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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to want to say something about

46 replies

pinkyp · 11/05/2011 21:39

was on the fantastic facebook earlier and my friend was commenting on a status about a mum trying to get her baby to take a bottle rather than bf, fair enough nothing wrong with that. My friend however was saying things like "its so much better than bf, loads easier and you have loads more freedom"....ermmm...wtf?? I know i'm not going to say anything but i really want to come give me a good flaming to put me in my place please

OP posts:

iscream · 12/05/2011 03:38

Oh wait, she isn't the one who posted the status about introducing the bottle. Got it straight now.

differentnameforthis · 12/05/2011 04:24

I found bottle feeding (formula) mush easier than breastfeeding!

My dd1 bottle fed from day 1. Dd2 breastfed almost exclusively for 5mths.

The breastfeeding was way more stressful for me & I believe my baby! Dd1 never refused to feed, never had problems taking a bottle (vs latching on) never had problems not getting enough (slow supply) never had problems with let down (some day would take ages). We also never sat up in the middle of the night trying to get dd1 to feed (nothing was coming out at one point). It took me hours that night to get something to come out, I didn't have any ting else in the house to give her (dd2) . Anyway, I don't think I would have given her anything else! I Dh had had a few drinks so couldn't go get anything.

I never got mastitus either!

I found the making up bottles, feeding, washing sterilizing bottles SO much easier! I endured 5mths of hell to feed dd2. I don't know why, looking back, that I continued.

Give me bottle feeding over breast any day!

caramelwaffle · 12/05/2011 05:08

LadyBeagleEyes -

GotArt · 12/05/2011 05:14

I can understand that you can get more time away from your LO, DP/DH can have a hand in feeding and babysitting can be employed sooner, if baby is bottle fed, but loads easier... all that work just seemed to outweigh it all for me... and the cost! Shocking how much all those bottles and sterilization and formula and stuff is.

hairfullofsnakes · 12/05/2011 15:22

I do find it terribly sad that vote feeding is so popular and that many 'prefer' it over bf given that the benefits of bf to a baby are so amazing and make such a difference in so many ways.

hairfullofsnakes · 12/05/2011 17:36

That should say 'bottle' not vote! Silly phone!

DuelingFanjo · 12/05/2011 18:11

a bottle of what?

I will probably give my son a bottle of expressed milk and it will be easier as I will be able to go out and leave the baby for longer.

DuelingFanjo · 12/05/2011 18:13

"The powder can be carried in little containers and added to boiled cooled water which you bring ready in a bottle..."

this is wrong isn't it?

scotsgirl23 · 12/05/2011 18:18

Yes it is duelling - the WHO and Food Standards Agency guidelines say that the powder must always be mixed with boiling water (well, not literally still bubbling but you know what I mean, blardy hot and boiled very recently) due to existence of bugs including Salmonella if I remember correctly.

If you can't make fresh and don't want to use ready make cartons then it is better to make the bottle up, chill rapidly under cold running water and then store in a fridge for max of 24 hours. I am paraphrasing a very long document there so apologies for whatever detail I haven't included lol!

missmyoldname · 12/05/2011 18:23

OP chill out. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.

I bf my DD for 11months.. I exclusively bf my DS for 2 months and then mix-fed him (due to very poor weight gain and general dislike of milk!) every feed for 2 months. I then moved to 3 ff and 2bf a day until he was 9/10mo.

I can honestly say that I found bf and ff roughly as easy as each other. No real hassle making up bottles, but bf easier in the night. Bf took about 45minutes per feed as both my DCs took AGES to feed, whereas ff was a lot quicker.

However I can confirm that 2 months of a 30-45 minute bf followed by a bottle of formula was the worst possible scenario!

ilovedora27 · 12/05/2011 18:24

I would say it is a lot easier bottle feeding as I did it and my husband did loads of feeds so I didnt have to wake up so much. I wasnt sleep deprived so that made life easier in the day etc.

I dont think it really matters though everyone and if I saw it written on a fb status I wouldnt care tbh. Same as I wouldnt care if it was written about breast feeding or whatever.

AgentZigzag · 12/05/2011 18:29

But hairfullofsnakes, you're making an assumption in your post that if parents choose to feed their baby formula milk they're deliberately choosing not to give their babies the benefits of bm.

Usually choices are initially because of problems with bf, and finding formula easier is just a byproduct of that initial decision, so not necessarily the reason for it.

hairfullofsnakes · 12/05/2011 19:08

Oh agentzigzag I didn't mean that - I have every sympathy when there are problems with bf and with the lack of support women get... But, I do see a lot of women adopting ff as a lifestyle choice and whilst this is their choice it is not one that sits well with me (just my personal view) and I personally think bf should be done where possible and it should be pesevered with where possible. I'm not asking people to agree with me etc, its just how I feel and although there are women with bf problems that cannot be overcome, many many problems can be overcome ( I've been there and know Many amazing ladies who overcame very big problems to continue bf) with perseverance and the right support. Like I said, just my view

Original poster

pinkyp · 13/05/2011 09:29

i have come to the conclusion my friend who commented is a first time mum who bf for a few weeks/days (not sure which) then moved on to bottles so compared to the constant bf feeding in the early days for her it never got to that easy stage, so when she moved to bottles she will of thought it was easier. Glad i didnt say anything.....well not yet..

OP posts:

capricorn76 · 13/05/2011 10:07

I wish some people would stay out of other people's business when it comes to feeding. What we decide to feed our kids shouldn't bother anyone unless it's gin and crack.

PinkyP, if I were you I'd say nothing.

blindmelon · 13/05/2011 10:47

I had to bite my tongue on FB recently as a friend posted a very angry status about that article about BF babies being better behaved. Even though I think the article was clearly rubbish (DD1 was BF and is a little monkey!) the whole thread of comments descended into a rant about BF not being best, BF mothers being smug, 'I don't want to get my boobs out in public' etc etc. I just find it depressing, I really don't care how anyone else feeds their baby!

Original poster

pinkyp · 13/05/2011 16:25

i must admit if i see a mother bf i do talk to her about it, try to get tips etc

OP posts:

AgentZigzag · 13/05/2011 17:03

I've only ever read part of one bf/ff thread and from what you hear of them I'm disappointed pleasantly surprised at the lovely polite posters on this one

Hairfullofsnakes, hopefully they're just a minority, I think for some people it can be quite daunting if you've not done it before, making some feel it's too big a hurdle to overcome and give up before they've even tried.

I bf my two for 2 and 6 weeks, and even though I prefered the eye contact I got from giving them a bottle, I really was sad at losing the way you have to snuggle them in to bf, it was just so close, a relationship you or they don't ever have with anyone else.

hairfullofsnakes · 14/05/2011 07:00

Zigzag why hopefully I am in the minority? Because I sm saddened that more people dont take the time to persevere with bf if they can? Because wish there was more support? Because I wish people would take the benefits of bf more seriously? What's wrong with that? I haven't slated anyone. For the record, I had a horrendous time bf with both mine immune beg and severe mastitis with both but carried on to bf both for a long long time - so I do know what it is like to bf though problems. My good friend expressed for both of her dc for a year as she had problems with latch etc. Some problems cannot be overcome but others can. I don't see anything wrong with wanting more people to bf.

AgentZigzag · 14/05/2011 17:57

Sorry hairfullofsnakes, I didn't mean you're hopefully in the minority, I meant the mums who didn't feel able to even try to bf their babies, for whatever reason

hairfullofsnakes · 14/05/2011 21:19

Oh! Thanks zigzag! I don't want to offend anyone after all but just is my view on te whole bf thing! x

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