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??

oh, can I just say, that I tend not to judge anyone by seeing (not just bf, but in general)....and usuaslly think positive about people..i.e. if I seee a FF I tend to think it didn't work out for whatever reason...

Do you have 8 kids???? RESPECT!!!!

faires....er, ok, i doing the maths....HOW MANY KIDS??????????????

Meeely, love, I really think you are going to have that extra baby. One set of twins just doesn't cut the mustard!

i know,

I read the start of this thread when it first started and now have read some of the end but none of the middle bits, am confused why it's resurrected because I thought so much on the subject had been said. But heho, I'll just chuck my penniesworth in; I decided early on in previous pregnancy to ff because the thought of bf gave me the heebiejeebies and still does (dd is now 2.9). Never had any regret or doubt but have been lectured quite a bit by some overzealous people in RL, especially when I openly admitted that I didn't even want to try it. Midwives & HV were fab about it, probably realised there was not much point trying to "convert" me. I'm pregnant again and will happily dig out my steriliser again. There is nothing sexual about it for me, just have to shudder at the thought of bfeeding, a bit like when some people have to clean up sick or have to touch a spider or whatever. There are so many views on this, let's give each other a bit of understanding. Am off to watch a bit of telly now...

Actually, to be fair, froozy - I was really bloody squeamish about breastfeeding before my daughter was born. As a child I didn't even like the word breast, and when pregnant I did have very mixed feelings about breastfeeding. When my daughter was born I had even been a bit uneasy about the whole skin-to-skin contact, but events and hormones and joy overtook me, and I found that breastfeeding was magic for us (initial soreness notwithstanding). You may well have a phobia (although I probably shouldn't use that term loosely), and if you choose to use formula because of that, then fair enough - you shouldn't be criticised. I guess we all have to be careful how we express ourselves - feeding our children is such an important and emotive issue, and deep down in most people there really is no "us and them". I hope!

hi stringerbell, not sure i seen u on the multiples thread, please hop over......

Great name, stringer!

It's 10 p.m. in Frogland. I'm off to bed before my poor mammaries are attacked again in the wee hours. The only consolation is that I won't have to go downstairs to make up a bottle! Night night.

Yes 8 children!!!!!!!!!..it all happened so quick..occasionaly i get a spare minute to sit back and think....8 kids....blimey! to myself..lol

i would recommend 8..great number..lol

i didn't realise this was a thread from last month...but hey-ho! always such a popular subject.

I am saying this and will get shot down no doubt...........Why would you not want to give your baby the best start in life?

Fair enough sometimes bfing doesn't work out but not to even be inclined to give it a go and let your child have all the advantages it brings stuns me tbh.

Maybe the health services don't really inform people of why bfing is so good for babies and women. Because surely if you know this and understand this and still choose formula feeding......well why?

I know this has been talked about ad finitum on here so I will now shut up.

hijack, stringer we on d'y ever wonder when you will start to feel human again.....the other one filled up

Fatslag

I can give you my honest reasons for going onto formula.

Baby was drowsey from General Anaestetic ( my previous job bc was a scrub nurse in theatre and it takes at least 48 hrs for this to leave the body)
Poor advice in that was not reminded that baby needs to be fed regularly to increase supply quickly.
No help latching on so very sore cracked nipples and this lead to dreading feeds.
I also started to resent the baby for being so demanding.
Baby vomited most bfs back and then cried because stomach was empty again but had drained both breasts. I therefore had nothing else left.
Continual crying for 13 hours unless latched on.
Felt very uncomfortable feeding in public places so tried to expres to go out. It took 3 expressing sessions to get a 4 oz bottle!
Not to mention the time it took to sterilize the pump.
Baby feeding most of the day and night caused severe sleep deprivation and frustration and low moral to the point that I almost shook dd. Enter PND.
When dd was 5 weeks I would bf feed then I decided to give her a bottle to see if she was still hungry (just fed for 1 hour each side) She took a 5oz bottle in 15mins. I carried on mix feeding for another few weeks.
After we introduced formula she settled much better, did not require constant feeding and I could go out hoorah!
Oh forgot to mention Dh saying to dd 'go to udders which made me feel like a milking machine.
Not finding nice pretty underwear to wear in my size. Having to wear breastpads all the time.

BUT I AM STILL GOING TO TRY AGAIN WITH DD/S2! Hopefully I can get over my fear of feeding in public.

lyndyloo, that question is the 64 million dollar question......why do women smoke while pregnant, why do women drink while pregnant......we all have the freedom of choice....

The thing is with smoking and drinking you are choosing to possibly do harm....choosing formula over breast is not doing a child harm, so is not a very strong debate.....bottle feeders shouldn't feel like they made the wrong choice - whether they gave breast a go or not.......

This is the bit of the debate that I don't get....if breast is best and statistically a baby is at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, speech and language problems, Otis media etc..then formula feeding can harm a baby.

If a baby has loads of ear infections (Otis media), becomes deaf and has reduced ability to engage in his or her social environment due to speech and language problems then that is harm is my book.

The problem with this debate is some ways is that no one wants to make anyone feel bad, I certainly don't want to make anyone feel bad but to say formula doesn't cause harm to any baby is wrong because some babies will suffer as a direct consequence of being formula fed.

one of my boys had lots of ear infections and delayed speech, but he had glue ear, was solved by grommets and now talks for england.....i honestly do not believe this was anything to do with bottle feeding. God, we could say EVERYTHING we chose to do could cause harm - cosleeping, rolling onto your baby.....i read a mother was breast feeding sat up one night, not even co-sleeping, was so tired she feel asleep and smothered her baby.....but no one is starting a debate on how breast feeding is bad for baby???

Choice choice choice, there are lots of ladies on here after feeding that post who will be feeling guilty as hell and i don't think thats fair......ear infections can happen in any baby - speech delay can happen in any baby.....etc etc

ooops after READING that post, sorry, too much wine!

Difers, that is utter bollocks.

Desiderata - You might not like what I've said but it isn't bollocks, it is fact.

Breastfeeding assists with jaw muscle development and prevents ear infections bottle feeding doesn't have the same affect and the effect of this is otis media and poor muscle development and speech delay.

Now, this is great if your childs treatment works and you have a great speech and lnaguage therapist in your area, harm minimised but people should be asware of the facts.

Difers you are doing my fruit in.

'I don't want to make anyone feel bad BUT'?

Well I hope your kids diets are squeaky clean because there are a lot more terrible things you can shove down their necks in the years ahead that will have a lasting, damaging affect on them.

hey we can make our kids obese by eating cake while pregnant, my two have got no hope then.....two little fatties who can't hear or speak......

Well, I for one, was honest. I told them I didn't want to breastfeed as I couldn't drink vodka - they laughed. I didn't.

With DD I tried but it made the back of my mouth itch.