Ok so OH and I have been talking ALOT about different things we are gonna do when we have our baby, etc etc. we even went through all of my stepson's clothes to see what we wanted to keep or get rid of in case our baby turns out to be a boy.

So I have some questions for you moms and moms-to-be about breastfeeding.

Those who are and/or are already breastfeeding-What made you decide to do it? Did you breastfeed in public and/or plan on it? How does that work in the middle of the night and how does it affect your sleeping arrangements?

Those who are not and/or don't plan on breastfeeding-Why did you decide not to breastfeed? What kind of formula and/or other substances do you feed your baby? Do you let and/or plan to let baby sleep with you or in their own crib?

I've researched this topic a hundred times and finally decided that who would know best... MOTHERS of course! LOL.

So please ladies, give me some wonderful advice on this topic and I will be forever grateful. I'm extremely excited to see what everyone has to say!

i dont think i'll be breast feeding as i think i'll feel more comfortable bottle feeding, As around town i dont just want to "flop my boob out" lol! i just think it'll be easier and best for me, And they say you should do what feels right too you and bottle feeding feels right too me, eventhough i will feel slightly bad for not breast feeding cos i wanna give my baby the best start in life but ive gotta be comfortable with my decision too
xxx

That makes total sense... OH really thinks that breastfeeding will be the best route for our baby but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with it, you know?? I've only seen one woman breastfeed in public and everyone was staring and pointing at her...

I'm not sure I could handle that.

you can express milk with a milk pump but ive heard the manual ones are rubbish and the electric ones are quite expensive, my OH has said its totally up too me as its my boob lol! ive never really seen anyone breast feeding in public i think most people hide away in the mother and baby changing rooms? if i did breast feed i wouldnt do it in public anyway and it would be a right nuisance having to find a private place to breast feed, it just seems easier to bottle feed. And the way science is today the formula milk is almost as good as breast milk
xxx

ill be breast feeding. My boobs are making his food for a reason, so i intend to use them, he wont have to wait around for a feed, i want to feel even closer to him, it saves me pissing about with making feeds up when im already tired and its alot cheaper and more efficiant! Plus in public ill be taking my ponchos and pashminas around to cover up i wont just 'flop it ouut' lol.

I had really really wanted to breastfeed ( I have a lactation problem though so was not able to along with the fact Athena had a horrible latch). My reasons for breast feeding were. It is the BEST thing for baby. Formula does not have antibodies and can be REALLY hard for a little baby to digest. Also spitting up is a lot more common in babies that are formula fed. You also have a benefit to you. Breastfeeding helps your uterus contract faster. Causing your belly to shrink a lot faster. Also breastfeeding takes more calories so you can lose weight while still eating what you want in moderation.

Sleeping can be harder. When I was able to breastfeed for the first two weeks I would put Athena to be originally in her bassinet but I ended up buying a co-sleeper type thing and after she would wake up to feed I would put her in there and we would just sleep laying down. The US is becoming very accepting to breastfeeding in public and if anyone says any company says anything you can sue them and just in general it is harrasment. They have a lot of different types of nursing covers and nursing shirt... What I did was I would wear a nursing tank underneath a regular shirt and then when she needed to eat all you had to do was pull up the shirt to JUST above you nipple and then unhook it. Then latch baby quickly. Theres no reason to FLOP out your whole breast and personally I think its disrespectful to not be discreet about it. There are also shirts that do almost the same thing. There usually to layers and you just where a nursing bra under it. The top layer looks completely normal the layer underneath just has a slit. You lift up the top layer and there you go. Also if you use a sling or a moby carrier its almost impossible to even be able to tell that you are breastfeeding unless someone comes over to take a look. I hope some of this helped. If you have other questions just ask even though I didn't breastfeed for very long I studied for EVER before and I pumped as much as I could till she was 6 months when I completely dried up.

I plan on breastfeeding baby when she's here. Reason being it's supposed to be whats best for baby and anything i can do to make sure she has the best start i'l happily do.
Plus the whole it helps you lose weight idea kinda intrigues me - whether it actually works or not is a different story though lol.
And tbh at half 4 in the morning when my eyes are still half shut i'd rather have my milk there than have to go make up a bottle, ha.
Breastfeeding in public actually doesn't really bother me.. Obviously i'm not going to sit there with my boobs out but most women i've seen just cover up with a light blanket or something.
As for night times, getting up more often and by myself will be hard. But when her dads home (she'l be around 6-8 weeks, he's at sea with Navy) i can start to express some milk so dad can get up with her for some of the night feeds.
I do think there is alot of pressure on women to breastfeed and many probably just do it because they feel they have to and not really because they want to, which isn't the best situation. The main thing is that baby's healthy and getting fed, whether that be from BF or FF in the end up doesn't really matter. Everyone should do what feels right for them.xx

yeh its entirely a womans choice what to do, i do think theres an unnecessary pressure on women to bf. But actually formula food has vitamin k in it which bm doesnt. Just a thought. and they do say it helps with weight loss so thats an extra reason!

No one in my family has ever really breastfed. My grandma breastfed my Uncle, and my mom breastfed me for a month or so but she said I couldn't learn to latch properly and her milk wasn't good.

I like the idea of breastfeeding. Its not only healthier, but like bumpy said, the idea of losing weight faster REALLY interests me! I want my baby to have the best health, so breastfeeding sounds good.

Kellysays2u, I've looked for tops like what you described and I just can't find them! I wasn't looking to buy, just looking to do research...

my mum didnt bf me or my brother and we were absolutely fine they do them vests in mothercare x