to think that as I was formula-fed....

[Snobear4000]

...um... actually I don't have anything to say about that as it's really not very important what I ate decades ago and for how long.

Umm well I don't remember what my mum fed me when I was an infant either but I'm jolly glad that it turns out it was breast milk

YANBU it doesnt matter at all. None of the women in my mum's family have BF sucessfully and everyone's turned out just fine.

Well I would say YANBU at all. I was formula fed as my mum was seriously ill after having me. Quite glad about being fed and not starving and all...

Like Mercededs519, my mum was desperately ill after I was born- ill in a she could have died kind of way- so I'll be eternally grateful for the formula the midwives (and then mum when she got better) fed me.

I was formula fed from 2 weeks old after my Mum was (incorrectly) advised to stop breastfeeding when she had mastitis. Luckily I seem to be in good health, but my Mum is still occasionally upset and angry about the poor advice she was given. She would have much preferred to breastfeed, and went on to breastfeed my brother until he was 2.

So, YABU- although I turned out fine with formula, my Mum and I would both have preferred that I had been breastfed.

My Mum was told she was 'starving' my sister as she was told to bf at inappropriate intervals. I feel very sad for her as she wanted to feed is all and had no confidence that she could.

Thank god for brilliant doctors and formula companies for denying me the advantages of breast milk. Yes, we need an alternative to bm, but let's not kid ourselves that it's all fine and women even now are given all sorts of crap advice that ends the bf relationship.

Do you feel the same about the diet you were brought up on?

I was FF and I'm not bothered about it one way or the other. My DD was also FF. I truly, truly can't see why people get so het up about it in this country (ie we have clean water, etc, to make it with and no-one is conning us into believing it's the best or only way).

If you want to bf, I believe you should have access to all the encouragement, support and help you might need. If you don't, I don't think you should be vilified or given a hard time.

my older brother was FF and I was BF and he is smarter, thinner and more successful than me. can i blame the breastmilk?

So what's wrong with you wahwah that you can blame directly on being formula fed?

I mean I don't understand why people get so het up about other people's choices. I understand why people want to bf etc.

I was breastfed for 18 months by my mother, who was 17 at the time which was unusual, I think in the early 70s.

I am glad. I won't use my good health and my mother's good health as an anecdote of two, because it doesn't work to talk about the individual. But yes, it matters greatly at the population level.

And we should also be thinking of both health of the baby AND health of the mother.

Besides, what does 'fine' mean? That's entirely subjective as to be meaningless.

And because of the properties of breastmilk it's not just food, so it isn't like saying 'I ate loads of crap food when I was younger, and I'm fine'

I could say 'I did loads of drugs when I was younger, and I'm fine' . Meaningless, and doesn't mean doing drugs is fine.

YABU.

The above shouldn't be taken as a criticism of any of your mothers, who were facing difficulties after the birth, and who had crap advice.

We do what we have to do. Many of us are fine, but it doesn't mean ff/bf doesn't have a significant effect at the population level.

I was ff, sister was bf. Sister has all matter of health problems. Can't put the blame on formula for everything that's wrong. YANBU.

tears hair out

You can't use one or two people as evidence! That's not how science works.

Am not using one or two people as evidence. I am just giving my opinion as to why I think the OP isn't being unreasonable. So tear away!

My mum FF both me and my sister - she wanted to BF but got crap advice and no support. She still feels a bit of regret about it and thinks it may have contributed to her postnatal depression. I care that this bothers my mum and so I think it does matter that I was FF.

My mum was a great support to both of us when we wanted to BF and was really happy for us that it worked out.

YAWWWWWN

I was FF (23 years ago) and my mum still feels a bit sad about it, as do I. After a traumatic birth she was told she was the 'worst lactator ever' WTF?! she had no support

she herself was only BFed for a short time, her mum/my grandma was 17, but MWs told her she wasn't thriving and gave her NHS milk (?! - seems odd now, the concept of non-commercial formula) - but I think it was because of crap advice, e.g. they used to tell her to feed a few mins each side, but now they know you should empty each breast due to fore/hindmilk etc... sorry waffling now.

my parents have been really supportive of me BFing, though there was never any pressure. I've nearly finished a peer supporter course so I can help other mums.

agree that while BF/FF may not appear make a difference to individuals, it cannot be denied that at population level, BFing is of massive benefit to society (or really as BFing is the natural 'standard', you could say that FFing is detrimental)

otch, give up, these threads always go this way! Plural of anecdote etc.
Beachcomber

I was mix fed for 6 weeks then ff (plus no doubt weaned very early as was usual). I am healthy, but overweight. I don't necessarily think that's related to ff (i do eat quite a lot of cake ) but i am that my mum was given such bad advice and so wasn't able to bf me as i'm sure she could have done. That's not saying i blame my parents for that - they did everything they could with the 'expert' advice at the time, same as car seats. No doubt in 25 years time my DCs will have children of their own and will say similar things!

My mum ff both me and my brother (had a go at bf with me and hated it) and loved it. We are both intelligent, slim with no food allergies rather than the obese diseased ridden thickies we're 'meant' to be!

My mum FF both myself and my sister and was told by her midwife to never tell us so she did not transmit her failure to us!!!!!!
This only came out 32 years later when both my DSis and I were unable to get our babies to grow whilst breastfeeding. It turns out that we have a genetic disorder that the breast milk we produce does not contain enough nutrients for a baby.
My mum cried at this point when she was told that it was not her failure!!!!! 32 years of guilt due to a thoughtless comment.
Turns out after much discussion in family Grandma had to feed all three of hers national milk for the same reason.
I will support my DD to breastfed if that her choice if she has children. However, I will not keep her in the dark about this condition.

Utterly utterly pointless thread. Not only are we making judgements on our contemporaries but we're now judging our mothers. I'm fat, I was FF. Oh well, there you are then, obviously my mother is at fault. No wait, my SIL is fat and she was BF. Damn, what to believe?

I was FF, as were all of the children in my extended family. Can't say as I judge my mother for it, she did what she felt was best at the time I couldn't BF directly, but managed to express for two weeks with DS1 and four weeks with DS2. All I know is BM tastes a damn site better than FM

rockbird - was that aimed at me?