Why choose not to breastfeed?

[MissBax]

I work in healthcare and have just been on a breastfeeding workshop as part of my training. I knew the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby anyway, but couldn't believe just how incredible it really was!
I was just wondering what people's reasons were for not breastfeeding? I'm not asking about health reasons or those who have suffered abuse etc. But just wondering why some women simply choose not to?
I'm not being a GF either before anyone offers me a biscuit 😉 just genuinely curious why someone would choose to bottle feed?

Of course "i dont want to" is a valid answer. My friend didn't want to. So she didn't and her children are fine.

You've clearly never expressed either if you think its as easy as that. Get a clue before you assume other women who don't breastfeed just "don't understand" about breastfeeding. Hopefully you'll look back on this thread and cringe when your baby is born. Just because you've been on a course it doesn't mean you have any idea what you're talking about. I hope breastfeeding works out the way you hope it will.

I was aware of the benefits of BF but did a lot of reading on both bottle and breast feeding as I had always had a feeling that I just didn't want to breastfeed. To be honest I never really expected to have a baby!
The thought of breastfeeding made me feel quite queasy for want of a better word as I didn't like the idea of liquid leaking from me, cracked/sore nipples etc etc ... Selfish perhaps but as I said I read a lot about bottle feeding too and found that baby's health would not be negatively affected by it. That is not discounting the overall benefit of BF but my partner and I were happy with my decision and our DD is happy and thriving and always has been

Bet they didn't tell you have fucking awful bf can be for some women,did they? They tend to miss those bits out when they're banging on about the benefits.

The concept is exactly the same. Sorry you didn't get that.

You missed "just don't want one" from your post BTW :)

I'm not sure why you gave that apparently snarky reply? You asked why and I said it's because women make their own decisions about their bodies.

Your reply suggests that you already know that...so why are you asking?

Why can't we just be supportive of a women's right to choose how she feeds her baby? - please can you point out where I have been unsupportive?! 😕

Hopefully if I answer you'll be able to use it in your career.

I didn't want to.

I'm educated. I understand the arguments for breastfeeding.

I didn't want to.

I would hope, as was my experience, that HCP's recognise my right to excercise a choice.

I breastfed for a month and I just got fed up he wasn't getting enough milk so I ended up making a bottle anyway. Also I had this weird thing that everytime I breastfed I felt depressed and really sad there's a name for it but I can't remember. I just don't think it's for everyone

I was the first and only person in either of our families to breastfeed and they were all a bit that I did. Got a comment from one sil that "it's so weird that you fed him with your boobs" and from same sil when ds was sick "just proves there's no benefit breastfeeding" didn't stop me and I'll breastfeed any other babies we have but those attitudes don't help encourage mothers to try

The concept is exactly the same. Sorry you didn't get that.

• "would you like a cup of tea" -
• "would you like the opportunity to try and benefit yours and your baby's health?"

Yep, exactly the same.

So you haven't actually breast fed yet op?

You do sound a little naive.

Good luck with it though 👍

Because I did not want too.
I had a horrible long birth and ptsd was the result of the birth.
I was shaking really bad for weeks after birth the last thing I wanted was to bf.
Although I did not want to do it in the first place so if birth had gone well it would not have made a difference to my feeding choice.

I want to try and breastfeed as much as possible when my baby is born but I have already made the decision not to breastfeed away from the house. This is mainly because I have self esteem and confidence issues and I know I will feel uncomfortable doing it around others / in public.

Oh, bloody hell, op . Let's hope you're not riding for a fall...

The CONCEPT in the CONTEXT of your question.

Of course tea is not the same as BM, Im not fucking stupid

I think you're on a wind up now

I would hope, as was my experience, that HCP's recognise my right to excercise a choice. - as I've said several times, I fully respect everyone has the right to choose. I was simply wondering why people would choose not to, given the multitude of benefits. Again, I was not including the physical difficulties with mother and baby that lead to being unable to.

missbax so you do support a woman's choice to formula feed then?
That's good.

"Bet they didn't tell you have fucking awful bf can be for some women,did they? They tend to miss those bits out when they're banging on about the benefits."

Just try saying that bf is anything but hellish on Mumsnet and see what happens to you!

Come back three months after your baby arrives and tell us how it's going, eh? Then you might have something worth listening to.
Right now, not particularly.

Yes, of course.

Owl I was the same, I never fed in front of anyone but my fiancé and I expressed to bring with me if we went out for the very same reasons as you said. Good luck with it

Big can of worms here. BF is a very emotive subject and those who choose not to get very defensive about it. Everyone knows it's best for baby but lots choose to believe the marketing hype and FF.

I bf my first and I plan to my second. It's certainly has a huge impact on lifestyle.

Many of my friends decided not to bf, which is totally their prerogative. Reasons varied from:

Shared parental leave.

Wanting to regain their social life (it was easier to leave their dd at their parents with a bottle of formula)

Friend had medical issues that involved medicine which could have had side affects but also affected her mobility.

Another just didn't consider it a first option. It was what you did if you were a "bit of a hippy"

Another friend's mum was a bit weird and told her "only poor people breastfeed because they can't afford formula".

Someone else I know had a phobia of her breasts being touched. It would never have even crossed her mind to attempt to bf.

It's one of those things that everybody has their own experience and feelings however.

I was lucky enough with my DC to find breastfeeding straightforward and not sore. It was still the most labour intensive thing I've ever done. I would definitely do some mixed feeding next time around. Looking back, never being able to get away from my DC made life with a newborn way more hellish than it could have been. Expressing is crap!

Well I think you are being a GF so here