Why "choose" to bottle feed???

[Difers]

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??

some mothers hear horror stories of other ladies who had problems with breast feeding and choose to monitor by bottle feeding i dont feel that its anyone elses right to say what a mum chooses to do or why as long as the child is healthy and mum is healthy

some mums are not comfortable with the taboo of breast feeding and not being excepted when breast feeding in public

i didn't produce enough milk as so many other women in my family have this problem to and was so sick of breast feeding mums llooking down on me and my ds needed to be fed so what could i do i wasn't looking down my nose at them for breast feeding in public i find it amazing but got sick of the comments and having to explain myself time and time again but why should i explain myself its my child and however i choose to raise him for what ever reason should be respected were all mums wanting to raise healthy children but this can be done bottle or breast we should all just support each other not judge

breastfeeding was never an option for me - the idea of it didnt feel natural to me - i had no compulsion at all to even try it.

Thank god for bubbla and binkl.. At last some moderation. I too felt like I was abnormal to be unable to bf and a complete failure when I stopped because of all the pro bf pressure. As has so many times been said. Breast feeding is naturally the best type of food but is only good if it works for the mother. If it makes you stressed out and irritable how can that be good for bonding with the baby.

good job I've got nerves of steel Tiktok I'm going nowhere!

I'm the person that started this thread, I wasn't a frequent Mnetter until I did post and didn't realise that some people would get a bit nasty about this topic and it got totally out of hand and quite nasty at one stage...but of course you are welcome to post.

I was quite saddened by the fact that so many people have so many issues and difficulties with feeding. I am still a raging pro breastfeeder but I am much more sympathetic to formula feeders having read some of the very touching posts on this thread.

there are very few 'raging pro bfers' on this site.i have seen the odd 'formula is poison' type comment but most have a balanced view from what ive seen,ie that bf is the best thing for your baby,but not everyone wants to do it or can do it,and thats fine too.

Haven't read this enourmous thread but would just like to say that if people 'choose', it's their choice and they shouldn't be judged for it. It's that simple. Also, threads like this can be very upsetting for the many mums who don't manage to BF and wanted to.

Give women the information on both sides so they can make an informed choice and respect that choice. It's that simple.

Reading thru this thread has made me feel more disheartened than i was before.
I truely wanted to breastfeed my ds, i had all intentions to do so. When he arrived he was a little bigger than expected weighing 10.9, therefore being more hungry than a average baby.
I started to breastfeed and within the first four days my nipples were bleeding and raw. Therefore as soon as my real milk came in i started to express, wanting to continue with the breastfeeding once they had heeled.
This was successful until i started to have no time to express as much as he demanded. My nipples are now repaired but one of my breasts has stopped producing for some reason?
Therefore i am only able to produce one full feed of breast milk a day.
This has made me desperately upset as i really want to give my baby the best and as everyone states "breast is best". I feel every time i give him formula that i am doing something wrong, that i am not doing right by my son.
I think this is terrible that i feel like this and some of your comments dont help.
It was not my choice that my son is on formula and i feel bad, being a first time mother, obviously i want the best for my son.
Surely its not that bad?

No, D2, of course it is not that bad. Sounds like you did your absolute damndest for your ds. Your love and cuddles and positive state of mind mean much more. Leave the guilt behind in the past and get on with enjoying him. You did great. It is really hard, and there is no pain like nipple pain!!!! (imho)

D2 please don't beat yourself up about this. You can't help what has happened and the most important thing is that your baby gets enough to eat regardless of how. If formula was not a good substitute it would not be on the shelf. My dd was ff from 5 weeks due to poor supply and huge demand. I beat myself up and had PND. I can report that my baby is now 19mths and is well above average in all respects.
she can say 300 words and some sentences.
Distinguish colours
count to 5
sign b in the deaf sign alphabet
sleep 12 hours per night
eats anything
walked at 11 mths
sat up at five mths
had hardly any illness ( been up in night total of 8 nights in 16mths)

Please believe me it will not hurt your baby and may save your sanity.

OMG read the OP and thought "here we go again". BECAUSE I WANTED TO and it's no-else's damn business why. Giving the benefits of breast feeding (my arse) 'cos I just bloody wanted to.I don't care if 1 million people say it's better and 1 million disagree, it was my choice and that's it. I really couldn't be bothered to read through yet another thread about how to make women feel crappy about a decison they'd made, by someone who has another opinion. And that's all it is, an opinion. And please don't start up with the thread about I'm so defensive about it I must be guilty etc etc..I'm not. TBH I wasn't that bothered about feeding in general, I have four healthy kids and think that people should think more about other stuff than get press ganged into the rights and wrongs of bf/bottle. Think about the world your kids are going into, they'll not be feeding at 18 (even with the best will in the world xtended bf at 18?) and that's when their lives changes.

Sorry sticky, didn't catch whether youre ff or bf in that rant! LOL

i dont think threads like this should make us mums feel uncomfortable for how we choose to feed our children

other mums including myself was on alot of medication when i had my ds and was unable to breast feed anyway what with not producing milk i was also hooked up to 2 drips so had no hands due to having a blood transfusion after a difficult birth if people were less judgemental they might take the time to find out why some mums don't breast feed and for what reasons and find we also feel bad that nature didn't give us this special chance to bond with our child but in fact we still did we still cuddled and loved our babies and made sure they were fed when hungry there should be threads supporting all mums and just chatting about our own experiences so the mums that didn't have the choice to bf can experience it through someone else and the mums that were honoured with doing so can understand how we feel by ff and how we bond with our babies instaed of making anyone feel bad we all had healthy children and that is an honour and as individuals our babies will nuture and grow into great individuals they will not suffer because we did not bf

well done to all that did breast feed it must be amazing but well done to all that made the choice to ff as this to is amazing also just looking after our dc is an amazing experience so lets make a support all mums thread so we dont have to feel like c**p for not being able to do it

Hear, hear, Bubblagirl!

Hello,

I will have to use formula when I give birth because I'm on medications which prevent breast feeding. I don't know anything about the different formulas and would like to know a bit about them and people's/babies' preferences. Any advice? (Sorry if I have missed a thread which talks about this.)

All the best

Need some advice girlies. Don't know whether or not this has been asked but am on the look out for a sterilizer, and not sure whether to get a microwave or electric one. Am planning on breast feeding as I did with my 1st but did give him a bottle for bed time feed and for when we were out and about. Why are electric ones so much more expensive?? Are they that much easier etc? Also should I invest just for a couple of bottles a day??

molly
i chose sma gold as hv advised this but cow and gate is just as good not all formulas agree with babies so only buy 1 tin of something first and see how baby goes but sma gold is closest to breast milk apparently

ozzy both sterilisers are good i had a steam sterilizer and a microwave one you can look on e bay and get them real cheap on there

Think I may opt for a steam again as seen one in wilkinsons for £12. Will just have to measure microwave before I buy it!! Thanks!

I'm just puzzled. Please, I am being sincere here, so don't all jump on me . There are 2 ways of feeding a baby (you all know what they are). One method is generally recognised to have significant advantages for both mother and baby (you know what they are too).

So back to Difers original question and I am genuinely keen to have an answer from someone who chose to ff. Why ff rather than bf?

And hearing all the stories from those who had terrible advice - it makes me and those who had medical difficulties and a hard time it makes me

... and I am not trying to criticize ANYONE for their choice, OK? I'd just like to know.

Personally I chose to bf because it was more natural and saved a hell of a lot of money!Also thats what those bits are there for at the end of the day but I spose its just not for everyone. Putting aside those people that find it difficult or painful (and believe me it was agonisingly painful to start!)some people do want to keep those bits of theie bodys for themselves. Each to their own

molly, i'm afraid that the claim for being 'closest to breastmilk' is bogus and now illegal.
seriously, they're all much of a muchness. better to be influenced by which one is available in your local shops so that if you run out you can get it in emergencies.

Is the only "choice" that is so vehemently fought by both sides? What about live and let live?

well once again the comments make me feel as i failed thats what there, there for some of us mums did not have a choice to ff as bf was out the question for whatever reason lets just support all mums for there choices

what does it really matter its wrong to say children are better from bf as i didn't produce milk but do not have a child who has suffered from ff he is healthy hardly had colds and is thriving and always did by ff

it is our rights as mums to do what we feel best as the rest of the choices through our childs life we do what we feel best not what someone else does

i think it could also be said about pain relief why do some have epidurals when it is best to naturally have babies as all woman did when no pain relief same as they always breast fed

we now have choices why have choices and not make them why critisize any person for there individual; choice it makes me mad as i say i had problems couldn't breast feed and was made to feel s**t had to explain myself to everyone why!!!

support all mums as it is hard weither bf or ff we all have our own reasons and should be respected or we could go into why use disposable and not terry nappies why have pain relief it would be never ending all us mums need support not judgement so as i said well done all that choose to bf but does not make ff mums any less of a person as long as your children are healthy and you are well

i dont want to seem that i'm having ago at anyone but i just feel that us mums shouldn't question why other mums dont do what they do as i felt sad to not be able to bf and it hurt evry time i was made to seem i was depriving my child but just couldn't be bothered to keep explaining why i was ff

i do have friends who chose to just ff and never felt they were doing wrong its our choice were given the choice but it doesn't make anyone a bad mum for ff and not trying to bf

each to there own same as pain relief i chose just gas and air but dont look down on anyone not wanting to really experience child birth good luck to all and may you and your children always be healthy and remember dont judge as everyone has there own story and may not want to explain to everyone they meet

Which comments?