FF as a lifestyle decision?

[~Belinda~]

Sasa, that's not good about gas from bottle and standing in kitchen heating bottles etc. I know what you mean though about waiting for bottle to heat, easier to just put out the boob isn't it! But in saying this, I let my DD cry for a couple of minutes and she was fine and really, I used bottles that had the anti-colic teat so she never got gas from them. I guess each baby is different but good on you for BF'ing. I think it's good if you can continue with it, I just didn't want to beat myself up about it and at the end of the day, was happy to FF. My DD has NEVER been sick, she's almost 6 months and hasn't even had a cold!! But she did have 3 good weeks of BF'ing in the beginning!

Interesting that we all have such different experiences

[sunshine_sieben]

Evening Star, I made a grammatical error in my last post (and probably a few spelling mistakes ;-) So there was a slight misunderstanding. I meant to say "All this stuff was constantly standing around my kitchen" (meaning the bottles, teats, etc.) and then I meant to start a new sentence about DD wanting a feed and me having to get the bottle ready. So I wasn't saying I was constantly standing in the kitchen getting bottles ready for a crying baby. That would definitely have been an exaggeration.

I guess, it just added to the anxiety of being a new mum... not really knowing what to do and having a crying bub and not being able to do somehting about it immediately. It definitely took me a lot longer than 2 minutes to get a bottle ready. More like 5-10.

I also used bottles with anti colic teats, but they're more a marketing gimmick IMHO. I actually found that the simplest teats turned out to be the ones causing the least gas. And in my case it really was the bottles giving her gas. Cause even later on, when DD was over the whole Newborn gas issues, whenever I gave her a bottle of EBM, she had gas again. too much coincindence in my books...

But some babies take to bottles very well. Mine just didn't.

Oh, and by the way, I don't blame you for stopping BFing because of the pain. I recently had cracked bleeding nipples and they are excrutiating. If I had gotten them early on, when you seem to feed bub constantly, I don't know if I could have gone through with it. But I find that pumping and bottle feeding EBM can be a good way to deal with cracked nipples as it gives them a chance to heal.

I have to say, I had the advantage that I had A LOT of support. I was in a birth centre and in the early days, my midwife came to see me every day, sometimes for 3-4 hours to help me get my BFing issues sorted. But after a couple of weeks we were good to go. I realise that most women don't get that kind of support. Often they have nobody around who has breastfed themselves. So when things don't go to plan, FF seems like the only option.

Please don't think I am looking down upon anyone who FF. Or being very critical about it. We all set out to do the best we can for our babies.

Sasa

[~Belinda~]

Sasa, not at all! I think it's great you continue your BF journey. Who am I to judge what you have gone through? It's not like I can say "keep trying to BF, it's worth it at the end of the day!" because I have heard heaps of women perservere and come out at the end so happy that they did keep it up!

For me, my milk went out and Madeleine just seemed to not be getting enough. My nipples were so sore and I was crying at every feed. Even with support from an LC and everyone around me, I was scared of getting depressed! And I was someone who didn't even get the baby blues in hospital, even though all the midwives told me I would!!! I hated that.

So good on you for BF'ing, well done, no offence taken at all, was just explaining I guess that all Bubs are different and it didn't bother me at all to make up bottles or FF my DD. I am so glad I made that decision. I bet if I did keep up the BF'ing, I would be saying how awesome that is!!! I bet!

Take care, Love Belinda

[amberj]

Wow, I can't beleive how many replies my thread has generated!

I just wanted to give an update, now that I have had my baby and he is 3 weeks old. I started off BFing and had lots of problems with it- nothing insurmountable, but my baby was quite jaundiced, and very big (4.2kg) and I had LOTS of complications with birth, so trying to persist through the BF problems to get him enough to eat was not something I could deal with. I started expressing and continue to, but we suppliment with formula, and my supply is dwindling, so he is largely formula fed now, with whatever breastmilk I can make as well.

FF is working well for all of us- my DH loves being able to feed Peter and we can share nighttime feeds. Peter doesn't seem to notice any difference between breastmilk and formula and is gaining weight and eating well. He does have a cold, but that could have happened either way, I guess.

From the "other side" I feel both more and less guilty about FFing than I thought I would. I care less about other people's opinions and am only concerned about what is right and best for my baby. Any guilt I feel is not about what other's think, but about hoping I am doing the right thing for Peter.

Just wanted to share a quick update in case anyone is trying to make a similar decision. My baby, myself and my husband are all happy- it hasn't been easy and not without some guilt, but I still think we are in a good place.

[Arimeh]

That sounds fantastic Jessica - congrats again on your little boy

And I'm pretty sure I'll end up FF this one as well - my DH just loves the closeness as well!!!!

[M22]

amber- that is brilliant

i agree with waht you've said- bottom line is you have to be happy and confident with your decision and that is what makes a happy mummy!!

congrats on baby Peter!!

[M22]

amber- that is brilliant

i agree with what you've said- bottom line is you have to be happy and confident with your decision and that is what makes a happy mummy!!

congrats on baby Peter!!

[myboysmumma]

amber- that is brilliant

i agree with what you've said- bottom line is you have to be happy and confident with your decision and that is what makes a happy mummy!!

congrats on baby Peter!!

exactly