Breast, bottle, or both

Did/do you breast feed your child/ren? Did they only take a bottle or did you use both?

What are the advantages of breast feeding? Bottle feeding?

How long did your child/ren breast or bottle feed? Do you believe there should be a time-frame for stopping either one?

Breastfeeding may be healthier, I dont know, but for me it certainly WAS NOT more convenient. Leaking boobs, having to get up at all hours of the night, those awful sucking pumps etc.
When my second child bottle fed, yippeeee my husband could get up for the night feeding, my breasts werent sore or spurting milk at inconvenient times, and so for me Id rather go for the extra expense of bottle feeding rather than the time consuming inconvenience of breast feeding. Others I know disagree with me completely, but for me, bottles rule.

I both breast and bottle fed my daughter. Breast fed until she was 4 months old and transitioned her to the bottle. I really loved breast feeding. It was a wonderful experience. It is more economical, obviously, and the closeness you feel to your child is just amazing.

I breastfed my son for his first year. He only got a bottle on rare occasions -- usually if I was working a double shift and I didn't have enough milk pumped.

I also breastfed my daughter, but due to some stresses going on in my life (like her father leaving me the first time when she was 10 weeks old :rolleyes: ) I weaned her much earlier. But, I can't recall exactly how old she was. Maybe 4 or 5 months?

I LOVED breastfeeding. I just loved the eye to eye contact and closeness with my children at that time. My son used to play with my bangs while breastfeeding. I miss that. :(

It was so much easier than bottlefeeding. As Nessa said, I could remain in the bed and daddy would bring him to me and I could just nurse immediately, rather than having to go warm a bottle.

As far as how long to breastfeed, well I feel that's an individual decision that each parent has to make.

I tried to breastfeed my son. He wouldn't take it. Probably a good thing, as I was a peanut addict and he was peanut allergic. :rolleyes: Go figure.

I didn't try with my daughter. Didn't think it would be fair. You know... hearing later when they're teeners "Well, you must love HER more, cuz you breast fed HER and not ME." No thanks. No need for that line of assault. LOL.

But, I think it's great if people do it... it's natural and makes sense and if my son had taken it, I would have done it for both. (shrug)
~phosphorescent

Originally posted by fos4snt
I didn't try with my daughter. Didn't think it would be fair. You know... hearing later when they're teeners "Well, you must love HER more, cuz you breast fed HER and not ME." No thanks. No need for that line of assault. LOL.




My kids always go "ewwwwww" whenever I mention that I breastfed them. I think they both would prefer that I never mention that again. :p

LOL!

My ex-step-son's half-brother (that's so fun to say LOL) is a lot like my son. They thought he was high functioning autistic. Unique child and uber genius. (and I'm not biased, as he's not MY kid... LOL)

Anyway, when he was a toddler, this lady came over and was breastfeeding her new baby. He walked into the room, saw the baby at her breast and said, "What's the baby doing?" His mom said, "He's breast feeding."

He stood there for a minute processing the thought... then he said, "Boob... milk... boobmilk?" His mom nodded. He looked at the mother and said, "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, LADY."

LOL!
~phosphorescent

Son is 9 years old and I bottle fed him till he was about 11 months then gave him a sippy cup.
Daughter is 13 months and I bottle fed her till she was about 6.5 months old and started the sippy cup.
My mom and Grandma did not like this idea at all but the doctors really want them to have a sippy cup instead of a bottle pretty quick. Both kids stayed on forumla till 1 year old just put it in the sippy cup.

Originally posted by Cindy_S74
Son is 9 years old and I bottle fed him till he was about 11 months then gave him a sippy cup.
Daughter is 13 months and I bottle fed her till she was about 6.5 months old and started the sippy cup.
My mom and Grandma did not like this idea at all but the doctors really want them to have a sippy cup instead of a bottle pretty quick. Both kids stayed on forumla till 1 year old just put it in the sippy cup.

Actually, this is the guideline that my pediatrician always recommended. He told me that after the age of 1 year, children form attachments much more easily. He said it's much easier to wean them at about 1 yr of age. And, after having grown up in a family where 3 of us sibling sucked our thumbs, 1 other one sucked two of his fingers, and 1 other one sucked a bottle all for way too long, I wasn't going to take any chances.

And it all worked out very well for me and my children. Neither ever formed an attachment to the bottle or breast. Now, my daughter did have a pacifier attachment until she was about 2 1/2, but mommy finally "lost" her pacifier and just couldn't find another one to replace it (LOL) so she finally was weaned from that, too.

I tried to breast feed... due to his jauntice we had to give some formula... then he wouldn't take to my breast :( so I pumped for amonth!!! OUCHHHH LOL.... :)

I breastfed all of my children because of the great immunity it offered and the closeness it promoted. I also supplemented with bottles but not until they were five or six months old and started REALLY getting teeth!!!! <G>

I also did cereal from four weeks on too - something I know most doctors frown on but everyone of my kids had 1 oz of breastmilk mixed with cereal every night at eleven or so and they slept through the night from four weeks on. They can't tell me the stuff wasn't good for 'em!

Mera~

My daughter had jaundice too. Fortunately, I was able to continue breast feeding her.

Molly~

I did the cereal thing too. I believe my daughter was either 4 or 6 weeks when I started. My mother recommended it, it worked really well.

My 1st daughter also had jaundice so she had breastmilk and formula.

My 2nd daughter was completely breastfed. She wouldn't even drink breastmilk out of a bottle.

I weaned both of them at age 2.

About jaundice: just curious what your doctor told you.........my pediatrician said that breastfeeding DOES NOT cause jaundice, that some doctors tell you that, but that is the old belief, and unfortunately is still being taught. He said that all babies are somewhat jaundiced when born due to their liver overproducing red blood cells, that it cant medically have anything to do with the milk. Being jaundice is a dysfunction of the liver. My son was jaundiced and I never stopped nursing, but I have found that a lot of doctors still practice that and even teach if your milk is yellow, it is causing the jaundice when in actuality the milk is yellow due to what you eat and the way you are. What do you think? ON my on research, I have to agree with the doctor, how could it possibly have anything to do with the milk?

I breast fed my 3 kids, first one weaned herself at 10 months (a sign of her personality), second one I had to wean at 14 months, 3rd one about 14 months. All my kids had all their teeth, full set by 10 months old, but they never bit me.

I had to nurse for economic reasons, had a cracked nipple, etc, but after I got through that trauma, I loved it. My mom who could never produce enough milk to nurse, was amazed at me. I had a ton of white-colored milk, looked like cows milk, and when I went somewhere I would fill up about 3-4 bottles in nothing flat by just squeezing the boob, and I never leaked which was weird I thought with that much milk.

Never had to wear pads, and when I stopped nursing, even with the daughter that just stopped cold turkey on me, never had pain or a problem returning to normal.

I guess I was a born nurser. lol

I breastfed both my kids, the oldest one got bottle as well as breast and I think I breastfed her until she was 5 months.
My youngest daughter have never had a bottle in her mouth, I breastfed her until she was 25 mounths old, and then she drunk out of a ordinary glass/cup.... Actually she stoped using diapers before she stoped with the breast....

But over here(norway) the breastfeeding campaign went a bit fare... women lost sleep over not being able to breastfeed and got really depressed... I know that milk from the mom is very healthy for the child... but not so important that the moms shall go out of their good skin to make it happen...

Yes, I nursed my son until he was 26 mos. He would never take a bottle, and I was on my own w/ him from 13 mos on, so I was a just a bit tired during that period. It was worth it, though. Best experience of my life. I think I figured out what love was then.:)

She looked at my breasts, sighed, and then cried a little bit, saying, "I don't want to stop nursing but I don't want to throw up anymore! Will you hold me?"
OH,, that is bitter-sweet and BAD. But I can't say that I wouldn't have taken the same opportunity!:D

There is 14 years between my youngest and next to youngest. My first husband did not want me to breastfeed our two kids. He thought it old fashion and icky. I was spineless back then so I went along with it to my regret.

Then when my YM and I were married and we had our daughter, we did the whole Lamaze, breastfeeding, family bed deal. It was wonderful and he was wonderful too. It helped to heal a lot of memories from my previous marriage. Very bonding for me and my youngest daughter. :)