Feeding

There is a lot of pressure on new mums and the feeding issue is one of the biggest. If breastfeeding is not for you then make the decision and don’t worry about it. If you are not sure which option to go for then it is worth trying breastfeeding at the start as even a little breastfeeding gives the baby your antibodies and this helps with their immunity.

Breastfeeding

Be aware that breastfeeding is not for the faint hearted. There is plenty of information about the benefits of breastfeeding but there are disadvantages ad problems, which were never explained to me properly before I gave birth. But if you are going to breastfeed it is worth reading a book about it or looking at information on the internet before the baby is born as that helps you to be so much more prepared for the difficulties and problems you might face

The main advantages are;

• 1 It is convenient especially in the middle of the night
• 2 The milk is just right for your baby
• 3 It is a special time with you and you baby. You don’t need to breastfeed to bond with the baby but it is a nice experience later on once you gets the hang of it all.
• 4 It is a cheaper option than formula.
• 5 There is a much lower risk of infection

Most of the disadvantages occur during the first few days and weeks but if you can persevere past them then breast feeding is very worthwhile and most people I know who got past the first 6 weeks manage to continue for as long as they wanted to. The main disadvantages are the following

 

• 1 If you have trouble with positioning, or latching on or your baby has a strong suck, it is going to hurt. Your nipples may become cracked and painful and it is hard to keep going. Make sure you get as much help as you can to ensure the baby is latched on correctly and if your nipples get sore you can be prescribed lanisoh to help ease the soreness. I also used nipple shields for a while to protect the nipple. It does get better with time.
• 2 Breastfeeding takes up a lot of time and it can almost seem continuous in the early days especially in the evening. Breastfeeds at the start could take 45 minutes and the baby needs to feed every 2-3 hours. The frequency of feeds is important to build up milk supply.
• 3 Most new mums I know have found it hard to breastfeed exclusively and have ended up supplementing with a bottle of formula or breast milk in the evenings. Your milk supply can diminish through the day as you get tired which can mean the baby needs to feed all evening to get full.
• 4 It can be hard to breastfeed in public at first and as the baby needs fed every 3 hours then this could limit you going out. If you can get the hang of feeding discreetly though you can breastfeed anywhere. I have breastfed in church, on planes, in shopping centres and restaurants.
• 5 Breastfeeding can be very tiring and draining. If you want to breastfeed exclusively then it is important to get enough rest, food and water to ensure an adequate milk supply, again this is especially important in the early days when you are still recovering from the birth. This might limit your activities outside the home.

Bottlefeeding

Even if you want to breastfeed it is worth having bottles as well. I started to express milk from fairly early on and my husband gave the last feed at night.

There is some debate about whether young babies can get confused between the nipple and the bottle and then not feed well from the breast. We gave a bottle from the first week and we have never found it to be a problem. If you don’t introduce a bottle until the baby is much older though you may have problems getting the baby to accept it.

The advantage of introducing a bottle is that it gives you a break. If you have a partner that can give the last feed at night it allows you to go to bed early to sleep.

Formula feeding

It is fairly straight forward to use formula as long as the area is kept clean and all bottles and teats are sterilised before each use as the risk of infection is high. It is important to follow closely the instructions on the tub of formula milk to ensure it is made up with the correct quantities of milk to water.

We used to make up the bottles with cooled boiled water in advance then add the milk powder when the baby was ready to feed. We have never warmed the bottles so our son was always happy to take the milk at room temperature.

Formula feeding allows the mother more freedom to go out without her baby or to go back to work. Also anyone can be involved in feeding the baby. We introduced formula for two feeds in the evening to give me a break and it allowed us to leave the baby with a baby sitter if we want to go out in the evening.

A lot of the information about feeding seems to suggest you should either totally breastfeed or bottle-feed. But this doesn’t have to be the case and in practice a lot of mums I know do both so that the baby gets the benefits of breast milk, and the mother is not tired out by it all and can have a break in the evenings.

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