who get out the kit, sterilise it, express, feed the baby, clean kit and put away then repeat this process half a dozen times so their Dp can "bond" with the baby by doing one feed

babies do lots of dirty and wet nappies each day. plenty chances for bonding IMHO

[BaconAndEggs]

Thank you! I had lots of problems bfing my first and had to use many bottles (although I carried on bfing), but was wondering about what I'd do with the next one!

[shonaspurtle]

Difficult because I think they're just all so different rather than there's some patent way of ensuring your dc will take a bottle.

Ds had loads of bottles of ebm in the first few weeks and then none at all until about 20wks. He took a bottle again with no problems.

I know other people have found that their dc refused bottles either point blank or after a period of time.

I'd probably just go with the flow again and see what happened. Wouldn't go through the faff of expressing just for the sake of it. Way too much trouble.

Having said all that, I'd probably be more relaxed about giving the odd bottle of formula before 6 months if I didn't have ebm and wanted to go out.

All this is moot since I've not experienced life with a newborn and a toddler/older child so I don't really know what I'd do.

[pasturesnew]

I am planning not to worry about bottles at all this time round but if mum or MIL or feel strongly about the "what about an emergency?" issue I will probably try some token expressing to keep the peace.

[iwantitnow]

I didn't give a bottle with my DD who I fed until she self weaned at 23 months. DS now nearly 6 months and never had a bottle. Finding time to express each day with a toddler/pre-school run/groups etc.. would have been a nightmare. Only expressed once to relieve a blocked duct. I have developed an almost pathological hatred of expressing machines, not using it for weaning either just boiled water. If there was an extreme emergency before he is taking alot of solids DH would have to give him formula.

However, finding more restricting socially this time and so plan to wean DS at a year.

[thisisyesterday]

yes, i would.
ds1 was exc bf til i gave up at 4.5m
ds2 was exc bf til nearly 6 months and then carried on feeding until 16 months. he never, ever had formula, and only had ebm in a bottle once.
ds3 is currently 9 weeks and never had milk from anything except booby.

if the need arose a bottle would be given, but that would only be if i was killed lol

[Aranea]

DD2 is 10mo now and neither she nor DD1 have had bottles. I did have to go into hospital for a day when DD1 was 9mo, and she took a bottle of ebm then as an emergency measure and it was OK (a bit of upset, but she did take it).

I definitely can't be bothered to establish bottle feeding and express etc, I don't want time away from my baby all that much really, and it goes so quickly. Especially second time round, I feel that being tied to her for a few months is not that big a deal.

[BaconAndEggs]

thanks for the opinions everyone. Very much in favour of ebf!

[Grendle]

I predominantly breastfed ds, but we had mega problems and he had to have top-ups (largely eBM) so bottles ended up being introduced from about 10 days. By the time I went back to work he wouldn't take a bottle, so had his EBM in a doidy cup (8 months).

With dd I didn't even consider the faff of expressing and mucking around with bottles just so I could take a break. I actually reckoned 6 months isn't that long, and I could do things between feeds once she was a few months old. Dd has never had a bottle, but I did express to donate.

I'm now expecting dc3 and would prefer not to bother with bottles at all unless we encounter major difficulties. Even then, I now know were to get help, so if EBM was needed would probably try to stick to cup/finger feeding.

Aoart fromt the faff and hassle, I actually really dislike the thought of artifical plastic teats in my children's soft developing mouths. Regular use can affect the shape of the palatte and the way they use their tongue to swallow.

[thedailyfemale]

I combi fed my first three by this age (4 mths) thinking it was easier. This time I'm solely bfing and its sooo much easier so...

I don't work though so I think it does depend on circumstances

but ideal world I would just bf

[moondog]

I found expressing a faff with 1st baby (who was really hard work anyway) but much easier with 2nd (better pump and easier baby) and expressed a bottle worth a day fairly early as I had a lot of stuff to deal with (moving house alone as dh abroad and lots of physio appts. for bad shoulder).

[BertieBotts]

Yes, I would do what I have done this time which is exclusive bf and only using bottles as and when they are needed. I never bothered trying to get DS used to one or anything - I thought, if he is hungry, he will take it, and if he really won't take it there are lots of ways to get milk into a baby - spoons, cups, syringes! None of which most people would even dream of "getting the baby used to".

I have heard lots of stories of people whose bf baby who took regular bottles suddenly refused them, so I think "getting them used to a bottle" is bollock tbh.

HTH