Not so sure I want to breastfeed...

aannd123

I have planned from day 1 on bottle feeding our little girl once she arrives. Last week my sister in law's baby was born and I had to listen to all of the breastfeeding is the only way input from everyone and now I feel bad about it. I know that the health benefits are wonderful for baby, nevermind the cost benefits... but I just don't feel the commitment to doing it (i.e. pumping at work, sore boobs, etc.) I guess my question is if I'm alone in feeling this way and if breastfeeding really isn't as inconvenient as I think it is. Any input on the subject will be appreciated!

ncbelle

I would suggest doing some reading - I liked So That's What They're For.  She is very pro-BFing but she has a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

I find it super convenient - I can feed kiddo whenever and whereever without having to worry about toting bottles.   Sure the first few weeks are tough - but they will be tough even if you FF; it's just a different set of challenges.

kittylove

MHO is that you have to want to BF and be at least 50% commited to it for it to work. I have been 100% commited to it since the beggining and it has still been hard at times and I have wanted to quit more times than I can count As wonderful as BFing is and as great as the benifits are I do think everyone should at least try to BF but it isn't for everyone and if you have such a distate for it then why bother. Why would you bother trying if you don't want to do it?

 

mavilabride

The decision on how to feed your LO is based on what you feel is right.  A happy mom will always equal a happy baby so if bf'ing doesn't make you happy, then there is no shame in ff'ing.

However, I would get educated on the subject if there is even a small part of you that thinks bf'ing is a possibility.  Sore breasts/nipples are *not* a rite of passage to bf'ing and 99% of the time it happens because you are doing it wrong.  In that case, there are a lot of resources out there that will teach you how to do it properly.

As far as convenience, the only time it isn't convenient is when I want to do something, she's screaming because she's hungry, and I'm the only one that can feed her.  But thats now because she's still too little to have a routine.  Once she has a routine, things will get easier.

alison43

honestly i felt like you.  i really didn't want to breastfeed but knowing that it was the best thing for my daughter, i had to at least try.  and the first weeks were rough...but now i am glad i decided to bf.  it works for us.

if it hadn't worked, at least i could have said that i tried. 

susiederkins

If it's something you really don't want to do, don't do it. It won't work. If you're ambivalent or confused, I say give it the old college try. If it works and you like it, great, if not no big deal.

CelticWife

I wasn't too sure about breast feeding myself. I had read all of the research and I took a breast feeding class, but it still made me nervous. Before I met DH and his family, it wasn't something I had even considered (my whole family formula fed and his was all breast fed).?

After a ?lot of thought, i decided that I would give it 6 weeks. 6 weeks was enough for LO to get some health benefits while giving me the opportunity to "try it out" and see if it was something I wanted to continue.

And in the beginning, I HATED it. It hurt, I was always tired, and I felt like feeding DS was all I did. Actually, I think it WAS all I did. After about 6 nights, I told DH that I just could not do it and to give DS a bottle of formula. That one break was all I needed (ok, it was the fact that I got 5 hours of sleep in a row). After that I was completely recommitted to BF DS for the next 5 weeks.?

After 6 weeks I was like, Well, I made it this far, it no longer hurts, my supply is great, DS is thriving, lets see how much further I can go. I will try to BF until 3 months. Then 6 months. Now my goal is 1 year.

In some ways it is inconvenient. I don't like to BF in public. I resolved that issue by just having DH give DS a bottle of formula or expressed BM. And I have done almost all of DS's feedings.

Other then that, BF is just as convenient, if not more so, then FF. You don't have to prepare bottles. You don't have to wash 8+ bottles/nipples a day. You don't have to purchase formula. You just lift up your shirt and feed them.

Your boobs will be sore regardless of BF, although the amount of time will be shorter with FF. You will still be exhausted in the beginning because they eat so often.

Really, though, it is entirely your choice. Don't let anyone make you feel badly about your choice to either FF or BF. In both cases, your baby will still be getting the?nourishment?they need.

MamiJam

When I was pg. I thought I would just breastfeed for the 1st 3 months then be done with it.  Now that I have been doing it for over 4 months I can honestly say I love it.  I find it to be really easy and convenient because I don't have to worry about buying formula, heating it up, making bottles in the middle of the night, making sure I have enough formula if we go out...the list goes on. With breastfeeding, the milk is always the right consistency and temperature and I can whip it out in a flash if need be  

The only inconvenience for me is pumping at work but I look at it as much needed break just like smokers take smoke breaks.  Also, I find that breastfeeding is really rewarding emotionally and mentally.  I love the idea that I provide the perfect wonder-food for my LO!  

It hasn't always been roses, the 1st 2 weeks were the hardest because of sore nipples, my own pp recovery, and getting adjusted to everything but since then, it has been great.  IMO, I would just give it a shot for a month and see how it goes.  Then you can make a decision based on what really works best for you and your LO.  Congratulations!

DallasHorn

While initially FF is much easier, I would say looking at the whole 1st year...BF is much more convenient!  I never have to worry about having bottles, formula, being the right temp, sensitive stomach, etc.  I can simply walk out of the house and go.  When we've taking the kids on vacation (both when it was just 1 and now #2), there is lots less to worry about.

 Having now nursed for a total of 26 months, I would say this...know that those first 6ish weeks are hard - very hard!  But if you can recognize that, know it gets better and push through, have patience, you will NOT regret it one once!!

katlizabeth

It's super easy and handy to do...I can feed ds anywhere, anytime.  No pumping required (like if you ep) and no bottles or formula to mix.  It certainly has a learning curve and took 6 weeks before it was smooth sailing for me and ds (and yes, it did hurt, a lot, and I don't agree with pp that we were doing it wrong-we saw a LC (two dif ones) several times and we were doing it fine, I just have sensitive nipples).   The pumping at work isn't terrible, however, I probably pump less frequently than ds eats, because I'm a teacher, and I really only have a certain time that I can pump.  I feel it's worth it.

julyjennifer

In my experience, I find bfing to be totally convenient, echoing the PPs.  It can be challenging in some ways at first, but seriously I cannot even imagine having to get up to make a bottle in the middle of the night without the benefit of the feel-good hormones that bfing provides.  Seriously, in some ways, being a bfing mom can make you just feel way more chill about the whole thing, due in large part to the wonderful hormones that your body releases every time your baby nurses.  Mother nature totally knew what she was doing on this one.

This mentions some of the benefits of bfing, even for a few days:

https://www.lightlink.com/hilinda/Diane/weanbaby.html

 

ExAngel

I exclusively formula fed my first two babies because I didn't want to try breastfeeding for many of the same reasons you don't want to.

My third child, I decided I might as well give it a shot since we make too much to qualify for WIC and formula is unbelievably expensive.  I was not thrilled about it believe me.

The moment he was born and he was put to breast I fell totally in love with nursing him and it is not my most favorite thing ever.  It is something that only I can do with him and it makes my day.

From being a formula mom to a breastfeeding mom I can offer you this.  Formula seems like the most convenient way to go, but I find the breast actually the most.  I mean at 2:00 in the morning do you really want to get up all sore, measure out formula and water into a bottle, warm it, make sure it is the correct temperature, then feed your baby, then put unusued bottle back in the fridge for next feeding...then repeat?  Or do you want to just stick a boob in a mouth?  I personally wish I would have BF all 3 of my babes, and I definitely will #4 if we are so blessed.

 The pumping at work only bothers me because I would much rather be feeding my baby than hooked up to a machine to do it, but I still do it.  Plus it gives me like 2 extra 20 minute breaks a day because my boss and his wife have 4 kids and he is all about breastfeeding so I get a 9:30 am time and a 3:30 pm time built into my schedule to pump!  I totally get caught up on the US weeklys lol.

Angela814

ncbelle:

II find it super convenient - I can feed kiddo whenever and whereever without having to worry about toting bottles.   Sure the first few weeks are tough - but they will be tough even if you FF; it's just a different set of challenges.

This.  But I think you have to be really committed to bfing at the beginning to push through those first few tough weeks.  In the end I think it's so much easier.  No bottles to wash.  No bottles to pack when you go out.

HockeyWife4Life

Give it a try and do it for as long as you are able to.  Even a week is better than nothing at all.  You could try doing it until you go back to work and then switch to formula if you decide pumping isn't ideal for you. 

I will admit that sometimes it is exhausting but I love the bond that I have with my DD.  Bottle feeding doesn't seem at all intimate to me the way BF does.  I am so glad I decided to BF but it is a personal decision.

Sweeters04

I was exactly like you. The day I found out I was pregnant, I decided that I wasn't going to BF my baby. Then again I wasn't well educated on it. Both sisters, and my mother breastfed. 

Everyone kept asking if I was going to BF, and I would say no they asked why. I really didn't have a answer. I just didn't want to have to feed the baby alone, and have sore breasts. The thought of it alone was bad. I though it would an inconvience to have to pump and leave milk for daycare.

Then I began going to the classes, and heard about the health benefits both me and my baby could have. It helps that I had DH tag along and get the knowledge. One day I told DH that I thought I wanted to BF. His answer? "Good, I think it will be awesome. I mean if you want to FF that's fine, but the baby could get all those benefits." That was all the support I needed. I began to read books and get educated on everything before the big day.

But from the beginning BF was hell for me. DS didn't want to latch on, and would have screaming fits from being so hungry. Trust me it was times like that I wanted to just give him the bottle and go back to bed. But Everyone  was very supportive and insisted that I didn't give up. I was determined to BF him.

Almost two months later I'm happy I stuck it out. Besides the fact we save hundreds of $, and only need to buy bottles when he goes to daycare, it has to be the best decision I've made. It was the hardest, but the best thing I could do for him. I never have to prepare bottles to go out, and feeding late at night is such a relief. No hunting for the water, and measuring how much to give him. He eats how much he wants.

In the end the decision is up to you. Who cares if you don't BF? It was your decision and YOUR child. GL!!