How do you feel about how you were fed as a baby?

[LoisLame]

As the title says really.

When I was trying to get bf going with DD, we had a pretty bad time of it. She was crying for a feed. I was crying in anticipation of the pain when she would latch on. DH was crying because everyone else was crying. And he would always say to me "DD will appreciate you going through all this to give her the best start you can". DD is 6mths old now and still breastfeeding (mix fed with Infatrini) and I keep thinking about what he used to say.

So if you were breastfed, do you appreciate what your mum did for you? Are you grateful? If you were formula fed, do you resent it? Or does it really not make a blind bit of difference now you're all grown up?

I was formula fed in the early 80s. I'm thankful my mum fed me full stop - no matter what method she used. The only gripe I have about it is that she doesn't understand why I've gone through so much to carry on breastfeeding. I don't know what the bf/ff debate situation was like back then. I just really wish she could see it through my eyes.

My mum bf me and my 3 brothers for about 6 months each. All of us born in the 1970's and she said there was only 1 other woman on the ward who was breastfeeding too. She had to demand to breastfeed us. She was very helpful and supportive at the beginning but was a bit cats bum when I said I was going to continue for at least a year.

MIL ff DH as her milk dried up ( that'll be the 4 hour schedules then) she is a little bit in awe of how well DD is growing. As she was of the opinion that bf babies were weedy. Apart from desperately wanting to feed her a bottle so she can look after her all night. ( not a hope in hell ) she is quite supportive.

My mum bf me for a year, which I am glad & grateful. My Dh was also BF, although for a shorter time & I (like to) feel that as I bf our DD's, they've got a good start on health & they come from 'good' stock.

Apparently my DH's granny bf his dad & someone else's baby because the mum was too lazy.

What I find interesting about my mum is she was always 'banging' on about how she fed me for a year...when I got to 2 years with DD1, she suggested I stop now.DD2 was fed for about 2 1/2 years as well.

My mum was only 21 in 1970 when she had me and she bf me for 6 weeks, but says she "wasn't producing enough milk" and I was always crying (she thought from hunger) so she gave up and switched to formula. Apparently I had my first decent stretch of sleep the night she gave me my first bottle.

I'm proud that she tried so hard at a time when there was no support and bottles were largely seen as the only way to go. I'm also sad that she had to give up when she would rather have continued because I suspect my latch needed correcting, rather than there being any problems with Mum's supply.

It was also sad that because of her experience with me, she didn't even try to breastfeed my sister, so my sister didn't even get the colostrum.

Having said all that, we're both reasonably healthy, so it doesn't matter when all's said and done.

As a post script, my mum was very emotional when she saw the problems I went through trying to get my newborn DD onto the breast (DD point-blank refused to latch on) - I think it brought her own struggles back. And Mum's always been so pleased that I persevered. (I'm just starting to wean DD now at almost 13 months.)

my dm tried to bf me, but she was miles from her own mum (who bfed 7 kids to a year each) and wasn't given any help and was told I was starving. She managed a week or 2 then formula fed.

I am a big healthy person, but i had the same experience with ds1 and know how awful my poor mum felt not bfing me when she wanted to very, very much.

i m bfing ds2 and it has been great for me and mum as she has enjoyed seeing how it works and how handy it is and watching us overcome obstacles like mastitis and my MIL. {wink] she no longer feels guilty (and neither she should!) as she has ssen the support i needed from bfing group to get going. I take my hat of to her for even attempting to bf in the early 70s.

gosh, ic, your post is like an eloquent version of mine! our mums sound like they had similar experiences.

i was bf'd and i'm grateful now.

My family's feeding woes started back in the 60s when my nan had 4 kids in 6 years and FF all of them because she basically couldn't cope with them all. She is a very domineering woman and saw to it that all her daughters & DIL (inc. my mum) FF all their kids. My Mum and aunts were also fed the usual myths about not having enough milk, one bottle meaning the end of BF, etc.

So, I grew up in a family where BF was NEVER seen. I'm the first person in my family to ever BF a child and have been under massive pressure to stop but I have persevered with DS2 (10wks in!).

I don't resent being FF but I do resent my family's utter ignorance over the effects of junk food and sweets which has led to weight issues for pretty much everyone and which they are attempting to pass to my children.

I was bottle fed. My mum was - is - the most fantastic mother in the world. Ever. The idea that I would even begin to worry about how she fed me when I was a baby is quite ludicrous.

I think it's an interesting question. My mum breastfed my sister and I until we were about 1. I was given a bottle of formula in hospital as a matter of routine when I was first born - how different things are now!
I always assumed if I had a baby I would breastfeed it, but I didn't realise how difficult and painful it could be at first. It makes me appreciate what my mum had to go through! If I had switched to formula when I was finding it hard I would have felt bad about it for many reasons, one of them being that I couldn't do for my baby what my mum did for me. She was also some help getting my son latched on, though perhaps a bit rusty after more than 30 years. For all of those who say you don't care how you were fed, think of the effort some mothers have to make to breastfeed through excruciating pain, cracked nipples, mastitis, etc.
My husband was bottlefed however and always says it never did him any harm.

I was bf ..but I ff all 3 of mine I'm sure they won't hold it against me ..in fact I don't think they have ever asked how they were fed

I was breastfed (tail end of the 70s) until I was weaned totally onto cow's milk at age 8 months.

I wouldn't hold it against my mother if I had been ff, but I do think that she did a great thing for me and I'm impressed that, in an era of routines and four hourly feeds, she had the confidence with her first child to tell everyone to naff off and allow breastfeeding a chance.

I was breastfed for 18 months (late 80s/early 90s). But Mum gave me solids at 4 months and was convinced I was hungry and 'needed more than just milk' but I know the advice was different back then. Mum and all her siblings were FF and her sister FF both of hers so she was a bit unusual for BF. I refused to feed properly until I was 5 days old though, Mum said the nurses kept trying to get her to give me a bottle but the Dr said I'd eat when I was ready so I wasn't given formula - just glucose.

My mum bf me for 9 months which included 2 months of having to express whilst I was in scbu and then weaning me off the ng tube onto the breast. I apparently self weaned, prob a nursing strike?! She bf my sister until she was 2.

By the time my sister came along she was involved with LLL and had a group of friends who all breastfed their babies, there are several women around who've fed my sister and several people a few years younger than me I've been able to quell with a sharply muttered, 'my mum breastfed you'!

I think my mum did amazingly well, especially as I was born in 1975 and not all the staff at scbu were helpful or supportive.

I think given my prematurity my mum's hard work was undoubtedly really beneficial. I'm glad it worked for us, her model helped me and my sister in our decision to bf our children, my sister has three and I have two.

AH leonieDelt - your ff hatred is... no clearer. Your health problems are due to soya milk not 'normal' ff but you still like to bang on about 'normal' ff being crap and responsible for all the evils in the world.
Nope. Still no clearer.

i was breastfed and went straight to cows milk in a cup at about 11m apparently.

Have never drunk from a bottle in my entire life (though my mum did try with EBM i wouldnt have it!)

Im pleased my mum breast fed me...
though i still suffered from multiple food intolerances, hayfever, asthma and eczma!

to answer op - how do I feel about it? (bf for about a week then ff as mum found bfing "disgusting") - I don't give a toss.

I feel really sad that I was formula fed.I think it may be a contributary factor in my allergies, and it is one of the reasons that i was completely determined to bf my dds,and I've fed for so long.

One interesting thing about this thread is how many people who were formula fed and say they couldn't give a stuff, but how many people who were breastfed are pleased (on a rough straw poll).

Isn't that quite a nice message. That your children may have positive feelings if you breastfeed, but will rarely have negative ones if you don't.

My mum tried to bf me, gave up after 3 days when I made her bleed but at least I got the colostrum - so thanks Mum. Then I got moved onto Ostermilk but afaik it has had no real impact on me - the colostrum was the most important bit.

She didn't manage that with my sibs (twins) and they had more childhood illnesses than I did and more weight problems - but I believe the latter is far more to do with attitude, lack of exercise and genetics than how they were fed as infants.

emskaboo that is an amazing story

My mum breast fed me for around 9 months. I think she did amazingly well as it doesn't sound like the support was there then and the medical care seemed to be set up to hinder breast feeding mothers. ie babies were taken away overnight to the nursery and wheeled back every four hours in a strict routine. She also told me she never fed in public so it must have been fairly restrictive.

She remembers is all being easy and lovely and I found it quite a shock that it wasn't easy and lovely at first for me to feed DS as I had expected it to be the same. She has been very supportive of my decision to breastfeed.

speaking as a non slim jim myself, I can't help but at all the people who say, 'oh I am overweight because my mum FF me'. Take some responsibility for yourselves, please. Almost as bad as saying 'oh, I have an underactive thyroid' No you just eat too much...........I know that this is the reason for my extra pounds!