I've been breast feeing but topping up with a bottle feed maybe once or twice a day. It's good because it means OH can look after him for while.

I've been really lucky in that Pierre latched on correctly right from the start and I haven't had much trouble breast feeding. We have had our moments where he has had problems latching on but we get there in the end. It was very painful to start with but I think it's because he fed so much in the first couple of days and my nipples were really painful. Still I stuck at it because I was determined to get my figure back & I'm so glad I have because now my boobs are recovering it's not really painful at all and it's so convienient to not have to make up bottles or warm them up. Especially at night.

I breastfed both my kids. Jasper for 20 mths, Makena for 18 mths. Jasper was a little easier, because at the end (last several mths or so) he would just have some before sleeps. Makena was always wanting...looking back now, I understand why. But, it was draining at the time. I really enjoyed it tho...after the first 6-8 weeks that is...Jasper was hard to teach...or maybe it was me! LOL!

That's awful! Some people take it just a little too far, don't they? Good grief...it's food!

Oops...wrong quote...but, I meant for the lady posting about being turned away from LLL.

i breastfeed i found it very hard at first soooo painfull i totally understand why people dont but i managed to get through it in the end god knows how and find it easy and none painfull now and really enjoy it xxxx

i also had the same problem with baby keep sucking for comfort think he still does now really i give him a dummy and hes really content when hes got his dummy in now , the midwife in hospital made me feed him basically all night i didnt know what else to do now i realise hes just a sucky baby and loves his dummy , my nipples where bleeding too it was awfull, but i managed to get through it id give him the odd bottle when they were too sore, i find it painless now i dont know how i got through it though xxx

I do both so I won't vote. My little fatty can be on my boobs for hours before she starts screaming at me for a bottle. She prefers the bottle because it satisfies her, I prefer breast feeding because of how close we are when I'm feeding her and that no one else can do that for her.

I breastfeed and I LOVE it. We're very close because of it. And also cheaper, no carrying bottles around and having to faff on heating and making them up in the middle of the night when he's screaming. Perfect for us!

xxx

Ditto Linzi!
Food & drink on tap - Indi loves it!

I breastfeed because that's what these honking great big bags on the front of my chest are for :P Well, that and breastmilk supposedly being the most healthy food for babies. The early days were hard going because I was still in hospital and struggling with getting fifty different sorts of advice from fifty different nurses, but once we arrived home and had the kraamzorg (after birth care in NL) helping us, things went much better. I think it took about four weeks or so before I could really say that I was adept at breast feeding. I'd always assumed it would be instinctive and easy, but it wasn't! It's like everything else, a skill to be learned. On top of that, the pain in the first few weeks doesn't help much, but that's disappeared with time thankfully.

The downside for me has been always having to be the one getting up at night (partly my own fault though - I could have expressed milk so my husband could feed the baby, but I've been too slack ), and also feeding in public - what happens so easily and naturally at home for some reason in public becomes a case of utterly uncoordinated and self-conscious fumblings involving blankets and a small cushion with a kitten on it (oh yeah, and the baby). I've just never got the hang of it, so on these occasions will sometimes use formula one-shots instead, or just avoid having to be out of the house at feeding time (bye bye social life...).

On the whole, I've really enjoyed breastfeeding though. I love the closeness with my son, and I feel ridiculously proud about being able to nourish him in his early months. I feel a bit sad that breastfeeding must eventually come to an end, as he turns to more grown-up foods.