I just want some advise really. Before i got pg i was sure i wanted to bf but now im not so sure. I know breast is best and admittedly my reasons for not wanting to are selfish. I dread the thought of feeding every 2 hours. When will i sleep!!!! I also worry about getting out and about and also feeding in front of other people. Im not bothered about feeding in front of females but dont fancy feeding in front of people like my FIL.

My mum and nan both bf and have been encouraging me to do what i feel is best but pushing on the side of bfing. I am worried that if i dont try it i will regret it but part of me still doesnt want to.

Was anyone else unsure but then found it worked very well? Some success stories please!

Also can you start expressing straight away? Obv that would allow me to get around having to bf in front of male visitors.

Hmmm, I was unsure and gave up at first hurdle (lo wouldn't latch on at all) so maybe I'm not the one to ask. I do wish I had tried harder tho' as the women who bf do really enjoy it, and a lot of people who formula-feed say they would like to try harder to bf next time, whereas no women who bf for 6 months + say they regretted bf and would bottlefeed next time. I would give it a really good go and if it doesn't work out then you can use formula with no hang ups. I think its good that you will have support in breastfeeding as all my family bottle fed so I didn't really have any advice or support. Also - whether bottle or breast fed, your little one will need feeding every 2 hours ish to start with. My lo fed every 2 1/2 hours on normal milk (went 8 hours at night tho) and every 3 on hungry baby so dont expect to be in a 4 hour routine with bottle feeding. x

I was determined to bf with my 2nd child (who's now nearly 15 weeks old) and I have managed it. It was very hard at 1st, I cant deny that. I think you need to make the choice thats best for you though and not be pressurized into bf. They say breast is best but my little girl has been poorly more times than I like to admit and has really bad eczema! So i beg to differ about that it prevents this! However, it is an amazing experience. Knowing that you are capable of making your baby full and content. The satisfaction feels great! I was all ready to stop after 1st few days but i persevered. She is having 2 bottles of formula milk a day now cos I'm back at work soon. But other than that she is bf.

I would suggest you try it, if you feel it is not for you, stop. Don't feel bad or guilty. If you are not happy then your baby wont be.

Good luck

i was absolutly sure i wouldn't bf....ever!! untill i got my son in my arms, then i didn't want to do anything else! i really struggled, to the point of making mysef ill but i was so keen that he got bm, i was happy when my sister offered to feed him (she was bf my neice at the time). when i got pg with my 2nd son, i was dead keen right from the get go. i managed to feed him exclusivly for 12 weeks and now at 5 months he has boob and bottle and is thriving.

i too was worried about flopping my boob out in front of 'just anyone' but when ur baby needs feeding, u just do it. in fact, i was in a coffee shop once where peope were unhappy with me bf and i got all cross (not like me at al!) and said very loudly that it was my babys birth right to be fed!!

basically i'd say, go with what ur happy with. if you want to bf, u will. its hard work, but (in my opinion)so worth it when ur baby looks up at u as if to say 'thanx mum!!'

u do whatever u want to do, regardless of the pressures put on u by mum's, gran's, mw's etc. at the end of the day, its YOUR baby and you know what it best for it. the only thig i'd say is that if u choose to bf but its taking over ur enjoyment of ur baby then stop.... don't let it rule ur life.

good luck, amanda

Hi MKT - I'm breastfeeding - 9 weeks now, and am loving it. Its so easily once its properly established. There is nothing better than being able to stop your screaming baby in their tracks by feeding them straight away, without having to prepare a bottle, warm it up, feed the baby, sterilise it, then start all over again. (formula doesn't mix with cold water very well, so has to be heated before it will mix, also you are supposed to make up a feed at a time these days, as and when you need them to avoid contamination). Bottle fed babies also get a lot more wind from the bottles, which to me means more crying!
I express as well (I did it from 5 weeks to avoid nipple and teat confusion) and this works really well for me. My lo latched on straight away when breast feeding, and we've had no problems, he is the most contented little baby, and I really loved sitting in the dead of night with him snuggled up close to my body. I had all the 2 hour feeds etc, and they weren't as bad as it sounds, also when you are breastfeeding a hormone kicks in which sends you straight back to sleep after - its like feed..zonk!! I get more sleep now than I did before I was pregnant!!!! My lo is sleeping for about 9/10 hours at night now, so has dropped the night time feed, so the worst is definately over. My friend expressed right from the start as her baby couldn't latch on. She was up all through the night expressing so her milk continued, feeding the baby from a bottle, sterilising, then starting all over again. She has now managed to get her baby to latch on and exclusively feed direct from the breast. (her baby is the same age as mine) - amazing, she's done so well to keep going!
There's also the cost - one friend worked out that it saves about ??40 a month to breastfeed. Every little helps! For me, it saves the confusion of the formula aisle which looks very scary! Yes there was a bit of pain, maybe about 6 days - where it was 'wince' every time he latched on, but the benefits to him and me seem so worth it. I just go upstairs if I need to breastfeed when someone is there, or use a muslin to protect my modestyI hope that helps hon, I would say try it if you can, or try and give your lo your colostrum anyway, thats an achievement in itself! But as said above, don't let anyone make you feel guilty whatever you decide!!Good luck!! xx

I feed in public and in front of my FIL with the aid of a muslin square. I got mine is asda cos the are a large size. Unfold your square and tuck one corner of it in the top of your bra strap on the side you are about to feed from so it makes a kind of tent. The latch baby on under neath. When baby is latched on you can pull the fabric away from babys face so they dont get too hot but still retain your dignity. Practise at home first and once you have the hang of it you will feel more confident. Give it a go hun xxx

''I dread the thought of feeding every 2 hours. When will i sleep!!!! ''

As someone else has said, to start with baby will feed every two hours whether bottle or breast, and believe me, it's much easier to whip a boob out and pop baby on, than sterilise a bottle, boil the water, measure the formula, cool the bottle, test the temperature... well you get my point!
Also, at night, it's much easier for the above reasons. I mixed feed now (baby is almost 6 months) and alex gets bottles during the night, and i find that i get less sleep than when i was bf at night. Hubby used to bring baby to me, he'd latch on, he'd feed for a little while then fall back asleep and hubby would put him back. I found that bf had a sedative effect and i'd be asleep again in seconds. Now i have to get up, make or warm the bottle, then feed then have to get alex to go back to sleep, by which point i'm wide awake and it takes ages to get back to sleep. In a lot of ways ,bf is alot easier than formula.

I also thought i'd feel awkward about feeding in front of people, but to be honest, there's not much to see - after all there's a great big baby in front of your boob hiding you! And hey, after you've given birth, this is nothing. I feel there's very little could embarrass me now!! Anyone else find that?????

Good luck whatever you decide, but please don't let the convenience side of this put you off - in that respect bf is sooooo much easier!

I plan to bf but I understand your anxieties about bf in front of certain male company. Most people I know manage to do it very discreetly so I think that won't be a problem when it comes to it. That said I would still feel funny doing it in front of certain people like my dad and fil and my teenage nephew whose just at that awkward age where he's probably just learning that breasts are something sexual!

Thanks everyone. Just want to clarify that my mum and nan are in no way pushing me to bf but would obviously be very supportive as thats what they chose to do.

I think im gonna go for it. I really thought that ff babies would sleep for a lot longer but i can see that even if they do i wont as will have to do lots of sterilising, warming, winding etc.

Oh yes, re. sleeping more, a friend bottle fed her baby from the start he is 7 months and still has 2 nightfeeds!!! And I know some bf babies that sleep through! I really do believe it depends on the baby rather than the method of feeding. x

good luck with trying to bf.
It is a wonderful experience once youve got past the first couple of weeks.

And as has already been said, if you find it isnt for you then you can move onto formula or express. Its easier that way round than the other.

xxxx