bf and ff which is easier ?

[janmk]

just wondering any mums who have done both truthfully which is easier ? i tried bf last time , lo enfed up in hospital 5 days due to weight loss....we ended up ff which i found easy enough and it worked well for us. lo slept from 6 weeks through the night and dh helped lots so i got lots of breaks.....
feeling guilty for considering going straight to ff this time or even just bf first few days....is yhis really worthwhile ?
please those who have done both maybe with different children any views / advice ?

BF without a doubt, FF is a faff as you already know. I loved just being able to go out and not worry about having enough milk.
Today with cartons it would be way easier, but back then I simply couldn't afford them, routinely.

Despite DD2 falling off the graph and refusing to take bottles and ending up being weaned straight on to yoghurt. It was still easier.

Especially as she carried on BFing for years, so you always had a way to make her feel comfortable if she was ill or had nightmares about tigers.

It's always worthwhile giving it a go. You might have a completely different experience this time.

I tried to switch to formula when I had PND as kept being told it was easier, DH could help etc. I found it stressed me out more. Just felt like another job I wasn't on top of. There were bottles and teats everywhere. Nothing was ever ready when I needed it. Hated it.

Fundamentally, do want you want to do without any guilt. Each family and baby is different, and these decisions are personal.

I'm sure you know the facts - breastfeeding is best for babies and mums, and each feed counts. If you feed for the first few days you will have given your baby the advantages of getting your colostrum which helps their immune systems. If you feed any longer than that you will be passing on more immunity and giving your baby a food that is exactly suitable for him. There are also benefits for you (protection from certain cancers etc) for longer term breastfeeding. It's also free.

However, formula is a good replacement if you decide not to breastfeed. It has not got all the benefits of bm but there may well be other reasons why this is more suitable for you and your family.

My DS wouldn't drink from a bottle, or a cup, so we had BF or nothing. It's a killer as you can't share night feeds, but for us was quick and easy to get milk into baby with no faff around sterilising.

I find ff much easier. Am currently 37 wks with dc3 and intend to ff from the off this time. Like you I have contemplated bf for the first few days but I know from previous experience that bf makes me depressed, I find it painful (I even find expressing painful), I feel like a milking cow and can do nothing other than sit and feed baby all day and night. So I'm just going to do what I want to do and what is right for my family.

You should make the decision that is right for you and your family - if you want to give it a go why not do so? Every day counts so even if you choose to bf for the first few days it is better than nothing.

I would say, the early days, BF can be really difficult. But with the right support, once you've got it established it is SO much easier than faffing about with kettles and powder and sterilisers etc.

Especially at night.

Baby cries. Pick baby up and put next to you on bed. Latch. Fall asleep. Job done :o BFing releases hormones that make sleep easier for you too, so it's more relaxing all round!

I would really recommend finding a BFing group before you have your baby, this made the world of difference because I already knew people so it was easier to ask for help. Also telling the MWs that you found it difficult to BF last time so they know you might need extra support after the birth.

It is definitely worth trying even just for the first few days because of the colostrum, and then you might find once your milk has come in it's easier to just carry on :)

I had lots of problems bf my dd, so we switched to ff after about a week or 2. Best thing I ever did, its so easy, I don't know why people think its such a faff.

We have 2 bottles we use (and a couple basic ones in the cupboard) when i fill one up for a feed, I wash the other one an chuck it in the cold water steriliser. No faff at all.

If I have another dc I will bf for the first couple of days again and the switch to ff.

I've done both. I bottle fed DS (inc expressed milk for 6 weeks, then formula) and am ebf 13 week old dd.

DS slept through at 8 weeks, DD at 10 weeks.

DS got himself onto a four hourly feed schedule from about four weeks.

DD feeds on demand. She squawks, I offer boob. Really easy. There's also no counting ounces. She takes as much as she wants - this is quite liberating.

Having done both, I intend to bf my next, mainly because night times and leaving the house is so much easier. No warming bottles, no washing up. It's great if you can express or offer the odd bottle of formula so someone else can feed and give you a break, but to be honest DH finds enough stuff to do with DD that it isn't an issue that only I can feed her.

Bf is tough in the beginning, but it gets easier in leaps and bounds at about three weeks and six weeks I think. Now it feels a bit like breathing - just something we do.

I've never just FF but with DC1 and 2 after 3 months I mixed BF/FF. I'd say BF was much easier and needless to say less expensive. Couldn't have done night FF with 2DCs as I just didn't have the energy. It was nice that DH coould help out though.
With DC3 we missed the window for her taking a bottle so I ended up BF only and still am at 2 years. I'm lucky to have found BF easy and DCs didn't struggle but it is tiring when you can't ever share feeds. I also found weaning harder as she's so dependent on me. At least with a bottle, you can move on to sippy cups and beakers and they still get their milk.
Given the choice, I'd BF but FF when I needed a break.

I've done both.

Bf. I was more tired and emotional and afterwards very cold and sleepy but it is utterly lovely once you get the hang of it. Easy anywhere. Easier to get back to sleep in the night. I think I did more shorter feeds. Very strong emotional reliance on you which you may find empowering and wonderful or terrifying and draining.

Ff. Yes you have to sterilise but you have more time and energy. Family help. Most wonderful thing watching Great granny give him a bottle not long before she died . Nappies were worse and you need to be slightly more organised with kit when you go out. Night times involve more waking whilst you sort the bottle.

Regarding sickyness and sleep no link between my three and how they were fed.

Good luck. I would say try the bf but if it isn't working move on.

Ive done both and im currently bf ds4 11 months. I think ff is easier

I formula fed ds1 as he flatly refused the boob (and I was a scared new mum who thought he would starve on day one without a feed!) and am breastfeeding ds2. I thought ff was easy enough and dp enjoyed feeding too, but bf is way way easier for me, especially getting out of the house without worrying if I have enough formula and bottles.
But what I think is MOST important is that you are happy withyour choice and feel No guilt or pressure to do something different. I believe that is what makes for a happy mum and therefore a happy baby who feeds well.

couldthisbeit says it perfectly.

thanks for the replies . guess it is a mixed response. it always seems on here that there are more issues with bf .....so that was my assumption. Now i know what i am doing i dont find ff too much of a faff but may try bf at least initially. i guess i dont think i will be very good at sitting and feeding for ages on the sofa.....x

My biggest tip for BFing is to get some water bottles and keep a steady supply of chilled ones in the fridge that you can grab before a feed. I was very thirsty while BFing!

(You will also need the remote for the telly of course :o)

I think it just depends on your personality. I'm messy and disorganised so the thought of being out and running out of milk or forgetting to bring it or not having enough clean bottles (I struggle to find a clean lunch box for DS!) Or running out of powder and forgetting to buy more in time, boiling the kettle and then forgetting I've put it on, that kind of thing. With BF it's just there and you don't have to worry about it.

I haven't FF personally but I was with SIL and BIL recently who were looking after someone's baby and it looked so annoying to have to keep the baby awake for the whole feed rather than just letting it have as much as it wanted and then have more later. I don't know if this is a FF "thing" though or just how they chose to do it, but I could see it would be a pain if they didn't finish a bottle in one go because of having to make a new one, wasting the formula etc.

I don't think you have to sit and feed for ages either, possibly in the first few weeks, but you get good quickly at holding them one handed so you can walk around and do stuff while feeding if you need to! I'm pretty laid back so wasn't particularly bothered and didn't find it scary to feed in public.

Long term, breastfeeding.

I FF and find it easy as pie. Takes hardly any time to sterilise and make up bottles, the microwave steriliser is a godsend.

If I go out I time it just after a feed and take a bottle with me, it's good for a few hours out of the fridge and Dd will want to eat by then anyway.

My DH LOVES being able to feed her.

Also think about the sort of things that you will be doing and how that will impact on your feeding choice. For example DS and I flew on a long haul international flight when he was 7 weeks old. I didn't need to get any milk through customs or ask for bottles to be made up. It also meant he could suck through each take off and landing. The people behind me hand realised I had a baby until we reach Australia !
The other thing abo0ut breastfeeding which is really easy is say you go out and then bump into a friend and decided to have lunch you just have the milk right there. Even if you had only intended to leave the house for 5 minutes you have enough food and drink for a baby for all day.

I don't think the question 'which is easier' is an important question. That's my view.

My advice would be to try to breastfeed first, give it your best shot, and move on if you are having problems.

I think every mother should try to breastfeed first if they can.

I agree with pp give it try for colostrum.
Each baby is different you may have no probs with weight gain this time.
Just lots and lots of feeding and getting them to check latch.
Bf is easier to get back to sleep. Since slowing down my insomnia has come back
I am disorganised too though maybe that's why I prefer bf

i tried both and after 18 hours of ff I got help with the bf.
I can't remember to take nappies/wipes/clothes etc... out with me so would be rather buggered to add milk/formula/bottles to to that! I have had ff friends have to go home early as our coffee/lunch has lasted longer than expected but they ran out of supplies.

Ff is easier. You can take turns and I don't understand how people find washing and sterilising that difficult.

It is more predictable, faster and they stay fuller for longer.

I bf for 6 weeks.

I have only bf so perhaps haven't a balanced viewpoint but I do find bf very very demanding , at the moment DD is 6 months old and won't take a bottle so I never ever get a break , until a month ago she fed once or twice an hour during the day and very frequently at night. Also I've had CS both times and it would have been nice if DH could have helped out with feeds. DH felt very left out with DS as DS was only happy if he was with me for the first year, definitely more reliant on me than my friends kids were on them. Bf led to very bad sleeping habits in both my DC, both started waking after every sleep cycle (30-45 mins ) at around 14 weeks and I have had to do some sleep training with both DC which I HATED but it was a necessary evil, most my friends bottle feed and were getting a full nights sleep from 6/8 weeks. I do enjoy bf and so do my DC and neither of my kids are ever sick but I think I'll mix feed the next time so I can go out on my own once in a while

I found bf hard the first time but second time easy with v hungry quick feeding boy! If you want to give bf a go again then do. It may be different. If not, don't stress. No one asks at your job interviews how you had your milk!