What Are Your Ladies Opinions On Breastfeeding?
February 10, 2010 by Guest Author
Filed under Breast Feeding Supplies
Who has breastfed? What are the pros and cons? I am really debating on breastfeeding. I am getting ALOT of pressure also to do it. I would like to hear everyone’s opinion on the subject.
you should give breastfeeding a shot!! sure it can be inconvenient (being the only food source lol) but feeding any infant is inconvenient, especially when there are bottles to sterilize and formula to mix.
i was really 100% for BFing and never had any intention of formula feeding but during the first few weeks of breast feeding, formula was starting to look mighty good, lol. i hung in there and i am super happy i did. my son just had his first birthday and i still BFing. I am a single, full time working mom who doesn’t have her own office, so if i can do it, anyone can. Plus if you will be returning to work, i’ll tell you that as much as i don’t like pumping, supplying my baby with milk in my absence made being away from him alot easier. i think otherwise i might have felt like just another care giver, but this way I know i am still doing something only I can do for him… which is nice.
BFing just has so many benefits you can’t possibly list them all. besides being the perfect food for your perfect baby it helps you bond with baby (it actually releases the “mothering hormone” when your milk lets down.).
Breastfed babies are less likely to die of SIDS!
Reduces the odds of your child being obese later in life
Baby is less likely to get sick, be gassy or get an ear infection. My son has not had even a sniffle thus far!
BF babies are super portable, you can bring them everywhere and not have to worry about packing the gazillion things you need to make formula on the go. (seriously, the diaper bag is heavy enough already!)
Breast fed baby girls have a reduced risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer–as does the mother who breastfed them.
Breast fed babies score higher on cognitive tests (the longer they BF the higher their scores are) and have higher IQs
Breastfeeding also helps you get back to your pre baby weight faster, it burns an additional 500 calories a day.
Breastmilk is free, formula is expensive and not made specifically for YOUR baby. Plus by breastfeeding you will never have to worry about formula recalls or sickness (like they recently experienced in China.)
Formula increases the risk of type I diabetes
Breast fed babies have reduced risk of allergies
the list just goes on. You should at least give it a chance, any breastfeeding, even if it just during the first couple of weeks is better than none. good luck and congrats on your baby!!
I breastfeed my son. Pros are it’s cheaper, it doesn’t require making a bottle, it’s better for baby and easier on tummy, helps mom burn calories. Cons are breast discomfort, frustration, inconvenient in public if you are not comfortable nursing in public, having to keep baby close to mom at all times, mom has to wake up for every feeding. Some of those can be solved by alternating between breastmilk and formula or breastmilk from the breast and pumped breastmilk in a bottle. But not all babies will switch well.
The best advice I can give you is try for 2 weeks. It gets easier then. Also, having a supportive family helps. My husband’s family is very supportive and proud but my family acts like it’s strange and unusual, and they make me feel awkward about it. All in all, I will keep doing it, and I will breastfeed my other children as well
I think its amazing.
Pros:
You gain a bond with your baby
Breastfeeding causes your uterus to contract making you lose weight faster after birth
The nutrition a baby gets from breastmilk is more than you can get out of formula
Your baby will gain weight at a natural and normal pace making your baby less likely to be unhealthy or obese
You dont have to wake up in the middle of the night and make a bottle you can just whip out boobie
You dont have to spend millions on bottles, formula, and sterlization tools
Cons:
It may hurt, but that only means the baby isnt latching on properly
You may think its easier to give the baby a bottle and may stop breastfeeding
I think that is wonderful!
Well, there’s nothing wrong with you if you do NOT breastfeed, and there’s nothing wrong with you if you DO breastfeed. I wanted to, but I was unable to because my boobs didn’t work right. Breastmilk is supposed to be best for the baby because the colostrum in it has nutrients in it that helps the baby’s brain development, and same with the breastmilk. If you think about it, formula now has stuff like that in it as well. It’s a good bonding thing for momma and baby, and it helps momma lose the baby weight quicker if you breastfeed. The cons of breastfeeding are these: you have to pump your milk and freeze it if you want to take your baby somewhere, which can be a hassle. If you bottle-feed, it’s easier to pack it and go if you want to take your baby somewhere.
I think its great if its something that you really want to do. I see its your 1st, and you have all the time in the world to nurse and devote that time to the baby.
I breastfed my 1st exclusively for the 1st 13 months. And it was something I wanted to do and had time for.
I breastfed my 2nd for 6 days. Then got an infection in my uterus. Was put on antibiotics. And that was pretty much the end of that. My son was also 10.3 and I just wasn’t producing enough.
I am 34 weeks pregnant with my 3rd and I will not be nursing. I have no desire to even want to pretend that I want to. I do not want to nurse. I want to have nothing to do with nursing. I would rather just formula feed as I find the baby is fuller longer, sleeps better ( my son slept through the night since day 2. And when he was on formula at 6 days old, he still slept through the night. Believe me, we were very well rested and happy parents ) easier to do.
Thats my thoughts on it. If you want to, great, and if not, then you shouldn’t be pressured or judged if you don’t want to.
Nursing is the mothers choice, not everyone else’s.
i thnk breastfeeding is awesome! it has alot of benefits for example for ur child it reduces the chances that ur baby will be obese, have diabetes later on in life and it also boostes up thier immune system so they are less sick then other children, for you it makes you lose 600 calories a day! also reduces the chances of you having breast cancer later on in life! cool huh!?
I bottle fed my oldest and breastfed my younger two. Having done both, I definitely like breastfeeding better. The first few weeks are hard, but once you get the hang of breastfeeding it is just so much easier! No bottles to clean, formula to buy, getting up in the middle of the night to make and warm a bottle, overall just less worries. I pump occasionally so my 4 month old can eat while I’m gone and he has been fantastic at switching back and forth. Ultimately, YOU are the mom and you need to make the best decision for your family whether it be bottle or breast. Good luck!!!
My son was a preemie (born 8 weeks early), so the hospital highly encouraged me to start pumping as soon as he was born because breast milk is so beneficial to preemies. After he came home, I continued to pump until he was 3 1/2 months old. So, I didn’t really breastfeed traditionally but I’m glad he had my milk for as long as I could handle it.
I always think you should do what’s best for you and your family. I would encourage you to give it a try because any little bit the baby gets is beneficial, but don’t be hard on yourself if it doesn’t work out.
There have been some great answers here but there is one crucial piece of info that normally gets left out. The risks of Formula. It’s not very well known because formula companies spend billions to make sure Moms don’t find out: Formula is not safe or an adequate source of nutrition. It’s actually 4th choice after breastfeeding yr own baby. 2nd choice is pumping into a bottle, 3rd choice is breastmilk from another Mom. This article explains it really well:
http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/what_should_know_formula.html
Please check it out. Once you learn that Formula is really not good enough or even safe, most parents move heaven and earth to get their baby normal safe food, breastmilk. Unfortunately, this is information that very few doctors have (they don’t study infant nutrition in school or specialise in it) and even fewer parents have.
It is hard to breastfeed sometimes, it takes dedication and commitment to get past the first six weeks. But after it gets going it’s easy, free and the ONLY SAFE FOOD FOR BABIES.
Good Luck
I am doing it because:
It is healthy for baby
healthy for you
helps you loose baby weight faster
shrinks uterus back to normal size quick
builds babys immune system
cheap
natural
HEALTHIEST
better bonding
Only con would be time consuming, but it is well worth it
and even if you have to work or leave you can always pump
Good luck with ur decision and congrats
I think if you can breast feed you should try it. Colostrum is very important for a baby … and you will only have it for 2-3 days. It is nutrient and antibody rich …
I breast fed my son until he was 3 months – I stopped then when I went on medication I couldn’t use with breast feeding.
I liked it – it was free, no bottles to clean/buy, helped with bonding … but was difficult at times because I was responsible for feeding my son – so on that front I didn’t get a break (say I wanted to sleep) … but all-in-all I was happy and will do it with my next baby.
I really wanted to breastfeed but I didn’t plan on having a preemie that would be in the NICU. For the first two weeks of my son being in the NICU (he was there 3 total) I pumped. But since I have bad eating habits and could stand to wake up every 3 hours to pump….my supply decreased. I eventually had nothing left to offer so I switched to formula.
Using formula has been ok for me. It smells nasty, though.
makes you feel really close to your baby and if you don’t feel like a mom it helps you feel like a mom i only breastfeed for two months took up a lot of time
breast feeding is best because its supplies all necessary nutrients to help baby along the way …it bulids babys immune system….to me thats why i’m doing it .
due sept 3rd
if I keep the baby then I think I’ll do it at night. But during the day I plan on working so the baby can get formula.
my opinion.. You do whats best for your child.. and ill do whats best for mine.
agreed with proudmom