breastfeeding?

Question

I'm due to have my baby on 1st June and am thinking about feeding options. I know breast is best but the thought of it has always made me feel ill. I dont know why, I knows its natural and best etc so please dont jump on me for that. So I was planning on bottle feeding but I want to do whats best for the baby, I was wondering could I breast feed for the first week or so just so baby gets the collostrum then switch to bottle feeding or is it not worth doing it for that short a time? Would it just confuse baby. I know after the birth I may change my mind and want to breast feed anyway, but I'm not banking on it!
I'll talk it over with my midwife at some point but I'm not due to see her for a while so I thought I'd ask here.

Thanks for any advice

Answer 1

I know this is long, but you need to hear this. This is a question that is as much about your health as it is your baby's. POINT BLANK, the answer to your question is: Yes, any length of breastfeeding is better than none. Especially during the first week so that baby can get the benefits of your colostrum. But, by far, long term breastfeeding has benefits that greatly outweigh the disadvantages. Breastfeeding can be difficult at first, especially if you were not raised in a family that welcomed that concept. This society has so far removed itself from the natural way of things.
ADVANTAGES
* more babies die from respiratory infections and diarrhea who are bottle-fed than who are breastfed
* breastfed babies have a decreased likelihood for allergies and dental caries (cavities)
* people who are breastfed may experience less trips to doctors and dentists
* for mothers: reduced rates of various cancers
* for mothers: prevent postpartum hemorrhage and promote uterine involution (the return to a nonpregnant state)
* nonbreastfeeding mothers lose less weight and don't keep it off as well as breastfeeding mothers
* As long as a mother breastfeeds without substituting formula, foods, or pacifiers for feedings at the breast, the return of her menstrual periods is delayed
* you can feed your baby even during stressful times such as when normal supplies of food and water are not available (Hurricane Katrina?)
* no bottles to mix or warm (or clean!)
* Breastmilk does not stain clothing like formula can
* The stools of breastfed babies do not smell until solid foods are introduced (can't say the same for bottle-fed babies!)
* Breastfed babies are healthier babies
* breastfeeding mothers who are employed outside the home are likely to miss fewer days of work
* human milk is delivered without excess packaging or processing and thus contributes to the health of our planet
* helps with the child's ability to mature
* breastfeeding provides nutrition, comfort, security, for a way to calm down and for reassurance
*closeness and availability of the mother through breastfeeding is one of the best ways to help toddlers grow emotionally
* Breastfeeding helps a toddler feel good about himself, because his needs are being met
* milk provides immunities and vitamins, and can help protect your baby from illness and allergies
* current studies show that after weaning their children, breastfeeding mothers' bone density returns to prepregnancy or even higher levels
* NON-breastfeeding mothers have been shown in numerous studies to have a higher risk of reproductive cancers
* women who do not breastfeed have a higher risk of hip fractures after menopause
* Breastfeeding has been shown to be protective against many illnesses, including painful ear infections, upper and lower respiratory ailments, allergies, intestinal disorders, colds, viruses, staph, strep and e coli infections, diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, many childhood cancers, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, salmonella, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS) as well as lifetime protection from Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, some lymphomas, insulin dependent diabetes, and for girls, breast and ovarian cancer.
* baby's immune system develops more rapidly than does baby who is fed formula
* if baby does become sick, the illness is generally less severe and lengthy than if he were bottle-fed
* breastfeeding relieves pain and stress for baby
* bonding between mother and baby- this creates foundations for a healthy relationship well into adulthood
**The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child.." ** The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend that babies be breastfed for at least two years.

DISADVANTAGES
* restricted diet-there are some foods that you do not want passing to your baby
* restricted medications- same as above. However, there is an herbal/natural remedy for just about every illness you may get (those can be used while breastfeeding)
* I'm having trouble thinking of more. I'm sure there are people who will share some.

****Milk Production:

One misconception is that there are a lot of cases where women have such a low amount of milk that they can not breastfeed. The truth is, the instances where it is really impossible to breast feed are few and far between. Our diet has a lot to do with milk production or the lack thereof. And there is work to be done if we have created a situation that is not conducive to good milk production. I strongly believe that God made women's bodies to have babies and to nourish those babies. He has also provided for health and cure for those bodies. These natural sources help increase milk supply.
Red Raspberry Tea
Brewer's Yeast- 3-4 tablets daily (may cause gas at first)
Concentrated Alfalfa-3-4 capsules daily
Marshmallow Tea-drink warm as often as desired, or 2 capsules 3 or 4 times daily.
Blessed Thistle Tea
NOTE: SAGE and PARSLEY dry up milk if taken in therapeutic doses.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I have two daughters.
Daughter one nursed until 16 months old (now 3 yrs old)
Daughter two is still nursing (15 months old)
Neither have had respiratory or ear infections
I have had 5 periods in the last 45 months.

If I can advise you in any way, please EMAIL ME.

Answer 2

Whether or not you breast feed is completely up to you. You can breastfeed for just the first week so the baby gets the collostrum which really helps build their immune system and switching to the bottle may be a little easier if your little one is not so dependant upon the breast. I breast fed until my son was about 3 months old and then I stopped for my own reasons. Yes breast milk is the most nutrious thing for a baby but sometimes its just not easy to do for the mom or not the best situation for the mother and child. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for bottle feeding your baby. Each mother is different.

Congratulations on your little one

Answer 3

I felt exactly the same way as you. Looking back, I wish I was more informed about some options when it came to breastfeeding.

Even though my Mom breastfed me and my siblings, and my sister breastfed her two kids, the idea of breastfeeding made me uncomfortable too. When my daugther was born I started breastfeeding, becasue I know how important the colostrum is, and within the day I had it in my head that I was just going to breastfeed.
Unfortunely, I have flat nipples, and breastfeeding was a horribly painful experience, and I ended up with a nipple infection so bad that I couldn't breastfeed or pump (due to the pain). After nine days of breastfeeding I switched to formula... my baby is perfectly healthy, and now that she is 9 months, I'm glad she's not on the boob!!!

If I have another baby I think I will try to breastfeed again, but if at any time it isn't working, I will try to pump and store the breast milk, and feed the baby bottled breastmilk.

Maybe that is a good option for you.... spend a littel extra money on a good breast pump.... your midwife can help you with suggesting a good one.

Answer 4

It would be good for the baby to get the colostrum so breastfeeding for the first week would be better than not at all. Maybe you would want to keep going after that but if you don't that's fine. I breastfeed my children for the first week and wanted to keep breastfeeding but they had jaundice and were not feeding to well, so i bottle feed. It will not confuse the baby but sometimes if you bottlefeed and try to go back to breastfeeding the baby won't take the breast again because bottlefeeding is easier for baby they don't have to suck as hard. If you decide not to keep breastfeeding don't let people make you feel like you are doing the wrong thing because you are not, if you don't feel comfortable breastfeeding baby may sence this so you would be better to bottlefeed. Do whats right for you and your baby. You can be a great mum without breastfeeding. Try to breastfeed first though you may feel diffrent then.

Answer 5

Bravo for choosing to breastfeed! You mentioned that it makes you ill the thought of breastfeeding. I am hoping that once you find out how easy and economical that it is to breastfeed you will continue at least for the first 3 months if not for the recommended year.
Be aware that breastfeeding doesn't come without the pain. Your nipples need to toughen up. It will hurt like heck for the first 3 or so days then the pain will go away. Use plenty of Medela PureLan 100 on your nipples.
You have concern about nipple confusion. I included a dr.sears link at the bottom hope that helps.

A bit about me. I have breastfed 2 babies with one more on the way in 7 more weeks. Each child was self-weaned from the breast. With my first child I decided that I was going to breastfeed come hell or high water. I couldn't stand the smell/stains of formula or the poops/spit-up that came with the formula. Also the $$ that formula cost. So my decision was made.
I had some difficulties but it was all worth it in the end.

Good luck with your birth and your decision to breastfeed.

Answer 6

I have worked on a Special Care Baby Unit for 5 years and have breastfed both my babies until they were 6 months old.There is no right answer to your dilemma.Of course you want to do the best for your baby and breastfeeding is probably better but only if you feel comfortable about it otherwise it will be more difficult.There are practical sides to breastfeeding like not having to get up in the middle of the night to make a feed,never running out of powder,no messing with sterilising equipment, cheaper (including not having to buy bottles,teats etc),less waste as when a baby cries parents often offer a feed but it may not be what the baby wanted and he won't drink it.On the other hand,bottles can be given by Dad (including in the middle of the night!) so he might feel more involved and babies seem to settle better and go for longer periods between feeds when bottle fed.You could also express breastmilk and feed it to your baby by bottle.However that is time-consumming but it's an option.It is also possible to breatfeed and formula feed a baby (ie:breastfeed at night and formula feed during the day)Breastfeeding does provide with special time with your baby,it's nice to know they are putting weight on 'thanks to you' AND it helps you regain you figure quicker.The 1st 2 weeks are often a bit difficult but it gets easier when both you and baby get the hang of it!I hope it helps,good luck.Whatever you choose,remember it is your choice and no-one has the right to pressure you either way.

Answer 7

Do not feel badly for how your feeling toward breastfeeding. I actually felt the same way. I am not proud to say that I would even think it was gross to see a woman doing it in public.

My son is now 20 mos old. I ended up breastfeeding him for 9 months. I even had to pump many times to freeze the milk for later use if he was staying with a sitter. It was a HUGE commitment that took me a while to get used to. But, I will say, there is nothing more beautiful then to see your child looking up at you with thier big loving eyes while you feed them. It is something very intimate and natural actually. I was so sad when I decided to stop breastfeeding. I would have even done it longer, but he became more interested in real food.

I now have a totally new appreciation for women who choose to breastfeed and I no longer feel it is gross. Though I also do not judge those who choose not to breastfeed. It is a very personal decision that only you can make. You will know after your baby is born if it is right for you or not.

Lastly, my son is so healthy. I think part of that is the breastmilk but I really can't say for sure. I certainly feel it made a big difference.

Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 8

I was more scared of the breastfeeding then the actual labor.. so I know what you mean. But honestly it's been the absolute best thing I ever done. Once you get the hang of it it will be the easiest thing you have to do all day. I can't stress that enough. It's the perfect food custom made just for your child. Did you know breastfed babies on average score higher on IQ tests? Are sick less? Babies were born to be breastfed...

read the boards at www.kellymom.com and go to a local leleache league meeting (www.lalecheleague.org).. It sounds like you need some support. Honestly you can do it and you will never be sorry! Good luck!

Answer 9

Hey, this is like loads of stuff to do with having a baby, you can think about it and plan what you want to do but in reality its not always the case. If you want to try breastfeeding and it works for you and the baby then great but sometimes it doesn't work out. Loads of things can happen, you might have trouble with latching on, may not have enought milk, may get mastitis etc. etc. You must not beat yourself up about this - if it doesn't go to plan its not the end of the world - its all about you BOTH being happy, healthy and content - not breastfeeding does not make you a bad mother - better to bottle feed, be content and have quality time than have a hungry baby and mum who spends all day trying to breastfeed. I am not anti breastfeeding at all if it works for you - I have two children and one of them had no breast milk at all but is perfectly healthy and always wins the top attendance award at school. Congratulations and try to take things as they come.

Answer 10

Breastfeed for as long as you can. I personally, recommend that you try breastfeeding for at least 6 weeks as generally around 6 weeks it gets a lot easier.

Generally speaking breastfed babies will easily switch to a bottle up until about 3 months of age. However that generally implies to wanting a baby to take the breast and a bottle. I am sure, if nothing else were to be offered almost all babies would eventually take a bottle.

Try going to La Leche League meetings and talk to breastfeeding moms. Really they will be glad to have you. Try to figure out what makes you feel ill. Personally, though anything other than breastfeeding never really occured to me, I HATE people touching my nipples. Seriously, don't even touch them, not ever. However I managed. I worked through bad latch, pain, weeks of fighting and pumping and cup feeding and I made it through. Do I find breastfeeding enjoyable.... well not particularly. I find it neutral. I do enjoy the closeness with my child, sometimes the time out together is nice. I do like not having to worry about carting formula and bottles around.

Personally, in my world view, and I am probably in a different country than you, and with my family and my background, and my culture formula feeding isn't even an option I would consider. So maybe that is colouring my judgement.

But make the best decision you can for you and your baby. But really I don't see a downside to at least trying to breastfeed.

Answer 11

Your gonna have to wait and see how you feel once your baby is born. Get all the stuff you need for both bottle and breastfeeding so you are prepared. Yes you can feed for a short time, but don't stop completely after one week, cut the amount of breastfeeding down over the next couple of weeks. This will help you reduce the milk you are producing and wont hurt as much. Your midwife/health visitor will try to encourage you as much as possible to breastfeed but if you really don't want to then don't feel bad about it.