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?

leonie youre a parental cliché,from cheese town

dont forget to say

precious moments
wouldnt leave then with strangers
why have children if you dont want to look after them yourself

Up to you love. FF is a bloomin pain in the arse though - all those bottles.

bubble...SM loves being a cold hearted person, I think she's hoping for a 'I don't pander to my dcs, I'm a right selfish piece of work' tee shirt.

ScottishMummy....

I'd dump my kids with anyone
I have no precious moments with my kids, ever
I have children to spend as little time as possible with them, as that would be showing weakness.

SunshineisSorry If you read my post I said that people should try for a few weeks as it can take time to establish - not that people should put themselves through hell for months on end.

I do understand that it is hard - I found it incredibly hard with latch problems, painful thrush & an abscess - I was ready to give up after 2 weeks, but then decided gave myself a goal of 6 weeks - a week later (after 3 weeks), it all became much better. Considering so few people actually do breastfeed, it just seems that people are too quick to give up when it can become much better and easier in a matter of weeks.

Obviously this is not the case for everyone ands I accept that, and know there are worse things you can do than not breastfeed, but I can't understand why you wouldn't even try. Just my opinion.

Ah ok posie - maybe we could all chip in :)

See, looking back leonie I now realise tht i made the wrong decision FOR MY BABY, to carry on breast feeding. I was not being a hero, and sorry, neither were you - i was being fucking selfish actually, because it was MY need to be accepted as a good mother to appease the BF brigade that i put first. Sometimes its about that funny little thing "COMMON SENSE" It wasn't working, my DD wasn't getting what was best, she was constantly hungry - thank god i had the sense to mix feed in the end, but to carry on solely BF would have been a little bit, no, a lot mad.

You are way out of order to suggest that the OP doesn't care for her children like you do - i think you are perhaps more like me, and that isn't always best.

Some mums do fall into BF, most mums should i guess, but THANK GOD FOR FORMULA, what would happen if there was no formula? Lots more dying babies thats what.

I absolutely think Breast is best, but would never ever dream of berating another mother for her choice as to whats best for HER baby.

leonie its such a shame. You clearly have so much to offer, you're experience and expertise would be invaluable to supporting women in establishing bfing, especially those with challenging dc's if only you could tone your attitude down and accept that not everyone has the emotional 'strength' you seem to.

Who cares? Entirely up to you

I think fretting about the state of your tits is an odd reason but there we go.

i pay the mortgage,the nursery fees,and put food in the fridge

i dont defer to the children.i do what right do me,and them

and that makes me the adult making the capable decisions.not a bunch of weans

doinganythingbut - im sorry i think i got your post mixed up with leonies, i happen to agree - should give it a try, but some women feel they can't or some, like the OP base their decision on previous babies. If i had another child, i should love to BF (i wont be having anymore) but i would hand on heart, stop in a heart beat if i felt my baby would sleep better on formula etc.

bubbleymummy.
OP says I don't want to breastfeed.
Leonie says I love my kids more than you love yours OP.
You truly don't see a difference?

I'm not sure I understand 'weans'.

We're all adults making decisions, don't see why you have to berate mothers who find their children enough.

Leonie.....that's great for you.

I'm saying bubblemummy that bf a child every hour for 2.5 years would leave me little time to have a shit let alone do anything that would make me fulfilled.
I don't subscribe to mummy martyr dot com. Mummy love dot com is a different publication entirely.

OK - I've never yet had the experience of preganancy. However, I do intend to breastfeed when the time comes because:

1. It's free (yes, I'm a Scot)
2. The ingredients are perfectly formulated - nothing artificial
3. It's at the right temperature
4. You don't forget to take it with you
5. It must help with the bonding
6. The cat can't get at it.

Bonding is individual and not formulaic (pun not intended).

no one care about feeding mode in rl,only enacted out on mn.

all the histrionics,accusations and you dont love your precious weans the way i do. are all a peculiar mn phenomenon

Again, Leonie great for you and none would question it if you didn't bang on all the time about how people that don't do the same as you love their children less.
The fact that you do it hints at some issues quite frankly.

I was no more suggesting that you were being selfish than you were suggesting that i was for mix feeding!

Lets hope you never EVER get a job as a BF counsellor. Seriously - there has to be common sense. There is an alternative to breast feeding, yep, its inferiour IMO, but its sufficient and my DD1 is 20, i only BF for the first 8 weeks, then gave up when the going got tough on advice of HV. Does my DD have allergies? Nup, is she healthy - yes, when i went with her to the doctors once a few years back, doctor didint know how, despite being her doctor for life, because she we hardly ever sick.

DD2 mix fed til 6 months, shes pretty fit too - its in the genes!