Why would you not breastfeed?

now if that isnt the sweetest smiley ever....

:grouphug: for Maggie!

 

to open another can of worms, there is also the issue of breast feeding from drug addicted mothers...

 

*shrugs*

It's ok Maggie Sugar. I have always intended on breastfeeding if I'm ever blessed with a child. I did think you were being standoff-ish about it and it's alright.

I trust your opinion, but I think I have more tolerance for those who willingly choose to breastfeed their child. Not that you are exceptionally intolerant, but I took it that way from your posts in this thread.

It's ok, really.

 

Yeah, the arguments of "my milk dried up (overnight)" kills me. Or....

I have this friend. She tried to feed her first son, but at 3 months he had a nursing strike, and even though she didn't see an IBCLC, she gave up, fed him formula. Her second son, she bf for over 2 years. She says that if she has another kid, she'll formula feed, because it's so convenient.

For those of you that think that formula is more convenient, lemme tell ya straight. IT'S NOT. Unless you are unprivileged enough to have a nanny, or privileged enough to have constant help and support, it's not worth it.

My daughter doesn't eat on a schedule. She doesn't over eat, or under eat. But she eats in spurts, much like a bf-ing baby. So I can't predict when/if she needs to eat. And sometimes, all of a sudden, her hunger hits, and I have to find a bottle, heat up water (in a pan), pour it in the bottle, mix in the formula, shake until it's mixed, make sure the temperature is right, and all the while my daughter is screaming her bloody head off because she's hungry. And yeah, being able to feed her hands-free would be a plus, but the bonding aspect of bf-ing isn't anything to do with the milk. It's because the baby has to be held in momma's arms, cuddled to be fed. THAT'S bonding. I can bond with her and do that while ff-ing, so I do. I don't let people prop her bottle, or lay her down with it. I feed her as if she were still eating from my breast. And THAT'S part of AP, which makes ff-ing not convenient.

So when you think ff-ing is convenient, I want you to think of those nights where you need as much sleep as you can get, and you have to get up at 2.30 am, and PREPARE a bottle to feed your babe, as opposed to just popping your boob in her mouth before she even wakes up screaming. Hell, you don't have to wake up all that much to make that one little movement!

Or when you are out and about, in the middle of a conversation with someone and all of a sudden, you need to make a bottle.

Or when you've run out of formula before your next WIC check is good and you've not got a pay check left and you can barely scrounge up the money to buy a can of formula for your kid.

I wish I had milk on tap. THAT is convenient.

And the ick factor comes with the territory. Even if you don't bf, you're gonna be spit up on, pooed on, peed on, sweat on, slobbered on, etc on a daily basis. When you are responsible for the total care of another person, that includes their bodily fluids as well.

Anyway, just saying, I don't blame mothers for doing what they think is right, if they've truly done the research and know fully in their heart that what they are doing is best for them and their child. But the mommas that just go with the status quo, don't feed their head, don't do the research for the good of their child, and make the plain decision before the kid gets here to just do what everyone else around them does, that's just BS in my opinion.

And about having the luxury of staying home, it's not a luxury. It's hard work. It's not easy to make ends meet on one income, but well worth giving up every single little convenience. Because in the end, I think RyvreWillow said it best. "If they are angry at me about their childhood when they're grown up, I'll know why. I was there."

 

My MOTHER bottle fed both my sister and I and we're both healthy people. Whereas my breastfed cousin has more allergies than he knows what to do with. Not every breastfed baby is healthy.

I don't think a woman is a bad mother because she chooses bottle over breast. No matter what the reason. It could be a cosmetic reason, it could be personal choice because it's weird....believe it or not, some people think it's weird...., it could be lack of information. No reason is a bad one. So long as the baby doesn't starve, it's all gravy.

I think everyone should have the right to an opinion without being badgered by WHY. This thread really does have some hostility behind it. Everyone has an ass, everyone has an opinion. That's the way it works.

 

Hmmm...could have sworn I had posted in this thread earlier today. Guess my 2 cent observations on this and the other thread weren't welcome.

Or I hallucenated posting...which is quite possible.

It's a bit discouraging because it took me days to work up the nerve to comment against such strong personalities and a trend I had noticed...

 

I'd just like to say a big congratulations and well done to all the mamas here for doing it the way they have, whatever that is, you all deserve a pat on the back

 

thats exactly what my mum said when I told her about this. Its not like formula feeding is easy. She herself said she would rather have breastfed had it been a workable and viable option for her, it is much easier.

 

excuse me but are you a doctor? i really don't think so.
my doctor told me that is the reason why i can't breastfeed.
get over yourself. your opinion is bullshit.

 

My mother tried to breastfeed my older sister but it didn't work out. This was 1969, and she was 17 and there was NO support back then. It was the era of doctors telling you formula was better....and grandmothers telling you that only poor people breast feed, and the baby isn't getting enough, etc. She also had to work and a mother only got 4 weeks of leave. She feels bad now after seeing my sister and I feed our babies and wishes she had done better.

I wasn't BF and I'm just fine. The car seat parody is amusing, but not a fair comparison IMO. A car crash can kill you, I don't think anyone ever OD'd on formula

Incidently, my grandma kept trying to tell me maybe my milk "wasn't strong enough" when I would have to nurse a baby several times during a visit I just did the ol' smile and nod..:lol:

 

who are you talking to?