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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

why do/did you breastfeed??

91 replies

bounty007 · 11/12/2010 09:20

Some people don't "get" BFing and it makes me cross!
My FIL for example thinks babies should all be formula fed Confused
I asked him why women had boobs, which got him very embarassed. I then started to mention that breastmilk is free, readily avaiable and at the correct tempertaure...
as a mum of 2 small children my brain is slightly wrecked at the mo and I would love some more points to back my argument

OP posts:
stickersarecurrency · 11/12/2010 22:40

aaaaaaaaah "milky grins" [melts]

DD is 12 weeks and they're happening now, bliss :)

YuleTideD0G · 11/12/2010 22:49

Because in my eyes breast feeding is the only option

Because I'm too lazy and scatty to mess around with bottles

Because it's the one and only thing I know I can get right

Because it is the best thing for baby

Because it's cheap

But must of all because I want to

detachandtrustyourself · 11/12/2010 22:55

It's not totally free, you have to eat well while doing it, for the baby to last longer between feeds.

But, at first, it helps your womb contract down.

And, it gives your baby antibodies against illness.

And(after the first few weeks,)

It's easier, especially at night.

It's instant, and you can do it just about anywhere.

It helps you lose baby weight/you can eat more.

It helps prevent breast cancer.

You keep your buxom boobs gained in pregnancy for much longer.Grin

Ripeberry · 11/12/2010 22:56

Cos I could not be bothered to make up bottles of formula which cost a fortune!
Loved feeding both my girls, especially lying down on the bed.
They both gave up at 12 months old naturally, but it was gradual.

stickersarecurrency · 11/12/2010 22:58

"It's not totally free, you have to eat well while doing it, for the baby to last longer between feeds."

Bunkum, sorry. Eat what you feel like. Unless you're seriously malnourished it won't make any significant difference to your milk.

monkeyjamtart · 11/12/2010 23:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MoonUnitAlpha · 11/12/2010 23:08

I don't think what you eat has any impact on how long the baby goes between feeds!

But I am ravenous all the time, so I guess it has cost me some money in extra chocolate cakes and macaroni cheese...

MumNWLondon · 11/12/2010 23:16
  1. BM has evolved over thousands of years to be best food for baby. We still don't know all hidden benefits.
  1. BM is free, always available and at correct temperature. So more convienient.
  1. BM doesn't require the faff of sterlisation.
  1. BM contains antibodies etc
  1. BM has been shown to be best for baby in lots of ways, eg intelligence, lower cot death risk, less illnesses.
  1. BFing protects mother from certain illnesses.
  1. It doesn't enrich big corporates like danone and nestle.
FrozenNorthPole · 11/12/2010 23:41

Never considered doing anything else. Was a bit gutted when DD1 had reflux and ended up expressing for about 80% of feeds so we could feed her in a 'vertical' position and add reflux meds. Still expressed for 14 months though - I think that was just stubbornness. People kept asking my why I bothered and wasn't I just being a martyr and I kept thinking "screw you, how dare you judge my considerable efforts to give my daughter this brilliant food?". DD1 still loves 2 big cups of expressed milk per day now, at age 2.

DD2 - determined to do it with minimal expressing as really wanted the warm snuggliness and convenience I'd missed when mostly expressing (& thus sterilising bottles etc.). And it's just lovely. It makes me feel all fuzzy and warm and competent. Now, at 10 months, I'm praying hard that she doesn't wean anytime soon, although with her current voraciousness that seems unlikely. The way she reaches towards me when she wants a feed, the way I feel her whole body relax as the latches on and the way that she strokes and holds me with her hands as she feeds ... all have to be some of the most potent behavioural reinforcers I can imagine. I love seeing her (and DD1) healthy, happy and - in DD2's case - plump and thinking, "I made that. Go me."

(I realise that sounds smug, but it's not meant to. I just feel proud of them for being so keen on breastmilk and proud of myself for keeping going through some rather difficult patches).

floozietoozie · 12/12/2010 02:14

FNP - you should feel proud! Expressing that much till14 months is amazing. Go you!

All of the reasons below, though sadly prem dd does need a bit of high calorie formula as she had major weight gain issues but it has enabled us to continue bfing mainly.

And also -,you can't MN on an iPhone while ff Grin. Like now.

Ayamama · 12/12/2010 02:55

  1. My milk is nutritionally optimal for my baby.

  2. My mother has been pressuring me to bf since I was a child. (And was very supportive through all the mastitis, cracked nipples, etc Smile).

Original poster
bounty007 · 12/12/2010 08:50

Ayamama really identify with your number 2 reason. my mother always made sure we knew she went to great efforts BF to us...not pressure as such, just "this is the right thing to do" ..imagine I will be the same [proud] with my DCs!
thanks for all reponses, great if it helps others to keep BFing too..(think FIL will back off after Fridays conversation- if not...Im ready!!)

OP posts:
ethelina · 12/12/2010 09:14

Oh yeah - Its a perfect reason to eat cake and MN on my phone without feelng guilty.

KaraStarbuckThrace · 12/12/2010 09:42

'Oh yeah - Its a perfect reason to eat cake and MN on my phone without feelng guilty.'

Sad I can't MN on my phone. It doesn't display properly. And I think I misheard the MW and thought she said bfing uses 5000 calories a day not 500 Blush

It was hard bfing DS in the beginning, I was sooooo sleep deprived, had sore nipples and everything! But I was determined to continue as I wanted to give him the best possible start in life (as I was sure I was going to f* up at some point ShockGrin)

But I am so glad I. He stopped of his own accord at 2.7, and I was quite sad about it - but it felt right for both of us.

Really looking forward to bfing DC2 Smile

TheGrumpalo · 12/12/2010 09:56

I breastfed because I saw it as normal and natural, it never occured to me not to try.

I wanted to give my babies the best start I could. I fed my first much longer than my second as I had a lot of problems and no support from health professionals but I'm glad I did it for the time that I did. Quite sad that I'll never do it again.

GeekLove · 12/12/2010 21:42

I beastfed in part because of the research I had done but mostly because it did not occur for me not to. The fact that I would have a virtually unlimited food source specifically for my baby that could be given whenever he needed it. As far as I was concerned people who had a problem with it could lump it as I was doing right by my child.
Also when my milk did come in the thought of NOT breastfeeding was not on the radar simply because my breasts became two hard leaky pink melons first thing after more than 4hrs sleep. So it was me with a newborn on one boob and a pump on the other.

NinkyNonker · 13/12/2010 09:25

It never occurred to me that it was a choice,if you see what I mean. It was only when she wad born and people asked me (HPs mainly) if I had 'decided' to BF that I realised it was seen as optional. Obv I know if I had struggled and her heAlth was at risk I'd have FF. I'm still amazed when I get her weighed etc,without fail every HP had assumed I'm FF (or at least mixed),and she's only 4 months.

The health benefits outweigh any supposed downside for me.

TrinityMotherOfRhinos · 13/12/2010 09:26

there was no other choice

breastfeeding is how you feed your babies

NinkyNonker · 13/12/2010 09:34

I guess I mean it hadn't occurred to me to actively choose FF?

Also worth noting that bar irritating 'mummy tummy' all my baby weight had gone by around 8 wks,and looking at the not-so-little chubba next to me I can see where it went!

Fibilou · 13/12/2010 10:01

Ask him, if he had the choice of paying for tap water in a bottle when he could get wine out of the tap, what would he do ?

Or alternatively just ignore him like you would ignore anyone else giving ignorant and stupid opinions.

Cosmosis · 13/12/2010 10:29

It never really occurred to me not to. To me BF is how you feed babies, it's what your boobs are for! FF is only there for when BF fails for whatever reason.

bogie · 13/12/2010 10:33

because I found it easy to do, I didn't like getting up in the night to make bottles and it was alot cheaper than ff.

Bonsoir · 13/12/2010 10:34

Because it's free, because it made me lose weight after pregnancy and because I'm very lazy and didn't want to have to make up bottles or keep to a feeding routine! Oh, and because it meant I could co-sleep and shut my baby up if she cried during the night.

Why anyone would prefer FF is quite beyond me!

mousymouse · 13/12/2010 10:35

I am a lazy cow and can't be bothered with making up bottles.
it's free
I like having boobs for once :o
I can sleep through a feed

Niecie · 13/12/2010 10:38

Because the MW asked me how I intended to feed my baby when I was 7 wks pregnant with DS1, knowing nothing about BF or babies come to that and it seemed slightly absurd to say FF when BF is natural, free and constantly accessible. Why go to so much trouble to feed your baby when you don't have to? I didn't really give it much thought until after that but by then I sort of felt committed to it.

Other than that - all the reasons listed below - free, easy(eventually!) no need to get up at night, all the health benefits etc.

Once DS was here, he wouldn't take a bottle if I was in the room so I had no choice but to persevere in those tough first few weeks. I reckon I would have given up if he had taken a bottle from me in those first few weeks so he did us both a favour.