Breastfeeding Vs Bottle-feeding

[Willoway]

Sorry if I've posted this in the wrong area.

I'm currently 37+2 weeks (getting close now! ) and I'm undecided on whether to breastfeed or to use formula. I've had so many different opinions that I should do this do that.

What is your opinion? Did you breastfeed and love it? Or was it formula all the way? A friend even suggested doing a bit of both!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

If I had another I would definitely, definitely combi feed. I established bf pretty easily and physically found it fine. Really disliked it but felt that I ought to carry on with ebf as that is presented as being the ideal. It's had a real effect on my mental health. Definately think it contributed to PND. I wish that I could have shared more of the work, especially the night feeds. As it is DS is nearly 14 months and regularly feeds at night and I still hate the feeling of it. I felt there was lots of info about the difficulties of establishing bf but no one warned me beforehand that it might be difficult to stop! I just think that the more options you have the better. There can be nothing bad about choice!!!

Raspberry88 I could have written a your post.

Completely understand what Raspberry said. I also established bf straight away and haven't had any problems but I found the lack of sleep and cluster feeding was just making me miserable.

I now combine bf with expressing and my dh is able to give my milk in a bottle whilst I have a bath and get some sleep. If I wasn't expressing milk I would be happy to combine bf with ff and will definitely be combi feeding with the next baby.

Breastfeeding all the way for me, but I hasten to add it's a very personal choice. I felt passionately that it was the right thing for my baby to feed them human milk, but there are many decisions/circumstances that impact the decision of how to feed a baby. Some people are passionate about breastfeeding and to some it is less important, there is no right or wrong.

Unfortunately establishing breastfeeding was really hard for us. My baby had a high palate which made latching difficult and very painful. So for the first month we did use some formula to top up and to save my sanity. To be honest in an ideal world I would have preferred not to use formula... but this isn't an ideal world and ultimately using formula was beneficial for both me and baby (baby was unwell due to insufficient milk intake). Ultimately we went on to EBF, which is something I am proud of as there were many days when I was sure that would never happen! It was mainly my stubborn nature that made me persevere, but again that is personal choice. Many people would have stopped, which would have been an equally valid decision under the circumstances.

Exclusively breastfeeding here too, DS now 4 months old. I found the first 6 weeks or so VERY hard and almost gave up many times but I really wanted to be successful and I’m stubborn so I pushed through, taking each feed at a time.
DS struggled to latch at first, then cluster fed a lot, we both had thrush about 2 weeks in which was really painful followed by a milk blister and to top it off he has reflux and milk allergy which made him a really fussy feeder.
I’m now dairy free and he has medication and although he still brings milk up a lot, the feeding is 100% better. I would honestly say I hated breastfeeding at first and now I love it. So easy and convenient, I never thought I would feel this way about it! No negative comments so far and boobs are regularly whipped out anywhere in public which is funny as I was previously a self proclaimed prude
I had only intended to breastfeed for 6 months but now I’m a little daunted by the thought of formula and all the preparing bottles, sterilising, having to get out of bed in the night etc that I think I’ve changed my mind and will continue to breastfeed for as long as I can!

I know it doesn’t work for everyone but I would recommend sticking with it for as long as your mental health can take as it really does get so much easier in time.

I went into it hearing that most people give up and it can be hard. It was hard in the sense that it was gruellingly exhausting as bf babies tend to feed more often and no one else can take over. But I didn't have much soreness or feeding difficulties. I wanted to give up as i was v v tired. I didn't really know why breastfeeding was 'better' than formula other than a vague notion about antibodies. I looked it up after 12 tiring weeks and was staggered by the reduction in likelihood of a bunch of things from asthma and diabetes to childhood leukaemia. So I decided to grit my teeth and try my best to keep going. I appreciate that not everyone has this choice - had I been constantly plagued with mastitis or bleeding nipples I may not have persevered. After about 4 months it clicked and was great. I stopped at 11 months as returning to work really hit my supply hard.

I then fed my son until he self-weaned. I was prepared for the tiredness and was sorer initially as I had an iffy latch. Got seen at a breastfeeding cafe and corrected my technique. I did night wean him at 14 months as he woke too often for me to keep functioning. All was good after that.

It's not always physically hard but it can be very tiring. If you can get through that part it can be very rewarding and with the oxytocin release at let down be very nice - you feel all warm and cosy and happy and it helps you get back to sleep more easily at night. Not to mention the healt benefits as before. But many, myself included were not breastfed, so see how you get on and keep an open mind

If combi feed too. I EBF and am still feeding my 2 year old. I didn't mind doing all the night feeds but it took a long time for him to be able to go more than a few hours with me (a LONG time)

Breastfeeding is often somewhat tricky for the first few weeks. However if you get past week 7 and are still exclusively breastfeeding you see the benefits to yourself (benefits to the baby are less immediately obvious as they're mainly reduced risk of 101 things). It's bloody convenient though to breastfeed once you've got it established. No sterilising, no making up feeds, far less stuff to cart around, foreign holidays but also ordinary days out or just running errands are so much easier - far less to pack, never need to worry about facilities to warm up bottles or a fridge or a kettle or taking milk with you or where to get suitable sterile water when away from your home.

It's the lazy, portable, lower hassle option once you've got to grips with it tbh :)

If I could have combo fed I would have. DS was a bottle refuser from day one (and cup, spoon, syringe) god only knows how he'd have coped if I'd have had to go in to hospital!

Cosleeping/ bringing the baby into your bed advice is directed at breastfeeding mothers because formula feed babies (like babies with lots of other risk factors - premature babies, babies with health problems, and those with parental risk factors like smoking, drinking alcohol, being very overweight) are at higher risk of sudden infant death when cosleeping than breast fed babies.