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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Breast feeding- is it really cheaper?

129 replies

MissWing · 16/05/2011 15:46

Hi all

Was suprised when I did the sums, but I think it's worth pointing out that although breastfeeding is regularly promoted as free, and theoretially could be, it's not necessarily the case:

misswingandsnaffles.blogspot.com/2011/04/breast-value-for-money.html

Interested to know your thoughts.

Miss Wing

OP posts:
SarahScot · 16/05/2011 20:06

The part I'm Shock about is the fact that you can all get away with not using breast pads. I cannot use boots own/supermarket own or washable ones as they just can't absorb enough. I go through two sets each day, plus one at night. Whenever I feed DD I get letdown on both sides at the same time so would get soaked without decent pads. I am abnormal with my mega-letdown?

coldcomfortHeart · 16/05/2011 20:09

Very good point on the sanitary product saving, belgo, hadn't thought of that. It was 15 months before I got a period and it was so depressing having to buy tampons again... ugh

I did spend a fair bit on alternative therapy stuff for my thrush, but that's an unusual situation. And I didn't buy a pump, or bottles (and am surprised how many in the study did). It's ridiculous to equate breastfeeding with NEEDING a breastpump- special care/early babies aside...

AppleAndBlackberry · 16/05/2011 20:31

You may spend all that on the first child or you may not, but second time round you can easily just spend £3 on breast pads... (I have spent this plus a few more on Lansinoh, which I didn't need and supplements)

Okonomiyaki · 16/05/2011 20:47

How old is your DD, SarahScott?

I don't use them now as when I feel letdown on its way I do the old palm of the heel pressy thing. And I have to wash my clothes every other day anyway because of all the spit/snot/mashed in rice cakes so I never quite develop that ripe cheese smell.

Or no one's got the guts to tell me if I have

funnynoises · 16/05/2011 21:58

Interesting topic but conclusions are (sorry) tits up.

The study is all confounded with socioeconomic status. The BF mums they studied had higher socioeconomic status, and higher disposable income. The authors have looked at spending and called it cost. It's as if they said it costs more to live as a banker than a shop assistant.

The only conclusion I would gleefully draw is that smug BF mums are no less immune to marketing.

funnynoises · 16/05/2011 21:58

Also

"At the time of writing, the Welfare Food Scheme was being reviewed to
include a greater material incentive for those on low incomes to breast-feed, possibly in the form of vouchers to be exchanged for ?healthy foods?."

Nice idea but FFS why preachy 'healthy foods'? BFing is no time to eat cucumber. CAKE vouchers.

LunaticFringe · 16/05/2011 22:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JulesJules · 16/05/2011 22:21

Cake vouchers would have saved me a lot of money over the 5 and half years I bf. But I only had about 3 nursing bras (reused the second time) which were cheaper than the underwired ones I went back to after the first 6 months.

WTF is a night bra? And special bf clothes?? Branded gear and special sugar pills supplements? These are hardly essentials are they? What a load of bollocks.

laundrylover · 16/05/2011 22:32

What a pile of pants.

Imagine if the vast majority of the breastfeeding mothers in the world read the article...for most people breastfeeding is a necessity and even extra food would be a luxuryAngry.

I bought a couple of bras that lasted 5 years and then they went to my sisters Grin. Maybe 3 bottles as DD1 took them sometimes. Didn't bother sterilising etc. No special clothes although I got given a few weird tops that I couldn't get the hang of...more boob on show than with an ordinary top.

Sarah if you are leaking lots then why not get some shells (at vast expenseWink) and collect the milk to freeze etc? My SIL got 4 oz a day doing this...I leaked 2 drops ONCE and it really made me jump when it hit my leg in the night during a dozy feedGrin.

mathanxiety · 16/05/2011 22:39

SarahScot -- I found that too. Maybe that means we are both abnormal? Grin

LunaticFringe · 16/05/2011 22:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chipmonkey · 16/05/2011 22:48

I spent a load of money on bfing bras and clothes. If I had ff I would have gone around naked.

PelvicFloorsOfSteel · 16/05/2011 22:54

All figures approximate:
My breasts did change size a lot so I had to buy quite a few bras but post-pregnancy weight loss would presumably have done this anyway even if I wasn't bfing. Additional cost £0
Clothes - wore normal clothes £0
Pads - I leaked a lot so went through loads. DC1 £60 DC2 starting to think about stopping using them will probably have spent about £20
Lansinoh cream - was given a huge pile of free samples at the hospital, still have some lurking in the changing bag.
Pump (included microwave steriliser and small bottle) £15
Additional larger bottle £3
Saving due to lack of periods -£30

Grand total = £68

Not sure about the cake though, I was contemplating the fact that I must've eaten enough extra calories to gain 2 stone in the last 4 months as that's about how much I've passed on to DS2. I thought some of it was accounted for by your metabolism changing or something...Grin

laundrylover · 16/05/2011 22:57

Women - get yourself a Mooncup and continue those menstrual savings!!!Grin

hellymelly · 16/05/2011 22:58

I only bought three nursing bras.I wore (and am still wearing ) normal ones much of the time after the first six-eight months.I have never used a steriliser.I did buy a pump but have only used it three times (two blocked ducts,one nursing strike).That's all the outlay for me,other than cake.

coldcomfortHeart · 17/05/2011 12:30

Oh mooncup, noooo! Tried it once and it just did somersaults inside me Confused

Might get on with it better post DC but unfortunately chucked it out...

laundrylover · 17/05/2011 14:40

coldcomfort - you prob need the bigger size...don't come back and embarrass me by saying that it was the bigger size! It should be too snug to be somersaulting that's for sureGrin.

5DollarShake · 17/05/2011 20:06

What a load of old tut.

These aren't costs associated with breastfeeding; these are costs associated it spending money!

TheOldestCat · 17/05/2011 20:15

I needed a pump as with both DD and DS I went back to work and continued feeding, which meant expressing when I was away from them. Tried hand expressing but couldn't do it - except in the bath and my employer doesn't provide one. Grin

Even with all the breastpads (I leaked a lot for months - forgot them at work when DS was 13 months and leaked through all my clothes), I'm still richer than I would be having shelled out for formula. And that's not even considering the cost of all those tampons I've not had to buy (still no period and DS is 15 months now. happy days).

coldcomfortHeart · 17/05/2011 20:39

Bigger size!! What are you saying!
Grin

Might give it another try one day... but I'm about to embark on another nice long breastfeeding-related absence of periods (I hope!)

bluechik · 17/05/2011 20:57

I agree with everyone. My sister-in-law passed on some gear for expressing (steriliser, breast pump, freezer bags). Have used them a few times but I don't get on well with expressing so wouldn't have bought them for myself. I got a couple of bottles from an NCT Nearly New Sale to use when I did express. Other than that, I found Lansinoh very handy in the beginning, and then later on when DS started teething. I've also got 4 nursing bras; one 'Breastvest' (it's great but now I just use regular vests tucked under my bra and normal tops.) Reusable breast pads - I used a lot of these in the beginning, but my supply settled down after 3 months and I don't need them any more.

Probably best not to discuss the cake bill :o

cinnamongreyhound · 17/05/2011 20:57

I bought 2 nursing bras with 2 babies but wore nothing at night, I did need breast pads until 8 months with ds1 and 6 months with ds2. I did chose to buy a pump and bottles but I got them from eBay, didn't sterilise and used tesco storage bags. It does cost money but minimal in relation to ff and as others have said I would have bought bras anyway. The cost wasn't my main reason for bf but I can see how it's attractive to some mums. Also agree that it shows how clever companies are to persuade mums that they need all these things!

Notanexcitingname · 17/05/2011 21:09

15 nursing bras! I've been breastfeeding for over four years, and I've not owned 15 nursing bras. In any case, I'd have been buying bras anyway.

Extra chocolate and cake maybe I'll allow as a cost, for me a tube of lansinoh and a pack of breastpads as well, but really, apart from that....

Georgimama · 17/05/2011 21:10

Who on earth has 15 bras??

I borrowed a breast pump, spent about a tenner on a few bottles and teats for the rare expressed feed, £15 on a microwave steriliser (but I would have needed the bottles and steriliser if I had FF) and one tube of lasinoh. Used pads for about three months and after that leakage not an issue. Apart from that, breastfeeding cost nothing.

Cosmosis · 17/05/2011 21:19

I'm jealous of all the people who don't need pads! I leaked through mine all over my shirt at work the other day and ds is 8m!