Breastfeed or Bottlefeed!!!!! Answers please!!!!?

Question

Hey everyone i am 4 months pregnant, and thinking of the new baby coming in November.

I have herpes, and take meds, I really dont want to breastfeed becasue i have this problem, even though they say i still can, i want the BEST for my baby so i would rather bottlefeed with the best formula!

Is it wrong to bottlefeed?? Cant the baby get the same nutrients??

I just dont want to risk my baby getting herpes!!!!

Also if i dont breastfeed where will the milk go??? will my boobs leak??

WHAT IS THE BEST BOTTLE FEEDNG FORMULA, AND BOTTLES??

Also what is this about boiling the pacifier in hot water before giving it to the baby???

I need some tips!

ITS MY 1ST BABY.

THANKS!!!

Answer 1

There is nothing wrong with bottle feeding. Some people simply are unable to breastfeed. My sister had twins and couldn't breastfeed. They are almost 6 months old now. They are on Nestle Good Start Soy with DHA and ARA. As for your milk, when it comes in, your breasts will be sore for a couple days, but it soon goes away and you'll be fine. I would recommend for bottles the Playtex Nurser. They are the bottles with the disposable bags. You can get all the air out of the bags before feeding the baby so they don't get air and have much much less gas. They are also very easy to clean. We started out with the Playtex Vent-Aire bottles and hated them. The babies had a lot of gas and got belly aches quite often. They also were a pain to clean, as they have a number of pieces to take apart.

Boiling the pacifier in hot water before giving to a baby is a way of sanitizing it. This should also be done with the nipples of the bottles. If you are using plastic bottles, not ones with liners, this should be done with the bottles too.

Good luck to you.


And to maegs33...There is no proof that breastfed babies are smarter and healthier than bottlefed babies. Myself and all my siblings were bottlefed. We all graduated high school in the top 5% in our class. We all graduated college with honors and all have great careers. There is a CPA, an engineer and a medical technologist. We have never been sick, other than the common cold once in awhile, as everyone gets. Breastfeeding may help with bonding or whatever, but in no way does it make a child smarter than a bottle fed baby.

Amber18...FYI...Formula is FDA regulated. Check any website of a manufacturer of formula and it says right on it that it is FDA approved and regulated. This is also stated on the cans of formula.

Answer 2

Breast is best. You have read that. You know that. But if you are nervous about it...then don't do it. Breastfeeding is an amazing bond that you have with your child. They cuddle into you and they are warm and cozy up against the person they love most in the world. It's an absolutely amazing experience. I highly recommend at least trying it. You may absolutely hate it.
There is nothing wrong with Bottlefeeding. You will still have a special bond with your child. Formula has come along way. though it doesn't provide ALL the nutrients and antibodies that breastmilk does, it will be fine for your baby.
I breastfed/pumped exclusively for 6 months and when I was pregnant I really hadn't decided one way or the other. I tried to breastfeed and it was aweful at first but the more you work at it the better it gets. Now I give her 4 bottles a day and breast feed twice a day. She is a healthy happy baby. We use Similac or Infamil. She doesn't seem to care. I was thinking about trying Nestle also. I just bought what I had coupons for. If you go to those formulas websites they will send you coupons/checks.
Try not to worry. You'll have plenty to worry about once your baby is here.
I suggest trying breastfeeding.
Good Luck and Congratulations!

Answer 3

If you choose to bottlefeed I have some reccomendations.
We use Infamil Lipil Advanced w/DHA and ARA. My son didn't exclusively get formula until 3 months. Before that he got a mix.
If you don't breastfeed your breasts will fill up with milk after the birth, and then it iwll dissapate slowly over a week or two.

If the doctor suggests breastfeeding then you can trust it's safe and the preferred way to feed your baby.

Answer 4

If the doctor says that your baby won't get herpes (and that your meds won't hurt baby), I'd reccomend breast feeding, as statistics show breast fed babies have less illnesses-- even less earaches!

I'd reccomend doing more research or double checking with another doctor, just in case.

While the baby, in theory gets the 'same nutrients'.... fomula is not exactly like breast milk and is missing many of the key antibodies that fight illnesses/germs/etc.

Formula is a choice for you and baby. Many babies jsut dislike certain brands, or are really collicky and need soy. However, I've used 2 different brands so far with my 6 week old, and no problems with either. Enfamil & Similac seem to be the most common brands, and at decent prices. If you sign up on a couple sites (americanbaby.com, babycenter.com, etc, somehow they get your address and start sending you free cans and formula checks for $5-7.

I use the Avent Bottles, since they limit how much air baby can get, but again, your baby might like certain nipples or what not.

When you first get your pacifiers/bottles/etc, they reccomend you boil them first to santize them. After that, just washing them is fine. I actually didn't boil any of mine, and baby is just fine. Its just an extra precaution.

Your milk 'dries up', over the course of several days to two weeks. You'll leak a little over that course of time, but jsut buy breast pads to soak it up.

Answer 5

I was able to breastfeed (Well, I had to pump because my son as on a feeding tube due to being a preemies), but he never caught it. As long as you do not have open sores on your breasts you can breastfeed. If you still don't feel 100% secure about breastfeeding the best formula that my son used was Walmart's Parent's Choice Soy. It has the exact same nutrients as the more expensive formulas and my son spit it up a lot less than the others also.

Answer 6

Congratulations on the new baby.

It's great to see that you are thinking about all these things and trying to come to some descions before Baby gets here.

I first want to tell you the main risk of your baby getting the Herpes virus occurs during delivery. Discuss with your doctor other options. Many women with herpes prefer to have a C-section, even if they do not have an outbreak, just to be sure.

As for Breast Vs. Bottle, that is a descion you will need to make on your own. Some women love it, some do not. Because of you medical situation you are unsure about nursing. If this is an issue that you think will be bothersome for you then i would say go with the bottle. So long as you care for him and feed him when he needs it, he should be just as healthy as a breastfed baby. If you were to nurse, but you were stressed about it all the time it would not be as enjoyable of an expiriance for you, which really just adds more problems than you need right now.

If you choose NOT to breastfeed your breasts will get larger, fill with milk, quite possibly become painful, and then will dry up. You may expirience some leaking during the swelling, but they sell nursing pads in the baby section that you can put in your bra to prevent clothing from getting wet. The whole process takes about a month.

If you choose to bottle feed you will need to find a formula that works for you. They come in Ready-To-Feed Liquid, concentrated liquid (which you add with water), and powder (which you add with water). Different brands have different features, and different prices, find one that works, and stick with it. Baby will also have a determining factor in this. If one brand seems to make baby have gas, or excessive spit, or irritable mood, switch to something else.

As for the boiling, you are suppossed to boil all baby items, including bottle parts and pacifiars to disenfect them. If you have a dishwasher, the heat used to dry them is equally effective. If boiling them becomes to much of a pain they sell something you fill with the baby items, add a bit of water, then microwave. This serves the same purpose.

If you have any other questions, im always available.

Answer 7

I'm pregnant to 32 weeks and i have hepatitis C, but my doctors say that i can breastfeed to, but I'm worry about it, so they will tell me about week before i will give birth if i will or not. They will be looking at my blood and how much viruses i have in there, for my baby to get it. But it's only a 2, 3 % of a chance my baby will get it hepatitis from me.
So u should trust ur doctor if he says it's fine to breastfeed, it's better then formula u know. Formula not worse.

Boilling bottles and pecifiers it meens that they will be clean and will not have any bacterias. But now they have special cleaners for bottles and pecifiers u can by then.........i will.

Don't worry u be fine u still have a lot of time to find out more about ur baby and u. Don't rush with decision, just take ur time! ok?

Answer 8

Okay, first things first, I don't know if you would be further risking your child's health and transmit herpes by breastfeeding. Have you spoken with your doctor about that? You may want to speak with the pediatrician you'll use about this now. It may not be a problem, but I really don't know about that. If you're told it's not a problem by people who would know (your physician and a pediatrician), I think you should attempt to nurse. I mean, I have my doubts that breastfeeding would be worse than incubating in the pit of your belly for nine months, ya know? There are benefits to nursing, so if you can, give it a try.

It isn't "wrong" to bottlefeed, especially if you have a legitimate reason to. The possibility of transmitting herpes to your baby would definately be a legitimate reason. I would even say that if you are strongly uncomfortable about breastfeeding, that could be passed on to the baby, and feeling comfortable and having a positive experience can be better for you and the baby than being uncomfortable everytime you feed her.

Formula does have the nutrients your baby will need to be healthy, but there is evidence that, for some reason, breastfed babies are healthier than bottle-fed babies. This is mainly because antibodies boost the immune system, breast milk is easier to digest and less likely to cause an allergic reaction than milk or soy based formulas, and breastfed babies are not laying flat on their back with a bottle like a lot of babies are at night (which can lower the chance of ear infections). However, like I said, formula does provide the nutrients your baby needs, and there is neither a 100% guarantee a breastfed baby will be healthier, nor a 100% chance a bottlefed baby will be unhealthy. Once again, if the choice is between possibly transmitting herpes to your child or providing your child with perfectly adequate nutrition in the form of formula, I'd go with the formula.

It is important to make the effort to have the bonding experience you would have naturally if you breastfed, so if you do bottlefeed, don't prop the bottle or rush feeding. Use the time to cuddle your baby close to you, make eye contact, talk or sing softly to her, etc. I even know some mothers who will hold their baby against their bare breast in private to simulate the skin-on-skin contact mothers and their babies experience during breastfeeding.

If you don't breastfeed, your milk will come in a few days after birth. If you just don't breastfeed, your breasts will probably become painful and engorged, then will go down and get back to normal within a few days to a week. They may leak a little. The same is often true of mothers who are weaning their breastfed babies. If you do something to relieve the pain or engorging for the short term by expressing milk, your body will assume you're nursing and need the milk, and the cycle will get worse. Take a Tylenol for the discomfort, apply warm compresses to help with the pain and engorgement, and wear nursing pads in your bra to help with the leaking. The milk will "dry up" after about 3-7 days (it may take longer... I don't remember, actually) or so.

The best formula and bottle largely depend on your baby. As far as formulas go, the first thing is to find out if you need to be using milk based or soy based formula. You'll know this because if you're offering milk based formula and your baby is constantly crying, seems to be really uncomfortable, spits up excessively or vomits often, probably the first change they'll have you try is to switch to soy formula to see if the symptoms change. After that, look at the different brands. Carnation is good because it's a little easier for the baby's immature digestive tract. Enfamil is usually a little easier to mix without clumping. If you can, get the kinds that have the extra stuff (I think it's DHA, but it's been a long time) to help it have more to be closer to breast milk. We actually used the Walmart brand (or other generic brands) most of the time. I never noticed a difference between their reaction to it and more expensive brands.

Using the bottles with the bags, instead of just the plain plastic bottles, keeps air out, which can reduce the chance your baby could have uncomfortable gas from swallowing air. I'm wanting to say they're the Playtex brand, but other brands might have them, too. Use whatever nipple your baby seems to take well, and whichever one fits the bottle you've chosen.

The boiling water thing you're talking about is to sterilize the things you put in your baby's mouth. I know a lot of people who don't do it much these days, though. Soaking the bottles, nipples, rings (what twists onto the bottle, separate them from the nipple before washing), and pacifiers in boiling water for a while sterilizes them, because of the heat. Don't give the baby a pacifier just removed from boiling water. These days, though, you can get a sterilizer specifically for those things, or you can wash them in the dishwasher. Wash the bottles as you would glasses in the top rack. Get a dishwasher caddy for the nipples, rings and pacifiers and put them in. Close it up and put it in the top rack when you wash dishes. Does the same thing, but is easier. If you use the bags for the bottles, you don't have to worry about them being sterilized. The sterilizer and the dishwasher caddy can be found in many stores that sell baby stuff.

Good luck!

Answer 9

If your OB says that the meds and herpes won't be in your breastmilk then breastfeed. But if you really don't want to do it then bottle feed. You need to do what is right for you and the baby. I had trouble breastfeeding, I couldn't produce enough so I ended up putting the little breast milk I made in my son's formula.

Answer 10

First things first. Congratulation!!!!!!

Bottle feeding is fine. If you are worried about health issues you will be stressed out and it could effect breastfeeding. Being relaxed and enjoying your new baby is the most important thing. You might have to try a few formulas depending on your babies needs but your pediatrician will help you with that.

Talk to you Dr. about your choice to bottle feed. Stand your ground you have good reason for your choice. Have him explain what he will do to for the care of your breast and the unused milk after the birth. You could look it up on line and have some idea of what the different options are.

Boiling a pacifier cleans it. Always make sure it has cooled before giving it to the baby and as you relax you will find your personal level of how you wish to clean and sterilize your babies world.

Good Luck, ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 11

it is not wrong to bottlefeed, yet the baby WONT get the same nutrients. formulas DO have nutrients, BUT not as much as breast milk. breast milk has nutrients that can prevent colds, etc in a baby, since they have such a weak immune system... I would suggest Good Start formula and VentAire bottles(they prevent gas). As for the boiling the pacifier, on most packaging of passies tell you not to boil the passy. Just check the packaging to make sure. Good Luck!