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 in the early 80s for over 18 months (I think) - and I saw my mum bf my younger siblings. I think it probably must have affected my own decision to bf slightly, in that I saw it so much as the norm. I also think that it influenced me to persevere more when I was having problems early on that everyone in the family was supportive of breastfeeding - DH was also bf in the 70s (although in-laws are now slightly about me continuing to bf DD beyond 1 year, but I think they are trying to keep their feelings to themselves)

Exclusively breast fed for four months in 1973, then weaned but continued to be bf for another six months.

I think it did influence my decision actually although it wasn't something that was discussed at length. I have always been very healthy, up until the last month anyway!
But then we are lucky as a family that we don't suffer from any allergies/ diabetes etc. That must also have a bearing?

Should have said, I'm a seventies baby, as siblings we range from sixties to seventies babies.

I was bf in 1986, Mum also fed my brothers in 1976, 78 and 81.

I have also bf my children, DS only until he was 3 months but DD is 7 months and still bf.

I was breastfed in 1975 until I self-weaned at 12 months. My brother was breastfed in 1978 until he self-weaned at 18 months.

I think thi had a MASSIVE impact on my bf experiences. My mum stayed with us for 2 weeks after dd1 was born and the norm for me was to breastfeed. She identified with the toecurling when latching in the early days and reassured me that it got better, and it did. Without her and her support I genuinely don't think we'd have made it past a week.

Me and my sis were exclusively breastfed for 6 months in the 70's. I was fed every 4 hours, no more no less

I FF both mine (but hope to BF no3) so no correlation for me.

I was bf - ten minutes each side every 3 hours. My mum says she had to top me up because I wasn't gaining weight. By 6 weeks I was having a bottle (with a raw egg in it ) and solids from about 3 months.

I don't think it affected my decision, seeing friends and family bf as an adult did.

Although that said, until dd was a good few months old I thought bf was something you did for a while and that all babies went onto a bottle after 6 months .

DD was mostly bf with occasional top ups and formula before bed for 5 months when she started to refuse to bf.

Most of my bf knowledge was gained after this happened and DS has now been bf for 17 months

1984, in holland.

i was bf for 8 weeks then the doctor made her ff as i wasn't gaining weight (they accused her of not feeding me it was so bad)

looking back having fed my own kids i think it was tongue tie, the bit that connects my tongue to the floor of my mouth is even now only about 1cm from the tip of my tongue so possibly i wasn't latching on well enough to get any milk.

it never even occured to me not to try bf-ing but i also said right up until the birth that i'd just give the colostrum and see how it went after that. when i had dd in my arms however my attitude changed, i couldn't stand the thought of not being able to feed her myself, very odd.

Was born in 81

Bottle fed in 1984. My mum tried to breastfeed me but I was a big baby, she had a c-section and was in hospital for 2 weeks and the midwives were nasty to her My dad and her formally complained of how she was treated after we were discharged.

She says she thinks had she been home sooner she would have managed to breastfeed sucessfully.

Bottle Fed in 1977 but I'm adopted so it was the only option.
My brother who isn't adopted was Breastfed in 1973 so I was probably influenced to Breastfeed as it was what my (adoptive) Mum did.

1979 - mix fed I think for about 6 weeks then ff - that was the advice mum was given as I was a hungry baby I do think Mum wanted to bf me for longer though as she was very worried when I was pg and had a new baby - kept telling me that I had done so well to get to this stage (whatever that was) and there would be no harm in giving him a bottle if I needed to. She was trying in her own way to be supportive though - I just don't think it had ever crossed her mind that I might be lucky enough to not have the problems she did (was the same with giving birth).
Since then she has looked into it herself (out of interest but also a project she's worked on) and is supportive of me bf at 2 years, although I think if she was totally honest she would admit she thinks it's odd. I don't care though as she is supportive in private and in public.

1973. bf for about a week then ff. Mother simply didn't like bf at all. Fair enough, her choice. Not like I can remember anything about it!

And it had no effect on my decision how to feed my own. Never gave it a thought.

i was bf'd for 9 months in 78 and then apparently i self weaned (temporary strike or preferred a bottle maybe?). i still have terrible allergies to dust and pollen though sadly. i'm pretty sure i would bf all my kids even if i wasn't bf myself.

dp was bottlefed in 1980, his mother bottlefed all 3 of them so she could smoke (her words btw, not mine)

he has asthma and eczema

bf in 1972 for 6 weeks then my Mum switched to formula. Was told she had to due to low supply.
Never really affected my decision, I was always adamant I would bf, although MN has been tremendously useful and certainly helped me go to natural term with dd (2.6) and got me through a breast abcess with ds (currently 5m)
It makes me wonder how many of our Mums would have had better luck if they had had MN...

Was exclusively ff in the 70s. Have no allergies and was a slim child (not so much now, but I have just had a baby!)

My DD is also ff and I think my Mum probably was an influence. She had no interest in bf.

My mum bfed me in 71 and my brother in 75. She ffed my sister in 89; I am a fatso and my sis is slim! I think I would have tried to bf even if I had been ff; oddly my mum is always encouraging me to ff despite bfing my brother for a year (I think because I've had trouble with it). I do remember her bfing my brother though, which I suppose normalised it for me. I hope seeing me do it will do the same for sis.

pooka, naught much has changed here in that way... ds2 is 3 months next week and was kept in scbu. on day 2 i was discharged and told to go home, no parental accom available, i live an hour from the hospital and was bf-ing and didn't have enough milk expressed (they'd only started allowing me to feed the night before as he was nil by mouth til then)

i had to kick up a huge fuss and call in social workers who had me readdmitted til the next day so i could express enough milk to leave him for a few hours at night to go home and sleep.

this is a hospital with a pro bf-ing policy

BF for a year in 1975. Mum is so proud of me - apparently I was the only baby in the hospital nuresery who would not take a bottle at night, so the MW had to bring me to her to be fed I feel angry on her behalf - and everyone else who wanted to BF - that the early days were made almost impossible for them. She had to stay in hospital for 2 weeks after the birth and in that time was only allowed to pick me up to feed every 4 hours and change my nappy. At no time was I ever allowed to lie on her bed. I spent all night in the nursery (apart from the BFs). Mum was obviously lucky that I would not take a bottle and also that she has the family milk supply, which verges on the over generous.

I was whippet thin as a child, still slim now, no allergies. I was milk intolerant as a child and so are my two sons - so it's just as well I wasn't FF as I don't suppose there were many good formula options in the mid 70s.

Incidentally, following my mum's hospital experience I thought for many years that when I had a baby I would have to have an emema and my fanjo shaved!

1964 and bf for 3 months according to mum. Didn't even consider what mum did or didn't do tbh. I just knew what I wanted to do and did for 18 months with Ds and still going strong with Dd at 28 months...

Sorry, meant to say that BF was always really important to me, partly because mum always said how much she enjoyed it, but despite my best efforts I couldn't BF ds1 I am successfully feeding DS2 though and loving it. Mum is surprisingly judgemental about people feeding past 'a certain age' (non defined) but she'll just have to suck it up as I plan to feed ds2 for at least 2 years.

BF to 18 months (1975) as were my younger brothers. Don't think its the fact that I was BF more that I had a good example set by seeing my mum bf my brothers iyswim

I was born at JR, oxford, at the time they were pioneering in actively encouraging BF

I was BF in 1976 and my sister was in 1979. I don't think it has really influenced me one way or another. I was quite surprised that she did BF us both though as I thought FF was the norm.

I BF my DS for 2 years and that was mainly my own decision, but also due to DS being dairy allergic and there was a bit of influence from MN which made me feel it was normal to do so.

My mum gave the occasional comment too ProvincialLady, it's what made me stop at 18 months with Ds...'It's about time you gave yourself a break and stopped that now'.

She's tried the same kind of thing with Dd too, but I've told her to stop saying it as I am happy if Dd is happy continuing.