AIBU to not breastfeed?

[Stephieee]

DD is yet to arrive, but I never breastfed with DS and my goodness, I was made to feel terrible about it! I've told people that I'm not going to, this time around, but their views haven't changed :(

Disappointed
You are being goady. We dont give a shit what could have happened if formula was not around.

We are talking about the here and now. And there is nothing wrong in BF and nothing wrong in formula feeding. Its a matter of choice how to feed your baby.

SillySausage2
The OP does NOT want to breast feed. Therefore why would she want to give it a go.
Back off and stop being a Breast Is Best sillysausage

Makes about as much sense, right? :o

Oh god.

"wonders what the anti-BFs would do if formula hadn't been invented yet/weren't in such plentiful supply". Many babies would be dead. You know, when women's milk dried up or they were unable to BF or didn't produce enough of it. Babies did actually die back then, and life was reserved for those who could afford to hire a wet nurse.

I do wonder what all these people who bang on and on about the alleged benefits of BF find to get sanctimonious about when their babies turn into toddlers and how they were fed doesn't actually matter any more.

And, does anyone actually know anyone whose baby suffered as a result of being FF? No? Thought not.

Oh, maybe the NHS would provide us all with our own personal lactating chimps.

They share like 98% of our DNA.

It would make the 'shall we have a baby?' conversation a little more interesting. 'Do we want a chimp in the house? Darling you know I can't stand bananas'

Night feeds would be a must.

But think of all the extra nappies.

Please don't interpret this message as 'goady' - as I am well aware that however you feed a new born it is bloody hard work!

But, from a very personal perspective, it would be great if we could all get some positive reinforcement for our choices without this just entailing battering others for theirs.

I was (am!) a BF-er who has really struggled with pain, engorgement, leaking, feeding in front of ILs, limitations on my activities, etc. So it's actually quite disheartening to hear it suggested that this was all for no benefit.

Equally I have close friends who really battled to breastfeed, or had appalling BF experiences with a first baby and opted out for latter children, who would be heartbroken to hear FF dismissed as inferior.

Flatonthehill she's asking so maybe she's thinking about it. Breast isn't best, it's the biological norm and formula is inferior, that's the facts, end of story.
Fair enough if you try and can't do it for whatever reason but at least try, then there's nothing to feel guilty about

It does make me laugh when obese bf-ers bang on about how much healthier breast milk is...

As I said earlier, my cluster-feeding five-day-old son is utterly killing me pain-wise. My nipples are so, so sore. So I've just given him 50ml of formula and at last! he's gone to sleep and I can get some rest.

It's really not hard to see that formula is a very quick, easy and filling way to satisfy your baby. And that is why your UK bfing stats are so dire.

Nappies not nipples Dixie. :o

Not trying to goad. Just fascinated by the psychology of it.

I've already said that BF didn't work for us. I EEd for many months and then used a bit of formula once a day to top up freezer supplies. That to me was the next best option. So I'm wondering, quite naturally, why some never consider it.

(Lots and lots of babies do die because of formula elsewhere in the world. This paradox makes me extremely uncomfortable.)

Sillysausage
Why the hell should anyone feel guilty about formula feeding. Its not poison.
She does not want to do it. End off. Does not have to justify her reasons. Why should she try it? Makes no difference what milk the baby has.
When your kid is a few years old all your breast feeding will be a thing ofmthe past and you wont give it a second thought whilst watching your child running around the park with all the other kids. Do you think you could pick out how they have been fed?

I'd be pretty miffed if my boobs fell off and I formula fed I like the idea of a lactating chimp though. Would there then be chimp vs orangutan debates? Mothers who could only get an orangutan clearly didn't try hard enough, orangutans only share 97% of human DNA as opposed to 99% in chimps, it's by far an inferior product

You sound like you are doing really well ThirtyNineWeeks, congratulations on your new baby!

Get as much sleep as you can while he's settled.

Dixie I'm still laughing. :o

Disappointed I wanted to express. HCPs in hospital told me to not even bother because it would be "too much effort for me" next time I've resolved to basically ignore whatever they say and figure it out on my own now that there are actually some local breastfeeding services in my area!

Human biology dictates that babies will feed often and wake through the night. They're supposed to be inconvenient!

Ah but orangutans are more intelligent than chimps Ovaries, so surely it's more beneficial to have the milk from a smarter ape in the long run?