i was bf, till i was about 7months i think..
i must admit it did influence me in the beginning to bf, until i learnt all the positives and health benefits bfeeding had on my baby to which i stuck with it for almost a year, would have been more if i didn't have to go in for spinal back surgery in a few weeks.
I think because both my sisters had babies before me, and they both BF that it was just normal for me - and I didn't even think about NOT BFing!
It was the same with having an epidural - my sisters have had 6 children between them and never had an epidural - so my attitude was if they didn't, why would I need to?
i was FF pretty much right from the start i think & im an only child so had no real exposure to BFing via siblings or anything like that either. it didn't have a huge influence on my decision - i think i've turned out okay but i have chosen to BF & plan to do it until DS is at least 12 months. BFing just seemed right for me/DS & i felt it was the natural/best choice for us
I was not breastfed. My Mum tried feeding my brother (older) and her milk 'went off' in hers words and so she was unable to breast feed, when I was born her milk simply did not appear at all.
I do not remember anyone in my extended family breastfeeding (although appartently my aunty did feed 2 of my cousins, 1 for 6 months and the other one longer, I cannot remember this). I have 8 neices and nephews (between 5 Mums) and not one of them were breastfed. My cousin also formula fed her DD. To be honest, I do not know anyone IRL (apart from BB girls) who breastfeed!
I, on the otherhand do breastfeed. I expressed fulltime for my DD1 until 11 months, when I fell pregnant with DD2 my supply dropped dramatically and so I finished expressing, when DD2 was born I started expressing for DD1 again (she has 750mls of EBM a day) as well as breastfeeding DD2.
I always wanted to BF and I managed 12 weeks with DS and about 9 with DD. I was really pleased that I did this for both my munchkins.
My Mum not BF didn't have any influence on my decision to try. I just thought BF was "normal" so I did it. I remember the midwives being surprised when I told them I was going to BF. (I've had breast cancer so could only feed from 1 breast). They assumed that I would formula feed. I asked for a lactation consultant after the first day as they were neither helpful or supportive of my decision. I had the most wonderful lactation consultant (she was an older lady) help me, and most importantly give me the confidence to do it, that BF was easy and enjoyable for us both!
Mum breastfed all 4 of us kids. I don't know how long I was breastfed for, but it was considered the normal thing to do (small town NZ). My Mum assumes I'll have no problems breastfeeding (cos she didn't) and doesn't think I'll need to get an expresser (we were looking at buying one). My Dad's even printed me off the latest research on BF, which is sweet.
DH was FF, so doesn't understand my emphasis on it, but is supportive of the idea. He does feel like he might miss out by not being able to feed bub a bottle though. We'll see how it goes when the time comes.
I was breastfed for 6 weeks, then on to formula as that apparently was the thing to do back then according to mum.
I'd never really been exposed to b'feeding before, my two SIL's never b'fed, they used some lame excuses as to why they never did, and were always asking me when I was going to wean DS, so obviously this nor my mum had any bearing on my wanting to breastfeed for so long.
Mum BF all 3 of us kids. I was the longest BF however Mum weaned me at 10mths but even then I didnt' want to stop (understandably!) she was told to put us on cows milk from 9mths onwards.... ()
I always wanted to BF my own babies and having known I was BF also helped influence me too. For me, its the only way to feed a baby.... I never saw feeding my baby as a 'choice' between FF and BF you know? (but that is me so please noone attack me on that statement)
We plan to continue BF for as long as DD and I are happy to.
I breast fed #1 for 7 months and #2 for 4 months (reflux which required medicating formula).
To be honest i breastfed due to social pressures and other than the closeness with my children i felt i didnt enjoy it at all. it was messy, painful, unco and frustrating lol.
me, my brother and sister were all BF until close to 2 yrs old.
i BF DD for 2 weeks until i was admitted to hospital and therefore was sepearted from her for 3 days and then put on meds which i couldnt BF with.
if i ever have any more kids id like to try BF again but have no hesitiations FF if i have to
My mum breastfed all of us. Not quite sure if it was exclusively or not. In my baby health book there is a little chart of there of how to mix evap milk, water and pentavite. Not sure if mum ever did though.
I remember her talking about how she chose to bf even though it was the done thing. I gathered she enjoyed it, but there was also the money saving aspects of it as well.
I asked my Dad how I long I was fed for and believes a long time as it was the only way she could get me to sleep, my own girls are paying me back for that now
I was formula fed. My mum tried bf for a week and was told she couldn't bf because she had inverted nipples. When she had my brother they told her not to try, it would be impossible to bf him because she hadnot bf me.
I did lots of research while pregnant with my first baby because I really wanted to feed him. It was difficult as my milk didn't come in til day five and there were other issues. It was very diffficult and I basically hated the experience but had decided to keep going while he was gaining weight. I bf him til he was five months old.
I've been bf this bub for ten months. He's had one ff a day for the past two or so months cos the expressing was driving me mental and I had to cut back.
Lots of things went differently this time around from the birth of my son onward that I belies have made the experience so very different that the first time.
I was FF. My mum tried BF my sister and had a lot of difficulty and din't bother with me or my brother. I also think there wasn't a huge emphasis on BF back then and b/c formula was available it was seen as on ok alternative - perhaps I'm wrong? I too remember also reading in my health book about evaporated milk!
I wanted to BF, no question about it. I went to the class the hospital run, asked tons of q's to friends who BF, my gf bought me a BF pillow, I even considered joining the ABA and never bought any bottles etc.... I lasted 8 days and on the eighth we switched to FF (hardest decision ever). I had shocking cracked nipples & mastitis in addition my milk took until about day 5/6 to fully come in & DD was so hungry that I was feeding her every half an hour & she still wasn't satisfied, so the mw/s started topping her up with formula. I got refered as they thought I may have had post natal depression (I don't but was diagnosed as having anxiety relating to my BF issues - physical & psychological)
my mum didn't BF either of us - with my brother, she was 17, her milk was late coming in, flat/inverted nipples, and she had a nasty nurse that wouldn't help her and ended giving her the ultimatum - either FT BF or FT FF - they weren't going to help her with supplementing any further - she put him on the bottle
with me, she had a c/s and her scar is an vertical one, not the horizontal bikini line one i have. she was determined to BF, but was trying to feed, started coughing, had to try and hold me, hold a pillow against her stitches to keep them from popping, and get herself a drink of water to stop the coughing = almost dropped me and had to get another mum on the ward to grab me. apparently that marked the end of it all. i can't quite work out the logic behind it as i'm sure she would have had to still hold me to formula feed - but 30 years on, i don't question it1
for me, BF was partly to prove to myself that my body worked - after all the IVF and stuff, i HAD to do something. plus i'd done my reading on the benefits. i was going to give it a fair try, but wasn't going to force it if it wasn't working for us. i too have very flat nipples, so i was accepting that it may not work - but did want to try. my milk didn't come in til day five, so it was a very trying situation. i had one midwife tell me i HAD to give my DD formula that morning at around 5am - i cracked it at her. i'd been really calm and done everything the middies and lactation consultant had suggested - this one was tired and grumpy at the end of her shift, and the fact DD was awake at 5am must have meant she was hungry. i stood my ground though. not once was DD out of my care without DD with her so i know she never had any formula. i didn't know exactly what i was doing (hell, i still wing it sometimes!) but i knew enough to know that supplementing with formula at that point would be harmful to my supply - i NEEDED her to be feeding from me - even if she wasn't getting a lot.
anyway - my mum is proud of what i've achieved with BF DD. she has said more than once that she is envious that i am able to BF, and loves to see the relationships DD and I have as a result. she admits she is looking forward to me going to work and leaving DD with her as she will get to have those feeding snuggles (i will express for her) - as she hasn't been able to have that bond with her that she has had with FF bubbas she looked after while doing FDC. she has a wonderful bond with DD anyway - but she is looking forward to this aspect of it i think
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Were you BF or FF?
but i have chosen to BF & plan to do it until DS is at least 12 months. BFing just seemed right for me/DS & i felt it was the natural/best choice for us
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