Any mums out there who simply chose not to breastfeed??

[YummyorSlummy]

For the reason that they didn't really want to? I bottlefed from the offset as I wanted my dh to do his share and had a bad pregnancy so wanted to give my body a rest after giving birth. Just wondering if any other women simply decided not to bf from the start??

You asked the question my dear - and of course you can ask whatever you like after all it is a forum.

These kind of threads are probably the most emotive - don't be so naive as to think that only people who agree with you would post.

I dont understand why bf mums would want to join in this debate, I think it just to come on and start a debate about why its better to breastfeed ect .

Oh and both mine where bottlefed and both are healthy happpy children .

Is it 'selfish' though, or is it just about surviving?

Pregnancy is hard, childbirth is hard, those early days with a newborn are really, really hard for a lot of people. I fantasised about giving up breastfeeding for the first four months of doing it and I can totally understand why some people might just choose not to do it at all.

I hate that 'selfish' is always thrown at mothers in this way, as if caring for a newborn every minute of every day just isn't enough, you must breastfeed too otherwise you're selfish.

laughalot hate to tell you, but there are plenty of ff posters on bf thread also....it's the way of MN

I did not breast feed my son nor either of my daughters.

Widely available - yes but cigarettes are also widely available...although not for your average newborn lol .

By the way I am not attacking smokers just saying that things that arent the healthiest option are available. Just like junk food I guess. Not that Im calling formula junk food.

Oh Im leaving now lol

Actually...what I am interested in is why so many more women choose not to breastfeed in the UK. Take Sweden for example - 98% breastfeed at birth and 75% still doing so by 3 months (compared to about 35% ish of UK mums). So what makes things different over there? They are a developed country too so its not for life or death health reasons.

This is a genuine question - not an attack on anyones choice to FF.

I ff ds from the start. i knew all the breast is best stuff but i was the same as the op, i had a crap pregnancy an awful labour ending in emcs and i just wanted my body back to myself.
there was also the issue of hypoplastic breasts but even if my boobs were normal i probably would've chosen to ff anyway.

ds is very healthy and hardly ever gets ill, the calpol ive got in the cupboard has crystalised its been so long since it was used.

although i have no regrets about my feeding choice it still pisses me right off when BFers start the "selfish" "lazy" crap.

just about to get the popcorn out but first, can I ask you Yummy and the others who chose not to bf, did you feed your babies some colostrum at least? Like one feed, or was it absoluteley no breast milk whatsoever?

"At least"? *FrameyMcFrame??? That's a loaded question if ever I've heard one!

I had yet to see much of the bullying the ff mummies have been complaining about, but that is pretty passive agressive.

What would you prove by whichever answer you receive to that fairly pointless question?

Nope, none whatsoever!

RE: the earlier poster wrt dummy use and breastfeeding. Both mine have had dummies from about 3 weeks old and both have been breastfed for more than a year.

My only understanding is that you should at least give yourself time to work out feeding cues and understand and get to know your baby a little before introducing anything that might confuse them. And if you do give a dummy, you shouldn't take it away (i.e. bin it completely) until they have reached I think a year because of SIDS (that applies to formula fed babies too).

Luckily my 2 have both been pretty clear when they needed or wanted a feed. ;) And the dummy was a lifesaver when dd had dreadful colic and would only be settled by sucking - because the sucking i.e. feeding ended up making her tummy more sore and windy and aggravated.

im sure the 2% will feel great after your post hanaflower

FF equal to smoking?!? FFS

Again - this is not meant to be argumentative just a general wondering. I had a terrible pregnancy with DS and a not so great one with DD (only issue there was hyperemesis and then just being sick 10 times a day until I gave birth lol). I had an awful birth with DS culminating in him having to be resusscitated (or however you spell it). I then had awful pnd, little support....breastfeeding for me was what saved me. It felt like the only thing I was doing right for me - not being a martyr here.

So what makes the difference?

Again - disclaimer - everyone is entitled to feed how they want to feed.

OK sorry for 'loaded' question Gypsymoon, but I would hardly call it bullying.

The reason I ask is that I can understand formular feeding as a long term feeding choice, I can see there are benefits in chosing to formular feed.
But I can't understand why people would be so put off breastfeeding as to not give their babies one breastfeed that passes on antibodies and immunity. Doesn't make sense to me thats all.

You similise formula feeding against smoking and then wonder why FF's don't post on here?

For starters I was too busy fending off busy body student midwives from taking my second antenatally tested newborn from me for tests they believed he needed (yes he is NT) (and no he didn't need tests as anxious weeks of testing I had endured antenatally were conclusive)

My first had been taken from me (untested) the second day after she was born (breastfed fully) and I was offered no other options apart from FF after this... yes she was severely brain damaged and she died at just over 2 years of age. But I emphasize she was untested.

After my first two experiences I chose to FF my third from the start, with the odd twinge of regret but definitely not enough to make me feel bad about it.

I chose to go home 24 hours after having my daughter with midwives wondering why - with a little support and understanding it could have been a different story.

peppapighastakenovermylif..Sweden have managed to make breastfeeding the absolute norm so it automatically assumed this is how you will feed your child.

Everywhere is breastfeeding friendly (i know Scotland has policies but i mean a genuine complete acceptance by almost all members of society).

Plus women are paid 80% of thier wages for a whole year...i suppose some women if they have to go back to work after a short time would not believe they could breastfeed succesfully.

why would you choose not to even try if you can - not what you want to hear, OP, but I think it is a selfish choice

thanks pooka

I am new to mumsnet but am honestly shocked at some of the comments. Surely we can have an oppinion without accusing people who do not agree with us of being selfish parents?

Whether we choose to bf, ff or ff from the begining has to be down to individuals. I'm sure that we are all doing what we feel is best for our babies but that sometimes means balancing the benefits or breastfeeding with everything else that is needed to bring up a happy healthy child.

I have 3 children and have done a mixture of bf and ff depending on the circumstances, never have I been called selfish and my midwives and health visitors have been supportive of the decisions I have made.

I thought this was a site for offering support to each other not making people feel bad just because their choices are different to ours.

Because some people just don't want to, motomoto. It might well be selfish in your view to want to share the feeding and getting up in the night, to not want to get your breasts out in public, or in front of family members who might feel awkward, or just plain not want your nipples to be painfully chewed on, for a woman after going through the massive body changes of pregnancy and childbirth, to want to feel like your body is yours again. Or indeed any of the other myriad reasons why people CHOOSE not to BF.

But this thread asked if there were other FFers who just chose to do it. It didn't ask for you to come on feeling smug and tell people they're selfish for making what is their own CHOICE.

aaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha public Health Issue!!!!!!!!!!!!

thats hilarious!

i bet you're the type that thinks formula should be on prescription so us lazy feckless mothers have to go begging to the GP!