To breastfeed or not?

Why wouldn't you want to breastfeed? You have to ask yourself that question first. In any event, you do what is best for you and the baby

I do it’s cheaper than formula, better for baby, I didn’t want to have to pack formula and water anywhere I went

There are so many benefits to breastfeeding but it can be a lot of work. Babies cluster feed and to bring in milk supply so that can be a lot for some people. But personally I loved breastfeeding even with it being a lot of work sometimes. It also was a lot easier in some ways because I didn’t have to worry about bringing bottles places and middle of the night made it so much easier just having to pop boob in my baby’s mouth not having to get up and put a bottle together.

Cons no one can help you feed the baby, it’s all on you every day and night It is time consuming Your hormones stay messed up for longer Contractions after birth

I pump breastmilk bc my baby has trouble latching. My bf does a lot of the nighttime feedings, especially in the beginning. And since you can measure how much milk the baby drinks and you can feed them a decent amount in one sotting there isn’t really cluster feeding. It’s like getting the best of both worlds besides having to pack bottles everywhere and all the time.

I was so set on breastfeeding with my second, because I didn’t with my first as I was a young first time mama. It was so hard, drained my entire body, the doctors had me triple feeding because my baby was born at 37 weeks due to placenta failure. I cried sooo much and didn’t get sleep and no one could help me. I beat myself up but due to mental health after 2 weeks of trying I switched to formula and it was the best decision I made. I think it solely depends on what works for you. But don’t beat yourself up. Fed is best.

Pros- Cheap and quick for on demand feeding. Pass antibodies to baby, also a natural pain relief for baby. An amazing achievement no matter how long anyone chooses to breastfeed. Can ask for baby back at any time no questions asked (big pro for me when family were over 😂) Cons- A lot of pressure on yourself when you are healing from birth Can be hard to get correct latch and be painful Baby might end up refusing bottles if you were wanting to give one in future I breastfed exclusively for 5 months, since then I’ve gradually reduced to only at night, this worked for me as I just needed to be able to give baby to my fiancé so I could have a break as I was getting overwhelmed with pressure You may as well give it a go, see how you feel after the first few days/ weeks and if it’s not working you can switch to bottles

I'm pregnant and deciding more to formula, i was originally wanting to breastfeed as people say its better for the baby but ive seen a lot of stuff to push me more towards formula, a lot of womem get a lot of mental illness from breast feeding. Also a lot of women who put their mindset to breastfeeding then cant makes them feel useless or worthless, im also worried about the fact people obsses over breastfeeding like if they cant they will go out of their way to try harder and harder instead of just making sure their baby is well fed, with formula you know their getting fed, good ammounts you can keep track of it. Also a lot of women make themselves ill from feeding their baby for too long if you dont have the right nutrition your baby will be sucking your energy dry which also means you cant care for your baby properly, also people saying its cheaper to breastfeed it really isnt once youve baught the pump and milk bags, bras and so on it comes close to the same price

I tried breastfeeding, I lasted about a month. Everyone above has given great examples of the pros and cons so I'm just going to give you my experience. Breastfeeding was painful for me, it was extremely exhausting, I felt like a failure constantly, and I struggled to remember to give her the vitamin D drops you're supposed to because breastmilk is deficient in vitamin D. No matter how much I fed my daughter she never stopped wanting to eat. I was pumping too because based on her behavior it seemed like my supply was low but even when I would feed my two week old an entire 6 ounce bottle she still wanted more. One time she breastfed for an entire hour straight then power puked it all over me because she had eaten too much. It was very hard for me, I tried all kinds of different things to increase my supply because I felt like I was starving my baby. A couple days before her one month appointment I decided to start supplementing with formula. At the one month check the doctor told recommended I do that.

My daughter wasn't gaining weight fast enough. It made me feel so much better about the choice when the doctor recommended it too. Once I started the formula it because extremely obvious my baby preferred the formula over the breastmilk. So I stopped breastfeeding all together. It was the best choice I could have possibly made for my daughter and I. There is no right or wrong decision here. I personally would recommend you at least give it a try for a week or two but if it's not what works for you and baby there is absolutely no shame whatsoever in formula feeding. You also don't have to remember those vitamin D drops with formula lol

I have 5 kids & have breastfeed all of them but each at different lengths of time. My 1st 5mnt was in school & supply dried up cuz was also doing formula. 2nd for 5wks cuz of cracking & bleeding nipples that would not heal til I stopped. 3rd was for 9mnt she figured out a bottle allowed her to go anywhere and eat & liked the independence of it. 4th 10days shy of 2 years. I had to stop because of my job. The last 6 months of that were just bedtime feeds. And my 5th and last is 11.5 months and he is still breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is extremely healthy for baby. It gives them things that formula can't. Your baby gets your antibodies in your breast milk that allows them to fight off illnesses. My youngest has gotten sick quite a bit. Two of my kids got COVID but he didn't get it. He did get the flu but he didn't get extremely bad. He was under 6 months at the time as well. He also got RSV but he only had a small cough and did not get bad enough that he required medications. My strong immune system helped him.

Also if you decide that breastfeeding doesn't work for you then formula is a perfectly good option. Just remember that FED IS BEST whether it be breast or formula. You can always try to breastfeed and if you don't feel comfortable with it then can switch. I do encourage to try because it really is an amazing bonding experience with your child.

I would say if you’ve always thought you would, then you should probably try and see if it works for you and baby. I went into it open minded as I know there are many obstacles to EBF, but we’ve been EBF for nearly 7 months now and baby has never taken a bottle. The cons of you only being able to feed baby etc of course are there to consider but to be honest, my partner went back to work so I would’ve been doing all the feeds regardless. I find just popping a boob out is far quicker and involves way less prep and maintenance on sterilising bottles and making formula etc everytime you want to go out. I can’t imagine how much hassle formula feeding is! It is definitely an amazing bond me and baby share and I will be so sad when it ends. The health benefits are huge for both as well!

I’m a 21 year old ftm and I breastfeed because of the health benefits and the bonding time it gives me with my son. It’s honestly wonderful, I love not having to wash bottles or pack formula and water when we go places, all his food is built into me. And breastfeeding isn’t just for food, babies use your boob as a pillow when they fall asleep and it’s really cute, and they also kinda use your nipple as a pacifier when they get upset. It was hard at first, especially the transition from your body being yoursish, you can take a shower when you want and eat when you want. When you’re breastfeeding, you are the baby’s food, so when they’re hungry in the middle of your shower, you have to hop out with shampoo in your hair. You can only really have time away from your baby (hang out with friends etc) if you pump and store enough to do so. I just got my first night without my son at 7 weeks. I would definitely suggest having a lactation consultant for any possible problems.

You can see there are a lot of opinions on this! 😄 Also FTM here, in the same boat. I'd recommend talking with a lactation consultant at your hospital or find out if your hospital has breastfeeding classes you can take (usually free!) leading up to your delivery. I went to one and found it super helpful. They gave out free haakaas and milk bags to all the moms too.

Also you’re probably going to need a support system to feed you because you’ll be feeding the baby and won’t have much time to cook/eat etc. My boyfriend literally had to spoon feed me before I figured out how to one-handed carry my baby while cooking/eating. But it’s incredibly rewarding, watching your baby get fat and happy with just what your body is producing. ALSO TAKE YOUR PRENATALS AFTER BIRTH BECAUSE IF YOURE NOT EATING ENOUGH YOUR BODY WILL TAKE NUTRIENTS FROM YOUR BONES AND SUCH

I did and planning to again with baby #2! I stopped when my son was 23 months old. I breastfed because it saved us a ton of money on formula 😅! It was convenient too, didn't have to heat up bottles or clean bottles or prepared formula, etc. If you don't breastfeed, formula is obviously the easiest choice. You could also pump. Cons...I can't think of many unless it negatively impacts your mental health. Sometimes you get sore or cracked nipples too. Fed is obviously best, so you have to do what works for you. But studies do show how great breast milk is for babies, even longterm into adulthood how it gives immunities and what not to illness. My attitude is, give it a try! If it's impacting your mental health or just not working, then switch without feeling any guilt because baby needs to eat. But I think it's worth a try!

I breastfeed and omg it's so good not having to get up in the middle of the night to make a bottle 🤣 so I'm able to sleep longer and baby doesn't have to wait as long either! It's hard work but once you got it, you got it! You can pump as well so someone can take baby for you 😊

I did and I pumped

Breastmilk is the healthiest milk that you can give for your child. It is also suspected that formula may contain some ingredients that are bad for your child. It is also good to breastfeed from the breast (instead of pumping) as much as you can because this also creates an emotional bond between mum and baby and makes the baby feel more loved.

Breastfeeding also has a natural spacing effect of babies and can be used as birth control if some rules are obeyed. It is better than artificial forms of birth control because it causes no bad side effects to your body. Search about LAM form of birth control and about ecological breastfeeding, if you want to learn more.

I exclusively pump so baby has the benefits of breast milk and I’ve loved it, very convenient only bad thing is have to be consistent with pumping otherwise you will loose your supply need to pump every 2-3 hours x

It is demanding at times but easier than sterelising bottles etc great bond with baby, your boobs aren't like that forever and you know it's good for baby

I prefer BRESTFEEDING my daughter is is two months old it’s a bit tiring but to me it’s worth it breast smell as so many nutrients and vitamins and they’re all original more better than formula. She’s currently formula Fed has been since they won because she does not latch more than the last very long. I’m trying to start the process all over again. But what works for you? You may not be able to breast-feed because you have to get back into the workforce or you may sometimes form more convenient but BRESTFEEDING you don’t have to buy too many bottles. You can just whip it out anytime and your baby gets fed quicker It’s really up to your situation.

try it and see. if you’re due in a week check with your doctor and see if they clear you to start collecting colostrum. it’s super beneficial. try breastfeeding and decide if it’s something you wanna fully commit to. it’s a lot mentally especially with oral ties, troubles producing enough and other things that could affect your breastfeeding journey. i feel even if you try if you’ve been considering it that’s such and accomplishment already. breastfeeding for ANY amount of time whether it’s 2 weeks 2 months or 2 years is a massive accomplishment. BUT FED IS BEST!!!! you go mama wishing you all the luck on this new journey❤️

I tried breast feeding but she couldn’t maintain a latch. So i tried pumping but I couldnt do it mentally. After 3 weeks i finally gave up as i was just mentally done. I probably couldve done it longer if my husband couldve helped me more. He had to go back to work the day after we came home from the hospital

I vote to breastfeed. I will support that first no matter what. I didn’t “educate” myself on breastfeeding when I had my first because I thought it was a natural instinct. Yes it was harder than I thought but I was determined and once your mind is set on something you’ll work hard towards it. I breastfeed because I believe it’s what is better for my children. I believe it’s healthier as well. If you can’t that’s another conversation but I believe if you can you should.

I went in determined to combi feed, that way my partner could also do feeds and things too and it would be cheaper not including all the benefits of breast milk, breastfeeding is incredible to me how it works, babies saliva transfers through the nipple and the milk adjusts according to what baby needs if she's poorly it'll have more antibodies and things in to help her recover quickly, miniscule amounts of allergens that you eat also pass through making them less likely to have allergies as they get older and theres just so many benefits (don't need to worry about prepping a bottle or anything when you're out or on a night just pop them on the breast and they'll take what they need and go to sleep. Bad side is you'll be so hungry, breastfeeding burns calories and in order to maintain milk supply you need to eat and drink and sleep which is hard with a newborn, breastfeeding doesn't fill them for as long as formula so tend to feed a lot more, leakage on a night even with breast pads and things and at the

Beginning it hurts! I have Raynaud's so it was a bit worse for me but it really hurt for the first month as my nipples adjusted but it gets easier and I'd 100% say it's worth it

I have breast feed for nearly 12 months, exclusively she hasn’t even had a bottle of expressed milk. Pros are it’s free, convenient I don’t have to make bottles take bottles anywhere I can just feed on demand, it soothes her when needed it has helped with bonding I like to feed her and see her on the breast it creates oxytocin for us both. I can feed to sleep and throughout the night quite easily, it has given her good nutrients and gut micro biome. Pros is it very demanding and it’s all down to you, it can be overwhelming at times, no one else can feed them, unless you express. Breast feed babies seem to want to eat more maybe that’s because they use it for soothing as well as food and hydration. How to stop breast feeding is also a concern for me. Cluster feeding at the beginning of the journey is tough, at the start I was constantly worrying about my milk supply was she getting enough etc but weighing up everything I m so glad I stuck with it and am continuing with it.

FTM here as well. I wanted to breastfeed but was worried about so at first I said I was going to try for a month. First few weeks are hard while baby has to learn how to latch and you have to learn how to help baby and eat and dice everything else and your waiting for your milk to come in (you'll have colostrum at first) and then I worried about baby not having enough. I actually bought a scale so I could measure how much she ate. But returned it a week later when I started learning her cues and felt more confident. But kept at it. After the first month I said 3 months. Now at 4 months still continuing and trying for 6 months. Giving myself small goal so that I don't feel sad if I can't continue. But then baby goes to grandma for sleep over and I miss breastfeeding her for even a day. It provides such a peaceful and beautiful connection I can have with her. While she eats I talk to her what I wish for her and just seeing that I can provide that for her makes me so happy.

From a practical standpoint love that there is less to wash and can just take my boob out instead of trying to warm up water and get bottle ready while baby is screaming. You can always combo feed if it gets too much and need a bit of help to get through

At the end of the day, fed is best. My son was in the NICU and was losing weight. I tried getting him to latch for days, but ultimately decided I wanted him to get healthy by gaining weight. I wanted to breastfeed, but I ended up exclusively pumping and supplementing with formula if needed. It’s rough, and honestly I’ve almost stopped pumping several times due to my mental health. Ultimately, you need to figure out what works for you and your situation.

I say breastfeed