Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Would you bf if there were no proven health benefits?

86 replies

dorisbonkers · 25/05/2010 09:36

Hypothetical question of course, but would you bf even if there was no proven health benefits.

I've been feeding on demand for 19 months and it's not all been plain sailing (by any means) but I think I would. It's shaped how I've parented my daughter in her early months, to an extent.

Sorry, I don't mean this as an insensitive question and I don't intend this to turn into a mega ff vs bf thread. I'm genuinely interested. Do we just put ourselves through this (it was mentally quite exhausting and worrying as she was prem and made me obsessional...)

OP posts:
brennannbooth · 25/05/2010 14:57

Sorry not read thread but yes I would, for the handiness of it and all the cuddles involved.

CuppaTeaJanice · 25/05/2010 15:02

32C Stealth - I was hoping they'd increase to Jordan-esque proportions when breastfeeding. Sadly they didn't!!

nickytwotimes · 25/05/2010 15:03

I would.

In fact my main motivation for bfing is not health based - it is a selfish thing for me. Pride!
And saving money.
And handiness.

The health thing doesn't swing it for me at all tbh.

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2010 15:14

to me, giving a baby a bottle was more the image of mummy-ness than anything else!
It's amazing how the messages you grow up with can make such an impact!

withorwithoutyou · 25/05/2010 15:15

Nope, I'm almost 100% certain I wouldn't if there were no health benefits I did b/w and will again)

tutu100 · 25/05/2010 15:16

Yes I would because it is natural and what babies are supposed to drink. Obviously for me it was more convinient and I had a pretty easy time with getting both mine to feed and they both stopped of their own accord.

Mandi1984 · 25/05/2010 15:16

That's a really good question! I think I would for the first couple of months for the bonding and the convenience of not faffing with bottles.

Then I'd chuck it in and drink myself silly

philmassive · 25/05/2010 15:30

Yes

mrspear · 25/05/2010 15:36

Yes - despite the fact that my DS was born at 30 weeks and i had to pump for 8 weeks; BF is much easier than washing and sterlising bottles and the heating of bottles at 3 am! Oh and knowing how many to take out - how do FF mums do that/?

Sonilaa · 25/05/2010 15:47

it feels sooo amazing that dd 5m is all from my "biomass" (ok, maybe one or two dustbunnies by now as well)

agree with the others, I am very lazy and "do" bottles only if I have to (OK saturday lie in works with an expressed bottle, but dh does the washing up)

Bubbles1066 · 25/05/2010 15:50

Yep, I'd probably choose to BF for the ease at the beginning then switch to bottles later on once their feeding was more predictable but it does very much depend on your baby and how easy they are to feed. Washing bottles is a complete pain and is time in your life that you never get back!

slushy06 · 25/05/2010 18:10

I didn't sail easily had thrush mastitus, but yes I would because
1 cost
2 it is easier in the long term
3no periods
4 most importantly I loved the bond with dc derived from me being the only feeder.

EldonAve · 27/05/2010 08:07

I would have probably mix fed if there were no proven health benefits
For me I don't think bf is cheaper, what with the expensive nursing bras, breast pads and creams

No periods is a big plus though

WoTmania · 27/05/2010 08:18

absolutely.

FrazzleRock · 27/05/2010 08:26

For me it's far far easier to formula feed as I can't produce enough milk due to a hormonal/breast condition, so I wouldn't have had the stress of desperately trying to do the best thing for my DCs.
However I did enjoy those first few hours of closeness with them so I'd probably still do it even though they weren't getting enough, just for the one to one bonding.

Original poster
dorisbonkers · 27/05/2010 08:47

Well, I spent 60 quid on two Anita underwired nursing bras (bloody excellent things) and I never used pads or cream. I did spend some cash on fenugreek.

But in Singapore a tub of formula costs 20 quid, and bottles and sterilisers cost a fortune (at least 50 pct more) so no way is it cheaper.

OP posts:
MrsPurr · 27/05/2010 21:42

No, I wouldn't. I hated it. Did EBF for first 6 weeks, then mixed fed up to 6 months. Loathed it. The baby cuddles were nice. But I still get them. On the other hand, the massive boobs, constant feeding, lack of sleep etc... me no likey. I love that DH can feed DS too now.

dct · 28/05/2010 09:05

no I would have bottle fed from birth

RubyBuckleberry · 28/05/2010 10:00

yes. its free and easy. now we are weaning, i have to remember all sorts of things like bibs etc and it seems such a faff. i imagine ffing would have been like that - i would have been hopeless basically if i hadn't had the ease and convenience of bfing.

wasabipeanut · 28/05/2010 10:41

I would for all the reasons already stated although when it got difficult for DD and I around the 12 week mark I would have stopped, or at least started supplementing with formula if I didn't have such a strong belief in the health benefits of ebf.

Having said that I mix fed DS (not through choice, it all went a bit wrong in hospital after an em cs) but don't feel that it affected our bonding or relationship.

I am finding it all a lot easier now and hope it stays that way.

I'm finding the comments about pumping interesting! I express a 6-7oz bottle every night at 10pm so DH can give DD her first night feed. I then do the second. We seem to be sticking to 2 night feeds at the mo so are planning on continuing this routine and I don't find it a hassle at all. I run the steriliser once a day in the evening and pumoing takes me about 10-15 minutes with an Avent manual pump. I would say expressing has helped me keep up bfing when things got difficult - I am surprised that people can view it quite negatively?

PrettyCandles · 28/05/2010 10:51

Yes I would.

I have struggled to feed each of my dc, mix-fed the first but fully bfd the others with some periods of exclusive bfing. It was never plain sailing, but neither was it ever pure misery, and there was a lot of pleasure, too.

I have ff, others have fed my babies, we haven't missed out on that. But if I didn't bf, my babies and I would have missed out on extended breastfeeding and that was something very very special.

PrettyCandles · 28/05/2010 11:01

Mathsmadmummy, ifyou are going to be a peer supporter I do hope that you will realise urus mos definitely not a 'no brainer' for some people, and accept - and respect! - their feelings.

How will you support the mum who is dreading the birth of her dc2 because she is dreading bfing again? If you think bfing is a no-brainer, how will you respect her feeling that ff is a no-brainer, when she knows she is expected to bf?

TrillianAstra · 28/05/2010 11:06

I think so (have done neither yet). Forget health benefits - BF is the quickest way to get the baby to please just be quiet please I am sooooo tired just shuuuuuuut uuuuup.

Unless it was harder than FFing, of course (taking all aspects into account), in that case probably not, because what would be the point? Bollocks to 'natural'. Plenty of things I do on a daily basis are not at all natural.

NumptyMum · 28/05/2010 11:13

Not read all the responses but yes, for similar reasons to soupdragon - cheaper and on-tap at the right temperature when required. I actually struggled with DS early on getting the latch right/stopping soreness, but persisted as I thought if I got it sorted it would be easier. And though I've not had experience of FF, I think it was. Only 'regret' is that DH couldn't get involved as DS wouldn't take a bottle at all.

cory · 28/05/2010 17:01

Health benefits were not all that obvious to my dd: she was too hypotonic to suck effectively so lost weight and got quite weak (=hospital admission) until I started supplementing with syringe feeds. Wouldn't have occurred to me not to breastfeed though; having grown up in Sweden, I just thought it was something everybody did.

Swipe left for the next trending thread