Is it tidiness or not?

[fsmail]

Just out of interest thought I would do a survey on whether tidy, homeproud people are more likely to bottlefeed, i.e. are breastfeeders better at letting the house go. Any feedback would be interesting.

Because initially i thought fsmail was also sensitive subject, and so wrongly thought your comment was directed at the two threads and that i was managing to upset everyone.

Thankfully i don't think that is the case now! Maybe just a small minority.

PMSL!!

I honestly thought you meant MN in response to my post!

i really need to get a grip i'm misreading too much at the moment

I prioritised breastfeeding over housework in the early weeks. If baby needed feeding, then I'd stop whatever I was doing and feed for as long as necessary.

I'm not houseproud, usually find a better thing to do than housework, but would dearly love a tidier house - but not enough to let it get in the way of loftier things in life. I'm a Mary rather than a Martha.

What about this hypothesis:

Houseproud mum (HPM) likes to be in control.

There is control in some elements of bottlefeeding - HPM can make up the bottles according to a schedule, and the baby is more likely to get onto a 4-hourly schedule earlier on, and then to gobble up the milk very quickly.

Bottlefed baby is more likely to have a dummy to satisfy sucking needs.

Other people can feed the baby while HPM gets on with chores.

HPM is at home more and has more opportunity for housework because it is such a faff to go out with a bottlefed baby. /ducks

NO. I am anally retentive about housework and embarrassingly tidy, but I bf both my children until they decided to stop at about a year.

but I did bf them according to GF routines, so I think there is some correlation between houseproud and routine liking, both being symptoms of people who liketo copntrol every aspect of their lives. I just don't agree at all that bottlefeeding is easier to "control" than bf. You don't have to turn all hippy dippy every time you whip your boobs out.

pmsl at all the faux pas and misintent in the earlier postings.

b/f - house was generally (clears throat emoticon)'lived in' before baby arrived.

this thread helped me realise that baby, b/f, and returning to work ample reasons to get a cleaner

The reason why I started this thread was because I had just been reading an article about a woman who cannot stand a messy house and gets irritated if her husband even messes up a cushion. I then tried to imagine how she would cope sitting there bfeeding when dust etc is building up around her. Whereas the control factor with a bottle would mean she could feed every four hours with a baby settled and then clear up. I was not inferring that women who bf are messy but I did think the control element could be a factor. It was the reason my mother did not bf. Incidentally Fran1 on some other threads I have agreed with your comments but found it difficult to accept somebody throwing accusations without actually knowing the person. This is a forum for discussions not to make personal comments about the way other people choose to lead their lives and this has been something that has annoyed me on other threads. Some people can be so judgemental. However, I am now through and will not be starting any other threads on this talk because I feel that it is not possible to have a genuine discussion without people jumping in and stirring things up. I have another aggro at work without getting it in my leisure time. Sorry rant over and out

fsmail....you crack me up!!!
Oh don't sulk,for Goodness' sake,it's not worth it!

Now,re your survey.

Breastfed both children and am manically tidy,to the point of obsession. Iron dishcloths for God's sake!
(Actually,you can do loads of housework with a baby on the breast when they're very small. Wouldn't advise it though. Sit down while you can,because you sure as hell won't be doing so again for the next 15 years.)

Oh calm down fsmail. You asked for "any feedback" and you got it.

Fran1 said "What did you do prop the bottle in baby's mouth whilst you did the hoovering?" as a question - she was unable to see how bottlefeeding would give you more time for housework otherwise (and neither can I - they both take as long as they take). She didn't say you did this so it was hardly a personal attack.

If I had bottlefed I'm sure I would have rampantly bottle propped, all the time....

I do think, as a kind of broad generalisation, that people who breastfed for more than a few months (I'm talking about people who have the choice of breastfeeding, I know some people can't make breastfeeding a success & therefore don't have a choice) are less concerned what other people think. Maybe we are more self-assured, bolshy or we just grow thicker skins because we know we just can't let it bother us if someone might be offended at the idea of a baby feeding....

sorry, hit return key too soon!
the thing is, if you're very houseproud, presumably you care a lot about what other people think...

Blimey!?!?!?!?!?!?

When DS2 was 6 weeks old we decided to sell our house and I found b/feeding worked very well with cleaning, tidying, showing potential buyers round house, walking round estate agents and viewing others' houses, most of which at some time was done whilst feeding.

However I would not recommend moving house with 6 week old baby whatever feeding method you are using.

i bottlefeed and my house is like a shithole at present so i must be the exception in this,,,,,, er,,,,,survey??

fqueenzebra, I'm so unbolshy and concerned about what others think of me it's unbelievable and I fed both DSs for a year

I think it's purely and simply a case of some people being naturally tidy and some not.

fsmail please direct me to where i was

" throwing accusations without actually knowing the person."

I know i'm missing the point a lot nowadays, but i don't recall personally making comments about the way you choose to live your life???

The only reason i can think off, is if you do actually leave the bottle propped and so you find my comment about that personal.

FWIW i don't think you would leave a baby with a bottle propped and thats why i can't see where i have caused any hurt.

Please chill and don't get so easily wound up!

Fran, I am over it now. Don't worry.

I may be wrong but I would not have thought that time/housework would have entered the equation but thats just my opinion.

I found if I get the bottle just angled right, I can do three rounds with the hoover by the time she has finished and then its time for her fries anyway so I can do the washing then.

well i'm not over being told i'm making personal comments that are upsetting someone.

But i'm too busy at the mo as i'm breastfeeding my four year old and my house is a tip.

moondog - I can't believe you iron your DISHCLOTHS. I don't even iron my clothes

I breastfeed. Fairly constantly just now.

Am a bit of a control freak, and would love to be very tidy too(with ironed clothes at least, if not dishcloths [still amazed at that, go moondog!!!]) but can't quite work out how to go about it...

Find all those bottles (on the rare occasion I try to express) add to the clutter by the sink though, and my inner tidy person doesn't like it...

I bottlefed and my house was an absolute tip.

I think bottlefeeding appeals to some houseproud people because you can get someone else to bottlefeed a baby, most people like doing that, but NOBODY will clean your bath.

fsmail - I bf & did all household tasks that didn't involve dangerous cleaning products or ironing. With bf you can feed whilst on getting on with things as you can be mobile.