Anyone else planning to bottle feed (don't shoot me please)

[camerafairy]

Anyone else planning to bottle feed and what are your reasons? Mine are because I have to work very quickly after the birth as I have my very busy own business and need my mum and partner to be able to share feeds with me. I will not be breastfeeding at all, please don't come on here to shout at me! It doesn't mean i'm putting my business before my baby

I understand your reasons but if you could manage to BF for just a few days, your DC would get all that fabulous colostrum to help get his/her gut going.

I hope you manage ok and you are taking at least the statutory 2 weeks off? It sounds like you are going right back to work!

I just have just had dd3, have formula fed all three from birth through choice, never had any regrets. No-one's going to shout at you feeding is such a small part of being a parent!

Not judging in the slightest, and if that's what you want to do then that's brilliant.

one thing though - BFing is LOADS easier when you're in hospital rather than faffing around with bottles. Just for the first couple of days it might make life easier in the very short term, just a thought :)

then switch to bottles once you're home :)

Just sticking my head in to say I'm not shouting at you!
As long as you considered the options( sounds like you have) then most people won't. I say that as a v strong advocate of breastfeeding.

If you have thought about it and looked at all the evidence regarding bf and ff, and are still happy to make the that choice, then it is yours and nobody will shout at you because of it. Ultimately, feeding and raising your child is your business. I may not agree with your choices, but I am not the one that needs to live with them.

May I ask what you are hoping for by posting this thread?

thank you.. i was considering the first couple of days but i'm told its REALLY difficult to get started and then to stop after just a couple of days might be difficult as baby then has to get used to a bottle. its difficult. i'm self employed so i need to work asap or i won't get paid. although welcome, baby wasn't planned and he decided to come when my business is at its absolute peak

TheRealMBJ - support? advice?

Wiggles - feeding is a massive part of being a parent if you're breastfeeding.

in that case you may want to post on here. Apparently they are lovely ladies and you'll be less likely to be 'shouted' at.

Make sure you have a back up plan for your business if you or your baby don't recover from the birth as quickly as you think you're going to.

BF for a day or two is good for the baby and help your uterus contract so is good for you too.

Hello again camera :)

fwiw I breast fed in hospital then ff as soon as I got home (so dd was bf for 24hours). dd was fine taking a bottle so hopefully it might work for you?

thanks.. its more a case of not wanting to be judged by people who can't possibly understand my lifestyle/decision, if he had been due in nov things might have been different but i have no intention of setting myself up for the kind of exhaustion and stress BF and working as i do would involve, which would ultimately mean i couldn't work properly and I could get end up in court with unhappy customers - trust me its not taken lightly

thank you ILovePonyo, its really helpful to know your experience and that it worked for you :)

Don't worry about being judged, if people do then ignore and I would put money on the fact that most people won't be judgy. I'm very happy with my decision to ff and don't feel the need to explain why anymore (i did for the first few weeks )

thanks :) i'm new here so i don't really know how everyone will be!

camerafairy I never felt judged either, well apart from my mum, but what's new Good luck, hope all goes well.

A mixture of opinion I'm sure :) Hope all goes well for you

wiggles

I'm a very committed breastfeeder and would never shout at you. I'd second thinking about doing a few days for the colostrum though, it's so beneficial if you can manage it.

I'd also say (as a bit of a sidetrack) that, although I can understand your position, try and think about a few 'worst case' ideas if you can't work straight away after the birth. A hard birth could take a bit longer to get over.

thanks guys, i shall definitely consider BF while i'm in hospital, if I can :)

MBJ why should she post on the preexisting thread? She has chosen to start her own thread, which is absolutely fine.

I don't like the way you say "I am not the one who has to live with them" with a smiley. It looks like a disingenuous dig to me. Sorry.

I was always led to believe that if you could even manage to breastfeed for a couple of days so that the baby gets the benefit of the vitamin cocktail that is colostrum, then you would have done your child a massive favour. I don't know if there's any truth in this but I was too scared not to try!

For what it's worth, my husband never had a drop of colostrum or breast milk in his life, went to oxford and and was an olympic athlete. Am sure your baby will be just whatever you do. Enjoy every second, hope everything goes really well for you.

thanks saidthespiderwithahorridsmile, I looked for a similar thread but this forum is quite extensive so I figured i'd start a new one, just wanted some support really and non judgemental opinions/experiences as I have had a crap midwife and haven't been able to really talk to anyone. I did feel the abovementioned comment was perhaps a case of 'if i say it with a smiley you can't accuse me of being unpleasant' but hey, i'm a lover not a fighter :)

I have a kind of back up plan as in I do have two girls in place to cover for me but unfortunately they aren't quite up to my standard and my customers know what they want, I don't want them to complain and try to take me to court, people really know what they want these days and unfortunately we now live in a society where people will try to get compensation out of you for anything - even though its in my contract I don't want that kind of stress with a little baby to worry about, i'm just trying to cover myself and do what i think is the best.

Ff is fine if that is what you want.

How fast do you need to be back to work and have you got contingency plans for a difficult birth? I'm a working, v committed-to-job mum, and with my first baby I seriously underestimated how long it would take me to recover physically from the birth. It was a pretty straightforward vb, some stitches, but it was 5 weeks before I could comfortably walk 200 yards. If you end up with a section or anything complex, you will need someone to deputise for you for a few weeks. Might be better to plan for that than have a crisis.