Breastfeeding

[Possibleyoungmum17]

Hiya, just wanted your opinion on which is best for baby and mother? Breastfeeding through the Brest, or using a breast pump?
Thank you :) xx

Breastfeeding directly by many miles rather than expressing and bottle feeding.

What is the situation?

Breast for me. Pumping is hard work - and you may not be able to pump as much as you require. I ebfd my ds and that was fine. I tried to express to keep a stash in the freezer for unforseen emergencies but could barely get 3oz in a day. I'm still bfing ds at 18mo. It's easy. No bottles, no sterilising etc. And always to 'hand'.

It's much, much easier on you to do it directly if you can. Exclusive expressing is a real hard slog. It's possible but it's not easy at all. Most people only choose this option when they can't directly breastfeed (and they really don't want to give formula).

Would it help to talk about why you're considering expressing? Perhaps we can allay some of your fears or worries about breastfeeding.

From the Breast! Quicker easier cleaner and cuddlier

Well baby still gets your milk through either of those options so it comes down to whatever works best for you.

I don't know anyone who has planned to just express as from the breast is so much easier and quicker IF established.

It's establishing the feeding that can be hard. Many people express if they encounter problems. Others (myself included) expressed once established to allow Dad to feed and to leave when I returned to work.

There isn't a right way. Go to some breastfeeding support groups near you as there are qualified people there to advise you.

Whatever works best for you is the best.

Having said that I'd say breastfeeding through the breast has it's advantages: no time needed for expressing, no sterilising bottles, it's relaxing for the baby.

The best way is the way that works for you and your child.

The most important thing is to do it the way you want and not to feel pressurised to breast feed/not breast feed because someone else tells you you should.

Thank you. I only ask because if I'm out, what with all this about breastfeeding in public...

I've bfd in public for 18 months and not had one bit of unwelcome attention. Please don't let it put you off.

I've always breastfed in public, all over. On 3rd baby now. No one has ever said anything. Yes there are some idiots you hear about but thankfully few and far between. The type to pass comment on anything and lacking brains basically.

I've breastfed all over the place in public, for over 2 years in total and never had any negative attention whatsoever. Just lots of helpful people and some smiles! The stuff that gets reported on social media or crappy newspapers is really rare, which is why it gets reported.

Ah, it's okay :) It's not too bad really. I was also a young mum (19 when DS was born) and I honestly never got any comments. I think it is really just a few people making mountains out of molehills.

When you first have the baby you will find it difficult to get out and about anyway just because of all the stuff you need to take with you, not to mention tiredness and recovering from the birth, you'll find that breastfeeding is just a part of that, so what you'll tend to find is that you'll overly plan at first and later it will get easier.

So for example, you'll probably look for nice easy trips to do first perhaps to somebody's house that you know, or to a baby group you've already been to (bumps and babies groups are great, there are also specific breastfeeding support groups or baby feeding cafes in some areas which you can start going to in the last weeks of pregnancy) or to a shop that you know has a feeding room, like John Lewis or Boots or Mothercare. Then once you're finding it a bit easier there, you might decide to go somewhere like a cafe that you know has little booths or enclosed tables for privacy, or somewhere that you can easily go back to the car to feed (if you or the person you're with drive). Soon you'll find that all you think about is whether there's going to be a place to sit down and you'll be away.

If you do want to use a breastfeeding cover you can, or you don't have to - one tip is to practice feeding in front of a mirror at first so you can see how much someone else would see (usually not much, if anything, at all.)

Also, if you decide to use ready made formula milk or express just for trips out you can do that if you feel more comfortable. It definitely doesn't have to be all or nothing. But it's definitely easier than you think to get to grips with feeding in public, and it will give you such freedom if you decide to, even only some of the time, otherwise you're always worrying about whether the bottle will last or whether you've brought enough etc.

Are your family supportive of breastfeeding, and do you have any friends with children yet?

Not one person has every said anything negative about me when breastfeeding in public-I've not even had any snide 'looks'. I was expecting to but, as yet, nothing. I say 'as yet' because my DC is 2 and I wonder if I will now it is no longer a baby I'm breastfeeding.

I did express in the early weeks as DC was tube fed. It wasn't too tricky but direct feeding is much easier. I found that it got harder and harder to express even though my supply didn't diminish.

An undiagnosed tongue tie and nerve damage in one breast made it hard work but the health visitors were great at getting me through. Bumps and Babies group was invaluable as that's where the HVs were.

There are only ever the negative public BF stories in the media. They are actually few and far between in my experience, I don't know anyone who has ever had negative comments from a stranger. ive had negative comments from MIL but that's just her lack of tact!
If you feel more comfortable feeding expressed milk from a bottle on public, that's ok. Some babies do refuse a bottle, but a lot don't. However, babies are FAR more efficient at getting milk out than a pump is. It's also easier to get a boob out than to warm a bottle in my experience