breastfeeding

[vixey]

I would really like to breast feed, I dont even know why. I studied childcare gcse and did an a level in childcare and development, and since studying breast feeding its always been something I want to try.
I totally understand that some mums can't breast feed, but ive always said I wanna give it a try and if its not for me and baby then that's OK, at least I tried.
however, ive heard so many people I know saying they didn't breast feed because it just seems to make things more difficult than they need to be, one person thinks it sounds like the most unnatural thing ever. I've always wanted to breast feed but I'm not sure if I'm making things more difficult for myself than needed. xxx

Unnatural? What kind of weirdo would think that? Humans are mammals. If anything, bottle-feeding is "unnatural". It's perfectly fine to want to breastfeed. Go for it.

Not gonna lie, the first 6-8 weeks are super hard. It's a HUGE adjustment and baby seems to be constantly on the boob and after 9 months, your body doesn't feel your own.

But after that, it seems a million times easier than formula to me as you don't have to plan outings, prepare bottles, get out of bed in the middle of the night, wait for bottle to warm up etc...

It's great that formula exists, as you're right that breastfeeding doesn't always work out or isn't always possible. It's tough, but once established is super straightforward (that is only my experience).

Try it and see what happens!!

La Leche league and kellymom are great resources. As are local breastfeeding groups.

In the short term it is really difficult, but long term its easier. No need to plan ahead, bring bottles of formula with you, no getting up at midnight to make a bottle, much more portable, helps baby get back to sleep and comfort when they're ill or tired.

Combo feeding is a really good compromise. Introduce a bottle when they're a few months old, then someone else can help with feeding and you get the best of both

How anyone can say it's unnatural is beyond belief, if it's quite literally the most natural thing in the human world.

Some people struggle and for others it comes extremely easy. I was lucky that my baby latched from the minute he was born and I never had any problems whatsoever. For me it was an incredible bonding experience and I loved every minute of breastfeeding and was sad when I stopped after a year.

Try not to worry about there being problems, because stressing in advance won't solve anything, just give it a good shot and address any issues early on if they do arise.

Another positive is breast milk is a natural antibiotic so if you or baby, or any member of your family gets conjunctivitis, a few drops of milk sorts it right out!! Lol.

As other posters have said, it is the most natural thing in the world!

I breastfed both of my DC and intend to breastfeed my third.
I stayed in hospital for an extra night with both of them to get help and support to establish breastfeeding and the midwifes were fab.
Some people do find it difficult but once you've got it, it does get easier and I think it makes life so much easier too (not to mention cheaper). I did have different experiences with my DC though and DC2 in particular was not plain sailing.

DC1 fed for an hour and a half shortly after she was born then the next day wasn't interested. She was not unhappy, she slept and woke, peed and poo'd but didn't want to feed. I tried to hand express some milk for her but again she wasn't interested. After a few hours she was hungry enough and then started feeding well and midwifes supported me with positioning etc.

DC2 fed well at the start too. No difficulties establishing feeding as I felt quite confident. I did end up with mastitis and thrush on my nipples though which was not the nicest but i didn't feel so overwhelmed or in pain with it that it made me want to stop. I powered through a couple of bad days and then it went as well as it did for DC1.

I breastfed them both for a year and then they naturally stopped, no bit fight or "weaning" off.
Go for it OP - i went into it with the same attitude as you - willing to try but wasn't going to give myself a hard time if it didn't work out - I think that helps.
You will get the support if you ask for it too.

Good luck

It was hard in the early weeks as they feed a lot and only you can do it. However I think overall it is much easier as there is very little to buy (bras, possibly a breastfeeding cushion and a pump), no bottles to wash or sterilise. No bottles to pack when you go out. No bottles to make up etc.

Can I ask a quick question, has anyone done a mixture of breastfeeding and formula from newborn?
First time mum just trying to figure out what to do :)

@NW2021 if you want to have any breastfeeding, I'd concentrate on that first cause it can be intense. Breastfeeding works on a supply and demand basis, so the more baby feeds, the more milk you produce. Replacing feeds with bottles will reduce your supply (or not trigger it to increase in the first place), so starting from a position of having a full supply by 6 or 8 weeks and then replacing feeds with formula means you would start from a position of 'maximum' supply.

The worry is that by supplementing with formula (in the absence of medical issues for you or baby) means your supply would dwindle, making it harder and harder to bf.

Plus I wouldn't want to be faffing with making bottles, get a routine of sterilising, etc... on top of getting to grips with bfing. Seems the hardest option to me!!!

Obviously, sometimes you're advised by medics to supplement and should do if advised!!!!!

It’s worth doing because it’s the best and healthiest thing for your baby. Whoever said it was unnatural is a huge weirdo.

It can be hard at first - you have to learn how to get your baby latched, and it may take a while to regulate supply. You may get sore or cracked nipples, and it can be very tiring to be the only one who can feed the baby. But once you have it established it’s much, much easier. You can feed anywhere at any time without any preparation. You don’t need to worry about how you will make up bottles when out and about. You don’t need to sterilise things. You don’t need to spend 30 minutes waiting for a bottle to cool while your baby cries with hunger. And, it’s free!

I honestly dont know why anyone would want the faff and expense of bottle feeding when it comes free on tap .
I know in reality it isnt that simple and a lot of women struggle and i have every sympathy and would never judge anyone for bottle feeding for the right reasons for them.
But i really really hope i can breast feed ok!!

I made the decision not to but anyone I know that has, I believe having as much support as possible was key to breastfeeding for them so maybe join some support groups so you re as informed as possible on how you could succeed.

@physicskate thank you!! Appreciate the advice. My mum mentioned to me she did both with me, breast most of the time with a bottle at night so she could get a few hours kip and my dad could feed. So I was thinking that as an option. But that was 30yrs ago though and I know you can express milk for dads to be able to feed.

I’ll see what happens when baby arrives 🥰 I think us women have a lot put on us as mums so I’m not putting pressure on myself. I’ll try breast if that doesn’t work formula it is! No point in stressing I suppose.

Still a while to go till have to think about it!

The first few weeks are hard and some people never really settle to it if there are problems with supply and latching but if you can get over the first few weeks it becomes the easiest thing in the world! Baby is crying, boob out. Baby is in pain, boob out. Baby won't sleep, boob. Teething? Boob! Your boobs are always there so no need to pack stuff in advance.

We gave our daughter a bottle early on as well just to get her used to it. Just one a night and only a small amount. This gave me freedom to go out if I wanted. Not that I did often but it's nice to be able to pop to the pub for a few hours! When we are allowed again! We did formula for this bottle and didn't find it effected supply. I ended up breastfeeding her until she was 2.5!

The nights are easier in some ways if you breastfeed you don’t even get out bed. The thought of having to go downstairs make a bottle wait for it to cool having a screaming baby at 2am doesn’t entice me. It’s mainly how cold the house will be to be fair 😂😂

thank you everyone. I'm definitely gonna give it a go when the time comes. if it doesn't work for us then it's OK, but at least I can say I tried.

I just want to echo what the others have said really.Breastfeeding can be hard work to get established, but once it is, your life is a lot easier in so many ways. Maybe do some research on good ways to establish breastfeeding in the early days. Kellymom is a good website for info.

I remember a lactation consultant telling me when I was worried about how often my baby wanted to feed that their tummies are really tiny. A brand new baby's tummy is the size of a marble!! That's about 3ml or something crazy!! Even at a couple of weeks it's not much more than 20ml.

Anyway - good luck, don't be put off by what anyone else says. Be prepared to feel like you are constantly feeding for first few weeks - that's normal and that's just your baby getting your supply up. I recommend settling in on the sofa with box sets, biscuits, baby and your boobs for a few weeks!!

@bertiebotts hope you don’t mind the tag but this seems the thread for you!

Been breastfeeding for 15 months now.

First two weeks were annoying but I was determined not to quit.

After that it got very easy and I haven't had an issue.

Unnatural? It's literally how we were designed.

I have four boys, breast fed all of them. For me it was quite easy. And it's as natural as you can get.

I breastfed my eldest for 2.5 years and the youngest is 10 months and still going. The first few weeks with dd1 was really difficult, but I'm glad we persevered, as she ended up with few hospital stays and was a real comfort to her.
Dd2 was really easy, apart from1 weekend which was agony! We settled into our pattern though and it's the easiest and most natural thing in the world. No need to worry about taking bottles and formula anywhere and great in the middle of the night as you don't have to get out of bed!

Still feeding my almost 3 year old. Would recommend bf 100%. I can honestly say it was the hardest (few issues with latch, tongue tie etc until 9 weeks then it got super easy and enjoyable ) yet the most rewarding thing I've ever done. If you have any issues keep asking for help e.g lactation consultant. Stubbornness is key. They said most of my friends found it really straightforward. All the best if you decide to go ahead.

I bf dd for 14 months and it came very natural and easy for me from day 1. I don't want to patronise people who found it tough because I know I was probably just lucky, for me I think lots of skin to skin and letting baby feed as quickly after birth as possible was why our journey got off to such a good start and accepting that the 1st few days you are literally going to spend 24/7 of baby being attached to you. I don't understand why you wouldn't give it a try, it saves so much time and costs making up formula, cleaning/sterilising bottles etc and breastmilk has so many benefits for baby. On the other hand don't put pressure on yourself to bf because it might just not work out for you and the more stressed you are about it the more difficult it will be.

My baby was born at home on the sofa and with an ambulance journey etc we didn't get to feed for over an hour and no skin to skin. I had to plead with lactation consultant to send him to get his tongue clipped even though no visible tongue tie. I had tried everything else under the sun to stop the pain. But so glad I kept at it, best thing ever.

I don't understand why you wouldn't give it a try, it saves so much time and costs making up formula, cleaning/sterilising bottles etc and breastmilk has so many benefits for baby. On the other hand don't put pressure on yourself to bf because it might just not work out for you and the more stressed you are about it the more difficult it will be.

😳 a bit mutually exclusive