Breastfed babies cry more

[MamaMaiasaura]

I'm on phone and i dont know how to link NBC story. Basically said bfed babies cry more leading to mums feeling they are satisfying baby and give up. Also suggest ff babies cry less as over fed. They say that giving more realistic views may encourage women to bfeed longer.

What are people's experiences? Ds1&2 didn't seem to cry a huge amount but I felt like I was constantly nursing them. Dd cries often and it is hard going at times.

Don't understand why a baby cryign is because something's wrong.

If my dinner doesn't arrive when I've said I'm hungry, my next comment is "DH, I said I was hungry, why have I not been fed?" and then the next comment, should he dare not to produce said food, is, "I'm bloody starving here! What do I have to do to get soem food? Wah! Wah! Wah!"
That's all the baby's doing.
Except, time goes a lot slower for her, so 10 minutes to me must seem like a couple of years to a new born.

What I would like to know is, were the breastfed babies in the study being bf on demand, or bf according to a schedule?

I found this very interesting (ignoring the DM version), because it's clear that we are taught that quite is good and crying is bad when it comes to caring for a baby. So if a bottle fed baby is quieter it's assumed it's satisfied as opposed to a bf bring hungry and therefore not satisfied.

But I find it odd that growth spurts don't appear to be considered in this. The study was done at 3 months during possibly the most challenging GS so of course bf babies will seem less content. There is a delay whilst supply increases to match demand.

good point belgo - cos the whole point of on-demand is that they should never get to that stage (apart from obv when we're so busy getting ourselves dressed that we can't do it exactly to demand anyway)

My babies never really cried. I walked around all day with them in wrapslings with a nipple in their mouths. For years

Eurgh. How can you base findings on a self assesment survey and such a small group!

A large percentage of mothers who ff do have regets and are upst that they have had to stop bf for some reason. (not all, some are content and have always wanted to ff). So if someone not happy with ff was asked how content their baby is, is it not natural to over compesate to say that there babies are really happy?

'How can you base findings on a self assesment survey and such a small group!'

yes I agree with that. Self assessment is all about your perception of reality; it is totally subjective and will be based on your society-influenced expectations.

I don't think my bf kids have cried that much. Obviously they cry - but not an unusual amount. What's the usual amount anyway?

The one time I remember DD being really vocal and genuinely wanting to feed constantly as a baby she turned out to have a fever.

DS1 cried everytime he was put down. I found slings. He di dn't cry as much but still cried. DS2 and DD both went in slings from the word go and both rarely cried. IMO opinion that was down to a)temperament (ds1 is still high maintenance and flies off the handle easily) and b) me knowing more about attachment parenting and c)Having had DS1 anything would have been 'content'.