breast or bottle 2nd time around

[almst-crazy-mum]

Hi all,
I am the mother of a 2.5yrold who i b/f from birth with no attachment dramas but found he became very reliant on the need to feed2sleep. I wanted to demand feed him so i was feeding him everytime he cried/woke which was about every 45mins which resulted in him being in my bed.
Expressing didnt work and he wouldn't take the bottles anyway so i never got a break-couldn't leave him with anyone because he wanted to feed all the time.
At 15mths old he was still in my bed being fed to sleep and feeding sometimes 10times a night(purely for his comfort!!)- I had to attend tresillian and do dual weaning and settling and since then he has been a great sleeper with a new found independence.

So anyway....(sorry for life story) i am 32weeks pregnant and can't decide whether i should try b/f again but be strict with routine or start with bottles from birth so i don't have to be the sole feeder! I think after the first time round i have resentment for the sole provider role that comes with b/f.

Anyone have similar experiences or any advice for this looming decision??

[xkwzit]

Hi
I knew that I was going to have to get DD2 to have EBM from a bottle, as I was going back to work when she was 6 months old. After getting into an acceptable bf routine, once she was 6 weeks old we would offer her a bottle of expressed milk at least once a week (lactation consultant recommended that we wait the 6 weeks to avoid nipple confusion). Sometimes she would take it, other times not, but I knew that if she was hungry she would take a bottle no probs. It is nice to have a break every now and then, but I think you do run a risk of baby preferring bottle to breast, which may then take some patience and discipline on your part if you are passionate about continuing to bf.

Having said all that, your second baby will probably be completely different to your first and you may not have the frequent feeding probs at all

Here's hoping (my DD2 is an excellent sleeper v unlike DD1)

[bb]

In my opinon, and it may not be worth much, you should do exactly what works for you ! You may discover, that with the arrival of #2 comes the desire to breastfeed. Likerwise, you may prefer to try bottle. I think we women put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do certain things at a time when we really need to just be left to "free-fall" a bit.

I had every intention of breastfeeding my little man, but ended up using the bottle. Initially, I was expressing milk, and we were using breastmilk and formula, but eventually we ended up just with formula. It kept me sane, and my baby happy. What more could I ask for ??

B

[nemosmum]

Like you my little man was a v.hungry baby and I too decided to demand feed, which turned out to be every two hours night and day

I became very resentful towards my dh and found I didnt like bfeeding At ALL!!!
However I persevered, to be honest it was out of guilt, how can you feel like a gd mum when everyone around you tells you BREAST IS BEST. I started to wish my baby would have attachment problems just so I could have an excuse to stop
bfeeding which made me feel even worse

Unlike your little one my son settled after about four months and I finally found bfeeding alot easier and finally started to enjoy the time spent together just the two of us wrapped in each other like there was no one eles in the whole world.

Were thinking about starting again at the end of this year and like you I have doubts about what I should do- I was so unprepared last time round (for all the sleepless nights the constant feeding etc etc) Will next time be easier becoz I've done it before or will it be harder coz each child is so different

I guess time will tell and until it happens you could make yourself sick with worry OR you can go with the flow and see how you feel when your new little angel arrives-whatever you do you just remember your making the right choice for you and your child at the time and NO ONE ELSE MATTERS

Goodluck and I wish you all the very best

[Kerry35]

#2 BF

I have a DS4 and a DD3 mths old. I too BF my first bubs until he was 6 months old. I am also BF my 2nd bubs, however, due to time constraints, I also offer her EBM every evening around the 5/6pm mark.

She drinks from an Avent bottle/teat, she feeds in half the time if she was on the boob (anywhere from 30 mins to 1 hr), I know how much she is getting and she sleeps better (and longer) at night for it. I never EBM for my first as i had all the time in the world.

Having said that, you need to do what is best for you, bubs and the rest of the family. Remember, you need to be happy too, as well as bubs.

Good luck

Mum to DS4 and DD3 months old