To not even consider breastfeeding

[Ilovemybreasts]

Currently pregnant with no 2, breastfed no 1 to around six months and HATED the experience so not keen to repeat it for several reasons.

1)Felt like a big, leaky, highly uncomfortable cow for the whole time and could not wait to have my body back.

2. Have seen the physical effects of breast feeding two children on several of my friends and it ain't pretty. My breasts are large and have only just recovered from the first feeding frenzy. Two shirt-spaced cycles of constant swelling and shrinking would not be good for their wellbeing! Although my body has borne children I still like to look and feel attractive; being a mother is not my whole identity and not an excuse to let my health and image fall by the wayside.

3. Hours spent pumping and clusterfeeding and mucking about led to a very tired and stressed out me and this time I will have a toddler also needing my time and attention.

4. The many benefits of breastfeeding are not entirely obvious to me. Dc1 still gets ill and picks up bugs as much as several other children we know who were exclusively ff.

5. I became a complete bf bore, bleating on to everyone about it and it's benefits. I swear it took over my life when I should have just been enjoying my baby.

Flame away. Convince me otherwise. Am I likely to be judged for this in real life?

No one in rl will care ...

I dont understand why you are posting. You dont want to breastfeed, so what? Who is going to care? Why should anyone try to convince you? It's your baby. You seem to be judging those who do breastfeed...

As I somewhat suspect, usual!

YANBU I feel the same way.

Do what you want. [shrugs]

Sooooooooooooo. All breastfeeding mothers are boring saggy titted scruffy cows? Interesting. If you don't want to, fine. It sounds more like you're trying to justify it to yourself than anyone else.

As I said, I breastfed my first child so not judging at all. More wondering if I will be judged for choosing not to. Would you think badly of a rl friend who didnt want to, giving similar reasons?

you've made up your mind, you breastfed your first child, don't wish to breastfeed this one, so why do you

1. want validation from MN

2. care if people judge you in RL?

why do you want to be convinced, except to start a debate/flaming and say stuff like, see , all you lactivistis are just Breastfeeding nazis and shite like that?

and presuming you are namechanging ?

I tried once with my eldest, and that was the sum of it, with my second I aleady knew I was going to bottle feed.

Breast feeding does nothing for me at all, it would have tied me to all the feeds, and restricted when I went out the house, cos I be darn sure I'd never get my breast out in public to breast feed.

It doesn't have anything to do with anyone else. It's boring.

What could anyone say to convince you? If you don't value it then there is nothing anyone can say. Those of us who do BF do it for a reason. I personally enjoy it and my breasts are still as perky as ever after 5 years of feeding :)

Have confidence in your own decision - why on earth do you care what a load of strangers on the internet think, or indeed what your friends in RL think? You should NOT have to justify your choice. If your 'friends' are judging you - then they are not really true friends.

The vast majority of people (except perhaps the odd HV or GP) really don't care how you feed your baby. .

Nope... do what you want, it's your baby, your body and your choice. Nobody cares. :)

why would it be UR not to consider it? it isn't law you know. thousands of women never consider it. you aren't unique or anything.

whatever. it seems you >have< considered it (although on some reasons that seem to me ill-founded, but what the hell, they're your reasons.), so knock yourself out. or don't.

So don't! I had a nightmare time trying to bf my first so awful that I refused to even contemplate with my second. Guess what, the sky didn't fall down nor did i develop a rash across my forehead that spelt out BAD MOTHER. Your children, your life, your choice. You don't need anybody's permission and you don't need their approval.

'being a mother is not my whole identity and not an excuse to let my health and image fall by the wayside.'

In what way would bfing let your own health fall to the wayside? Are you aware that there are health benefits of bfing not just to your baby, but to you as well?

Your baby, your decision. Do whatever you think you will look back on as the right decision.

I have intensely disliked BFing 4x - does not make me in in any way speshial, just stubborn .

Why would you be unreasonable? It's a proven fact that here in the UK formula feeding is, wrt infact wellbeing, a perfectly acceptable alternative to breastfeeding.

You come across as a perfectly articulate woman. I'm sure that you can tell people to take a hike if they decide to make judgement about your chosen method of feeding your child.

I made the same choice as you for pretty similar reasons. I don't recall being ostracised from society or having my children fall ill or snatched by SS... nor did anyone dare comment about my choice. :o

What do you want us to say? Weird!

@ reality's 'your tits are fucked anyway' - come right to the point, why don't you?

But true.

What do you want us to say? Weird!

Don't if you don't want to. Don't seek validation from anyone else.
I bf my second after a nightmarish 8 months with my first, and it was a breeze. Much, much, easier. There is no way I'd have had time to make up any bottles with a toddler to deal with as well.

You are going to get flamed though you come across as quite defensive- have you just had a fight with an HCP over your decision?

Vallhalla - sorry slightly off topic but I thought you were vegan - how did you find vegan formula?