This may be a weird post to find on here but I don’t know where to ask.
I am currently pregnant with my first baby, breast feeding is such a controversial topic and I’ve considered every single factor for bottle feeding and breast feeding. I haven’t made a decision but I was just curious about one thing? Are you able to just pump your breast milk and feed it out of a bottle so that the baby is having the benefits or breast milk without needing to actually be on the boob? Like just strictly pumping and feeding through a bottle since they’re born. I’ve never really heard of women just expressing their milk and feeding through a bottle rather than putting baby on the boob. I know woman tend to do it as baby gets older but I wasn’t sure if you’re able to do this from the off. Me and my partner are currently discussing options, we still have a while yet but I’m trying to research and find out all pros and cons to both so we can make the best decision for ourselves and our baby.
I don’t want any negativity just looking for advice and exploring all our options, as I said we haven’t made any decision and are just curious.
Thank you.
Written by
Daisy1904
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For the first few weeks of my babies life I breast fed.... from the boob, I was tired and it was easy just to produce a boob that had milk exactly right for my baby.
Going on a month, I started to Express my milk because I knew I had to go back to work and it was more convenient if we were both out together. That too was ok. My baby had milk that was right for her, the only down side was the sterilising and warming the milk if it was in the fridge before hand, but it's also a minor downside.....
You can do it from the off once your milk has come in properly, you'll only be producing small amounts when your baby is newborn, but it will be enough for him.
By the way, the more you Express, the more milk you produce.
Hiya! Thank you so much. I have a lot of reservations about both breastfeeding and bottle feeding. I know breastfeeding is better but I get worried as I’ve heard so many women sometimes get depressed because they feel exhausted from having to be the only one feeding and it’s just a major concern of mine, I’ve also seen other women who’s breastfed and their nipples become so sore that bleed😬. However I really want my baby to have the benefits from breastfeeding x
I loved breast feeding my baby, it was such a special time between us. I cant comment on how you'll feel if you're solely responsible for feeding, personally I loved it.
I got cracked nipples and mastitis too which was horrible, but because I breast and bottle fed it also gave me time to recover.
I just think that you should do whatever you feel is best at the time, when your baby is here you'll know best. Dont let the little things bog you down, enjoy every moment as they will be grown and leaving home before you know it xx
Hi, You can pump but not as easy If you do it straight away. You might have very little and it’s very upsetting when you pump only to get a drop or two.
The easiest way to make sure you have enough milk is to breastfeed baby at the start and then when you get a good supply going- your body will be « used to » producing so much milk and you will be able to pump it.
If you need any more advice, don’t hesitate and good luck with baby
Hiya, thank you so much for your advice. I just have a lot of reservations about both breast feeding and bottle feeding and it’s such a big decision to make x
Of course, I also think you should do whatever feels naturally best for you when baby comes along. Try not to worry too much about it as you’ll know what’s right.
Personally , I had my little one with me the whole time when she was born (second child) so I breastfed because it was handy and a good excuse to get to have her with me but that was my choice, I just picked her up whenever she’d cry. That was the way I wanted to do things as my son (who is 3 now) cried a lot when born but I think it might be because I didn’t hold him enough. So I found the house calmer and things easier the 2nd time around. I had a little “next2me” bed beside my own bed so no getting up at night etc.
That’s just my experience.
If you have any other questions even in the future, send a message
Absolutely you can. My first really hurt and sore nipples that bled so nurse said couldn’t feed as blood in milk. So I expressed to chucked away for a day while baby had formula. Then alternated feeds with pumped milk and formula. I did that for a month. Afterwards I fed direct, was so much easier, and no pain, but still added a formula feed in between. Hind site I wouldn’t have done that. We are cleaver things make enough for our baby. The more you feed the more you make and never ever compare the quantity you get in bottle to the quantity of breast milk- the reason most give up as feeling like they are not making enough. Babies prefer smaller and more frequent feeds. They have tummy’s the size a walnut. So I persevered for 6 months, then she stopped feeding on me. I cried. I was neurotic about sterilising too and that anxiety passed on to my daughter.
My second, no problem easy fed no problem, oh, the joy of not sterilising, could never get her to drink from a bottle or formula.So was tricky when I went back to work at 11 months. She sipped water from beaker had food and had me when I got home continued up to her 3rd Birthday.
That’s amazing! I would really love to do it but I get worried about becoming low and feeling isolated when I’m the only one able to feed baby for a while. I know I can bottle and breast feed but not keen to as I don’t want to confuse him. Did you ever feel low or frustrated about being the only one able to feed? X
Difficult one to answer. Remember going to a works meal put on for my benefit as was my 40 th birthday. Youngest was 5months old. I’d left them with my mum to baby sit . It was difficult to leave as she hadn’t settled but thought I’ve got to do it, and my mum will just have to manage. I think I’d expressed just in case even if she wouldn’t take it was only for a couple of hours.. luckily for me the phone signal is bad, she’d been trying to call, mum did look a little fraut but my baby was a sleep. She had cried for some time and wasn’t settling, but eventually she did..
When she was 9months we went to an afternoon into the evening wedding. I phoned the venue in advance to see if anywhere I could feed as my dress was fitted zip at back and needed to take it totally down. Well little madam didn’t want to drink water or eat food, and I never found the manager to find the discreet place . So I ended up stripping off in my car!
Men can sleep through the baby crying so you’d probably find it would be you doing the feeds at night. I would find I’d feed and we’d both fall back to sleep quickly. I could eat what I liked and lost so much weight. - difficult habit to stop when you do stop feeding. You do get thirsty,
I love the cuddles. She is the most cuddly child, with me, husband and grandparents .
My first experience was toe curling painful . Lots of tears, and 5 days in hospital, little sleep from other babies crying and she suckled on me in the middle of the night for over an hour at a time, midwives were sparse at the time again hind site I should have un latched her as she was asleep using me like a dummy and put her down.
I can't write much atm but my initial thoughts are :you don't need to make up your mind just yet and secondly why make more than triple the work by doing the pumping and bottle feeding on any regular basis?
Nipples can crack the same amount if pumping and personally I would never have been able to pump enough to feed (I could only ever pump enough to save enough over a week to get out once a week).
Contact Nct breastfeeding counsellor and/or la lech league in advance for more discussion perhaps?
You can breast feed or pump and give the baby the bottle.. Either way the baby will take it. I'm a mom of four, two of them being twins and I breast fed them all. I took Fenugreek (a natural supplement) to help aid in my milk production. I had more than enough milk each time I wanted to breast or bottle feed. In fact I had so much I had to put it in storage baggies and freeze it. All of my children are older now but I do not regret having them on breast milk because they very seldomly have been sick. It's a fact that breast fed babies are much healthier. I think I've been to the hospital maybe four times for sports related injuries on three occasions and once for an ear infection that was caught after swimming but I learned how to cure that naturally at home. Whether it's a bottle or your breast, breast milk is the best choice for baby! Good luck.
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