Breastfeeding or Bottle

Im only 17 weeks pregnant (first baby) and just come back from seeing the midwife. Shes given me loads of booklets and information on breastfeeding and talked about it alot in our catch-up.

I can see the health benefits for baby & me, but i still dont feel its something i want to do? They made me feel like if i dont breastfeed i wont bond with my baby and like i’m going to be a bad mum right from the start!

How many of you have bottle fed formula from birth and do you have any reassurance this is perfectly ok to do?!

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Happy mum, happy baby! My coworker was telling me how she felt pressured into breastfeeding but the constant waking, the soreness, the hormones, she ended up with post natal depression and it just didn't work for her at all :( every lady is different and if you're happy, baby will be too!

I’ve had a very positive experience breastfeeding and have exclusively breastfed. My best friend decided she never wanted to and exclusively bottle fed her baby with formula.

Both of us experienced judgment from midwifes and health visitors, so honestly just do what makes you comfortable. “Fed is best” ❤️

If you have had all the information, weighed it out and feel happy and secure in your choice then it's that simple. Health professionals can guide and let you know information etc but essentially it is your choice. Your baby is more than a digestive system and attachment is built through many different interactions not just via feeding. Responding to your baby, holding them, skin to skin, closeness etc all aid in bonding. Your instincts and hormones will also help you both feel attached. Your baby doesn't even know it's a separate person to you for the first 3 months regardless if you breastfeed. Yes breastfeeding aids in some of the emotional bonding as it is an intrinsic mammalian method of feeding and soothing naturally and is complex and specific to your baby however we as humans have alternative options to meet dietary need and other ways to bond and attach with our babies available too. Professionals will advocate breastfeeding as a lot of women who want to are let down by the current system.

I have twins and as soon as health workers hear that they stop with the BF pressure.
I didn’t want to BF, didn’t think it was for me, but when it happened I loved it, so I’d say keep an open mind. I could never produce enough milk to feed my girls, so they were formula fed from the start, with the odd boob feed here and there, I saw breast milk as an extra nutrient shot, a bonus rather than a necessity.
Our girls were a little premie, have been on kendamil since the first day and they are super healthy strong girls, they’ve caught a cold once and it barely bothered them.

You can always pump a bit and freeze your milk for if they get poorly- I use my frozen supply to make milk ice lollies for when they are teething.

And lastly- using bottles does have a big benefit- you know how much your baby is getting, when you know that, you can set routines for lengthening times between feeds and eventually dropping night feeds. We were able to do that at 4m 😃

On the flip side, I thought I didn’t want to breastfeed but when baby came I tried it and absolutely loved it! And she’s still EBF at 6 months. I did try pumping and bottle feeding and hated it (the cleaning and sterilising), so in hindsight I’d have hated bottle feeding! Just keep an open mind but do whatever works best and feels natural for you both! X

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