POLL Breastfeed or bottle feed?

I will be breatfeeding, that is of course if I can again, I've had problems with low prolactin levels last time.

I bottlefed ds1 & breastfed ds2 for 12 months.

I voted breastfeeding only, only because this is what I did with my boys and am assuming it will work again. I have alot of friends who have only breastfed all their kids and then had a stubborn baby that would only take a bottle, so I am keeping an only mind. I will go back to work part time when this baby is 3 month (I have done this with the boys also) and I have expressed without any problems. Hoping it this work, if not I have no problems putting babe onto formula.

 I would LOVE to breastfeed exculsively, but with my sons, I did not produce enough milk for them.  I went to lactation consulatants, etc with no help.  Very frustrating situation for me.  I will try again this time, and I'll be in a bigger city this time, so hopefully I'll get more assistance.  The ONLY good news about bottle feeding is MORE sleep, which is great for me since my DH will be deployed.

Gryphon:

The ONLY good news about bottle feeding is MORE sleep,

ditto this! My Dh works swing shifts so more sleep for me will be a huge +. I tried to breastfeed DS1 for nearly a month but didn't make enough milk and also went through post-partum depression...not a good expierence. Dh started the job he works now just before DS2 was born and I knew I would be doing over 95% of the baby care so I chose to bottle feed.....with lots & lots of love. It's totally up to you and don't let people make you feel bad about whichever you decide to do.

I voted breastfeeding only but I am all too aware of how things can change when the baby arrives and how each child is different.  My first was a pro, my second not a strong nurser, my third almost as good as my first.  So only time will tell.

I breastfed my first DD for 2 months before going back to work. This time I am quitting my job at 6months into pregnancy and not starting another till 3 months after birth...so I will have to breastfeed exclusively till 3months.

I thought about pumps at work too, but one of my colleagues(another doc) had an embarrassing episode in presence of a patient- wet blouse, dripping- so I am afraid to take that kind of risk.

crystal-light:

It's totally up to you and don't let people make you feel bad about whichever you decide to do.

Exactly right! I could not agree more, and I really worry about the pressure that is put on mums to breastfeed. As a PP wrote, "breast is best", and whilst this may be true in some respects, it certainly is not the best situation where you have a stressed out / frantic mum who can not feed a screaming baby, or a hungry baby that is simply not getting enough. I have had close friends placed under immense pressure to breastfeed, when it was clearly not working for them, despite their absolute best attempts.

I guess it really is based on the individual mum / baby / situation, and no one should be made to feel bad whatever they choose! Just my

That is totally true, even although I plan to breastfeed I hate the preasure put on mum's to breastfeed.  It's an individual choice, and only the mum can decide what will work best for her and baby.  I bottlefed ds1 and he couldn't be healthier.

I've had friends who have bottle fed and certain healthcare workers have been really quite nasty about it.  This should never happen, it's terrible.

crystal-light:

so I chose to bottle feed.....with lots & lots of love. It's totally up to you and don't let people make you feel bad about whichever you decide to do.

Agreed!  I think people are feel so strongly about it, but they don't think about how the mom feels.  I beat myself with each baby b/c I had to have a c-section with each (failure to progress with fetal distress for the first and then no vbac in the town I lived for the second) and then I couldn't make enough milk.  I was nursing EVERY hour for 20 minutes and still supplementing.  Horribly sad time for me.  I knew it was time to let it go.  I finally had to come to grips with the fact that I could GET pregnant, carry them full term, and had beautiful babies in the end.  Didn't matter how they got here, or how they were eating. 

I will breast and bottle feed. With DD I could only get milk for 4.5 months but I was giving her bottles from the first day too. She was comfortable with both. She liked bottle more so I mostly pumped it out and fed her with bottle.