Breastfeeding or bottle feeding?

Question

What did you do, are you doing, or are you going to do once you have kids?

I breastfeed mine! My first 3 I did and am currently my 5 month old.

Answer 1

All three of mine have been nursed long term and never even tasted formula.

#1 breastfed about 3.5 years
#2 breastfed about 22 months (16 of which were tandem with big brother)
#3 is still nursing at 3.5 years

All have (or will) self wean.

Breastfeeding is healthiest for mom and baby! There is NOTHING man could do to create a formula that is as good as the real thing!

EDITED TO ADD:
just me -
The breast and the bottle are totally different things. A baby still taking a bottle beyond 2 years may have dental problems, for example. There are NO DISADVANTAGES to extended breastfeeding. Extended breastfeeding is BIOLOGICALLY NORMAL for our species.

The AAP recommends nursing for *at least* 12 months.
The WHO and UNICEF recommend nursing for *at least* 2 years.
The worldwide average age of weaning is 4.2 years.
The natural age of weaning for the human species falls between 2.5 and 7 years, per anthropologist Kathryn Dettwyler.
AND.....did you know Michael Jordan was breastfed for 3 years? His mom is rather proud of it and speaks about it often!

vpsinbad50 -
I feel so sorry for your kids that you have such hang-ups about natural body functions. How could you compare taking a dump to breastfeeding? TOTALLY different acts!

Answer 2

both sides of this issue are so judgmental! it's almost as bad as working moms vs. stay at home moms. i have 2 boys that are now 2 and 4 and i tried really hard for 2 - 3 months both times and the milk production just kept decreasing so i then started to bottle feed. i felt really guilty about this and told the pediatrician and he told me he has 4 kids the first two where breast fed and the last two were not. i asked him if he could see a difference in his kids and he said the ones that were breast fed are a pain and high strung...haha. the third is a genius and the fourth is beyond genius. maybe he was trying to tell me there was no difference with his kids but it made me feel better.
anyway, my kids are PERFECT in every way. they are healthy and not fat. they are exactly average physically and very smart and happy.
all moms should support each other not criticize! it's hard enough being a mom without being judged for every thing.
i do have to add that breastfeeding is FREE which is good, and formula is expensive...NOT GOOD.

Answer 3

Well I breastfeed my first one for a few weeks, but it stressed me out so much that I cried all the time. She wanted to eat all of the time, and once we switched her to bottle she ate every 2hrs an 8 ounce bottle. If I would have continued breastfeeding her I would not have no time to myself. After that I didn't even try to breastfeed my other children. I think it is great if you can breastfeed your children, but some women just can't. So, in this case I think the formulas they make to day are almost as good as breast milk. I would also like to add that in my opinion if a child is old enough to ask for it by name then it is time to ween them.

Answer 4

I agree do what is best for your baby don't breastfeed because they say its the best for the child i have had four kids and they didn't want my milk so i was told to keep trying and i put them on formula and now i have 4 healthy boys. So do what the baby wants and i don't agree with breast feeding after 12 months introduce a cup.

Answer 5

I breastfed my first 3 til about a year old but want to breastfeed my 9 mo old until at least 2 yrs old

Answer 6

I breastfed all 3 of mine, its much better for the baby and the best way for a mother and child to bond in my opinion. I am sorry but disagree totally with the one that did for over 3 years, most babies should be off the bottle by earlier than age 2.

Answer 7

while my now 3 twelve months previous and that i began out breastfeeding,we struggled plenty..it substitute right into a three month conflict of having him latched on and staying that way long adequate to get any nutrition..he might get frusterated and then,I in turn might do the comparable. I continually knew i might breastfeed my toddlers and so while my son substitute into born and that i found out how puzzling it substitute into,I freaked out. I nursed a outstanding 6-8 hours out of my day (something substitute into needless to say crammed up with diaper variations and house household initiatives etc...) and as a result I gave up some months of 'me-time' to make useful my son had the final a hazard nutrition he might desire to...I nursed him till he substitute into 10 months and that i'll deffinently breastfeed my next toddler..i will not be able to think of giving up each and all of the beautiful bonding moments I shared with my son. Bottle feeding works greater perfect i assume for some human beings...yet alot of cases I see 'excuses' extremely of actual scientific motives..inspite of the undeniable fact that it extremely is a private decision... And no count what technique a confirm makes use of to feed their toddler it would not have something to do with the affection they have for their toddler.

Answer 8

I breastfed my daughter till she was 7 months old (by that time I was already 3 months pregnant.) I am due on the 25th of this month, and plan to breastfeed her untill she is a year old if I can!

Answer 9

Breastfeeding. I am still nursing my 27 month old, although he only nurses right before bed now. My son was in daycare as an infant, so I supplemented with formula. It worked out well. He nursed while at home. When I worked, I pumped and added formula when necessary. Breast is best, but if you can't nurse formula is also good. It doesn't have to be one or the other. If I have another baby, I will nurse. Although, I will wean the next one sooner.

Answer 10

I'm planning to breastfeed until my babe's ready to wean himself.

It's what they're there for. Hell, I'm pregnant and getting stretch marks on my boobs. Might as well go ahead and use them, if they're going through all that stress of growing and filling with milk anyways. Wouldn't want them to feel unappreciated or unneeded.

I don't like formula myself, it tastes like buttwipe. Plus the baby's poop is worse, babies get gassier, etc etc. It's just not what babies want or need and it's really gross. If I won't eat it, why would I want my baby to? And yes, breastmilk DOES taste good to me. I think it's the best thing I can give my babe, especially the colostrum. And they say every single so often, "NEW IMPROVED FORMULA!! MORE LIKE BREASTMILK!!" If I am able to give the real thing, I will give the real thing. If I can't, it's going to be tough to find something I find as a suitable replacement.

I'm also using cloth diapers, going natural has to be better... 75% of babes (approx, I think it was actually 78%) with disposable didies get diaper rash... compared to a whopping 7% of incidents with diaper rash in cloth diapered babes. Hmm...