Is FF really the faff everyone says it is?

[weeblueberry]

For various reasons, after 2 months I'm considering switching to mixed feeding.

I'm reading a lot on here about the 'convenience' factor of breastfeeding and how you can feed your baby anywhere without having to mess around with bottles etc. The thing is I'm trying to understand how difficult it actually is.

My daughter is happy taking room temp expressed milk and, during the time in the neo natal ward that she was being topped up with formula, was happy to take that at room temp too. Can I assume that means if she did I wouldn't have to worry about heating bottles etc?

Someone on another thread said a bottle only stays sterilised for two hours. Does that mean you can't be about more than two hours or have I misunderstood?

I'm just trying to get an actual unbiased idea of how difficult formula feeding will actually be because I genuinely don't know how much of the 'its such a hassle' is to do with people trying to convince those on the edge to stay with bfing...

Mother - I bf dd1 for 8 weeks and dd2 for nine sodding months. I am not without experience. Always needed nursing bra, always had to wonder what to wear - no more vest/shirt combos ever agin for me! Dd2 didn't sleep for more than 2 hrs in a row until I stopped at 9 months.

Just because everything's all about breast is sodding best doesn't mean I can't relay my experiences. Both were shite.

I've done both. Ime ff is easier in the early days but once bf is established bf is massively more convenient. And I never thought I would say that as I struggled big time with bf for about 4 months. I'm so glad I persevered though as dd2 turned out to be cows milk protein intolerant, and now that she is 9mo bf is a doddle. No bottles to sterilise, we can just get up and go out without taking formula, bottles etc and it is very much cheaper. Horses for courses though, its whatever suits you and your family.

I've been using the tommee tippi perfect prep machine, makes a bottle in three mins, ready to go. I think you can also get a kettle with a setting foe 70 degrees.

I would add that I have bf four DCs and at three months it always suddenly became much easier.

For those of you who said it got easier at the three month mark, did it become more enjoyable?

I admit, I'm not finding it particularly hard as such. I just don't enjoy it. And the little things that are adding together to give me negative feelings about it won't necessarily change in the next month I think... I don't think there's much more I can do to try and cover myself up when I feed in public for example. I'm not sure if LO will suddenly not push off in the middle of a feed in a cafe leaving me feel very exposed and embarrassed. I'm not sure that getting a good position will suddenly become comfortable (even the positions shown in the breastfeeding clinic we went to are sore on my back after a while because I have to hunch slightly in order to make sure baby doesn't suffocate!).

I mentioned it briefly to the GP this morning at her six week check and she said three months would be a good effort. Our NCT class leader also said expressing would become easier at 12 weeks but I'm just worried people keep saying 'oh it gets easier at 6 weeks!'....'it gets easier at 8 weeks' etc. At what point do people say 'yeah if you still hate it now you'll never enjoy it/find it easier'?

Read with interest as I feel exactly the same. Can't pinpoint what I don't enjoy about it but just don't like it very much. Not all the time but sometimes it gets too much and it's horrible knowing I'm not enjoying my baby as much as I should be for something that isn't his fault. I'm trying to get to 6 weeks so well done for getting to that.

Have introduced a bottle of formula in the last few days and already feel better so will see how it goes. Hope it works out for you too weeblueberry