Breast vs Formula

SassFrass · September 2014

Have you decided yet?
If breast, what are your personal reasons?
If formula, what are your personal reasons?
Will you be breastfeeding exclusively, or also allowing a bottle (with or without breast milk)
If undecided, what is holding you back from making a decision?

ambarnett1 · September 2014

For me, I want to try breastfeeding again, but ds wouldn't latch and then we found out he has a milk and soy allergy, so he's on special formula right now. I hope to not have the same experience.

SassFrass · September 2014

I am a SS for sure.

I mean I WANT to BF... I just had such a hard time with DD, and she never learned to latch on. I had no support system at that time because I was so young when I had her, and was very naive about BF in general.

If I had it my way, I would probably exclusively BF, no bottles. But with my past experience, I dont know if it will be possible.

I only have 2 people IRL to really compare anything BF related to, and that is my SIL's that just had their kids...

R does the breast and bottle. She is literally pumping every hour because she is trying to boost her milk supply because she isnt making enough... Her struggles, make me nervous...

A does the breast AND formula because she says her son doesnt get full on BF alone...

I think I will at least try for as long as possible, but I really dont want to introduce a bottle at all if possible. Which makes me feel guilty and selfish because I know DD is going to want to help with feedings, and I am sure DH would like to as well, but I feel like, just for feedings, I want my babe all to myself... I have to share after all the rest of the time..... lol

jeep1019 · September 2014

I breast fed my daughter and plan to breast feed this one also. There are many health benefits for mom and baby, it's free, and helps you lose the baby weight. Plus the milk is always ready

SassFrass · September 2014

katnhiding said:

I will try breastfeeding again, but I struggled with production with both of my boys. If I cannot nurse I will not feel bad if I have to formula feed. You have to do what you can do to nourish your baby in a way that isn't causing insane amounts of stress.

my thoughts exactly. My SIL just, OMG! every hour! like how do you even have time for anything else at that point? If it turned into that, I really dont think I could do it! DD is 5, not totaly self sufficient like my SIL almost 10 yo

lgsdesigner · September 2014

I am a big believer in breastfeeding if you are able.

I breastfed both of my children for as long as I could. When I went back to work, my supply dropped a little, so I had to do half breast milk/half formula, then eventually all formula.

It really helped us bond, shrunk down my uterus a lot faster (lost weight faster too), and the baby got some great nutrients, so I am all about it!

lala5507 · September 2014

I will be breastfeeding. The longest I ever made it was 6 months with my oldest dd. I'd like to breastfeed longer than that this time. My reasons? Save money and health benefits.

oldiebutgoodie80 · September 2014

Ideally, I would like to breastfeed. But, I had a breast augmentation seven years ago. I am worried that I won't be able to. :-S

evakatharina · September 2014

I'm going to be a FTM, and I'm planning to try really hard to breast feed! Hopefully it will work out. If all goes according to plan, I'll mostly breast feed, and then pump for other people to feed as bottles when I'm not able to be around.

lgsdesigner · September 2014

AmyW1112 said:

Ideally, I would like to breastfeed. But, I had a breast augmentation seven years ago. I am worried that I won't be able to. :-S

I know a few people with implants, and they breastfeed just fine...don't worry!

rivieramaya · September 2014

I still haven't decided. I went straight to formula with DS and didn't have any regrets. However, I did seem to have a great supply (I don't know this for sure but it took a very long time to dry up and I started leaking at 25 weeks). I am strongly considering pumping for this baby and will see how it turns out. I won't beat myself up if we decide to move to formula this time around too.

welly01 · September 2014

I definitely wanted to breastfeed DS because it was free, lol. But I am a strong believer in the health benefits of breastfeeding for both mom and baby. Also, my definition of EBF is just no formula. DS had to have bottles because I'm a working mom. We introduced the bottle around 4 weeks and had no trouble going between breast and bottle.

If you are interested in BFing and/or think you may have trouble, I would definitely recommend finding a La Leche League near you and begin attending meetings. They can be very helpful in providing education and then support after baby is born. Also, https://kellymom.com/ is a great website. Its my go-to BFing resource. Good luck!

oldiebutgoodie80 · September 2014

@lgsdesignerThank you! This is so good to hear. I am hoping and praying I'll be able to to. I am so freaking worried about everything right about now

nikiswimr · September 2014

Breast if possible, but I may not have much maternity leave and I work irregular and long hours, so I'm not going to beat myself up if I have to switch to bottle. Definitely pumping bc both DH and I sometimes have to work at night so this is going to be a 50/50 split thing!

SassFrass · September 2014

I am really glad I'm not the only one! I had THE worst blues about not being able to BF... I had AMAZING supply with DD too, and no one ever even introduced pumping to me!

chetasu · September 2014

DH and I have decided that we (rather me) are going to give BF a shot. We want the added health benefits and we want to save money. However, my mom suffered a big scare when I was a week old and I didn't get BF, and I'm as healthy as an ox. My SIL tried to BF and gave up in five minutes because she said it was really painful. We have a pump room in my office, so work won't be a problem.
We'll see what happens.

tinalovescauliflower · September 2014

I'm a first timer and am very committed to breastfeeding, but I know that things come up and sometimes it's not the best fit for a mother and baby. My mother exclusively breastfed me and my sister, and I hope to be able to do the same.

SassFrass · September 2014

chetasu said:

DH and I have decided that we (rather me) are going to give BF a shot. We want the added health benefits and we want to save money. However, my mom suffered a big scare when I was a week old and I didn't get BF, and I'm as healthy as an ox. My SIL tried to BF and gave up in five minutes because she said it was really painful. We have a pump room in my office, so work won't be a problem. We'll see what happens.

That is AWESOME!

kj808 · September 2014

I will breastfeed and later supplement with formula.

With my DS, I had a very low supply from the beginning and he had a difficult time latching so I had to wear a shield anytime I wanted to nurse him. We also had so supplement with formula early on because of my low supply. I couldn't even pump enough to build up a supply. Well that got old very quickly so after a few months we switched solely to formula.

With DD, I was determined as hell to bf her so I pushed through the initial difficulty and latching and then through thrush (OUCH!) and eventually was able to bf relatively easily. When I went back to work after 12 weeks of leave I would bf her in the morning, pump 3x during the day and then bf her 2x at night. That worked out well but eventually I wasn't getting enough from pumping to sustain her during the day so we switched to bf-ing morning and night and formula during the day. It worked out well and we that up until she weaned herself just after her first birthday.

So ALL that to say i'm going to go the same route with this one as I did with DD and just hope it all works out.

lgsdesigner · September 2014

chetasu said:

We have a pump room in my office, so work won't be a problem.

I am soooo jealous! The job I had before had an actual lactation room, and it was a room with nice reclining chairs, a tv, a sink (to wash the bottles/tubes out), and a set timer so you can time each side you're pumping. It was a VERY parent-friendly firm.

Now?
I will have to go out in the parking lot, and sit in my car with a cover on and pump. I now (unfortunately) work for a very male-dominant company, and they couldn't care less.

lauranicole91 · September 2014

I had tough supply issues and a hell of a time pumping last time. But I powered through and my 2.5 year old is still nursing. I'll EBF the next one as well. I do work though, so again I'll pump and DH will give BM in bottles while I'm working.

EIsieMae · September 2014

DD was breastfed for 6 days, then put on formula. DS was breastfed solely for 13 months. I will definitely be trying to breastfeed this baby. But if it doesn't work, then I won't stress about it. Formula is really awesome stuff, and my formula fed child is completely healthy and smart as a whip

SassFrass · September 2014

scatteredtrees said:

katnhiding said:

I also want to mention that there is NO shame in planning to formula feed if anyone is planning that. You know your life and what will work for you better than anyone on here. There are great resources on the bump about doing either of the two.

All of this.

I FF my first and BF my second. I hate polls like this, it's just such a sensitive topic for a lot of moms.

I really wasn't trying to... be insensitive, I have just really been thinking about it alot. I have alot of pressure now IRL to BF, and I feel like if I choose to FF, that, I will get alot of shit...

cris0507 · September 2014

Personally as a first time mom, I haven't found any support around FF VS BF. I have been trying to educate myself on what all of my options are, and there isn't too much support for FF.

Leslie2003 · September 2014

With both of my kids, I wanted to breastfeed.

With my first, we came home from the hospital and it dawned on me that he hadn't peed in 48 hours. He would nurse for 40 minutes and I was bloody. I moved to formula feeling defeated. Part of my PPD was because I felt I failed as a mom. Alexander was formula fed, diagnosed with MPA and he was on alimentum and nearly failure to thrive. He is still a peanut at almost 6 years old.

I promised if I had the chance to have another child, I would try harder to breastfeed, even if it was nurse/supplement.

Andrew was born and latched great. He peed/pooped in the hospital. The pee continued, but pooping stopped. After the third day of no poop, I called an IBCLC and she came and weighed him etc. He was getting 3/4 of an ounce every couple of hours. I was diagnosed with Inadequate Supply due to PCOS.

We worked hard on getting my supply up, while supplementing him. I finally was able to wean him off the supplement at 3.5 weeks old.

We went on to nurse for nearly 3 years.

For those of you who want to breastfeed, educate yourself, take a class, bookmark a Lactation Consultant and most of all, feed your baby and don't feel like a failure if you can't!

With this baby, I hope to breastfeed but know that supplementation may be needed the first few weeks

EIsieMae · September 2014

HilarityEnsued said:
omg it's so early for this....

Anyway, I'll try breastfeeding again. I did it for about 4.5 months last time. I quickly became obsessed with how much he was getting so I ended up exclusively pumping. I hate the pump with the fire of 1,000 suns.

Anyway, to be honest, I didn't enjoy breastfeeding at all. It wasn't until we switched to formula and I broke up with the pump that I started to feel like I could actually handle this parenting thing.

But then again, I hated the newborn stage. I'm sure we'll talk more about this in coming months and I don't want to
scare any FTMs... but yeah...

OMG, I am not looking forward to using the pump again! I was so happy to put that damn thing away!

creativerae · September 2014

I'm hoping to BF and pump so that DH has the ability to enjoy feeding the baby too. But, I also know that with my condition, it's totally possible that I will have to go on high dose steroids very shortly after giving birth -- in which case, we'll FF. What matters most, at all times, is that our baby gets the food s/he needs to grow, regardless of the source.

lala5507 · September 2014

It wasn't until we switched to formula and I broke up with the pump that I started to feel like I could actually handle this parenting thing.

Same here. I had ppd after both my girls were born. I feel like breastfeeding kind of added to my downward spiral. Honestly, after we switched to formula, baby started sleeping through the night and I felt like a human again.
We'll see what happens this time.

DawnLilly · September 2014

Um I chose SS but know exactly what I'm doing. A bit annoyed it wasn't an option. I exclusively pumped last time and plan to this time.

Gatorsgirl731 · September 2014

SassFrass said:

scatteredtrees said:

katnhiding said:

I also want to mention that there is NO shame in planning to formula feed if anyone is planning that. You know your life and what will work for you better than anyone on here. There are great resources on the bump about doing either of the two.

All of this.

I FF my first and BF my second. I hate polls like this, it's just such a sensitive topic for a lot of moms.

I really wasn't trying to... be unsensitive, I have just really been thinking about it alot. I have alot of pressure now IRL to BF, and I feel like if I choose to FF, that, I will get alot of shit...

Well that is wrong and stupid and you should unfriend/family anyone who gives you shit.

I agree with PP's who say it's too early for this. This IS a very sensitive subject.

ATTENTION FIRST TIME MOMS!!!

Breast feeding is hard. Some of you will not be able to do it no matter how much tea you drink or cookies you bake, it just won't happen. Some of you will have children with lip ties, latch problems, and tongue ties making it extremely painful. Some of you will have non supportive spouses and family who are uncomfortable with your nursing or uncaring about your nursing problems. Then there is mastitis and thrush, cracked nipples, painful let downs etc. it is not as easy as whipping out a boob. Then again some of you will be like a little dairy cow. Good luck to anyone who wants to give it a go and congratulations to anyone who gets it done.

Having said that, there is nothing wrong with formula feeding. I repeat nothing wrong with formula feeding. Do not let anyone make you feel guilty for not breast feeding. And don't make anyone else feel guilty for doing it. Yeah I get it studies show breast feeding is the healthiest option for mom and baby. But I really hate that "breast is best" sanctimommy shit. You know what's best? Feeding your baby. That's the best you can do.

SassFrass · September 2014

DawnLilly said:

Um I chose SS but know exactly what I'm doing. A bit annoyed it wasn't an option. I exclusively pumped last time and plan to this time.

I am still REALLY new to the whole BF thing. I really don't know much about it, I sincerely apologize I didn't add it as an option

shirleymaeby · September 2014

Can I say that this thread has not gotten nearly as crazy as I expected based on the topic? Yay us for not acting cray.

I very much want to BF but know that it may or may not go my way so I'm not going to beat myself up over it if we have to FF. DH will be the SAHD and I will be full time working mom so minimally I will have to do both bottle and breast. Luckily we have a "zen room" at the office where new moms can pump...I'm just really not looking forward to carrying the damn thing around with me all the time.

willadieselstm · September 2014

I can't wait to try breastfeeding again! My DS and I only made it 4 months, I pumped until 5 months. But this time around my job will be more conducive to making it work. So hopefully this nugget will make it breastfed longer!

OnceInLoveWithAmy · September 2014

I pumped, nursed and supplemented with formula. This next kid I will hopefully be home more, so I won't have to pump as much. I will still pump a little so I can take a break and let te hubs feed the baby. I know my husband really like feeding the monster. It gave him a chance to bond as well.

But, if it doesn't work out, formula it is. It isn't poison.

SassFrass · September 2014

katnhiding said:

Give it time.

it IS Tuesday afterall!

blackbird818 · September 2014

AmyW1112 said:

Ideally, I would like to breastfeed. But, I had a breast augmentation seven years ago. I am worried that I won't be able to. :-S

I had a boob job too (under the muscle) 5 years ago in Dec, and my surgery doc told me it wouldn't hinder me from breastfeeding.

shirleymaeby · September 2014

SassFrass said:

katnhiding said:

Give it time.

it IS Tuesday afterall!

I've actually been on high alert today waiting for some drama...the last few Tuesdays have been something else.

littlecookie · September 2014

I bf my son and plan to do that again. When my supply dropped around 9 mo, I supplemented and it was fine, but goodness is formula expensive.

My hospital had a support group that met for new moms. You could go and nurse and the LC would come around and check latch. You could do before and after weighing to get a feel for how much they were getting. It was SO helpful and I made great friends. I highly recommend it if your hospital offers something like that,

DawnLilly · September 2014

SassFrass said:

DawnLilly said:

Um I chose SS but know exactly what I'm doing. A bit annoyed it wasn't an option. I exclusively pumped last time and plan to this time.

I am still REALLY new to the whole BF thing. I really don't know much about it, I sincerely apologize I didn't add it as an option

--------------

That's okay. I am over sensitive about it right now because I literally was just having this conversation a couple hours ago. I was informing a mom that really didn't know it was an option. It brought up a lot of old stuff like the mom who told me my son would be emotionally stunted by not BFing. One of the reasons I liked EPing was because DH and I could both do skin to skin feeding sessions. Or, the old woman in the restaurant who thought I was giving him formula and just walked up randomly and told me I was poisoning him with artificial chemicals.

I support breastfeeding exclusively, breast feeding and pumping, formula feeding, and exclusively pumping. I just wish there were more information and resources for EPers because I basically had nothing to go on and had to figure it out myself. He was able to get breast milk until he was 8 months.

OnceInLoveWithAmy · September 2014

robotpcr said:

HilarityEnsued said:

omg it's so early for this....

I was kind of thinking that.

I have to say I think this is going over pretty well.

SassFrass · September 2014

That is REALLY awesome! I wish I had known more in general when I had DD. I was 19 when she was born, and I only knew of FF. Like I knew about BF obviously, but I didn't know there were so many options along with it, like pumping and putting that liquid gold into a bottle! I feel like I have more knowledge now than I did then, but I am STILL learning. I wish I would have known because I could have EP for months, I am sure of it, because I was a freakin dairy cow and it took months for it to dry up! all of it wasted!

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