Breast Feeding

Are you planning on breast feeding or bottle feeding? I was thinking that I would definitely try to breast feed, but I heard that it hurts... Also I was wondering what are the advantages of breast feeding over bottle feeding?

ETA - Bottle feeding meaning formula, not breast milk.

I think I'm going to pump and use the milk to bottle feed. That way Daddy can have fun with the 3 AM feedings too!!!

I guess I'm a bit shy to breast feed in public

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Posted by chmlengr

I will breastfeed and pump as well so that, as someone mentioned, I can let DH partake in teh nightly feedings as well.

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same here!

FYI - Breastfeeding does NOT hurt if you are doing it properly. No, its not something where you just put the baby there and he/she latches right on. It may take a while to get accustomed to it. When I got home from the hospital FH asked me if he could get me anything and I said 'new nipples' cause we were latching on wrong. Once Emma and I knew the proper way we became champs at it.

I think pumping and bottlefeeding is a great thing to do just consider that ALL your time is going to be feeding and pumping. Newborns eat ALL THE FREAKIN TIME! You may want to get some bottles made up and then soley breastfeed for a day or so to give yourself a break without pumping. You have no idea how time consuming it is... and I strickly breastfed!!

The advantages to breastfeeding over bottle feeding... if you are using breastmilk... I cant think of any, if you are using formula then the baby isnt getting your immunities, there are specific nurtients in BM that formula companies can not duplicate... they come close but not 100% and there has to be something said for the skin on skin contact you get with nursing your baby, but if you cuddle then its all good.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Just wanted to jump in here and offer my advice...

I am a new mommy who is bottle feeding breast milk. My baby just couldn't latch on properly so this was our best solution. I'm not sure what your situation will be, but if you need to, pumping and feeding from the bottle is VERY do-able! I pump about 7-8 times a day, but rarely at night. So that in the morning I have enough milk for 2 feedings. This has been a good solution for us because the baby still gets breast milk, but I don't have to be responsible for all the feedings! DH and my mom can share too, so I get some rest!

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Posted by 2003fallwedding

I understand what your saying. I have thought about it but it is just not for me.

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fair enough

I wanted to offer some pumping advise...as I am a full-time pumping mom- not by chose though. Molly stopped latching on day 4 and it was a hard road for us. Anyway you do not pump unless you have supply issues for the first few weeks. BF is MUCH better at establishing your supply than a pump ever will be. And Karen is right- this is NOT easy. I have all the work of bottles (cleaning, preparing), all the work of pumping (8x a day in the beginning, now down to 7x per day 15-30 minutes per session) and NONE of the bonding or closes that bfing gives you.

I know a lot of people think that pumping will give them a lot more options but it really doesn't. BF would be a heck of a lot easier. I get up in the middle of the night to pump, even though Molly sleeps thru the night. My pump has to go all over the place with me- to work, to my in-laws, even to friend's homes if I go for a long visit. I MUST pump every 3 hours or else it hurts. I can go at night up to 5ish hours and once a day I can maybe go up to 4 hours if I am super busy, but I KNOW the whole time I have to pump and my breasts ache.

Ask me any pumping questions you have. I am always happy to answer. I highly recommend getting a hands free pumping bra from easy expressions (I got mine on Ebay- NEW for $34) if you plan to pump a lot.

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Posted by michele31

I wanted to offer some pumping advise...as I am a full-time pumping mom- not by chose though. Molly stopped latching on day 4 and it was a hard road for us. Anyway you do not pump unless you have supply issues for the first few weeks. BF is MUCH better at establishing your supply than a pump ever will be. And Karen is right- this is NOT easy. I have all the work of bottles (cleaning, preparing), all the work of pumping (8x a day in the beginning, now down to 7x per day 15-30 minutes per session) and NONE of the bonding or closes that bfing gives you.

I know a lot of people think that pumping will give them a lot more options but it really doesn't. BF would be a heck of a lot easier. I get up in the middle of the night to pump, even though Molly sleeps thru the night. My pump has to go all over the place with me- to work, to my in-laws, even to friend's homes if I go for a long visit. I MUST pump every 3 hours or else it hurts. I can go at night up to 5ish hours and once a day I can maybe go up to 4 hours if I am super busy, but I KNOW the whole time I have to pump and my breasts ache.

Ask me any pumping questions you have. I am always happy to answer. I highly recommend getting a hands free pumping bra from easy expressions (I got mine on Ebay- NEW for $34) if you plan to pump a lot.

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Thank you for all of your great advice! This may be a little too personal so I understand if you dont want to respond, but when you pump, do you pump to fill up one bottle? Does it fill up more than one bottle? also how long does a bottle last? If you fill it in the middle of the night, does it have to be used immediately the next day or does it last for more than a day?
again thanks

First of all, you couldnt' ask a better group of people for BFing advice.

I breastfeed and it's a tough road. It takes a lot of patience, and can be very frustrating in the beginning. Pumping, I agree with Michele, is also extremely demanding. to breastfeed or not is your choice. It is great for your baby, but formula is okay as well and you do whatever you feel comfortable with.

That said - if you can breastfeed, and are up to the challenge, I would say give it a shot and see how it goes.

As far as your question about pumping. Your supply is going to depend on the baby or the pump. You have to BF to get the milk flowing, or pump - once your supply is built up, it varies from woman to woman. Typically if I do a pumping session (which means to me both breasts) I get around 1 oz each breast. 2 oz total. Sophia will take around 3.5 oz at a feeding if I give her a bottle of BM. She gets that I am guessing when she breastfeeds (they get more than the pump can get). So I have to pump a couple of times during the day to supply her with a feeding from my husband. Now keep in mind - when my husband feeds her...I am in there pumping! It's just constant stimulation to my breasts to keep that supply coming!

When you express milk, it can stay for 5 days in the refrigerator and I think up to six months in the freezer. Michele knows all the ins and outs of this specifically.

I don't know what I'll do when the time comes but I just wanted to say thanks to Michele, Jenny and DKDG for their posts about their experinces. I was a little naive to this whole pumping idea, I thought it was a lot easier than it sounds.
Thanks for sharing!

Donna I am sure I speak for all of us when I say I am glad to help. I had no idea what breastfeeding was comprised of before I started, and I really wish I had researched more to know what I was getting into!

I highlysuggest you pick up 'Nursing Mother's Companion' - it's a great book on breastfeeding and very informative.