breastfeeding or bottle feeding?

Question

I'm due in May with my first baby and I'm not sure whether to breastfeed or bottle feed. I like the idea of the closeness of breastfeeding, but leaky breasts, and waking up to feed every 2 hours doesn't sound pleasant. Can you offer me some advice? What are the pro's and con's of both? What did you do with your kids? Thank you

Answer 1

It is so beneficial and financially attractive to breastfeed. Many health organizations and doctors advise breastfeeding, or trying to for the 1st year of life and exclusively (no formula or food) for the first 6 months. It is the best thing to do to build up a life long immune advantage in your child. Whether or not you breastfeed, the baby will have a certain sleep schedule. The convenience of the breast is that when you are sleeping and wake up to feed the baby, there is no measuring formula, heating it, holding the bottle while dozing off, etc.. You just cradle your baby and feed her (or him)! It is the most natural thing in the world.

I do both breast and bottle, breastmilk and formula (in moderation). It is a wonderful combination for my family and I wouldn't change a thing. Congratulations to you on your new baby! It is such a magical time.

Answer 2

Breastfeeding is good for your baby. Research shows that breastfed babies (in general) get sick less. It is FAR less expensive. You bond with your baby more. You still have to get up every 3-5 hours generally with bottle feeding, and this time goes by in 6 months or so anyway.

The cons are the leaky breasts. My husband loved that they were bigger but felt like he couldnt do much with them. Also it hurts for some people but if you stick out for 3-5 weeks it usually stops. After 4-6 months your body regulates and produces milk only when it is time for a feeding. So most of the leaking stops. Trust me 6 months goes by quickly. I breastfed for almost 13 months.

And lastly, you will get milk whether you want to breastfeed or not . My son latched on well the first time, the day he was born and i never had many problems. Maybe the same will go for you. Whether you want to breastfeed or not youll probably get pain and a lot of leaking the week after you give birth...so, you can at least try it and then if it works for you and your baby then continue and if it doesnt then hey you gave it a real try and now you can research the best formula. (I also formula-fed from 8-12 months at daycare because I hated pumping. )

Answer 3

Breastfeeding is a million times easier and cheaper than formula. Holy cow. If I had to get up and make a bottle of formula 3-8 times a night, I would kill my baby.

You need to also remember that formula goes bad very quickly. Particularly if baby drinks out of it.

The first months when we went out all I needed was a change pad a few diapers and some wipes and a burp cloth. Nothing else, no diaper bag (the change pad folded up and held everything. It is smaller than my purse!)

Seriously though there are so many benefits to breastfeeding I can't imagine anyone doing anything else. Even in the US formula fed babies have twice the risk of dying in the first year. Bottle feeding (breast or formula) causes ear infections. Formula fed babies frequently suffer from constipation, which is nearly impossible in a breastfed baby. Immunites. There are over 100 ingredients in breastmilk that are not in formula, you think all 100 don't do anything? Breastfeeding also protects the mom from certain cancers, etc, etc.

There are 101 reasons here:
http://promom.org/101/index.html

And if this doesn't put you off formula I don't know what will:
http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/images/Just%20one.pdf

Answer 4

There are several reasons for breastfeeding. Healthier, cheaper, easier etc but regardless of bottle or breast you still have to get up and feed every two hours. And leaky breasts only happen when you engorged and a simple breast pad takes care of that. I am still breastfeeding my 9 month old and use the bottle with formula occasionally. I wouldn't change it for the world. There's nothing in the world like it. I can't think of any cons of breastfeeding. Oh yeah your nipples hurt for a few weeks at first but it goes away. See I almost forgot about the pain already. lol

Answer 5

I breastfed all of my children. First one for 3 months, Second for 5 months and Thrid for 15 months. On my first child I went back to work when she was 3 months and didn't know about pumping my milk, so she sdjusted well, and we were pretty bonded (and still are) She's 12 now. I put her on the bottle with formula, which she couldn't tolerate well until they came out with soy, she began having severe ear infections, almost to the point of needing tubes. Second child, I pumped for a while and then went to 1/2 and 1/2 between formula and breastfeeding, again we got a lot of ear infections and discovered that she couldn't tolerate the milk in formula and had to go soy on her. Third child, I pumped like crazy, and nursed her, but she HATED the bottle. Since I went from breast to cup, she had MAYBE one ear infection through her first year and was RARELY ever sick and has been since then. She's 5 now and we are very close...she still sleeps with me a lot.

All children are different and some DON'T like the breast because it doesn't come out as fast as a bottle, thus the reason for ear infections when bottle-feeding. Yes, it is FINANCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY easier to nurse your children and the bond that you get from breast-feeding is awesome. :)
When your nursing and your baby looks at you with the eye closest to you, gives you the contented little sigh and shows all the love they have for you in it.....YOU MELT and fall in love ALL OVER AGAIN.

Will you leak?....sure, that's why they made nursing pads.....
Will you be tired?.....YES, but that's ANY mother of a newborn. However, you can put the baby in your bed, lay on your side and nurse. My youngest nursed EVERY HOUR during her first 2 weeks.You become a team, you learn each other, it just takes a bit of time and patience on your part and the baby's as well.

Your baby will have less infections, less sickness, and be generally healthier than a child who is not nursed. A newborn has NATURAL bacteria in it's tummy and intestines that is killed off when you bottle-feed formula so you get stinkier poo from a formula baby, more risk of infections, and a diminished immune system.
Also, if you contact wic, or just look on the net for The La Leche League, they can give you some awesome advice as well. My youngest was a biter, they helped me through EVERYTHING and she was my 3rd.

Good Luck.

Answer 6

Either way, you are going to be a new mother and will have to feed your baby, get up at night with your baby, and deal with leaky stuff alot less pleasant than milk.

Biologically, your baby expects to be breastfed. Physically, your body expects to breastfeed. Many of the things that are thought of as cons of breastfeeding are things you have to deal with as part of parenthood. I don't believe there are any pros of formula feeding over breastfeeding to the baby.

If you choose formula feeding, you are committed to it. Usually, there's no returning to breastfeeding. However, if you breastfeed, you always have all your options open to you, so you have an opportunity to assess the pros/cons for yourself.

I breastfed/formula fed one child and breastfed another.

Answer 7

I put a link at the bottom for 101 pros to breastfeeding. I can only come up with two cons: 1) you may encounter problems from time to time that affect you directly (there's plenty of problems with bottle-feeding, too, but with bottle-feeding the baby is the one who suffers, not the mother) and 2) you will frequently endure the criticism of uneducated people, often those who were "unable" to do it themselves (i.e., they gave up)

As for bottle-feeding, the only pro I can come up with is that mommy might get to sleep through the night if there's a daddy who is willing to take care of night feedings. As for cons: a myriad of health risks to mother and child, spit-up, smelly poop, expensive, lugging equipment everywhere you go, formula recalls, etc etc etc.

I breastfed both of my babies, and I consider it the most important thing I could have ever done for either child. For one, when my second child was three months old, a vicious stomach bug ravaged the entire household. My husband, my 10 year-old stepdaughter, my 2 yr old daughter, and I were all devastating ill. I had to take the toddler to the ER for dehydration, and almost took my step-daughter as well. Meanwhile, my exclusively breastfed three-month old was healthy and well, and never got so much as a stuffy nose. He has since had a cold from time to time, but I will never forget how the antibodies in my breastmilk undoubtedly saved him from hospitalization. His little body never could have warded off that illness on its own.

Anyway, breast cancer runs in my family, so I consider breastfeeding to be my (and my daughter's) extra protection. Breastfeeding has been known to lower the risk of breast cancer for both the mother AND for a female baby.

You will never regret breastfeeding, but many women regret NOT doing it.

Answer 8

i am also due in may with my first baby and i have decided to breastfeed for up to six months if i can, i might bring the bottle in as well after 3 months to give me a rest from time to time.
breastfeeding is said to be the very best start for your baby as your breast milk is specifically made for you baby but then again some baby's don't take to it in which case you don't have a choice.
hope this helps but remember its your decision just do what you want to don't listen to anyone else

Answer 9

It doesn't matter whether you breast feed or bottle feed you still have to get up every two hours to feed the baby. Breast feeding is best. I did both with my kids and breast feeding is so much easier. you don't have to prepare bottles or warm the formula. You can even sleep while feeding your baby. Just lay on your side and lay the baby next to you. When you bottle feed you have to get up and warm the bottle and stay up till the baby is done. I would recommend breast feeding as long as you can.

Answer 10

I would suggest to at least try breastfeeding, but like someone else said previous, don't feel pressured into it. I started out breastfeeding, but ended up having problems and had to switch to formula. I can't tell you how many times I had women (sometimes even strangers) tell me how I shouldn't be formula feeding my son. People will tell you how horrible formula feeding is, but just do what you feel is right. If you don't want to breastfeed, don't do it.