Were you breast or bottle fed - and when were you a baby?

[SallyJayGorce]

Do you think it has affected your own decision in any way an if so why?

I was bf on a four hourly day time routine and nothing through the night. I was also topped up after every feed. Poor mum was told that she had to do it that way. It didn't affect my decision, I would have bf no matter what.

Breastfed in 78. Quite unusual as far as I know.

I think it has affected my decision, in that it's something I've thought about for years, long before starting my own family. Never a question whether I would breastfeed or not. Not sure what she'll think about me still feeding at 1.

My Mum's not a very open-minded liberal though, and I'm having to work on my attitudes to ff. But I am trying!

I was bf in the seventies, when it seemed most people were ff. My mum took a bit of flak from her sisters etc, especially when I dared to continue bf'ing past 5mths!! She never made any kind of big deal about it, but used to joke that it was the reason for my good health in childhood (I was honestly never ill, never caught any of the things doing the rounds)

I think it probably did affect my decision to bf to some extent, although I probably would have done it regardless of how I was fed

Mum bf me and my sister for 6 months.

I lasted 3 & 4 months bf my dc's. Mum said afterwards that bf had driven her up the wall and she couldn't get us to take a bottle.

I think it did affect my decision to bf, and I have taken photos of me bf my dc's so they will see than bf is normal and might try with their own dc's. But I did hate bf so wouldn't blame them for ff! Whatever works best and drives you less mad IMO.

I was ebf for six months 1987 I bf my ds mostly because I saw my little sister bf at age 13 so assumed it was norm. Also because I was a tomboy hung out with 20 boys all my life and tried to be more of a boy than them. Not one of them didn't break a bone. I had more horrid accidents and never no serious injury we always put it down to breast milk. Also have always eaten what I like, unlike female friends but never had to watch my weight. Lost my pg flab in 6 weeks no diet or exercise.

Breastfed on a routine until about 4 months - mum reckons her milk ran out, but I wonder if it was the 16 week growth spurt. Mum said with my (older) sister she was the only one on the ward breastfeeding - she'd worked in residential care with babies, and had to go round all the other mothers on the ward showing them how to sort out teats and bottlefeed.

I don't know if it did affect my decision - hadn't really thought about it, so probably not. I breastfed dd excl. until 6 mo, and then on until 20mo.

I was bf for 15 months. It has affected my decision to bf as my ff sister has hayfever and dust allergy (dust makes her really ill). DH and his bros were all ff and all have hayfever and dh has asthma, one of his brothers is allergic to shellfish and peanuts. I wanted to try and reduce the chances of my dcs having allergies by bf but I only managed for 8 weeks with ds1 (4 months is supposed to make a difference) and he is allergic to peanuts.

Slushy - I think the top-ups I got 10 years before you were born , haven't helped my appetite control. My brother was exclusively bf on demand and is whippet thin.

I was bf in late 80s. My sister was bf in early 90s but not for as long - my mum said she used to get distracted watching her big sister (me!) and the milk would be going everywhere which she found embarrassing. She did express concern though that I wanted to ebf to 6 months as she said both of us had started supplementary solids at 12 weeks or so.

I think it has influenced my decision in the way that I have a supportive mum behind me, and I remember my sister being bfed and used to bf my dolls etc - so from an early age I had this idea of "this is where milk for babies comes from". Also my stepmum bf her two and I was 14 and 16 when they were born so can more vividly remember that, which probably reinforced the message for me.

ff in 1970.

My Mum wanted to bf my older brother. She was told off by the ward sister for "keeping the other mothers awake" when she tried to feed him at night (all the other babies were in the nursery being ff) and she was too scared to continue or to try with me.

It didn't affect my decision on feeding at all - started out bf both dd's - and had full support from my mum - and full support when it didn't work out.

Bottle fed 1969-1970 no allergies
DH was breast fed until he was 10 months old and had asthma and eczema
Breast fed DS until he was 10 weeks old then had health problem so had to switch to half & half, then exclusive ff by 14 weeks. He has no allergies (fingers crossed and touching wood emoticons)

I was bf for a year and so was my brother - in 1970 and 1972. Mum did it on demand and wrote down EVERY SINGLE FEED and my subsequent weight. (!!) No wonder she was depressed. I have no allergies, he has loads plus eczema. Mine were all ff (after a couple of weeks) and have no allergies at all but put this down to luck rather than milk.

Bottle fed 71/72. No allergies, I was a c sec so I think that's why. DH born a couple of weeks later (to a different mother and father obviously!) was bf till he was about 17! His family is riddled with allergies, asthma, excema and all sorts.

Disclaimer: I am in no way trying to prove a link, it never even occured to me until I typed it!

I was BF in early 1970s. I'm sure it influenced me to do the same, not just because my mother did but because it was normal in our circle of family and friends.

But a French friend of mine was FF (like nearly all my French friends born in the early 70s) and hadn't even considered BF herself until she saw me do it and realised you don't have to bare all to everyone - so when she had her DDs she BF them both.

My mum would have been supportive either way but had dementia so was with me at bf clinics while I was struggling - saying 'What's wrong with her - I never had any problems' over and over again - to the horror of the counsellor until she understood why mum was like that! Didn't help me at all at the time but looking back it was quite funny. I have since found her diary and saw how much she struggled with bf - but did it.

Breast fed. Mid 70's. Brothers both breastfed in late 60's (which included 3 weeks of my mother hand expressing at night with my older brother because he was kept in hospital until then).

Yes, definitely gave me the support and I suppose the sense that breastfeeding was the default position.

My mother was breastfed herself.

My father wasn't, his sister didn't (he was of the background where formula was seen as miraculous and was well-to-do family who could afford formula, unlike my mother's parents).

Sorry about your mum Sally.

FF in 1975

I think my Mum knew no one who BF, it was just assumed you would FF, she was given tablets to "scatter" her milk.

I was a 34 week premmie, was given rusks in my milk at 4 weeks and weaned at 6 weeks onto mince and potatoes follwed by custard. Was on bottles of "normal" i.e. cows milk from 4 months. Apparently I slept for 17 hours a day no wonder my Mum stuffed everything into me, she still has this obsession with overfeeding babies and toddlers and would try and shove food down DD1's throat whenever she could.

I am not overweight BTW was whippet thin as a child.

I was ff in the 70's. I wasn't influenced by my mum's choice; I chose bf for my dc's. Just as well really, my mum ff all 9 dc's over 3 decades and says her breasts are for decoration and that bf is totally selfish.

Bottle fed in 76-77. I was also fed some diluted rice cereal in the evenings, by suggestion of the GP, because I was a 'big baby'.

I don't have allergies, but then, no one in my family does. However, I did have hellacious ear infections. I do strongly believe that the action of breastfeeding from birth helps prevent ear infections later on, perhaps not so much the breast milk itself.

(also, my data is from the US, in case someone is actually keeping track of this, and isn't just looking for anecdotal evidence of a BF person having allergies, or a FF one not having them, etc)

Breast fed in the mid-70s (although started solids at 8 weeks!)

Like pooka, I just took BF as the default, so it did help me I think.

My mum used to take a kilner jar of breast milk in to hospital on the bus every morning for those 3 weeks, so that the following night he would have a supply of milk to be given by bottle. You weren't allowed to stay in with your baby if they were kept in YOu did however have 1 night in the hospital flat the night before being discharged and he cried and cried and my mother was terrified that they wouldn't let her take him home with her because he was unsettled.

They did though.

I was BF in 81 for a year. Mum had a hard time to start with, was begging the hospital not to kick her out on day 10 after I was born because she was struggling so much, but stuck at it when discharged and ignored the 4 hourly routine advice to successfully feed me (despite returning to work after 8 weeks)!

I am fat, asthmatic and riddled with allergies - might that relate to weaning at 12 weeks, though?! Both my siblings were also BF but I don't have any memory of this. It hasn't affected my decision per se, but there was an unspoken support there (not sure that statement still stands now DS is nearly 2, mind you!). Mostly my decision was based on current advice and evidence.

We were all bottle fed from day 1. None of us have excema but 3 of us developed hayfever in our adulthood, if that has anything to do with anything.

My mum never supported me or my sister in breastfeeding, and if I'm perfectly honest I don't think I would have done it if it wasn't for my dh. I was very self-conscious about my boobs - largely thanks to my mum telling me how small and insignificant they were and how I should have been a boy. But dh and his siblings had all been breastfed and he made it sound like the most natural thing in the world. My sister had also breastfed hers for a while, so I had support there too.

Both of mine have slight skin problems, excema in dd's case, ds being referred to skin specialist.

dh's brothers wife did extended breastfeeding with hers and her ds has severe asthma. So I really do think these things are down to environmental issues and pollution.