Choosing NOT to breastfeed. Any similar experiences?

[MaggieVla]

Hi. For those who have chosen not to breastfeed- did you feel guilty? Also, do you need to take some medicine to stop milk or does it simply not come if you do not start ?
Feeling guilty and judgmental- because everyone saying how important it is. However how are your formula fed babies grown? Are they healthy or do they have healh problems because of your choice? Thank you

I didn’t want to. I found it very triggering. So I didn’t and my doctor gave me some medicine so I didn’t have to contend with the pain.

Are you a troll or are you just a bit stupid?

“Generally more intelligent”

😂 can evidence that can you, @Tania64 ?

I have a perfect grip. Perhaps you also think that it's ok for biological women to turn themselves into a transman by taking hormones, have their perfectly functioning breasts removed & then get pregnant. It seems that poor babies have absolutely zero rights. We need a law to stop totally selfish individuals from becoming pregnant.

I chose not too. Didnt want to, and didn't want to try. My milk never came in, and my daughter is 3 and perfectly healthy.

Yes formula is expensive, but i also value my sanity. Bottle feeding meant i was able to sleep and share everything with my husband.

Your milk will come in and it will go away within a few days.

Please don't feel guilty. I deeply wish there wasn't so much stigma around breastfeeding or not breastfeeding. Women seem damned if they do and damned if they don't! If you would like to talk about why you've made your decision then people may have their own stories which make you feel less guilty, but of course you don't need to share.

I have 3 children. I was desperate to breastfeed all 3 but due to poor milk supply (and it was, I tried everything with lots of support) I mix fed all of them. The first I stopped bf at 6mo, the second at 3mo and the third at 1yo. Honestly, my mental health took a real battering. I'm glad I persisted but given my time again I would ff. There were periods where I was broken and exhausted and it didn't need to be like that. I felt guilt (from society) at the thought of stopping bf. I also felt I would be letting myself down and that we wouldn't have the bond I wanted.

All three children are happy and healthy. Ironically the one who I bf the longest seems to have the weakest immune system. It feels like a million years ago and is not even something I think about now, when I was consumed with it before.

Formula in this country is well made and readily available. You do what is best for YOU, without guilt. The only time formula felt hard was when there were shortages but we planned carefully and managed fine.

Yes you can use a search engine called google. Studies show that breastfed humans have higher I.Qs than formula fed.

I'm neither. I'm just trying to stand up for defenceless babies that deserve better.

@Tania64 correlation isn't causation.

You're being ridiculous.

Go on then. Show me.

Well I don't know what was in the formula I fed DD with all those years ago but she managed to obtain an MA degree, her BF cousin, on the other hand, failed his GCSE's.

We need a law to stop totally selfish individuals from becoming pregnant.

I didn’t want to breastfeed. I knew that when I was pregnant. Are you genuinely saying that there should be a law preventing me from becoming pregnant because I didn’t want to breastfeed @Tania64 ?

Heartbreaking. FFS seriously are you for real

If there were cash prizes for baseless extrapolation, you'd be a very rich woman. As it stands, there aren't t and you're just coming across as a bit of an idiot.

Please take note 'generally more intelligent' means just that not exclusively & always. It's no different to the argument that smoking will probably shorten your life but some people like to tell other people about their old grandfather that smoked 80 a day & lived to a ripe old age!

@Tania64

This 💯
The benifets are proven, why is everyone acting like “my body my choice” as though a baby’s best interest shouldn’t be paramount? I don’t understand how people can take that attitude.

I have no interest in whether or not you think I am intelligent. Babies deserve the best from their parents it's as simple as that. If potrential parents cannot or will not strive to do their best by their offspring then they do not deserve to be parents.

It’s ‘benefits’, mate. And it’s nonsense.

This is a thread asking for experiences of choosing not to breastfeed, not for you two to post your bile to the mothers answering the OP.

Never wanted to breast feed so I didn’t. I did express for a few weeks but due to illness the milk dried up and I wasn’t too bothered. DD is 8 and head and shoulders above the rest of her class.
DP was the only one not BF out of him and his siblings and he’s the only one to go to Oxbridge. His siblings are bright, but he’s brighter.
DD has been healthy throughout her life too.

I live in an area which is very MC and most women BF. I was an older mum and no one tried to convince me breast was best. I knew what suited me and it was all fine. The Perfect Prep machine was a godsend too!

I decided during my pregnancy that I wasn't going to breastfeed. I got all manner of grief for it from various family members but I just really didn't want to. After he was born I did give it a go as I think I was in some kind of hormonal/morphine fuelled daze but I hated it, DS didn't take to it and I soon gave up. I expressed a few oz a day for a couple of weeks but really couldn't be arsed with the faff and moved exclusively to bottles. If I had another I would stick to my original plan of FF from the start

How exactly are we enforcing this law to prevent "selfish" people from reproducing? Considering that we're unable to prevent drug addicts, domestic abusers and paedophiles from having children- what are we doing with those whose greatest crime is formula feeding her children?

Babies deserve the best from their parents it's as simple as that.

Yes agreed. That is why some people (myself included) choose to breastfeed because I know how breastfeeding will mentally which will in turn make me a very bad version of myself and make me not my best for my baby! Simples!

Once again the OP asked a question to people who CHOSE NOT TO BREASTFEED so dunno why the "breast is the only option" brigade are here in force.

Guessing you were formula fed then because there is a serious lack of understanding going on with you! 🙄

I breastfed but have 100% respect for women who choose not to. Your body, your choice. Whatever works.

As a midwife, can I just say that we really aren’t ‘the breastapo’ or whatever the Daily Mail makes us out to be. Just be honest and up front. Spending hours helping someone breastfeed when they never actually wanted to is a bit soul destroying (for both parties I’d imagine). I love it when women come to antenatal appointments and say ‘no thanks, it’s not for me’, we write it in the notes so it’s obvious for the delivery/postnatal staff, and that’s that.