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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

What was the main factor in deciding how to feed your baby?

152 replies

LucyJu · 31/01/2006 12:45

Someone said on the Channel 4 program thread that she didn't think that people decided to breastfeed or not on the basis of perceived health benefits. I did. But what was the main influence on other people's decisons? I'd be really interested to know.... I really don't want this thread to digress into a bottle vs breast debate (plenty of those elsewhere), or to have any arguments about whether anyone's reasons are good or valid. I would simply be interested to know, if anyone has the time.....
The main factor in my case was that my dh has Crohn's disease and I wanted to minimise the chance of my dds developing the same condition in later life.

OP posts:
Racers · 31/01/2006 20:21

For me (choosing to bf) it was the health benefits and convenience for those early night feeds. Also, the fact that it is the natural way to feed a newborn baby, so I wanted to give it a try at least. I really don't wish to upset anyone by saying that.
The money saved was a nice side-effect. The health benefits were overwhelmingly what kept me going when I wanted to give up (plus, I don't like to give up). I suffer from asthma and allergies so there was a daily reminder of what I wanted to avoid for DD. I know she could still develop these, and if so, I would in no way regret choosing to bf.

Socci · 31/01/2006 20:21

Message withdrawn

JoolsToo · 31/01/2006 20:22

just a question about the ease of bfing

when I was in hossie - I was taught to clean my boobs before attempting to feed - don't you?

Socci · 31/01/2006 20:37

Message withdrawn

GDG · 31/01/2006 20:42

I never found formula feeding inconvenient. Not exactly difficult to spend 10 mins in the morning to make up bottles for the day (or to just pour it in out of carton like I did ). Plus, in the early days, I would go to bed at 9pm and dh would do the 10.30-11pm feed and then he would go to bed and I'd do the 3am feed. Very fair I think

Racers · 31/01/2006 20:42

No, haven't washed boobs specifically before feeds!

[my post should say even if so, I would not regret bf]

JoolsToo · 31/01/2006 20:44

oh well! it was years ago!

izzybiz · 31/01/2006 20:46

i chose to bottle feed both my children. i just dont want to. its as simple as that. i dont find it in any way repulsive to see a mother breast feeding and the shame is, i think if i had breast fed i would be one of those people who would do it anywhere, it annoys me to think if its oh so natural, why hide away?
i just dont have any urge to breast feed at all, and i would like to add that bottle feeding isnt any hassle, you soon get organised and in a routine the same as with every thing else that comes with a baby!

Racers · 31/01/2006 20:47

Yes, one of the downsides to me was the lack of parity. I spent 5 months getting up lots of times in the night and although DH often woke, rubbed my back, collected DD etc, it was still much less tiring for him. Then again, he had to go to work and I could (in theory) sleep during the day.
I doubted very much whether he would have been able to ff DD in the night without me waking, so I thought I'd just see out the difficult times and get him to do more than his share of dummy replacement once she started sleeping through without feeds.

mszebra · 31/01/2006 20:58

"...don't know where you bfing mums get the idea that bottle feeding in the night is such a chore!"...
er, a friend who 100% bottlefed her first but mixed-fed the 2nd told me how wonderful nightfeeds were (when br'feeding). She was literally over the moon about how much easier it was.

airbabe · 31/01/2006 21:29

for me it was laziness couldnt be bothered getting up in middle of night every couple of hours it was dec jan and very cold! by the time she went onto formula night feeds had stopped, partly health thing but i had a breast fed baby with the whole allergy asthma excema reflux thing and no family history of it and the weight loss thing did it as well back in skinny jeans within 10 days!!

GDG · 31/01/2006 21:31

Nowt easier than passing the chore to someone else mszebra! I guess it depends partly on how helpful your other half is! Mine was/is fabbo! He's still top banana at getting up in the night if necessary!

GDG · 31/01/2006 21:32

Not that feeding a baby is a chore...well, yes, it is in the middle night, but not in the day. HATE being woken up as I really struggle to get back to sleep - dh can fall straight back so no problem for him.

fairydust · 31/01/2006 21:41

I bottle fed dd as the thought of breast feeding her made me feel ill to me it's just not a natural thing -so we choose what was best for us.

I think everyone that that right to choose with regards to feeding there baby and i have no problems with people breast feeding (plenty of friends / family have) but it's just not for me

nooka · 31/01/2006 21:46

I bf mine because I was into doing everything "right", I think (with ds I was also heavily into the natural thing - I also planned a home birth). Also I am tight and lazy, so it seemed sensible. But I didn't really ever think I would try otherwise. ds latched on a treat and I never had any problems. By the time I stopped at 6mths I'm pretty sure he had stopped night feeds, and I did use a variety of the ready made feeds, which were handy. But not as handy as breastfeeding! With dd also breastfed, but not for as long (just three months), partly because I had a really scary period of labrnthytis, but also because I really wanted to stop, as I found I was really starting to dislike it. I think that the very early morning feeds had pretty much stopped by then too.

suzi2 · 31/01/2006 21:51

I am breastfeeding DS (6 months). The main factor was I have allergies (including a severe on to nuts) and bad eczema and wanted to give my DS every hance possible of avoiding these. He didn't have much chance and got eczema at 12wks but at least I know that I have done the best I could.

Bozza · 31/01/2006 21:53

Well neither of mine have ever drunk cold milk and DD certainly would never even drink room temp milk. Also the cartons which I have used (went on to formula eventually) are more expensive. You could, of course, argue that I had got them used to nice warm breastmilk which is why they wouldn't take cold/room temp milk and I think that could well be true.

Normsknockers - just out of interest how soon did you go back to work? Because that also definitely had an effect on how long I exclusively breastfed each child for.

JoolsToo · 31/01/2006 21:59

mszebra - personal anecdotes are not permitted [rolls eyes]

(for me it wasn't a chore )

cece · 31/01/2006 22:12

jooltoo

I breastfed dd and found it quite difficult. Said I would do it for 3 months but when I tried to put her onto bottles she wouldn't take them so ended up feeding her for 8 months. Couldn't wait to give it up!

However, ds was different fed quickly and easily... Ended up breastfeeding him for 15 months! Maybe because I chose to do it?

Spidermama · 31/01/2006 22:14

I can honestly say it never occured to me to bottlefeed. It never came up.

JoolsToo · 31/01/2006 22:28

that's great cece - and what's really good is that although your first experience wasn't that brilliant, it didn't put you off a second time - all power to you girl!

mummytosteven · 31/01/2006 22:41

I decided to BF due to the health factors. but it all went a bit pearshaped after a few weeks. had good intentions about expressing breastmilk but that didn't quite happen - DS was a nightmare to feed even with the bottle - mega slow and refluxy/projectile vommy feeder.

I really really hated the sleepy breastfeeding feeling - I think people like that, feeling they can drift in and out of sleep during the night feeds when bfing, but I didn't like feeling out of control, so I actually preferred night feeds with bottles.

mother3 · 01/02/2006 00:41

hi hoxtonchick dont put yourself down it not laziness its good 4 baby and also u r the only 1 that can provide 4 baby so u have to get up in the nite .i breastfed till mine were 11 months and 12 months. time to put them on food and juice there teeth hurt.(they did eat and drink juice but i thought its time 2 leave me out (OUCH0 ) be pround of yourself .i dont believe in bullying a new mum to breast feed but IT EVERY ONES OWN DECISION good luck.

JanH · 01/02/2006 00:54

Wanted to breast feed, tried to breast feed, 4 times - combination of inadequate supply and sleepy, early-CS babies meant that was never going to work.

So after about 3 weeks each time went to bottles, and babies were satisfied, happy, fully fed, content, and slept. No contest.

colditz · 01/02/2006 01:00

The main factor? My personal experiences.

I knew nobody who had breastfed a baby. My mother didn't, my dp's mother didn't, my friends didn't, their mothers didn't. I had never seen it being done. And the thought of having a baby's mouth on my nipple repelled me entirely. It didn't seem like the most natural thing in the world to me, it sounded horrible. I had never even heard of breastfeeding until I had sex education at school.

Then, I had the old 18 weeks maternity leave to contend with. I left work at 32 weeks pregnant, as was a care assistant and it is a VERY hard job to do whilst pregnant. Then ds was 2 weeks late. Leaving me 8 weeks maternity leave. I felt it would have been cruel to get him used to the breast, being fed only by me, to have to leave him with bottles and being fed by daddy as well. Better, I thought, to get him used to that in the first place.

But I don't, for one minute, regret that decision. I made the best decision for us. I would have miserable breastfeeding.

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