Did you feel under pressure to breast feed when you had a baby?

Question

I have yet to make up my mind about what to do. I think i would prefer to bottle feed. There seems to be a lot of people particularly women preaching the breast is best arguement. My sister has had 3 healthy children all of which were bottle fed.

What was your experience?

Answer 1

Breast is best. You hear it all the time because it's true.
That being said...Don't fret! If you want to bottle feed, then do it. Don't be bullied.
You have so many options.
Just nursing your baby for the time you are in the hospital would give him or her that extra add boost from the colostrum. Then you could bottle feed after that.
Or...you could nurse for x number of weeks or months and then switch over to formula.
Or...you could nurse exclusively.
Or...you could do both...alternating is not unheard of.
Or...you could exclusively bottle feed.
It's so absolutely up to you.
I can tell you that your baby will grow up happy, healthy and well bonded no matter which you choose to do.
I can also tell you from experience that bottle feeding for me (I raised one of my nieces for the first couple of years of her life from the time she came home from the hospital.) was so hard. It was so time consuming and so technical. Is the water heated to the right temperature? Am I using the right water? Which formula do I use? Is the bottle too hot? And at 2 in the morning.... nightmare to hold a screaming baby in one arm and have to fix those bottles with the other! She turned out fine. She is beautiful and healthy and smart. I'd do it again in a heart beat. If I didn't have a choice...I know I could have bottle fed my own children and been o.k. with it.
I have 3 beautiful children myself now. I exclusively breastfed all of them. I have to admit that it was a better experience than I ever would have thought. It was hard the first time around. I had many problems I had to over come in the first couple of weeks. After that and for the other two...it was so much easier. That 2 am feeding went so much easier. Baby cried...Pick up baby...Pop in booby...Finish on one side...Change the diaper...Pop in second booby...Baby nurses until asleep...Put baby back in bed...Put self back in bed. After about 6 weeks, I woke up before the baby did. Like clockwork. I got to go potty before we got started. I cherished being able to do one thing that no one else could do for them. It made me feel so close to them and so special.
Society has pretty much gotten over it. You don't have to expose yourself to nurse in public. Women who do that do it on purpose for the attention. I can't tell you how many times I have nursed walking through Wal-Mart , while eating in a restaurant (at the same time), or sitting in church. No one ever knew. I didn't use big cover ups. I didn't hide in the bathroom either. I figured out how to do it and did it.
It did cause problems though. My Mother-in-law (a nurse) didn't approve and didn't want me nursing in her home or in her presence. Like I cared. Her problem. Not mine. I dealt with it and didn't make a big deal out of it. I still think she harbors bad feelings toward me for not doing things the way she wanted me to. Oh,well!
What ever you decide to do...you too will bond with your baby in ways you can't even imagine.
Do not feel pressured one way or the other. Don't be afraid to give nursing a shot either. Like everything else in life, you'll never know till you try it. What ever you choose to do, you are that baby's mother. You know what's best for your baby. Tell everyone else to back off!!! Then later on you can blame it on hormones.

Answer 2

You must do what you feel the most comfortable with. If you get stressed trying to breast feed then this could effect your milk and your baby. There are a lot of people who agrue that breastfeeding is the best but this doesn't mean all women can do it successfully. I tried with 2 of my 3 children but my milk flow was far to strong and kept choking the babies. I soon gave up and didn't even bother with my 3rd. There is a good argument that breast feeding provides a better immunity against disease, illness etc but my bottle fed children, who were given all the recommended immunisations, were very health. As for the suggestion by Swami242 that breastfeed babies are much smarter is rubbish. My youngest son was a representative for his school in a country wide English Maths competition.

Go with what you want to do.

Answer 3

Everyone feels pressure by the overwhelming statistics in favor of breastfeeding, benefits for not only baby, but mom. Formula fed kids will be healthy for the most part, after all formula is a food. But the question is will they be as healthy as they can be, or just get by? Some women don't have a choice, be glad you do.
I nursed and found it to be so much more convenient then bottle feeding was when I was a nanny. Check out this website, be well informed and then make your own choice for the right reasons, your reasons.
http://www.promom.org/101/index.html

Answer 4

This is the beginning of the pressure. When it comes to children the reality is everyone has an opinion, and you are going to hear lots about lots of issues.

I am pro choice, which means I am for people making the right decisions for them.

If you are undecided wait until the baby is born. Give breastfeeding a try, if you don't like it then bottle feed, if you do then continue. At least this way you are making a decision based on your opinion. If you choose to do this, then make sure you give it more than one feed, because it takes about two or three days to get used to.

Whichever decision you make will be right for you and your baby, because you are comfortable. Yes, medically they say that breastmilk is better for the children, but it has to be your choice.

Don't stress about what other people say, you know what is right for you.

Answer 5

oh goodness...boobies are SO much easier. lol but here is the reality, the stuff in the breastmilk makes the babies more alert earlier on, so they grab toys and crawl sooner, but bottle fed babies are no less intelligent. You need to ask yourself whats easier for you...the kid won't know any difference. If your newborn roots for a nipple and finds a plastic one, it will automatically assume that it is the right thing. Breast feeding cuts out the scooping and shaking and heating and buying nipples all the time, and its an endless free supply. Don't give in to the pressure, make your own decision. It is your baby, not theirs.

Answer 6

The best part of a free civilized world is you get to make these types of choices. If you want to bottle feed, why even question it? Altho know that the anti oxidants given the first few weeks of breast feeding is great for the baby (tailor made for them infact) but this day and age formula's are great too! enjoy your baby!!!!

Answer 7

I wanted to breastfeed my little boy, but, met with a lot of little bumps along the way. He was born by emergency c-section, so instead of getting to breastfeed him immediately after his birth, I was still unconsious from the anesthesia. After that my colostrum came in quickly enough, but, my milk took a long time to come in. Since my son was born at a low birth weight, I felt pressure from the nurses to bottle feed him so he would have something in his tummy. When we took him home, he had troubles latching on because he was still very small. He and I would both get so frustrated while trying to feed that we would both end up in tears. It was really interfering with our ability to bond. So, in the end, I give expressed milk and formula. He was born at 5 pounds and is now happy, healthy and intelligent at 13 pounds. If you decide not to breastfeed, at least consider giving your baby the colostrum. It's very nutrious and give baby important antibodies.

The point is that you have to make the decision for yourself. There are a lot of benefits in breast milk and breast feeding. But, if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you. The bottom line is, feed the baby. Mothers who bottle feed their babies love their children just as much as those who breast feed. My mother bottlefed all five of us, and we all grew up to be intelligent, productive members of society. Like one of the other posters said, parents receive so much pressure from outside forces about how to raise their children. But, they are your children, so raise them the way that feels best for you. Trust your instincts.

Answer 8

In the beginning of breast feeding there is great stuff called colostrum that boosts the baby's immune system- breast feeding also helps your uterus get make to smaller size and it burns about and extra 500 calories a day- and there is nothing artificial in it and no allergy problems -D

Answer 9

Why wouldn't you breast feed? Is it bad or inconvenient? ( I've never had a baby) I always thought most women did it unless there was a medical problem. What are your reasons not to? I didn't know others put the pressure on. Good luck!

Answer 10

Breasfeeding, though a personal choice, is healthier for both you and your baby. It encourages bonding, it's easier once you get over the difficult stages and I found it very convenient not having to carry bottles wherever I went.

I breasfed my 1st born son for 2 months, and still feel bad about it though I had no choice. I am still breastfeeding my 2nd who is turning two next Friday!!! I wanted to wean him after he turned one but I couldn't - it was just too emotional. But it's been the best 2 years of my life and I had a period break until recently. That is another motivation! Visit LaLeche league web site for tips and advice.