Breastfeeding Vs formula feeding

Fed is best! 🙂 We are hoping to breastfeed for convenience, cost and because I'm paranoid about cleaning and sterilising things enough! I also like the idea of the freedom of breastfeeding and not having to worry about having cooled, boiled water and enough clean bottles to hand if we went out for the day for example. We love very rurally so rely on using the car, so I worry that we could get caught out without enough water, formula or bottles. Having said that, I also have a chronic illness and sometimes end up hospitalised so we have bought a few bottles and will buy a couple of bottle of Aptamil for emergencies. However, have also bought a breast pump so hoping husband/grandparents can help out with feeds if necessary and so that my husband can experience feeding baby too.

I just feel torn coz all the stories I've heard about breastfeeding are negative, how hard it is ect....I feel like dad can help with night feeds more if formula feeding as I'd breastfeed you need to pump throughout the night so your not catching up on sleep ect. So torn lol 😆 xx

I think you’ve just got to do what feels right for you. I formula fed my first and will be doing the same this time. I don’t think my mental health would cope with breast feeding.

I feel like it puts a lot of pressure on the mum. I'm leaning more towards formula feeding but still not sure. This will be my first baby x

You can always give breastfeeding a go, doesn’t mean you have to stick with it. Or do a bit of both. I breastfed my first, once you get past the first couple of weeks and it gets easier, it is super convenient, you don’t have to prepare anything and worry about bottles and sterilising. The hardest bit is when they’re newborn and they need to feed lots and lots. And it’s cheaper, that was definitely a bonus for me. I’ll pump once a day with my next and they’ll have a bottle with dad at bedtime, but I know people who do a bottle of formula once a day too.

I breastfed my first for the first 3 weeks. She would only sleep on me or my partner so when we were doing shifts I would feed from the breast and my partner would feed her formula so she had both. After 3 weeks I found it to be too much because she would just scream at the breast and I would get stressed, she would get stressed and it just wasn’t any good for anyone (I was also mentally all over the place post birth due to a traumatic vaginal delivery) so I made the decision to stop feeding from the breast and instead exclusively pumped for 16 months. I was lucky that I had an amazing milk supply by 6 weeks so after that we didn’t need to top up with formula anymore as I had so much breastmilk. We were perfectly happy to continue doing a mix! Lots of people find pumping exhausting and the worst of both but it worked best for me. It meant she had breastmilk but anyone could feed her so there was no pressure on me…

… with this one I’m going to try breastfeeding from the breast again but if not then I will just pump like I did last time. Give whatever way you want to a go and see how you feel. Mums mental health I think is the most important. Doesn’t matter if baby has breastmilk or formula xx

I wanted to breastfeed but my milk was late coming in, however just to be devils advocate I would say this: We formula fed which meant myself and my husband fed him and my husband felt very bonded like it was the best bonding time However My SIL exclusively breastfed didn’t express and the dad didn’t bond as well and felt he missed a big part of the feeding of the baby and didn’t get the same bonding time x

Thanks for sharing your experiences I really appreciate it! Xx

I did both with my son and I loved the flexibility. I did establish breastfeeding exclusively first to get the supply going. Go in with an open mind and don’t shy away from asking for help with the breastfeeding. It is so much more convenient and a lot of the time it’s poor advice that prevents women’s from breastfeeding. My health visitor gave me terrible advice abs meant I nearly packed it in when he was 3 weeks old. Luckily she referred me to a specialist and everything was great after a brief chat with her. My son was a c-section baby and there is science to suggest that breastfeeding can help build their microbiome to support immunity, since they’ve born in a much more sterile environment. At the same time, I was an exclusive formula fed baby and my health has always been good. I am expecting my second baby at 43.

Yeah I just get overwhelmed, there's so much to know about it but I'm only 23 weeks so have time so just gonna really weigh up my options and do what feels right for me xx

You need to do what’s best for you all I would say is keep your options open and don’t have your heart set on one thing over the other because from experience I was heartbroken I had no milk supply x

I breastfed my first for over 2 years. We have just stopped. I was not and still am not a breast is best person - I had bought a prep machine, formula and bottles etc. everyone in my family including my mum had formula fed us so I just thought I would. But breastfeeding thankfully came quite easy and so starting bottles seemed like extra work I didn’t want at the time hahaha Pros - i defo saw health benefits for him vs his peers, when he got sick he never got as sick as his little nursery friends and drs always said oh that will be the breast milk giving him antibodies. You feel so protective of your baby more than you can even imagine now that being able to give them this feels really amazing. It’s such a nice feeling being that person giving them all of their nourishment in the first few months and seeing them grow. Found it sooooo easy out and about - meeting up with friends who formula fed they had to plan a lot more. Never cried much as boob just comforted him haha

Cons - because he never had a bottle for months when we did try he didn’t take it. This meant I barley left him, which I don’t regret actually but I did feel pressured and I missed some hen dos and weddings as a result that I had a lot of anxiety and guilt around but if doing it again I just wouldn’t feel bad for putting my baby first. I was his main source of comfort and I wouldn’t say he was less bonded to his dad but if he was poorly or teething or hurt himself he would often only want me. I did find it exhausting at times and I did a lot more of the nights because of feeding. It was hard to wean him off but I’m pregnant now and managed to get him to stop! Sorry this is so long but I hate when people only share the positives or negatives so wanted to give you a balanced view

I breastfed my first for 9 months. Then my supply dried up so went onto formula. There's pros and cons to both. Breastfed: Pros: -Cheaper -Don't need loads of paraphernalia with you when going out Cons: -Baby is way more attached to you unless you manage to get them to take pumped milk from a bottle (I never mastered breastfeeding and pumping in the same day) - The boob leakage is so real 😂 I think I had a large amount of let down, but I found the reusable breast pads just got sodden so quickly, so ended up using the disposables. This meant I had to wash a lot to avoid smelling like cheese 😂 My post is so long, I've reached the character limit. I'll post the formula bits below 😂

Formula: Pros: -Anyone can feed them - this was especially easier once my little one started nursery. Cons: -it is more expensive. I'd heard people say it, but having gone from no formula at all to just formula at 9 months I couldn't believe how much it cost. -I found the portioning out really stressful (this might have just been me) to make sure he was on enough but not too much. Again, this is probably easier when you've done it from younger, but starting at 9 months meant it was harder. -The faff of washing bottles and sterilising them did add extra work load to everything else.

@Andrea no I appreciate the long messages this is exactly what I wanted so I can weigh up both options xx

@Zoe thanks for this! 🙏🏻 Xx

I think I’m going combi feed this time so I can still have the BF experience and the health benefits for the baby but have the option to hand over to my husband and not be as tied in to it always being me at night etc. might be able to find a happy medium/best of both 🤞

Hey, I mainly breastfed my first for 6 months, then from 6 months she was combination fed until she decided she didn’t want the boob anymore at approx 10 months. I personally loved combination feeding, had the bonuses of the lovely cuddles you get with breastfeeding but also people can help out and you can go out for the day comfortable with the knowledge they will take a bottle from someone else. I think I will try and breastfeed initially for this one too. It was such a journey and I definitely put too much pressure on myself to exclusively breastfeed at the start and was really hard on myself so my advice would be to not overthink it and just enjoy feeding your baby- whatever form that may take x

I mixed fed with my first from the start, it was wonderful. Benefits of both. Meant others could help with the feeding too which took the pressure off me. Planning on doing it again. 💗

Thanks for all the advice 🩷

I was very lucky with breastfeeding my first, we both took to it quickly and yes it has its challenges but once you establish it, I found life so much easier just being able to wack out the boob whenever my son was hungry or just needed comforting. I would say it’s not worth the stress though if it is really hard work because it can take a toll emotionally. Worth a try those go if you’re open to either and then you may have your answer depending on how you get on xx

Yh I might try it and see how I get on and maybe do combi feeding but it's helpful knowing all sides. Xx

I breastfed my son and plan to breastfeed this baby, however, we never managed to establish a bottle with my son, which meant my husband couldn’t really do much in the way of feeding until we started weaning, so I would like to try to pump and bottle feed as well this time. I chose breast milk because of the responsiveness of the body to the baby’s needs re: illness, you produce antibodies etc in your milk as needed, which is awesome. It also helped burn the calories too, which I was happy about. I gave formula a few times in the hospital and had some in the cupboard in case it didn’t work out. If you’re keen to BF then definitely worth finding your nearest support group in case you do have any issues, even if you don’t it’s a great place to meet other mums too. Other pros to breastfeeding for us was that when we went on holiday we didn’t need to take formula/bottles/sterilisers etc 🤷🏻‍♀️ you’ve got to do whatever works best for you at the end of the day

Breast feeding is amazing but we had an “easy” journey in terms of latch, weight gain ect and it was still THE hardest thing I’ve ever done physically and mentally and I won’t be breast feeding this baby. That’s not to say don’t try everyone’s experience is completely different I think all you can do is try both and see what works for you xx

I’ve breastfed my daughter for over 2.5 years & I started off just thinking I’d give it a go & see how we get on. I think a lot of women struggle because the first few weeks tend to be the most difficult; you’re struggling with latch, pain, waiting for your milk to come in and be established. All while you’re recovering from labour & adjusting to the lack of sleep etc. So I really do get why a lot of people speak negatively of it. I’d just give it a go & make sure you ask for help from a lactation consultant at the hospital. & See how you get on. You can also harvest colostrum from 37 weeks & freeze it for when the baby comes. Pros - free, save money on buying formula. No need to worry about certain brands being out of stock etc - no cleaning/sterilising of bottles multiple times a day - don’t need to get up in the night to make bottles - don’t need to take anything with you when you leave the house, so less prep - the bonding with baby Cons - harder to get some time to yourself

I breastfed Pros - you do definately see the health benefits compared to the babies who are formula fed It is convenient and free formula is expensive You’re good if you research well and get the right support It’s easier to clean and sterilise if you pump than with formula and breast milk is sterile It’s easier to settle the baby They don’t get as much gas and poorly tummies Cons It’s mentally hard but you can get past it You have to make sure you eat and drink well that can be challenging with a new born You have to know how to keep your milk supply up so do research on this so you’re informed They do cluster feed which can be relentless and you have to do this at the beginning for your milk supply to increase You don’t get as much time alone if you need it

I think it’s important to remember whichever you decide that ultimately the choice lays with you. Try not to give into pressures of anybody else encouraging you to do either or. Do what’s best for you, happy mum, happy baby! I struggled with breast feeding my first, but my sister has a very positive and successful breastfeeding experience with my nephew who was born around the same time. If you do choose to breast feed, definitely ask for support from your midwives/health visitors/doctors. The more knowledge the better! X

I breastfed my first. It's super convenient, no needing to sterilise bottles, pack milk for outings etc. You are limited on the time you can have away from baby if you exclusively breastfeed, but I personally never found that to be a problem. I needed support in the early days due to insufficient weight gain, but glad I stuck it out.

I would love to breastfeed but I also am not putting pressure on myself as I would pump rather than directly from the breast, I think it would be really draining for me & fed is best whichever way they are fed they'll have a full tummy! I don't want to be pumping and keeping an eye on the time I need to pump as well as feed my baby. For this reason I could be called selfish as it's what I want rather than what's maybe best for my baby but as I said fed is best & I'm already going to be tired without pumping too! I just don't want to be the only one feeding my baby or being extra tired from pumping at night time when my partner is doing night feeds when I should be sleeping. I'm happy to formula feed my baby and this is what I'll be doing x