Breast feeding =(

R

robbiesmoma

New member
Hello

I am going to have a baby boy soon and I am not sure if I should breast feed or use formula! I would like some more info! please help !
 
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Just took this class last weekend.
Breastfeeding is better for the babies health, the diapers should have no smell, baby swallows less air so less burping, also less spitting up.
Plus it is free and you don't have to warm it up.
Formula comes from the period when doctors/scientists assumed they could out-perform nature.
On the negative side, babies will feed less regularly, breastfeeding is natural, but not necessarily easy (otherwise all these lactation nurses would be out of jobs), I think I have read in this forum where this is frowned upon in HK.
 
Breast is Best! It can be painful at the beginning, but there is nothing more relaxing and convenient as breastfeeding your baby. You are already tired with a new baby, so it's much easier to just pick your baby up then prepare bottles etc. It will help your body return to normal more quickly, lower your risk of breast cancer, give baby so many health benefits including lower chance of obesity when he/she is older and helps you bond with baby so much closer than bottles (I think). There is no better way to way to help comfort your baby too.

My advice, breastfeed your little one. You won't regret it.
 
Breastfeeding has huge health benefits for the baby. Breastfed babies have less gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections than formula fed ones. Breastfed babies are at less risk of ear infections. Breastfed babies are at less risk of certain childhood cancers than formula fed ones. Breastfed babies are less likely to develop diabetes ... less likely to be obese. If you have a baby girl, she's less likely to get breast cancer when she grows up. Breastfed babies are less likely to get eczema or other allergies. Breastfeeding is good for the brain - studies show that breastfed babies score better on IQ tests later in life. The health benefits for your baby are HUGE.
Breastfeeding is natural - and it can be easy and painfree. If you've heard lots of stories about sore nipples etc. - chances are the mother was using a bottle in the early days/ didn't get baby latched on well in the early days (and didn't get help to sort it out.
It's very important to find out more about breastfeeding BEFORE your baby is born, so do try and attend one of the local breastfeeding support groups. There's one called La Leche League and another called HK Breastfeeding Mothers Association. The contact numbers are availlable withing the geobaby site.
Best wishes
Sheila
 
Hi,

I'm a happily breastfeeding mum, even so my first 6 weeks have been quite painful. Breastfeeding is the most beautiful thing I'm living as a mother. When she nurse, I just feel so well and peaceful.

So of course I would advise you to breastfeed, for all the reasons given here and some more !

Wha ever you choose to do, just remember that if you begin with breastfeeding, you can always switch to formula if you don't like it, whereas the opposite is much more difficult.

Best wishes
 
Congrats!
I hope that you do decide to breast feed.
As everyone else has mentioned, it is best for baby and good for you too!
Of course I say this cos I am having a good time breast feeding my daughter.
But if you decide to bottle feed, for what ever reason,remember that many babies survive and thrive on formula too. So don't feel pressurised either way.

I think the most important thing with starting breastfeeding is to have really good support.
Do you have someone who has breastfed successfully that you would feel comfortable in asking help from?
Even if you are determined ,there will be moments when you are worried and unsure. Having someone who can support you and give you practical advise I think is important to successful breastfeeding.

One thing that I am sure most breastfeeding mothers will hear a lot of will be "do you think he is hungry? are you sure he's getting enough milk"

While its true that you cant tell how much the baby is getting each feed, you will be able to feel baby getting heavier and see that baby is filling out.

Remember as well that in the beginning babies do lose some weight. So dont feel pressurised to go to formula.

Another thing is that the more the baby sucks the more milk you make.
So even if baby seems to be feeding all the time and is crying for more, let him suckle often and you should find that your body will adjust and produce more (make sure you eat well and rest as much as possible. I'm finding I need to eat more than I did when I was pregnant)
It may take a couple of days.
Hope thats not too much info!
Good luck
 
From breast to bottle

Sylvieng said:
Wha ever you choose to do, just remember that if you begin with breastfeeding, you can always switch to formula if you don't like it, whereas the opposite is much more difficult.
Click to expand...
Has anyone tried this switch? According to our lactation nurse, once babies find the "real thing" they do not like bottles. She recommended that if you are going to want to use formula from time to time that you give it to your baby every once in awhile during the first few weeks.
And Cinnamon is right on with the more you nurse, the more you make. Has to do with hormones released in your body by the suckling.
We were told in two different classes that you can judge whether your baby is getting enough by watching the arms. Arms up by the head means baby is empty, arms bent at 90 degrees and baby is half full, arms down by the side like they are drunk on milk and baby is full.
One other thing the lactation nurse said was that breast feeding satisfies the babies need to suckle, so they are less likely to need the pacifier.
 
Cinnamon is right about having someone who has breastfed successfully that you would feel comfortable in asking help from.

I have a friend who has and still breastfeeding her 3 years old son (now only once at night time) She has been great in supporting/encouraging me. Yes, there are lots of advantages to breastfeed but there are lots of disadvantages for mothers as well! Please read about these and be prepared to face those disadvantages. But I guarantee you, it is worth it!

There were times that I wanted to give up breastfeeding and felt very angry with the comments of the people around me (family, friends and even strangers!!!) My friend will reassured me that I am doing right. Maggie from Lalechleague provided me with lots of information and encouragement. She is great!

My daughter is 17 months old now. I am still enjoying breastfeeding.....well, most of the time, even though there are times when I feel really tired, upset, angry, stressed....that's when I will call up Maggie or my friend to ask for support)

If you need someone to talk to, feel free to email me at [email protected].
 
The following site gives 101 reasons to breastfeed your baby, http://www.promom.org/101/

But as no one else has mentioned them I?d like to list some of the advantages for the mother?s health. Breastfeeding is often perceived as something we do because it is best for our babies but I?m a little more selfish than that I want to do because it is good for me too.

Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to have breast cancer
Less anaemia in breastfeeding mothers
Breastfeeding reduces the mother?s risk of developing osteoporosis in later years
Breastfeeding mothers have reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis
Breastfeeding helps mothers to lose weight after birth
Breastfeeding helps mothers space pregnancies
Breastfeeding facilitates mother-baby bonding
Breastfeeding is Economical
Breastfeeding is environmentally cleaner
Breastfeeding is the most intimate and shared nurturing we do with our young

Best wishes,
Barb
 
Barb,

A recent episode of Desperate Houswives had a mom bfeeding a 5 year old. It was hilarious! She only continued breastfeeding cos it helped her maintain her ideal weight. By the end of the show the child preferred chocolate milk and was weaned. The poor mom was so upset cos she didn't want to go back to the gym and start working out.
 
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In reply to Sleuth?s question, Is it possible to switch from breastfeeding to bottle feeding when the baby is older? The answer is ?yes?.

I would always be a little weary of anyone who says that something is definitely going to happen because the one thing I?ve learnt about babies is that all are different and it is not possible to predict the future.

I once knew of a mother with triplets. She managed to exclusively breastfeed them for three months but found that she had very little time for anything else. So she decided to introduce some bottles to ease her load. One of the babies refused to take a bottle and wanted to carry on breastfeeding, one of the babies was perfectly happy continuing to breastfeed and to take bottles too, and the last baby refused the breast and only wanted bottles from then on.

We recommend that you try to delay the introduction of bottles until you are feeling very confident with your breastfeeding. If you have had no problems this could be as early as 3 to 4 weeks but if you?ve had problems getting off to a good start it might be as late as 8 to 10 weeks. And, of course, there are some mothers who never give bottles at all but introduce the baby to a cup when she wants to add extra liquids.

But just like all breastfeeding problems there are solutions to be found if you want to switch to bottle feeding and the baby isn?t happy with the idea.

If you have any problems with breastfeeding please feel free to call one of the LLL Leaders,

Maggie 2817-7475
Margarita 2257-6757
Rochelle 2947-7147
Sarah 2548-7636
e-mail to: [email protected]

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
Wow, that's a lot of positive feedback on bf. And I agree with all of them. Breastfeeding is the best thing for both the mother and baby. But I think one of the most important things is for the mother to be comfortable.

I started bf my baby at birth and within 2 weeks I had to introduce formula completely for 4 days. I was really worried my baby would prefer the bottle to the nipple. Luckily my baby was very adaptive and she was completely breastfed once again.

Then there's the problem with the qty and the time I needed to feed her. My husband has been supportive, but not quite in the way I expected. He just asked me to switch to formula so it's less tiring for me. In the end, I started adding formula in addition to bf. It certainly was not what I really wanted, but it was less stressful.

What I'm trying to say is, don't feel guilty for whatever you choose. The mother's mental health is just as important as the baby's health.
 
A story like this last one really makes me feel sad. I don’t think a mother who turns to bottle feeding because she doesn’t have the confidence to continue should feel guilty. Rather I think she should feel angry that our society, and in particular our medical professionals, weren’t there to give her the support she needed at the time she needed it.

The time to talk to a lactation consultant or a La Leche League leader is at the moment you feel that lack of confidence. No baby ever came to any harm waiting an extra ten minutes for a bottle. But in those ten minutes if you are able to talk to a person who understands breastfeeding it can give you the confidence to know what to do. You need to talk to someone who will be able to explain that either you don’t have a problem and this is normal baby behaviour or that you do indeed have a problem and help you design the best solution for you and your baby.

If the person you turn to has only the solution of offering the bottle then you know that that person is not well informed about breastfeeding. For some problems offering a bottle may be a solution but it is never the only solution to a breastfeeding problem.

Please if you are considering breastfeeding find yourself someone knowledgeable about breastfeeding and normal infant behaviour to turn to when you begin to lose confidence. For me, that was one of the local LLL leaders. I liked that fact that she had successfully breastfed her own babies and so I knew she understood where my silly fears and questions were coming from.

Barb
 
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