Can I ask for some breastfeeding positives please.

[Lola247]

I am due my first baby in 5 weeks and plan to breastfeed. I think I am pretty armed with information and well aware it could be awfully painful/uncomfortable/tiring to begin with. I am doing it purely because I believe it is best thing for my baby but I am dreading it. Are there any other real positives other than the health benefits for my baby? ( that being the most important obviously)! Thanks

For me it made getting out and about lots easier as I didn't have to prep bottles/sterilize stuff etc etc. Can't forget your boobs!

You're never ever without your breasts. So you won't be forced home because you're out of formula in your changing bag/have to hunt around for somewhere to sterilise anything/be stuck with a screaming baby because you're on your way somewhere to make up a bottle and they just have to wait.

On which, if your baby wakes in the night, there's no 4am-jiggle-hurrythefuckupkettle-whyisitstillsobloodyhot dance you have to do. Baby - boob. You don't even have to open your eyes. That's pretty useful.

You don't have to get out of bed

I find it easier baby doesn't get distressed while you make a bottle up. More sleep lol. It's a great way to bond with baby and you burn lots of calories through feeding. It also helps your womb into returning to its original size x

I was just going to say you don’t have to get out of bed! Less washing up as well.

Cheap. Once you get over the learning curve of the first few weeks, you barely have to think about it. Lovely decolletage

Best way of shutting baby up ever invented.

The cuddles are lovely. Your baby never runs out of food. You look at their gorgeously chubby little arms and legs and think, this is all thanks to my milk.

It's free, convenient, baby loves it and it's a nice bonding time.

I wish I'd have breast fed for longer as after initial transition to bottle he started to reject bottles and any sort of milk. I now have to find other ways to supplement his calcium requirements which makes me worry all the time.

The bond - your body is literally feeding your baby and it does make you closer as you are biologically still linked even after birth. Your hormones will respond to your baby as you make milk.

I'm feeding 19.5 month old twins and boobs are great!

Much easier to get out and about, especially when they are small. Milk is always available, the right temperature and free.
Breastfeeding isn't just about hunger or thirst either. It's a great way to soothe and comfort baby.

I didn't find it painful once my milk had come in and had no problems. I appreciate I was one of the lucky ones but don't assume it will be this big awful painful sacrifice that people talk about
For me it is easy, I felt I had more freedom to leave the house - if I wanted to stay an extra hour somewhere I could, it was a great excuse to escape to a bedroom at family parties () I didn't have to get out of bed to feed, went back to sleep easier and quicker.
You do feel tied to the baby particularly at growth spurts but that's what box sets are for! (and expressing if you want to)
Don't worry about months in advance just take it a day at a time

Why are you dreading it?

• Reduced risk of cervical and breast cancer
• weightloss
• Ease
• Bond
• best nutrition for baby
• Free
• Perfect temp
• It's literally what our boobs are for :)

I only found the first 10 days slightly painful but using nip cream and Shields got me through that. It's been a total breeze (thankfully!)

Oh and you have a great excuse to eat extra cake!

You get to sit down. A lot. Literally hours on MN or Netflix whilst people have to bring you food and drink. Make sure you go for a wee before you feed and have loads of pillows and a blanket to get you comfortable and warm. It's also great when they're older and ill as it's is comforting for them and you know they're getting some liquid and calories in. Good luck!

Free, easier in the long run, and you look at their chubby rolls at 6 months and think you've grown them from microscopic to that with just your own body.

Wish I'd got dc2 used to bottles or dummy though as still feeding at 16 months and bit fed up of being used as a dummy

• Baby weight just drops right off (and straight onto baby).
• You don't have to get out of bed in the night, or even wake up really.
• Cheeeaaaaap.
• People bring you food, drink and pillows without you even asking, even in public places.
• So portable.
• Sterilising is the biggest faff in the whole world. You won't have to do it.
• If you're feeding the baby you couldn't possibly empty the dishwasher/do the laundry/cook tea etc. ...so someone else has to
• You get remote control privileges FOREVER.

Enjoy!

It’s free, you don’t have to sterilise anything, when they yell in the middle of the night you can just grab the baby and put them on the boob. They’re back asleep in minutes rather than them fully waking up and getting themselves into a state while you go downstairs in the cold and prepare a bottle. It really is the lazy option! The same thing out and about-lifting your top is far easier than trying to get somewhere to heat a bottle while baby screams blue murder.
The cuddles are amazing too.
I also love looking at a growing baby and thinking that it was just me that grew all of that.

It's the best thing I've ever done.
I was very lucky in that I enjoyed it and my babies latched well etc.
I loved that I could put them in a sling and off I went. As soon as I was comfortable. Also people always thought she was just sleeping but she was happily feeding away.
I feel I got more sleep too. I had a co sleeper cot. If she woke, I would give her a bf and she'd be back to sleep happily in minutes.
Enjoy.

I bottle fed my eldest and breast fed the other 3 - honestly despite have a horrific time with DC2 with painful latch issues breastfeeding is so much easier!!!

Fed laying down in bed, no bottle cleaning etc, pick up some nappies and go out for the day!!

I really loved it. Calm, quiet connected time with the baby. Easy peasy once you're up and running. No equipment necessary so you can travel light. No prep, just lift your top. I weigh less after two kids than I did before I got pregnant. And it protects you against breast cancer.

Lots of good positives already mentioned but what I would say is don't put pressure on yourself to do it if you really don't want to. See how you feel when baby arrives but honestly I don't believe it makes any measurable difference to baby's health and wellbeing so give it a try and see how you feel. I'm sure lots of people will disagree but the studies that consider social and economic factors (ie that study siblings) don't have any statistically significant differences in various outcomes for ff or bf babies.

I'm not anti bf at all, it's great when it works out, but I'm just saying don't force yourself to do something if it's bad for your own mental health on the basis that it means a huge amount for your baby's well being...I honestly don't believe it does (but I'm sure others will disagree shortly...!) Good luck with it all!

Weight loss! Less than 3 weeks after DD2 was born and I'm lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight!

The first week was hard work but it's got easier and easier.

I think you hear the awful stories but for lots of people it's fine, not painful and although it's really hard work initially I'm not sure it's any harder work than constant sterilizing.

'I breastfed my baby completely uneventfully' isn't a very interesting story!

So easy and convenient once established.
Lots of lovely closeness & bonding with baby.
Easy way to quickly calm/soothe your baby.
Once you are weaning you don't have to worry about how many oz of milk to give and when, the baby cleverly regulates her own intake perfectly.
Less faff.
You don't have to buy expensive formula all the time.
If I had to switch to bottles now I would so dread the inconvenience.
Having a newborn baby is awfully tiring anyway however you feed them. Congratulations and good luck with bf & baby.