breast feeding or bottle

I breast fed my daughter for 18 months and feel that it was the best gift I cauld give to her.
why do so many people bottle feed their children, when breast milk is the best and so easy??

no making up feeds at night,
no starilising bottles

life cauld not be so easier!:cool:

lets discuss
why cauldnt you breastfeed, was there not enough help available :teggy:
(or cauld u not me bothered! )

or do u think the powdermilk is better??

or did u not have enough milk??:aq:

My midwife, was like ohh dont worry there shall be loads of help on the maternity ward, but when I had my girl, I felt alone at the hospital :frowning: and the midwifes were not there for me, but luckly when I got home I had my mum, sister and aunt who showed me what to do, and gave me the support I needed:) ( not gonna go into to much detail)

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The lactation consultants at the hospital you give birth are a great resource for anyone Breastfeding.

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kids who not feed by their mother end up having weak immune system for whole life,.

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I did both shab786 and it worked out great. Both my babies were little and my doctor advised supplementing with formula to help them gain weight quickly. Then it became a habit and it stuck. Luckily it was easy for them to go back and forth because I heard that usually it's a problem.

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some women dont produce enuff milk... most moms out there WANT to be able to breast feed their chlid and feel let down by their bodies when there just is not enuff to sustain their little one... its not so easy for everyone love :)

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^ Ya ditto that. One mom I know wasnt able to nurse both her children and she really wanted to and felt terrible not being able to. Its hard and frustrating for them too. Sometimes some women (perhaps unintentionally) look down on mothers who dont nurse their babies, but its important to remember than not all who want to are easily able to

Inshallah I pray that I will be able to nurse my babies as I strongly strongly strongly feel it is for the best

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Breastfeeding was a breeze with my younger 2. But sadly, with my first son it just wasnt possible to keep it going. He had trouble latching on and coordinating the suck/swallow. He didnt like to eat, docs didnt recognize that he had reflux because he didnt have the back-arching and incessant crying. Anyway, it was difficult to determine whether he ate enough or exactly how much he was eating so I had to switch to formula. Breast is best for sure...but it sometimes just isnt possible.

oh boy! I had the most difficult time breastfeeding. :(
First of all, it was my first baby, and I had absolutely no help from family members about this issue. :( My mom is so darn conservative in talking about these issues - that we would NEVER EVER bring up others as an example - so that we can learn. I can't believe this, even my mother-in-law was with us, but even she was just as shy as my mom. So I lost! :(

So there I would be, behind closed door, trying to figure out ways, cause my baby had trouble latching on. :(

Since, at the hospital, the nurses had already started the Formula, I continued with it, while giving it a try in between.

So from newly born, it went to 1 week with the formula, then two weeks, and so on. It was six weeks and I still kept on trying, but my baby still would not "want to"...

It was extremely difficult, because at six weeks, I had to go back working full time.

But, MA, my kids are very healthy. I just have regrets that I wished I knew how to breastfeed. <=== very sad statement, but it's true.

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I know some kids who were breastfed very quickly and switched to formula, mashallah they are quite healthy and active......

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it is the best thing you can do for your child. Although i find it so very terrible for women who are under financial strain and cannot enjoy the experience because the miserly govt here doesnt stretch the maternity leave for two years. I knew a woman who had an autistic child, and a slightly big family. both of them had to work to make the ends meet and she was very depressed about the fact that she couldnt breast feed her newborn.

In pakistan though i have witnessed that it is considered lowly and beneath in some circles. There is another problem that some women face, because it is an extremely private practise (as in every kid has specific feeds, mine was a reflux baby and she took feeds so often that i suffered from chronic back aches from feeding after very very small and regualr intervals till about 7 months) the women truly need the support of their partners. If the husband wants his breakfast just so and promptish and is not willing to compromise then it is harder for women to continue it.

Third trouble is the combine families, lack of space and limited privacy. I know of some women who had to supplement with formula because they didnt have the privacy to comfortably feed the baby through out the day.

I felt like this at the begining, trust me it was'nt easy I was in tears a few times and was in alot of pain and the milk was'nt coming enough, my midwife who visited me at home said that their is no such thing as not enough milk and that I need to stick to it and eat plenty of fresh friut and veg so that my body can produce enough milk, so I did and it worked!!

ye definitely it wasn't easy...

Only in USA we have to go back so early after child birth :(

my sisters breast fed all 3 of her kids til age 2..... exclusively (no bottles). They are always sick. Then have my little cousins who were bottle fed.....they dont get sick as much.

breastmilk is best of course no doubt. but this evidence they tell us about breastfed kids having a stronger immune system seems bogus to me.

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^ I agree that breast feeding does not necessarily build stronger immune system - sure it might help. In this day and age, there are milk formulas that actually have all the nutrients necessary for the development.

Those "circle" are mostly in the less developed areas, and they are mostly uneducated folks. Who cares about their opinion?

Personally, I would have "cared" for such low graded opinions - ONLY - if my kids were suffering, and then it would have made me feel guilty and made me "believe" them that - yes I did miss out on something, and if their statement were true.

Since none of that is true - I do not have any regrets.

actually most of these women are educated they just consider that breastfeeding is an option for those who cannot afford formula. They just consider it backward and paindoo . I know couple of them on personal level, they got master degrees and a class phobia naturally.

yes but think of breast milk as custom made product to meet the needs of your child. the antibodies alone cannot be matched by formula. that is why it is considered second best thing

believe me its not bogus. you cannot compare two such cases because there are many variables. may be those kids would be sicker on formula and the other ones healthier on formula. if the mother is not malnourished then breast milk contributes to stronger immune system like formula cant. why?
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*“Through your breast milk, you give your baby immunities to illnesses to which you are immune and also those to which you have been exposed. Nursing also allows your baby to give germs to you so that your immune system can respond and can synthesize antibodies! This means that if your baby has come in contact with something which you have not, (s)he will pass these germs to you at the next nursing; during that feeding, your body will start to manufacture antibodies for that particular germ. By the time the next feeding arrives, your entire immune system will be working to provide immunities for you and your baby. If you are exposed to any bacteria or viruses, your body will be making antibodies against them and these will be in your milk” (La Leche League). **

Immunology of Breastmilk

:mehr: thanx for the info, very informative!!

Breast is best!

Mothers who bottle-feed find it easier b/c they can go back to work earlier; share the feeding with others e.g. Mom, sisters while they go out shopping or have a break etc; the baby finds it easier to suck on the bottle then tugging at the breast; they might have sore nipples and find it too hard to breastfeed - so many reasons.

I breast fed my child up to 2 years. I was travelling a lot during those two years and never had to worry about warming the milk etc - and my child never got ill either which amazed everyone! Lol. It was hard at the beginning as you feel sore in the first few weeks, but that is natural and I never gave up as I knew it was the best thing I could give my child. It got easier and I started enjoying it as well. Everytime I breast-fed my baby I felt closer to my child and we have such a wonderful, close bond, marshallah.

You can't beat breast milk with formula milk! Lol.