What did you choose?

Jess - posted on 09/16/2010

i tried breast feeding with my first for about 2 weeks and wasn't able to produce enough milk and it was really painful, i didn't try at all with my second, and my third i did for a solid 4 weeks but she was lactose intolerant so we switched to soy formula. Formula is a lot more convenient and less time consuming, but breast milk is better nutritionally

Erica - posted on 09/16/2010

I have breastfed both my children (my son still is). For me it was because I wanted to. I did however want to pump and use a bottle occasionally, but neither of my children would take to a bottle no matter what kind we tried.

Lady Heather - posted on 09/16/2010

I didn't choose. I "breastfed" for two weeks which basically involved trying everything under the sun to get my daughter to feed and pumping on top of that. It basically made me insane. She just wouldn't do it no matter what we tried. And I had lots of help. In the end we went with formula because the stress affected my supply and I just couldn't keep pumping. I still don't feel like I had a choice in the matter though. I'm hoping things go differently next time. I certainly don't see how it could be any worse. Ended up with mastitis after only three days. I couldn't lift my arms to feed her or even set the pump up myself. It was just brutal. :(

All the other women in my family seem to breastfeed with relative ease. It was a major disappointment for me.

Samantha - posted on 09/16/2010

I did both. I started out breast feeding my daughter but then i had to switch to formula because my body stopped making milk. I had had a death in the family right after Rhayne was born, and i think thats what led to my losing my milk and switching to formula.

Ashley - posted on 09/16/2010

Both breastfeed first then interduced a bottle did both for awhile and then stuck with bottle lol no nipple confusion for my little man as long as there was food involved.

Chantel - posted on 09/16/2010

I chose to breast feed because of the benefits for my son. There are nutrients in breast milk that formula does not have. I was successful for a good six months and then he got teeth and it started to hurt me so I had to stop.

Ambrosia - posted on 09/16/2010

Well I had to do both because i was so sick after birth, and I really dont think it is really matters.Other then its cheaper to BFeed, and the emotional bond! but with bottels anyone can help you feed so you can get some rest. My son is 18 mnths now and very healthy! So really both are fine!

Nicole - posted on 09/16/2010

I chose the breast. Unfortunatly I had such a hard time w it I had to suplemnt w formula. But I didn't give up in Breastfeeding
WHY: Because it was an amazing bonding exeriance with my son! I didn't want to share him AT ALL after he was born and with breastfeeding that's the one thing I could say that no one else could do! Not to mention all the benifits it has for you and the baby!! it's just so much better, the only time my son spit up was when he would have formula....that should say something right there!!!!

Jamie - posted on 09/16/2010

I wanted so badly to breast feed.. When I gave birth, I had nothing, not even colostrum, I would pump and have a dry bottle at the end, I didnt get the colostrum in for about a week so I had no choice but to give her formula. I tried breast feeding once it came in and she would not latch, I went to a laction consultant and she couldnt get her to latch either. Once my milk did come it, I would pump 12 ounces every couple hours, so she had breast milk a lot, I pumped a ton and stored it, so she had breast milk and formula, just never directly from the breast..

Sarah - posted on 09/16/2010

I mean triplets

Sarah - posted on 09/16/2010

I started it exclusively breastfeedinf but had too much milk (doc said i could have fed droplets!) which meant i was constantly attached to my baby feeding and pumping just to get my engorgement to go down. I only had half hour to my self between feeding and pumping......needless to say after a month i was physically and emotionally drained. I decided for my sanity to do half and half...im so glad i did. Implementing some formula in my sons feedings allowed me to finally have some time to myself which in turn made me a better mom which is my ultimate goal. Exclusive breast milk is best but in the end you have to do what you feel works best for you and your baby.

Robin - posted on 09/16/2010

I wanted to breast feed exclusively for no less than nine months when I was pregnant, all the health benefits make it worth it, but unfortunately that didn't happen. The hospital didn't catch that my son was slightly tongue tied (something that was fixed 2 weeks later) and because of this he wouldn't latch properly and wouldn't be able to get much at a time, so I had a very reduced supply of milk which even going on motilleum wouldn't fix. So from the beginning I had to supplement with a bottle. It turned out to be kind of nice because I my husband could feed him from time to time, but it is really expensive. I eventually stopped breast feeding all together at 4 and a half months because he would just get frustrated with not getting enough at each feeding. If I have another baby I hope that I can just breast feed, but we'll see how it all goes.

Jennifer - posted on 09/16/2010

I am breastfeeding. I choose to because their are a lot of great reasons on the breastfeeding side. I don't think their is anything wrong with formula, but I just think their is more benefit to breastfeeding, so I chose to breast feed. =D

Karen - posted on 09/16/2010

I have breast feed all 3 of my boys. The first 2 until they were 4 months old and haven't decided how long I will breast feed my currently 2 month old. I chose breast feeding because of the health benefits to him, the weight loss and uterus health for me ( I've had 3 c-sections) and the cost is a bonus for sure. How ever I did always and still do keep one of the ready to feed 2oz bottles in the diaper bag for those times I feel I'm in a very uncomfortable situation for breast feeding. It's not enough to feel them up but does hold them over long enough for me to get some where more comfortable or home. This has worked well for me. But I won't lie breast feeding is hard and time consuming it takes a month or mire to get in the swing of things it hurts so much at first you'll want to give up to be able to breast feed you have to be determined and not care what others think of you. One of the pulses is you can feed and still get some sleep with the laying down position something you can't do while bottle feeding.

Jennifer - posted on 09/16/2010

I've breastfed all of my children. Formula has too many things in it that are poisons :)

Shannan - posted on 09/16/2010

I did both. My daughter was mainly breastfed bc she had acid reflux and her formula was extremely expensive. I completely stopped breastfeeding around 5 months bc I went back to work full time and couldn't pump bc my right boob didn't produce and she would suck me dry on the other.

Patricia - posted on 09/16/2010

I used both. My son was born after 34 weeks and the doctor recomendad that I gave him formula in adition to my breast milk so he wouldn't loose weight.
I breastfed hin for 3 months giving him a few onces of formula everyday. I had to stop because I have RA and my joints were getting damaged without the proper medication.
I gave him formula until he was 14 months and now that he is 17 months he drinks regular milk

Stacey - posted on 09/16/2010

I formula fed, i really wanted to try breastfeeding but was so tender towards the end of my pregnancy i just couldn't. When my son was born he was ready to feed but i was being stitched back together :-s. I felt guilty at first but then developed mastitis so it would have been hard anyway. I think it was the right thing for me to formula feed as my son slept through the night from 6 weeks old and had to have formula for hungry babies, it would have been very demanding if i was breast feeding.

Letitia - posted on 09/16/2010

I choose formula my boobs are my own lol

Taralee - posted on 09/16/2010

I chose breastfeeding. Plus formula and farax on the side cos I wasnt producing enough milk for her...

Mandy - posted on 09/16/2010

I chose breastfeeding because as a little child I had alot of health problems and I was bound and determind to get my baby every best nutrition possible. Your body makes the milk to fit to your childs needs best. I breast fed her until she was 1 and she will be 2 on the 30th and to this day she has been the most healthiest kid I know!!!

Nora - posted on 09/15/2010

With my oldest daughter I chose to bottle feed cause it seemed easier then the breast, but when my 2nd daughter came it was both and found out it was easier to breastfeed. So when I had my 3rd child, I breastfeed him til he was 6mths and he started the bottle and he found that easier. With my 4th child he was breastfeed and he really didn't like the bottle, he was on the breast for almost 2yrs, about 20mths. It was hard to get him off the breast I had to stop breastfeeding him cause I'm now pregnant with my 5th child and I'm for breastfeed but bottles is gonna be included, unless she choices otherwise.

LIZ - posted on 09/15/2010

hi Ameila,
I am a mum of 7 and i have done both with my first son I dont it because I wanted to do it and I thought that it wold be easy and with him it was but i have another son who was always looking for more so i put him on to the bottle and he seemed more settled but I feel that each child is differant and that each mother will find what is best for both her and her child. But for me with my children I breast feed those that wanted to be reast feed and bott;e feed those that wanted to be bottle feed and all my children are happy and healthy. The one thing that was good was when i bottle feed my children my husband could help which then helped me i could go and do something eles but I loved to breast feed my kids and it was our time to bond.

Sheena - posted on 09/15/2010

The whole 4 days I was in the hospital I exclusively breastfed my son and it was great but as soon as I walked into the door at home its like neither on of us could figure out how to do it anymore. I then pumped so then he could still get the breast milk for about another 4 weeks and once that supply was depleated I switched to the formula and couldn't be happier. He's a happy healthy boy and thats all that matters.

Jane - posted on 09/15/2010

for my first bubs, i wanted to breast feed him for cost reasons, and because of the health benefits for him that i had read about, but when he was born the midwife just assumed because i was a young mother that i wasnt going to breastfeed and was telling me to squeeze my milk on a plastic teaspoon, then she fed it to him. I didnt think much of it at the time, after a long labour i was exhausted, but i truly believe that was the reason he wouldnt attach to me. he was a lazy sucker and wouldnt make the effort, and after weeks of trying i gave up and fed him expressed breast milk full time till he was 6 months, then switched to formula after my milk dried up. I felt like a failure by lactation consultants and some family, but in the end, as long as he was healthy that is all that mattered.
When i had my daughter i was determined to breastfeed from the beginning, and when she was born she attched to me straight away, althpough i had to stop at 6months with her too as i am now pregnant again, and my milk dried up. it is a great experience if you are able to do it, and if you cant, dont let anyone's opinions bother you like i did (even though it was my milk, i was critisized for bottle feeding).. good luck for all mums to successfully feed the way that best suits them.

Jodi - posted on 09/15/2010

To Twanya, Just a couple of things to correct your misunderstanding on breastfeeding. I do not share my nipples with other children, just as other children don't share bottles. My nipples also don't fall on the ground, so I don't have that contamination to worry about. My husband has bonded with my daughter in ways I don't think I ever will, and I have bonded with her ways he never will and neither have anything to do with breastfeeding. Father's bond with babies no matter how they're fed, and if a father feels strongly about it, he could ask the mother to pump some milk so he could feed the child with a bottle. I am not tied at home and never have been, when I go out, I don't have to worry about finding a clean water source or a way to heat a bottle or running out of formula or any of that, it's all right with me, ready to go. And my breasts don't hang out, most people can't tell I'm breastfeeding, they just assume my child is sleeping. I constantly see so many women showing a whole heck of a lot more boob with their clothing on and no kids around than I do WHILE breastfeeding. I am not demoralized or embarassed to feed in public, I am proud and confident. Also, there is a reason that even formula companies advise breastmilk as a first, better and healthier choice than their own formula, because formula really can't compare, so it is not "as good". There is nothing wrong with formula, but breastmilk is the best choice. As fo being unhealthy for children to see, just like adults, they don't even realize a mother is breastfeeding most of the time so don't have the chance to be damaged even if it were emotionally traumitizing...which it isn't. Last of not least, there is a federal law being passed (or has already been passed recently, I'm not positive) making it ILLEGAL for a mother to be kicked out of any public place she would otherwise be allowed to be or even to hinder her abilities to nurse her child in public. Quite the opposite of illegal. It's fine if you're not a breastfeeding supporter, at least be educated about the issue if you're going to take such a stance. Ignorance gets you nowhere in life.

Callie - posted on 09/15/2010

Tawnya, do you live in the US? I know that there are no states in the US where it is illegal for a mother to breastfeed in public. It's not demoralizing to mothers to nurse in public or they wouldn't voluntarily do it. I nurse in public and most people have no idea whats happening. They often think I'm holding a sleeping baby. Children will find nothing wrong with breastfeeding unless adults around them teach them it is wrong. It won't damage them emotionally. Nursing mothers aren't trying to flash people and you will see more skin from women dressing "sexy" rather than a mom nursing her baby.

Jodi - posted on 09/15/2010

I am still breastfeeding my 18 month old daughter despite being pregnant with twins. I plan on nursing the twins when they come and allowing my daughter to nurse only before bedtime, but that's flexible at this point. I chose to breastfeed for many reasons: it's healthiest for your baby, it's reccomended by the WHO, AAP and LLLI, it saves money (although this was the least of my concerns), it provides baby with antibodies and immunities, is great for brain and eye development, is better digested with fewer side effects, but probably most importantly, because my mom breastfed me, and both of my sisters breastfed their children. Also, several aunts and cousins breastfed their children too.

A - posted on 09/15/2010

Tawnya- its obvious you are very ignorant on breastfeeding and the law. It is not illegal anywhere in the US to breastfeed in public. Nature didn't make it harmful or unsanity to feed your children. If it were all breastfed babies would be sick all the time, when in fact, on average they are healthier than formula fed babies. I just looked and you live in WA. Here are some links on WA state laws on breastfeeding. Educate yourself before you start spouting off inaccurate information!

http://www.breastfeedingwa.org/wa_leg

http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Healt...

Teresa - posted on 09/15/2010

it hurts to breastfeed!!!!! i couldnt get past the 2nd feeding with my oldest. my 2nd was born with a tooth! my 3rd wouldn't latch again after needing to have a bottle for one feeding and by the time she did latch it hurt soooo much!!!

A - posted on 09/15/2010

Vitamins shouldn't be relied on to make yourself healthy. You should be eating a healthy diet anyway. Prenatals are a back up plan. I agree its not free to breastfeed. I eat way more food now that I'm nursing than I did even when I was pregnant, so that costs extra. I beg to differ on the Sanitary aspect. First of all....unless you're boiling your water it can be tainted. If you're using nursery water it probably has chemicals in it from the plastic packaging. Formula cans can be lined with BPA. Not to mention the hormones exposed to the cows in which formula is made from. Plus I've seen many times when different kids are together and they share bottles or they drop their bottles around on the floor. My boobs don't hang out on the dirty floor nor do they come in contact with anyone else. I can breastfeed in public anytime I want too. Only women can carry a baby in the womb. Do you feel science should come up with a way for men to carry babies so they can bond with them in utero? Some people may find it unacceptable to BF in public but that's just their sad opinion and the law upholds their right. If it was socially unacceptable it wouldn't be the law. I can go places hassle free not having to worry about packing a bunch of bottles and formula and water everywhere I go.

Ashley - posted on 09/15/2010

i chose formula/bottle feeding. the idea of breakfeeding just never appealed to me--i knew i wouldn't b comfortable with it...n if ur not comfortable with it then ur baby wont b comfortable with it. i know ultimately breastmilk is best...but formula feeding just made the most sense & was the best option for me & my daughter:) I give breastfeeding moms props tho--i couldn't do it...it just gives me the willys-lol

Tawnya - posted on 09/15/2010

for all of you who say brestfeed is free thats a lie to brestfeed and not have health issues for yourself and you child you have to take alot of vitamins that can get as expensive if not more so than formula. besides formula is better if you have to work or you want the child to bond with the father as well becasue with formula he can sit down and feed as well. formula feeding is also alot more sanitary as you can sanitize bottles and nipples as you can not do with the breast and is also publicly acceptable where as breast feeding is not. if you breast feed you cant go anywhere for worry your child will get hungry. i chose formula for these reasons

Rae - posted on 09/15/2010

Breastfed my daughter until the day after her first birthday :) I loved it so much, the bonding, it was cost effective, super convenient! I really miss it actually but she had started to self wean and my health has worsened so I had to start taking medication that would have been unsafe for her.
Honestly though, my pickle is a smart little thing, already potty trained at 12 months old and I totally believe that breastmilk helped . . . NO disrespect meant for all you formula mommies and Daddies out there though, just worked the best for my family :)

Shauna - posted on 09/15/2010

I Have been breastfeeding my son since birth he is now almost 7 mo my production is slowing down as he sleeps almost 14 hrs a night and is eating solids now. I will eventually switch to formula once my frozen supply runs out. My wish was to nurse till he reached a yr old but it simple is not going to happen. I chose to breastfeed after doing research and the benifits to the baby just made it feel like my only option! Besides your body produces milk so why not use it for what its meant for. You have breasts to feed a baby.
I was not a breastfed baby myself and was sick all the time, my husband on the other hand was a breastfed baby and was never sick, Doesnt mean your child will never get sick while being nursed but the odds are much lower as your produce antibodies for your child that are passed through the milk. Also my husband was very supportive of me breastfeeding and made me feel very loved for choosing to take care of our baby in such a loving way. And the bonding experience you gain is amazing.

Angie - posted on 09/15/2010

With my oldest, I started exclusive breastfeeding. We only made it 6 weeks, but should have stopped sooner because I couldn't produce milk and I was super stressed out about it. With my 2nd, she was a preemie and was in the NICU for 3 weeks. I pumped for the whole 3 weeks and then when she came home, she wouldn't work long enough to get my milk to let down, so we stopped. For my 3rd, I didn't want to bother with the stress or disappointment with not being able to continue breastfeeding, so we went straight to formula. I couldn't have been more happy with that decision, as I was able to just focus on my baby (another preemie w/ 3 week NICU stay) and my other 2 children.

Kera - posted on 09/15/2010

My daughter was born 10 weeks prematurely. The NICU staff tried latching her to my breast but it felt like nails were driving in my flesh. After we got her home, my breasts were not squirting out milk fast enough so my husband and I were fortifying the breast milk. After about three months, my boobs gave up and we just ended up switching to formula full-time. I'm hoping with my next kids that I will be able to breastfeed since I've heard that mommy and baby bond faster... But of course, my daughter had other ideas. Like being born a little earlier... (sighs) Oh, those fiesty kids!

Jennifer - posted on 09/15/2010

Laura nope. I work in an assisted living type of atmosphere where my clients need 24/7 care. I'm not going to sugarcoat I'm the best there is and if I can be a comfort to someone in their dying days I will... I do get alot of quality time with my daughter it's just a little unorthodox. I do what i can to give my daughter what she needs... I know some people are hitting hard times and we did for sure so now when hours are offered I snatch them up.

K - posted on 09/15/2010

I breastfed my son until he was around four months old. Around that time my doctor told me I should start supplementing him with formula because he was quite low weight wise. I started supplementing him but felt like my milk was totally going away so I decided to just switch completely over to formula. That way I could be positive of the amount he was getting and I thought it would help make it easier to find out the underlying problem if he didn't start gaining weight. He is now six months old and definitely caught up to where he is supposed to be!

A - posted on 09/15/2010

just some advice for women who are mentioning trouble with supply....Of course some women do truly have problems and simply can't....But the best advice I've found is to feed your babies on demand with no schedules. Babies are designed to nurse up to several times in an hour!! Even the LC in the hospital gave me misleading information that some people would have interpreted as "feed your baby every three hours" when really its supposed to be "feed your baby on demand, and 3 hours is the longest you should go!". Breastmilk is digested in 2 hours and thats actually how often my son ate as a newborn- every two hours on his own. I'm sure that advice doesn't help all mothers with supply issues but thought i would throw that out there. There's a lot of confusion because formula fed infants tend to go longer between feedings so a lot of moms think their baby couldn't be hungry again so quickly. Also, the first 6 months post partum is when your body learns how much milk to make and thats determined by frequency of feeding, until after about 6 months when its determined by how much baby removes. Also, pumping isn't always a good indicator of how much you're making since it doesn't get out as much as a baby can. Pumping stopped working for me completely after a few months.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/15/2010

Jennifer Grimm, how can you work 136 hours a week? That's only 6 hours a day not working 7 days a week.......is that a typo?

Michelle - posted on 09/15/2010

I tried to breastfeed my daughte for the first three months, but I never produced any milk (an dI do mean none!) so we ended up switching to formula. I wish I had been able to breast feed, but at the time we had to do what would keep her healthy! And something rather then nothing was the right choice:o)

Miranda - posted on 09/15/2010

I chose breastfeeding and IT HURT LIKE H@LL. for me so I went to formula. Breastfeeding is great for the baby yet it hurt and I felt like I was doing it all the time. I would finish and then it seemed like i'd be feeding again. So I was relieved and am relieved that I will never have to think about breastfeeding again!!!! They way you can look at it is why not try it a lot of people I know it doesn't hurt at all and they enjoy it and if it isn't for you, you can switch!!!!

Alicia - posted on 09/15/2010

i breastfed for the first three months. then i started work. i pumped milk also. my son was given formula when i started work. and after a while i wasnt making enough milk to feed him, even though he was on solids. soooo.....he had formula most of the time, and i breastfed him in the mornings and afternoons until he turned 1. then i stopped breastfeeding, because to me, he didn't REALLY need me anymore, he was eating everything we were eating. hope this helps!

A - posted on 09/15/2010

I'm thankful we have formula for moms who truly cant breastfeed. That said, no matter how far formula comes it will never work just as well. Moms pick up pathogens off of their babies and create antibodies for them, specific for the germs their baby has been exposed to. Even formula companies make a statement (usually on the can somewhere in small print) that breastmilk is the best start for babies. Something that isnt as good cant work just as well.

Sarah - posted on 09/15/2010

I believe breast feeding is the best. However, sometimes it's just not feasible. I tried to breast feed my oldest three. However, I had problems with each one and my last one I went straight to formula. Formula has come along way and works just as well as breast milk. I believe that you and your new baby have to figure out as you go.

Nicole - posted on 09/15/2010

I know they say breast milk is best, but I have never known anyone that breastfed. I bottle fed. Maybe if I was around someone that brestfed I would have tried it, but the only time I have seen it is in public places and that's just wrong.

Emily - posted on 09/15/2010

I chose to breast feed but had to switch to formula at 5 weeks as I couldn't produce enough milk for my daughter. If I have another child I will be formula feeding from the start.

Lindsay - posted on 09/15/2010

I chose breast feeding because overall i think its the best for a child but not all moms can do that unfortunatly! :/ But its convienient except when having to pump :] but overall really good for the baby.

Brittany - posted on 09/15/2010

I am a BF mom! I will admit that I have used formula when I leave him with my mom, which isn't all that often. Just a few times when hubby and I need a date. He's 5 months now, and I have started using formula more often, such as when I need to run errands. This lets him sit in the stroller and eat while I do what I neeed to do.
Breast feeding is a wonderful bonding experience, there is just nothing else like it. It also provides very important vitamins for baby. Women who breat feed are much less likely to get breast cancer. And I have shed pounds from my pregnancy breast feeding. Even if you can only do it for the first few months, it is a great start for your baby. I intend to BF until my little man is 12 months, because it is a huge cost savings and it's time for just the two of us that I love!
A few tips for both methods: If you experience pain in BFing, remember that you're both learning to do this so keep working at it. Remove baby from the breast and let him/her reattach getting more nipple in the mouth. Lansinoh is a life saver! (It works even bettter when you use it for the last month of your pregnancy, applying after your shower.) If you decide to BF, know that baby will refuse a bottle after 3 months if he has never used one; so give him a bottle of breast milk or formula a couple of time a week.
If you go with formula, Target's Up and Up brand is wonderful. After doing research, it has all of the benefits of nutrition and vitamins that other brands have. And it is much less expensive.
No matter what you decide to do, read the book "Baby Wise." It's a great book that helped me so much! I didn't follow everything in the book, but it's principles are great. It is the best book I have ever read on baby schedules and advice, and I have read lots!