Breast feeding- is it really cheaper?

[MissWing]

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

Ah misswing, take heart. I'm sure no one meant to upset you, sorry if we did.

A quick rewrite along the lines of posts above (ie that there is a huge Market out there trying to convince us that we need tonnes of stuff when actually all that is needed are baby and boobs and cake ) would make an interesting read?

That would be a great article.

There's a quoteI'll have to find it when I'm online that all a baby needs is it's mothers arms.

i didn't have to buy anything at all when i was bfing dd2-used the same bras, breastpump etc i'd used for dd1. Actually that's not quite true-i may have splashed out on a new tube of lansinoh...Never really needed breastpads, just wasn't that leaky

stillorsparkling - why is bfing more time consuming then bottle feeding? have you considered the time spent washing/sterilising/making up bottles?

Why do you imply feeding a baby is a waste of the mother's time?

I don't know anyone who delayed going back to work just so they can breastfeed. I know plenty of working mothers who continue to breastfeed their child, and plenty of mothers who want to stay at home with their baby, even if they are not breastfeeding.

Oh dear MissWing MN can be pretty blunt at times but at least it's honest!

Totally agree that a piece from the angle of being made to feel we need these things would make an interesting read- you have an entertaining style of writing.

There's a chapter in The Politics of Breastfeeding by G. Palmer (absolutely fascinating and really accessible book everyone should read) on the economic value of bf- ie it is 'worth' money and contributes to the economy. Feeds in to all sorts of debates on mothers'/women's worth in modern economies. Really interesting (well I think so!)

Ha ha ha ha. Just shows that you can prove anything you like with a "study".

What a load of shite.

I had 3 bfing bras which cost me £2 each from boots. Yes that's right £2 in the sale, bought a breast pump on eBay and a tube of lansinoh.

My SIL lent me a pillow and some reusable breast pads, which I never needed.

I sold the bras and pump on for a profit and passed the lansinoh I hadn't used onto my sister.

BF is dirt cheap. I had 2 bras for the first child, 2 bras for the second. No bottles, no pumps, no specialist clothes, no pregnacare supplements.

There's a quote I'm trying to find about all a baby needs is it's mothers arms. Anyone know it?

I've just googled baby mother's arms and got some upsetting stories but I think I have found the quote:

A newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three. ~Grantly Dick-Read

SOme nice quotes from this page.

My £10 tube of Lansinoh went to a good home after I'd finished with it. DH used it on his feet.

That's the one I was looking for. Thanks Belgo.

Can't see the blog post, but having skimmed the original study it seems to show how effective the marketing of bf-related products has been (in that parents think that they have purchase all this stuff), rather than illustrating how 'expensive' bf is...

She came back and said she took it down because of our comments, Rhinestone. I think you've summed it up well.

I tried to view the study on my phone but it wouldn't open so if anyone kept the link I'd be interested in reading it.

Admittedly i did use Lansinoh. I still do - she's nearly 3 and i have a nipple that is v sensitive to her nursing, probably from her chipped front tooth. I've had 1 tube since she was born, and its only about half gone.

Who delays going back to work in order to BF? I went back to work when DS was 9 months and BF him until he was nearly 2.

"Who delays going back to work in order to BF?"

Well, plenty have breastfeeding stymied by going back to work early, in much of the world maternity leave is something like 3-4 months. So in US pumping/feeding facilities are very important and many mothers feel that breastfeeding IS going to end if they have to return to work and it is mega frustrating. Would be for me as I had my daughter in Singapore where mat leave is 4 months. Had to effectively resign as i wasn't ready to come back so soon. Breastfeeding, and wishing to continue, was a big part of that decision.

Sure, if you're going back to work after 1 year (or thereabouts) it won't be so much of a problem. I went back to work three days a week at 15 months and my husband (who stayed home to look after our daughter) brought her to me each lunchtime (not for necessity though) for several months after that, and 2-1/2 years on I'm still feeding her.

In Belgium it's normal to return to work after 15 weeks if you are breastfeeding. If you are not breastfeeding, you are expected to return after 8 weeks.

Funnily enough, those women who are bfing, don't want to return back to work after 8 weeks.

Not sure why you deleted your blog entry (I had to read the cached page on Google), it was your experiences and expenses of what you spent with reasonable suggestions trying to help other mothers avoid the same expenses.

Your comments and posts just go to show that you, like most new mums overbuy 'stuff' for the new baby whatever the method of feeding.

I found the only truly additional costs I had was nipple cream (£9) and washable breast pads (£10) but the pads have been used for three babies to date so they have paid for themselves by now.

I don't include nursing bras or clothes as an additional expense, as I would be buying these items regardless.

That said I did overbought things like a pump, but in my case it became essential when I was taken into hospital without my newborn.

All the best with your blog and your new baby :)

I bought a pump and bottles, steriliser etc the first time. SUCH a waste as she never took to the bottles and I never managed to pump much milk. By the time I was ready to leave her for longer periods (after 6 months) she was fine with water until i got back, then made up for it.

This time I've just got disposable pads, tube of Lansinoh, extra muslins.

Also not sure how breastfeeding could be more time-consuming than bottle feeding? Milk from boobs always ready, sterilised, easy IMO!

read page 1 and 5 only as have an 8 week old and my free time is precious.

Find it strange that the cost that nobody has mentioned (or I missed) was the extra food mother consumes. Can it be that I shouldn't be eating so much more? Breast feeding is by no means "free" in my case as I have at least 1 extra meal a day. I currently eat 4 times a day as where before I was prone to skipping breakfast and only eating twice a day. The extra food I eat probably costs me more than £7 a week someone quoted as the cost of formula so for me the cost is the same. Is this not normal?

catherine there have been plenty of mentions of extra cake consumed while bfing!

The point is, it's up to you wherever or not you consume extra food. Many women in the world are able to breastfeed without having the luxury of extra food.

Whereas many people in the westernised world have the luxury of overeating, whether they breastfeed or not.

I eat plenty of extra food while breastfeeding and have the hips to prove it, it's not really necessary for my baby's milk.

Several people have mentioned extra food.

But two points to bear in mind are, we waste a lot of food anyway (think someone quoted a third of what we buy?) so it probably isn't necessary to buy more, and we lay down fat during pregnancy to sustain us during breastfeeding. While I'm over a stone heavier than I was pre-pregnancy I can't really claim I need more food