Bottlefeeders from birth: would like to know your motivations?

Question

Firstly PLEASE don't misunderstand q as trying to provoke an argument, as I'm just curious to understand why without putting pressure.

I exclusively breastfed for 1st 3 mths then have mixed fed since (due to baby's v slow weight gain) so have experience in both.

But... it seems that many people now are bottlefeeding from start and I would really like to know what stopped you wanting to breastfeed. In my opinion (again not lecturing - got my own share of that when started mixing), breast has more pros (health of baby, deeper bonding, on tap, delayed period, free compared to expensive formula) and few cons (probs in public, delayed dieting).

As so many of you are doing it, there must be something I'm not getting. Also, would you have considered mixed as I have done? (may be lucky but baby has had no probs switching)

I suppose I must apologise for the bonding remark as this isn't really what I meant. There are a million ways parents and babies can bond and feeding is just one of them. What I meant to say (as someone who now formula feeds 3 times daily, breastfeeds 1 and gives solids one) is that I do love my breastfeeding one of the day more than the bottle feeding ones, and I suppose I do feel a little closer in that moment.

I was NOT lecturing, I believe a happy mother results in a happy baby and disapproval of either is wrong. I was thinking about this as in Italy where I live I've never heard of anyone choosing not to. This is what I was trying to understand, I know there are a million of reasons why people can't (as I wrote b4, I mixed from 3 mth to now (6mths) 4 that reason.)

Sorry if noses put out of joint but I don't see what's so wrong in my trying to understand another point of view. I suppose It was also on my mind as I'm now starting to stop.

Answer 1

I have not pro's or con's to breast feeding to bottle feeding that I would give parents. I have a 17 year old that I bottle feed from the start and I myself did it for one reason and one reason only.

It is my reason and I do not think anything good bad or what ever for a lady to breast feed her children, it is her baby and up to her to do as she sees fit.

I did not breast feed my daughter because the thought of her or any baby sucking on my breast freaked me OUT. I thought the idea gross and weird for me.

When I see woman breast feed their child I DO NOT feel this way toward them. I see it as them feeding their child.

Just the thought of me doing it made me want to throw up.

Answer 2

i bottle fed from day one there was no way in this earth that i could of breastfed i have quite big boobs for my small frame and just the whole thing freaks me out, i know breast is best and all that, but i liked the idea of sharing the feeding with my boyfriend letting him gain a special bond with him to while feeding (he was also the 1st to feed him after he was born as i was coming round from an emergence c section). Having a new born is so hard so being able to leave my son with someone for an hour and know he has his bottle if he needed it made things easier for me and why the hell should i make my life any harder. He has now grown in to a very health little boy. And when i have my next again i will bottle feed.
Its whats right for you no one is right or wrong its your family so you do what you feel is best for them and you its no one else is business but your own!!!

Answer 3

With my first child I desperately wanted to breastfeed, while in hospital I had a hard time getting him on. I started to use a nipple shield which seemed to be working so I left hospital. When I got home I was feeding my son without the shield and he seemed to be going OK, he was sleeping and I thought I had a good baby. I was going to the baby clinic every week having him weighed, at 4 weeks the nurse started to get worried as he wasnt back to his birth weight, when I said he was sleeping well I was informed that he was strarving, and didnt have the energy to be awake. I was horrified to think I was killing my baby. The nurse visited my home to see me feed, I fed for one hour then my son was offered a bottle and he took the whole thing. From that day I bottle fed and he gained weight very fast.
Next 2 children were bottle fed after 1 week of breast.

Answer 4

First off, i bottlefed both my daughters through choice, and not for one minute did it affect Bonding!!! I have 2 of the most loving sweet natured little girls going and health wise they have never had any problems, so by not breastfeeding it did NOT affect bonding or health

My reasons where simple i just didnt want to, i wanted to enjoy my time with the children and not always feeling as though i was there just to feed, and also as i had my hubbby to help i wasnt as tired and had the energy to enjoy being with my kids as babies, i feel this would have not been the case if had breastfed.

Yes it probelry is best for the baby, but it certinly does not affect bonding, thats one thing i know for sure. Both my girls are healthy and happy so what difference does it make to whether they where bottle or breast fed. NONE I FEEL.

Answer 5

I breastfed my first child for a full two years. There were many pros to it. But we had not intended to breastfeed past a year. However, we were letting our son self wean and he wasn't ready until he was two. The downside is that I felt like I couldn't leave or do anything on my own. I had trouble pumping so I had to be around in case my son needed to eat. My husband felt left out because he very much wanted to be active in everything. So, when we had my second child we decided to bottle feed. I was very torn about it. I was even more torn when I was sitting in the hospital and my breasts were leaking all over the place. I'd had a c-section so I was in the hospital for a few days. My breasts were huge and sooooo sore and just spraying milk all over. The nurses had to keep bringing me clean gowns and ice packs. It was torture. I finally gave up and decided to breastfeed but my new little guy wouldn't latch on no matter what we tried. So, my second ended up being a bottle fed baby. I HATED it. I felt guilty but I also felt it was such a hassle. The formula was expensive. I hated having to get up at night to get a bottle ready. We co-sleep so it was easy with my first to just feed him right there when he woke up. But with my second I'd have to get up to get the bottle. Sure, my husband was able to help and that was nice but I always regretted I didn't breastfeed. I'm now pregnant with my third and I'm breastfeeding. After having done both I'm 100% sure that breastfeeding is the better option...for me anyway.

Answer 6

This may sound selfish but I did not feel comfortable at the thought of breastfeeding. I hadn't really read up enough about it in all honesty. I wanted my partner to help out with the night time feeding and also I had to go back to work quite soon after having my daughter. She is still very healthy and happy, but I do wish I had at least tried. I am pregnant at the moment and am hoping to breastfeed this time.

Answer 7

What a good question. I was working in a childrens ward when I had my first. I wa an "expert" at bottle feeding and could feed babies that were difficult for various reasons,like down syndrome,cleft pallete,swallowing problems etc as I had the patience and a feel for it.So I knew I would have no problems,and I had no experince with breastfeeding.I was also returning to work part time wehn bub was 6 weeks old. but when I had to finally make the decision on leaving the labour room.it was hard.I had that little pill in my hand and thye basically told me I had to make up my mind now.so experience won and I bottle fed my first.
i breatfed my 2nd for a bout 3 weeks but the demands of a 2 year old, household and husbadn, I changed to bottle feeding.
my third I brestfed from day one until the week before he turned 3.from the time he was about 15 months it was night feed only,unless he snuck in my bed of a morning LOL

Answer 8

i would have loved to have breastfed my daughter. we adopted her and only had a month's notice. i looked into adoptive breastfeeding, but i felt that just doing skin to skin contact with her and holding her close while bottle feeding gave us the same connection. i did not want to be messing with all of the tubes and such that would have been required by breastfeeding using the lactaid method. i would have loved to have breastfed her, but my body would not allow me to carry my child. so we decided on a good formula and did skin to skin contact when she was very young, we were there when she was born, and it's worked great for her. she's quadrupled her birth weight in the first year. hope that answers some of your question.


and bottlefeeding is looked down upon. you should see the looks i've gotten from people when i bought formula or bottle liners. it's crazy. i wanted to, but what was i to do? my daughter is one of the happiest and healthiest babies around.


and i am rather offended about the better bonding. i do not believe breast or bottle feeding makes a difference. if you are doing skin to skin and holding the baby for each feeding what really is the difference? does the baby really know it's not your breast?

please don't judge unless you know exactly why someone is doing it. as long as the baby is healthy and happy, what does it matter. i wanted nothing more than for my body to nurish my baby. but i chose to nurish her spirit, and soul. and also have made very healthy nutritious feeding choices for her now that she is eating almost exclusivly solids.

Answer 9

I wanted very badly to breastfeed my son but I had 2 problems from the get-go: 1) I kept trying from the day he was born and it was very painful, just something I wasn't used to at all, and more importantly, 2) I've been smoking since I was a teenager and it's something I have not yet been able to quit. I didn't want that nicotine going through my system and into my baby. I sound like a hypocrit because I smoked during pregnancy (although I cut down)... but it's the truth. I wasn't very conscious of what I was putting into my body (eating junk food, etc) and I was afraid that kind of stuff, plus the nicotine, would just be very bad.

Answer 10

The wife Breast fed for 2 days, however having twins the babies did not latch on to get enough to eat so started to suppliment them with a formula bottle and now they are strictly formula and growing just as big if not bigger then being breastfed