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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to point out that formula feeding doesn't necessarily require you to be sterilising bottles and scooping out powder in the middle of the night...

453 replies

itsakindarabbit · 22/02/2013 21:56

Keep seeing this on threads which mention ff...how people couldnt be doing with getting up in the night andstsrilising bottles/making up feeds.

I bf and ff but found ff no problem at night - i would take up a carton of ready made formula and a pre sterilised bottle and i could feed without getting out of bed.

And yes, i know ready made formula is expensive and not everyone uses it. But some of us do/did.

OP posts:
fatlazymummy · 23/02/2013 09:07

I mainly Ff 3 babies, I never found it a faff at all.Of course breastfeeding sounds very easy if you can 'lay there asleep while baby helps him/herself', but how many women actually get to that stage? I certainly didn't. Breastfeeding just wasn't that simple and problem free to me, in fact I found it incredibly time consuming and inconvenient.

babiesinslingsgetcoveredinfood · 23/02/2013 09:25

"Time consuming and inconvenient" ... WTF?

Well yes, the lying there asleep while baby latches doesn't happen immediately, but surely a bit of effort is to be expected?

AmberLeaf · 23/02/2013 10:01

wonders how my babies survived being ff, with pre made bottles....

Anyone know of any ff babies that got very ill from drinking a pre made ff bottle?

me neither.

YouTheCat · 23/02/2013 10:18

I have 2 strapping 18 year olds who were ff. I even used to make up 6 bottles at a time and keep them in the fridge until they were needed and then warmed them up.

It wasn't rocket science. And they never got ill.

fatlazymummy · 23/02/2013 10:27

babiesinslippers I was comparing my experiences of breastfeeding to other people who say they find breastfeeding so much easier and more convenient than formula feeding. I didn't and I suspect many other women don't either.If they did then wouldn't it actually be more popular?
So WTF to yourself.

Chunderella · 23/02/2013 10:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChairmanWow · 23/02/2013 11:02

No I didn't either Fatlazy. It was a horrible nightmare and really upsetting and was never going to happen for us. Let's not fall out about it though. It's a very emotive subject. Far too emotive IMO.

We used to sterilise our bottles for the day, keep some cooled boiled water in the fridge and mix the powder in thesterile bottke with boiling water, using the cooler water to get it to the right temperature for immediate use. That way any bugs in the powder are killed but you're not frantically trying to cool a bottle while hungry baby screams the house down.

My OH was a bit rubbish though and I'm convinced he used milk that had sat there a while when I wasn't looking. DS was and is fine.

Booyhoo · 23/02/2013 12:22

i have to say, i hate the idea of giving tiny babies cold milk to drink. does that mean they dont have a warm meal until they are six months old? i think room temp would be the lowest temp i could feed to a baby but definitely not cold. i think there is a comfort factor in the warm milk that isn't there with cold.

ChestyLeRoux · 23/02/2013 12:26

I just lay that and she latches on.Havent got out of bed since she was born,and I have to say it is considerably easier than ffing as no faff at all.

FutTheShuckUp · 23/02/2013 12:32

Totally irrelevent but lol @ 'babiesinslippers'
Why does ANY thread mentioning formula feeding always turn into a breast is best/easier/cheaper/healthier sermon.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH JUST ARGHHHHHH

YouTheCat · 23/02/2013 12:34

Fut, it is the law. Hmm

I couldn't give a flying fig what anyone else does/how they fed their babies.

It is totally wrong, however, to try and make someone else feel guilty about THEIR choices. Bf isn't for everyone. Ff isn't for everyone. Each to their own.

Booyhoo · 23/02/2013 12:39

i fed ds2 until he was 22 months old and he never latched on by himself. i always thought it would come in time but it didn't and i would have to wake every time and help him latch on.

BrianCoxandTheTempleofDOOM · 23/02/2013 12:41

I'm planning to BF DS (due in 5 weeks) I BF DD (9 yo) for 13 months.

However, this time round I am worried that if I cant BF for any reason that FF seems like such a massive faff.

I opened this thread and have actually found it informative and helpful and hasn't put me off the idea of FF if my preferred route of BF didn't work out. Also - brings up the possibility of mixed feeding (ie FF through the night) as P and I are no longer together so he could take baby over night and it would mean I could continue BF but also get the odd night's rest IYSWIM (when baby is older, not as a newborn obv!).

So, OP I don't think for one second you are being goady or attempting a bun fight. Not everybody knows the tricks of the trade where FF is concerned (they may seem eye-wateringly obvious to others) and I personally find that the majority of comments on this thread are helpful.

Sashapineapple · 23/02/2013 12:52

FF isn't a faff at all, to me that is just some BFeeders say to promote BF. The reality is different. It's like the cost, if you take into account the bf bras/tops, nipple creams, the hassle of antibiotics if you get thrush etc then it's not really cheaper or less hassle imo.
I think people should be able to feed their children however the see fit (bf or ff) and people should stop trying to push their views on others.
It really annoys me when the faff argument comes out because it just bollocks. You don't need to worry about running out of clean bottles or formula unless you are a complete dimwit.
BF works for some women and they love it. For other FF is the best way.

ChestyLeRoux · 23/02/2013 13:15

I did find it a bigger faff tbh but thats my experience,and Im lazy and disorganised and found bfing suited me a lot more.It is a lot cheaper for me though I would say Ive saved a £1000 so far and I have spent nothing on bfing.

GreenPetal94 · 23/02/2013 13:24

I only ff my second son, initially sadly as I had to take medication, but it worked out great in the end. The joy of lying in bed whilst dh did the night feed occasionally....pure bliss! Also my kids were close together so friends and family could feed ds2 and I could play with ds1. Again a great boom.

ChairmanWow · 23/02/2013 13:40

I couldn't give a flying fig what anyone else does/how they fed their babies. YY to that. As long as it's not single malt and razor blades they'll be grand!

YouTheCat · 23/02/2013 13:45

Gin for babies. Whisky for toddlers. Grin

VisualiseAHorse · 23/02/2013 13:52

*wonders how my babies survived being ff, with pre made bottles....

Anyone know of any ff babies that got very ill from drinking a pre made ff bottle?

me neither.*

Not me. But then I don't know anyone who's had lung cancer either. Doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

babiesinslingsgetcoveredinfood · 23/02/2013 13:54

sasha et al, re cost. You're not supposed to wear underwire bras when pg, so but non underwire ones with drop cups then. Also you don't need special tops, this always confuses me. You can spend £6 on washable pads, which you down need past 4 or 5 months anyway. I used one tube of Lansinoh, £9 with dd and not with ds. I didn't get thrush or mastitis once in my 30 months of bf to date. So the cost has been zero-minimal. I haven't had to buy bottles, teats, steriliser, formula, bottle warmer, those wee pot things for milk powder. I've never had to struggle to open one of those cartons made of unbearable Teflon (?) except for dn. I've never wanted to be spontaneous and change my plans and had to think 'no, I've not brought enough milk'. I can walk out the door without doing more than grabbing a (reusable) nappy and some (non reusable!) wipes.,just have to make sure I've got my tits on!

The truth is one person's convenience is another's hassle. But then I'd never sacrifice the gift of breastmilk for my child as it was a hassle. As it happened I think that in the first few weeks its a massive hassle and after that its so much easier. The thought of having either baby cry for more than a few seconds at giant makes my blood run cold, mainly as then we'd all (me, dh & dd(3) ) be awake. As it is if on the very rare occasion (once a fortnight?) ds wakes for milk or comfort, I force feed give him some milk & the sleepy hormones send us both straight back to sleep without waking anyone else.

ChairmanWow · 23/02/2013 14:36

But then I'd never sacrifice the gift of breastmilk for my child as it was a hassle. As it happened I think that in the first few weeks its a massive hassle and after that its so much easier.

The inference being that other posters have done just that? Well, I can't speak for anyone else but it was more than a hassle, it didn't get easier and my boy ended up in hospital. So thank feck for life-saving formula. And for the mostly sensible posts on here. I'm due again in 3 weeks and if the same happens with BF I now have some helpful hints to make life a bit easier.

Booyhoo · 23/02/2013 14:45

i agree chairman. it isn't liquid gold. it's milk and there is a perfectly acceptable alternative with pros and cons just as Bf has pros and cons. what suits for some doesn't for others.

i'm really enjoying this thread actiually. usually they are very one sided (on either side of the fence) but this has been quite pleasant and informative. like others i wrongly assumed FF was more hassle than BFing but looking back i honestly can say i would be hard pressed to decide which suited me more a i think both have their benefits and if i have any more children i will just decide based on what the circumstances are at the time.

Sashapineapple · 23/02/2013 14:46

Babiesinslings 'I've never wanted to be spontaneous and change my plans and had to think 'no, I've not brought enough milk'. '
Me neither, and I ff. I think it's just another way bfeeders choose to justify them bf. To me it's rubbish you shouldn't have to justify yourself or put others down because they choose to do it a different way.

I certainly don't think I robbed my children of the gift of breast millk.. Were you actually being serious with that comment because it sounds ridiculous.
My children were never left to cry for milk because I pre steralised all the bottles and they had them room temp with the formula added as they needed them.

You keep believing all these myths about ff. I'm glad bf works for you and it sounds like you had an easy time of it compared to the majority of people I know who bf, but please don't patronise others for their choices.

I'm out of this thread now because I can see the way it's going to go.

lljkk · 23/02/2013 14:46

I dunno, I have always been a bit scared of FF. Would feel like I didn't have a clue although it sounds easy in principle, and I've had a demo.

There was a very very long thread on here ages back (5-6 yrs?) about how there wasn't enough support for problems that FF parents have, and there was much discussion and description of unique difficulties faced by many FFing posters. None of them were about BF vs. FF, all of it was unique problems in FFing. So I don't know what to believe.

Mmmnoodlesoup · 23/02/2013 15:45

I'm too broke to FF. luckily I've had no problems bf and find it pretty easy at night. It's good to kmow ff'ers don't have to leave their bed at night either.

To the BF'ers who say their babies help themselves, at what age do they start doing that?

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