This is the never ending topic...lol...
My first two kids were bottle fed pretty much from birth. I tried breastfeeding and pumping but nothing would take for long. So I was really excited when I had my daughter and i could exclusively breastfeed her. Luckily I stay at home with my children so that meant that I could actually breastfeed her. Not pump and put it in a bottle. However, I had my tubes tied and didn't pump for at least 12 hours...thus, she is on formula now. I feel horrible about that.As long as the is staying healthy, I'm all for whatever is going to work.
A breastfeeding mom and I have had this talk multiple times. Yes with bottle feeding there is a higher risk of over feeding. I shouldn't say bottle feeding, i mean formula fed babies have a higher risk of being over fed. I can see how this is true. A new mother just knows that her baby is not happy. He may be changed, cleaned, bathed and all and still not be happy. So what does she do...pop a bottle in his mouth. I can easily see how this can happen. My boys were not overfed. They have always been a healthy weight for their age and height. My second son could eat a ridiculous amount of food. He was eating 8 ounces of cereal (oatmeal) from a feeder PLUS an 8 ounce bottle. It seemed like I was feeding him TOO much, but the doctor said he was just a hungry boy. There is a huge difference in your child being really hungry and healthy and you feeding your child until they are way too big for their age.
My daughter was breastfed for 2 1/2 months. Now she is only getting formula. I knew that breastfeeding meant that I was helping her. I was protecting her from germs and illness. Now I worry. I just wonder if formula can help her immune system build up like my milk could. Truthfully, it breaks my heart to feed her formula. HOWEVER, i could pump for 10 minutes and only produce about an ounce. In that length of time, she can drink 4 ounces. So maybe, in all honesty, my body just couldn't keep up with the demand. UGH! I really hate it. I have to take comfort in the fact that I made the choice to at least give breastfeeding a true and fair shot. It worked for a while but it came to an end.
Hopefully keeping an eye on how much my daughter is eating will be enough. I will most certainly not be giving her a bottle each time she makes a whimper. You see, I understand that formula fed babys can easily be over fed and this can cause serious problems down the road. You infant develops poor eating habits as a toddler and it just continues throughout their life. My boys are healthy and thriving and I look forward to being able to do that for my daughter as well.
Many women feel that bottle feeding is easier than breast feeding. Well I do not see how. Most women are too embarrassed to breastfeed in public. However there are many pros for making that choice. Your breast milk is always with you. It's always at the perfect temperature. It gives your baby a chance for her immune system to build up. You don't have to lug around a huge diaper bag with extra formula and bottles. That is however, a pro for formula feeding. Just drop a spoonful of formula into a warm bottle and there you go. lol. It's as easy as that. Which ever way a mother goes is her choice. In my opinion though, I feel like God made us able to produce milk for our babies and we should all give breast feeding a fair shot. If it doesn't work out, at least you tried. BUT if you never try, you'll always wonder if you could do it...
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