Pressure to breastfeed.

[Kitcat159]

This is prob going to cause arguments but I'm just looking for some actually advise....
I don't want to breastfeed. I never have. I have discussed my reasons with my husband and he is happy with my decision.

My mum however is constantly pressuring me to breastfeed.

I still don't want to BF but as a compromise, what about if I express for the first couple of weeks?

I don't know how that would work in the hospital tho. Will I be pressured to BF?
I don't know if it would be appropriate to want to express in the hospital?
Should I just stick to my guns and bottle feed instead?

The midwife said someone will help me to breastfeed and when I said I am going to bottle feed she said they will send someone to help me BF anyway. Feel a bit pressured.

Is expressing from the word go an option?

@JessieMcJessie

I think people confuse shaming with the fact that it exacerbates the feeling of guilt women feel when they "gave up" in BF.
It very much does for me but it's up to me to learn how to deal with it or get the help I need. People shouldn't hide the benefits of BF though should sometimes be mindful that some others will have a hard time with it due to their own situation.

@Thursdaydreaming you are giving your mum a grandchild, what’s disappointing about that? :)
Breastfeeding was hard for me at first and my mum told me in the early days that it would get easier and I would reach a point where I wouldn’t even feel DD latch, I did not believe her...I sat here now with her on my breast and to me it is the most relaxing feeling in the world. It sounds weird but it actually makes me feel good, especially if I am suffering anxiety. DD will take a bottle but nothing calms her like my breast! I guess what I’m trying to say is some do struggle at the start but in my experience it got better very quickly and looking back it was worth it. It shouldn’t hurt badly, if it does ask the HV to check for tongue tie or try a different position (the rugby ball helped.) If you do decide to try it feel free to PM me if you want support, or anyone else on here for that matter. I completely support any woman and their choice on how their baby is fed and I am happy to lend any advice based on my experiences too. We should all be helping one another through the foggy, exhausting struggles of new motherhood, not judging.

I did BF but had a lovely older experienced health visitor lady who told me not to stress or worry about it whatsoever. She was born in 1945 and was fed Carnation milk from birth as her mum couldn't feed her.....she was one of the smartest, wisest ladies I've ever met!

I don’t think grandma has been smug or patronising at all. Ok I wouldn’t really approve of pressurising her daughter to BF but she’s explained her reasons and the info she’s shared about deaths from incorrectly made up ff has been widely known for years.