FF as a lifestyle decision?

[amberj]

I just wanted to say thank-you to everyone for all your replies- they have all been wonderful and supportive.

Thank you!

[prama]

amber - do what you feel is right. i was formula fed, and im normal!
no one should tell you what to do, and as a mum you'll get that constantly.
just a word of caution, the nurses, mws, LCs at the hossy might get pushy about bf-ing. they might or they could rrspect your decision.

losing weight! bf-ing isnt helping me at all! doesnt work for everyone, esp over 30 like me!

[fionas]

Hi Amber

Good on you for being so honest!

I echo what everyone else has said. There's pros and cons to each of course. I think in terms of lifestyle there's a few things to consider. You'll probably find that BF takes up much more time than FF in the beginning as FF keeps them fuller for longer BUT BF is much more convenient, as the others have said, in terms of going out and about (and even staying in). I know washing and sterilising bottles doesn't sound like much hassle but IT'S BORING and when you get caught off-guard with a crying, hungry baby and no clean bottles the 10 mins it takes to get sorted can seem like an eternity - especially with an unexpected wake-up in the night and a DP who "forgot" to do the bottles the night before LOL.

Secondly, I think the older the baby is the less time it takes for them to BF (from what I've observed at my Mothers Group) compared to the time it takes for them to drink a bottle. For some of the BF mums, it seems to take 5-10 mins whereas it can often take my DD 30 mins to finish a bottle. She'll have a little bit, then get bored, starts whacking the bottle, have a giggle, play with the teat so I put her down before trying all over again!

As I said before, good on you for being so honest and I wish you all the best.