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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Why "choose" to bottle feed???

732 replies

Difers · 13/07/2007 21:08

I am a breastfeeding mum and I meet lots of mums who said they tried to breastfeed but weren't able to which I can totally understand but My mother-in-law said she "chose" to bottlefeed and didn't bother even trying...

So I am wondering, given the benefits of breastfeeding, why would anyone "choose" to bottlefeed??

OP posts:
sweetcherrypie · 15/07/2007 20:30

The op might as well have wrote Why "choose" to bottle feed... ...rat poison???

Cause that's basically what she was saying.

FioFioJane · 15/07/2007 20:31

Its amazing how these threads even upset people who chose to and successfully breastfed. I think its about time some of you realised what you were posting before you posted it. There is NO NEED to be so pigheaded and nasty. The majority of the people in this country love their children above anything and to judge them on their parenting solely by whether they breast or bottlefed is nothing short of ridiculous.

dejags · 15/07/2007 20:31

Whenever I read these threads the first thing that crosses my mind is -

Why on earth do you care what other people do. The choices you make are valid for you, your children and your life in general.

The same goes for every other mother on the planet.

Personally I couldn't give a monkeys if somebody bottle or breastfeeds. It is, after all, their very own choice.

To sit there and wonder is just, ever so slightly, sanctimonious.

kiskidee · 15/07/2007 20:32

then you need to live a little longer and look around sweetypie.

you can close your eyes to the statistics all you want.

COV: then you need to visit communities in Latin America where bf is still the norm and see how, by and large, straight teeth are out there. never saw so many ugly teeth till I came to the UK.

FioFioJane · 15/07/2007 20:32

and kiskidee, breastfeeding hasnt made you relax and chill at all by the look of it

expatinscotland · 15/07/2007 20:34

I spend a weekened away with my family, including my formula-fed-from-birth DD1, and look what happens!

nailpolish · 15/07/2007 20:34

Fio

step away from the thread

ComeOVeneer · 15/07/2007 20:34

Exactly FioFio. It saddens me that when society in general is so harsh on parental choices that the very people you would hope would understand and support mothers (being mothers themselves) are actually some of the harshes critics.

angie0201 · 15/07/2007 20:35

I totally agree with you FioFioJane i love my dd as much as the next parent and for people to constantly look down there noses at me is madness

loonyballoony · 15/07/2007 20:35

Kiskidee, your last post made me really angry! I've done all I can healthwise to make sure my dd had a healthy start, don't smoke, don't drink, didn't put on too much weight, ate healthily etc etc. She had a good start and just because of ffeeding it doesn't mean she will develop all that! She's 2.7 and is never ill, has no allergies or whatever, eats me out of house and home! Please spare me the "I will have to pay for your sick kids" line, it makes me sick! Children and adults develope illnesses because of all sort of reasons. This country should sort out its drinking and smoking culture, that would save millions in the long run. To say we might be responsible for our kids developing these illnesses because we give our kids SMA or Cow & Gate or whatever is really offensive (to me anyway)!

ComeOVeneer · 15/07/2007 20:35

Can't say I have seen a lot of ugly teeth in this country, and I have seen a fair few.

expatinscotland · 15/07/2007 20:36

Yes, my formula-fed from birth DD1 is 4. She's been ill exactly 4 times - two were tummy bugs she picked up at playgroup and nursery school, the other two were cold she picked up from playgroup and nursery school.

BridgetTheWoollyMammoth · 15/07/2007 20:37

so I saw the thread title I saw the 450+ posts and I read the OP. At that point I 'chose' not to read the rest of the thread.

I 'chose' to bottle feed. I'm very comfortable with my decision. And quite frankly, I say bollocks to anyody who wants to 'judge' me.

angie0201 · 15/07/2007 20:38

so kiskidee what would you say to mothers like me who tried their absolute best even got depression due to it not working and your baby near to getting taken back into hospital through lack of food(she had the shakes) am i a bad parent?

sweetcherrypie · 15/07/2007 20:38

But then i could say the same about you kiskidee, if you live your life believing every 'satistic' then your not gonna have a very realistic view of the word.

To be honest, what goes on in other countries is not the issue here because every country is different. The issue is here in the UK and how so many women are being pressured into bf their babies even if it's not what they want and if they choose to go against this, they are then made to feel like bad mothers.

expatinscotland · 15/07/2007 20:38

Oh, yes, and I'm naturally thin. So is DH - also formula fed from birth after his mother needed emergency surgery to remove her gallbladder immediately after his birth and then got an infection.

DD1's a twiglett. If she turned sideways, she'd disappear.

These people who think breastfeeding is a panacea for all social ills are delusional.

angie0201 · 15/07/2007 20:40

BridgetTheWoollyMammoth cheered to myself when i read that post and good for you

sweetcherrypie · 15/07/2007 20:41

that's world not word

CatIsSleepy · 15/07/2007 20:42

well as the youngest of four children and bottle-fed by my mum from the beginning I say....
do whatever you feel most capable of/comfortable with!

I did both!

CatIsSleepy · 15/07/2007 20:43

and I am extremely healthy!!

andiem · 15/07/2007 20:44

I bf for 12 mths but now 'choose' to allow fruit shoots what does that make me

sweetcherrypie · 15/07/2007 20:45

My dd has been exactly on the average line for weight in her red book since birth, i know exactly what she has or has not had to drink from her bottle and she is very healthy. She eats lots of fresh fruit and veg and has a well balanced diet. She had a cold recently that she picked up from baby club but she was over it in just over a week.

CatIsSleepy · 15/07/2007 20:47

have to add...
I would never judge anyone who opted to ff because I know what some people go through trying to bf and then feeling like they have 'failed' in some way when it doesn't work out

gess · 15/07/2007 20:50

"i only care because i pay taxes too and some of my money goes towards the cost of paying for the national health service."

Blimey, I'd hate to see the vitriol you'd direct towards a smoker if this is what a bottle feeder gets.

DS1 and ds2 were breat fed a lot, ds3 hardly at all. DS1 is the one who will cost the tax payers millions, the adult care he will need currently costs 8 grand a month, presumably will be more by the time he gets it (and we've fought the LA to pay for it, and they will as I'm not letting him go to anywhere except the best).

If only life were so black and white.....

angie0201 · 15/07/2007 20:53

CatIsSleepy if only there were more like you about i tried so hard and still got funny looks from people supposed to be my friends for bottle feeding