Breastfeeding please help

I had previously 4 formula fed babies. My 5th I actually managed to pull through till he was 9 months. So I can compare both.
Let's start with the pros:
1. Sleep! I got so so much more sleep during the newborn phase. He slept in the next to me or in our bed. I could just roll over, get the boob out and that's that. Heck at some point I slept with my boob out and he'd just latch on 🫣
2. Convince. No faffing about with cooling water, steriliser, miscounting scoops, etc.
3. The bond. This is also a con as he is super attached to me but it was lovely to sit and have a starring contest with him while feeding.
4. The monies - self-explanatory
5. No period! (For some including me 🥳)
6. The weight flies off

Cons:
1. Mastitis/cracked nips: I'm not lying I had it twice and it was f***ing brutal. Especially the first couple weeks.
2. Limited diet for mum
3. You're always hungry!
4. Leaking nips
5. Feeding in public if you're self conscious
6. Dad may feel left out
7. Runny poos 💩 (For Baby lol)

Alcohol one drink is ok 2 or more pump and dump. smoking cigarettes is fine it won’t get in to your milk just change your clothes. Smoking weed is a no it’s not safe lord knows how long It takes to not be in your breast milk no test strips are available for it so it’s just a no go! As for bleeding nipples and mastitis get a good nipple butter and make sure to alternate boobs

Do you always have to wear the pads so you don’t leak everywhere? How do you know when you’re fully empty? How do you know when to alternate sides? lol I’m sorry for all the questions.

Also to reply
- not a pot smoker so that’s not a worry
- bleeding cracked nipples scares the hell out of me LOL
- limited diet.. can you elaborate on that for me?
Thank you guys so much

Also- nervous about baby not taking a bottle and I’ll lose my mind without dad being able to help.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association is a great resource!

If your nipples are cracked and bleeding, that's not normal and you will probably need breastfeeding support. An IBCLC would be the best person to go to, and they could answer all your questions as well.

I've had one drink on a night out, then breastfed later that night. No more than one drink over the course of the night and dinner. And she wasn't super young either, definitely over 6 months, probably closer to 12.

Not sure with sex, but in the first six weeks while your supply is settling, you'll likely be a spray machine regardless. Once it settles you'll probably only leak if you go a while between feeds and are very full.

I loved all the contact with breastfeeding/cluster feeding, but it's not for everyone. So you might go a bit looney. I'd get dad to do all the burping if that's the case. And you can pump as soon as your milk comes in!

I will always BF. There is no other option for me, I hate buying formula I hate making formula I hate the time and effort it takes when I can just pull my shirt up and fall back to sleep and he’ll have his full and he’ll fall back to sleep too. I agree w all the pros Patricia said above. The cons…I still ate whatever I wanted. I only got mastitis once and that’s because I overslept and didn’t feed/pump on time. I intro the paci and bottle (for ebm topups) quite early so he took a bottle and I got my breaks…hubby would take the baby on weekend mornings while I slept in as soon as I i wake i’d either BF or pump or both. I went out on the weekends w my gfs and had 1-2 cocktails w food and I’ll just come back 4-5hrs later and feed like normal, takes 2hrs per drink to be fully out so I’d take about that long anyway. The leaking…I wore the maternity singlets w the built in bra and just shoved a pad inside it…the sex, hubby loved the leaking 😂 it turned him on to see me leak/aroused.

Formula, bottles, diapers and wipes will all add up. As a mum that breastfed, used cloth diapers and cloth wipes, my baby had no weekly expenses so he was a very very cheap baby to raise. So if you’re really looking to save money and not spend much, BF is a great idea, so is using reusable diapers and wipes. I didn’t “run out” of anything and yet he had everything.