Formula Fed Babies

Amy - posted on 08/03/2009

Wow! They Suck!!! It's your choice, it doesn't matter why you didn't do it or stop! Some women can't because of medical reasons. Some of these boob Nazis don't understand, pumping does nnot work so well if you don't have a baby on your boob every once in a while.
You should never let anyone make you feel like a failure as a mother! Your baby is well taken care of, he has a full belly and a mommy who loves him more than anything! I'd be a bit crude to her for butting in, and tell her it's none of her business, I have my reasons. I've done my research and am doing the best for my son!

Heather - posted on 08/03/2009

My twins were 8 weeks early, the lactation nursed bugged me the whole time I was in the hospital to breast feed. I don't think there is anything wrong with not wanting to breast feed. It is defiantely a personal choice and one that you and you alone need to make. My husband and I talked about it extensively while we were pregnent. And we both agreed that it wasn't something we wanted to do. I wanted him to be able to bond with the babies just as much as I was, so we figured the best way we could accomplish this was by bottle feeding that way we could both feed at the same time. You have to do what is best for you and your family.

Rebecca - posted on 08/03/2009

Yes, all the evidence shows that "breast is best", but seriously, there are so many reasons why sometimes it just doesn't work that people need to hold back their opinions don't they? And health professionals especially! There is more to life - even for baby - than just food, and a having a mother who isn't worn out mentally and physically from constant expressing is important too!



Don't let yourself feel bad at all - and this is coming from a mum who was lucky enough to be able to breasfeed for more than the first 12 months.

Mel - posted on 08/03/2009

and Sharon is right you need to make a complaint about her

Mel - posted on 08/03/2009

its terrible isnt it , i know mine had to be formula fed because she was and still is FTT at 16 months. she has high calorie formula now since she turned one. she was losing weight while BF-ing.



i even had people on here continuously tell me i did the wrong thing and should feel guilty for not breast feeding, that breast milk has more calories and that my doctors had misinformed me. some of this women make me laugh the others just make me so sick even my child health nurse told me what makes them experts on everyone else's situation especially babies that need formula to survive. they are obsessed

Ashley - posted on 08/02/2009

wow that is so rude. i think i would have told her where to go and took my prescription somewhere else. nobody has any business about how you feed your child. they have a full tummy and their happy, thats all that matters. i bottlefed my first son right from his first feeding and currently doing it with my 4 wk old. i love bottlefeeding and i dont care what anyone has to say. it was my choice right from the day i found out i was pregnant. i didnt want to breastfeed and i didnt want to try. my MIL gave me shit when she found out i wasnt breastfeeding and i more or less told her too bad it's my baby my choice and i'll do it. dont let other ppl get you down, you are not a bad mother! you are feeding your baby and thats all that matters!

Andrea - posted on 08/02/2009

I know exactly how you feel! My first son with born at 36 weeks and all he wanted to do was sleep. I even had a nurse at the hospital come in to help get him to breastfeed but he wouldn't latch on. Also, they bottle fed him in the nursery before we even saw him! The nurses and the people at WIC made me feel like I was depriving him somehow and I felt really bad. Now my son is almost 3 years old, was bottle fed his entire first year and is perfectly healthy. I think nurses and other healthcare professionals should respect your choice on how you want to feed your child. For those people who don't have a choice or decide not to breastfeed for personal reasons, they should not be made to feel inadequate! The person at the pharmacy should keep her personal feelings to herself, especially when they are of a negative nature. It is none of her business and you should not feel bad because she doesn't agree with your choice. That is her problem!

Mary - posted on 08/02/2009

i have 2 girls ages 16 and 9. i never bf either one of them they r healthy and very smart. i was never comfortable with the whole bf thing cause u really have to watch what u eat and drink. Im not sure what is wrong with people today that they think they can push thier opinions on u. I would tell them thanks but no thanks to their unsolicited advise and next time u want to know what they think u will ask them. i know it sounds rude but they r being rude to u too. good luck

Genna - posted on 08/02/2009

There is too much pressure on women to breastfeed their babies, I agree with what you did and they should respect you for that. I would file a formal complaint to the pharmacy and to the Nurse adminstration.

Elizabeth - posted on 08/02/2009

Iwould have complained to someone. I wasn't able to last a year either. I pumped after I went back to work but my supply took a nosedive. I tried fenugreek, the tea, eating oatmeal and a million other things it feels like. Nothing worked. He got formula and he is just fine.He actually liked baby food more than anything. He chubbed up when he started on that. Why do people think that when it comes to feeding your baby they have the right to dictate how you raise your child??

Alicia - posted on 08/02/2009

I can't believe she said that to you. I couldn't breastfeed with my daughter and she is just fine!! She is very healthy and happy! Don't let her get you down:)

Sharon - posted on 08/02/2009

i breast fed both my girls for about 3 days with the first her dad thought breastfeeding was disgusting with my second my milk dried up after about a week but i personally think its the mothers decision whether or not to formula feed some do it for the convenience of it others cant because of medication and i think some health proffesionals dont understand that yes breast may be best but it our decision at the end of the day

Stephanie - posted on 08/02/2009

*gasp!* that is so rude! You have done absolutly nothing wrong ! Pft, that is so frustrating. I BF my first, but when my second came, I said forget it! and really no reason behind it, I simply didn't have the energy or will power to stay on it! It's my choice, my body and I / we shoud not have to justify!! YOU are a wonderful mom, and your son looks super duper healthy!

Personally, (and this is MY opinion) but I find many of the health professionals (especially in the health unit who are not really doctors!) are on a power trip. I'm not saying that all of them are, because I do have a really great and helpful woman at my local health unit, but not everyone is open minded like her.



All the power to you! Keep up the wonderful, refreashing parenting! :D

Teena - posted on 08/02/2009

Hi Katarina,
I'm sorry to hear of your experiences!! It really annoys me when people lecture you about breast feeding. I NEVER wanted to BF any of my children and I didn't. I had 5 children who were all formula fed and they all thrived really well. They are all healthy, happy people today and I've NEVER regretted my decision to formula feed. Mums should be allowed to pick how they want to feed THEIR children without being made to feel guilty. You are not a failure as a mother and don't ever think that. There are millions of babies out there who are formula fed.
All the best,
Teena.

Amanda - posted on 08/02/2009

I feel the same way, I had a c-section and my milk just wouldnt come in, what was I supposed to do in the mean time...not feed him!!! I think they should talk to you about it and if u decline, then that should be all they say!

Carianne - posted on 08/02/2009

lol... there are alot of people out there SUPER hung up on BF! My mom told me she fed me condensed milk and water when I was a baby because her mother in law said I was getting fat from drinking formula! (amazingly enough... there has been no brain damage that i know of). There's a whole lot more to parenting than what you feed your baby the first year or so of his/her life! for example, the decisions you make for the 17 years after that. :) i do BF, but it's because it's free!

Dawn - posted on 08/02/2009

your NOT a failure!! and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. i formula fed both of my kids and they are both fine. when my MIL found out that i wasn't breast feeding she lectured me too. she told me that i couldn't bond with her if i was bottle feeding!!!

i had an emergency c section with my first and i tried to breast feed but couldn't. so then i tried to pump for a few days so she was at least getting the breast milk...but i was in so much pain that it hurt to sit up and be "milked", for a lack of another way to put it!! but that's how i felt. but in the end she got formula. for my son i just formula fed from the start. i've had remarks from other mom's but NEVER from a dr or pharmacist. i would complain...there's no excuse for that. she doens't know your circumstance...maybe there was a medical reason for you not breast feeding. and even if there wasn't you dont have to explain yourself to her or anyone!! but don't get down on yourself. Lord knows being a mom is hard enough without everyone telling you what to do!!

Erin - posted on 08/02/2009

i bf all 3 of my kids, i also supplemented the 1st 2nd with formula, the oldest from birth the middle from 4 months. the only reason i haven't started supplementing my 7.5 month old is because she won't take it. you are not a failure or a bad person if you formula feed your baby! bfing is not for everyone. it may be the perfect food but if your baby doesn't want it and you force it feeding time can become trumatic.

Emily - posted on 08/02/2009

Dont let it bother you. It used to bother me all the time too. I wasnt producing enough plus he would latch on. People are so quick to judge. As long as you know you are a good mom and your child is healthy just don't worry about what other people have to say.Hang in there!

Abigail - posted on 08/02/2009

I breastfed for a month and had to stop due to medication. There is nothing wrong with formula...people just need something to bitch about. Yes, we all know breastmilk is better, but it's not the only option. Formula now is great. My daughter gets the one with omega 3 and 6 and has DHA in it. Nothing wrong with formula feeding.

Sharon - posted on 08/02/2009

She's no health professional. If she were she would have understood from the moment you said "premature". She was the opposite. Call the district manager and file a complaint or she'll continue to harrass every mom buying formula.

Nicola - posted on 08/02/2009

People don't always understand the different challenges of premature babies. I did breastfeed in the end after 7 weeks of pumping. There is no way on earth you could pump for a year, it's so much harder than the actual breastfeeding because you still have to feed the baby seperately - it's a full time job in itself!

Katarina - posted on 08/02/2009

I had no problem breastfeeding on my end. I didn't have any cracking or bleeding. I was really lucky that way and I was pumping 2ounces every hour 3 days after he was born. I wished I was able to but if your baby isn't interested there's nothing you can do about it, I guess. Bit to me the most important thing was keeping him happy and getting his weight up.

Lindsay - posted on 08/02/2009

I get so annoyed when people start going on and on about breast feeding being so much better. I could not breast feed due to a medication I have to take for the rest of my life and it would be present in breast milk, so I had to formula feed from day 1 I had one woman try to give me the same story you just were given at the pharmacy, and stopped her before she could finish and let her know making assumptions about why a mother is not breast feeding just makes you look like a public jackass. After I told her why I was not breast feeding she quickly apologized. I have a co worker that believe in breastfeeding until her child was two and would always tell me about it, our child are not far in age and it amuses me that she told me that breast fed children are more healthy than formula feed, yet her son is sick constantly and always has some sort of problem going on whereas my son is healthy as can be and never been sick and he is 16 months old. Don't feel bad about formula feeding, some people just cannot continue breastfeeding or even start to breastfeed.

Heather - posted on 08/02/2009

it is awfull that pp lin that job said anything 2 u nd it is t first 6 weeks that they get all t benifits so u did t best u could. jst ignore them they clearly dont hav a clue wat they r talking about. :-)

Michelle - posted on 08/02/2009

I formula feed as well! I wasen't able to breast feed as I had no milk supply. I often feel the same way, but I have never had that kind of thing happen to me! I would just ignore those people! I'm sure your doing the best for your child!