One question I got a lot towards the end of pregnancy was breastfeeding or bottle feeding. I knew that I was going to be bottle feeding again. I bottle fed Jess from the day she was born till she had cow's milk when she was one. There is so much pressure put on us to breastfeed. I almost felt like I have been judged because I have not tried to breastfeed. I am sharing with you a number of reasons why we have chosen to bottle feed again this time. You should not be ashamed or feel any less of a Mum for choosing this option. After all, a fed and healthy baby is best no matter how they are fed.
There is a number of reasons why I did not want to breastfeed this time. One of the reasons was so other people would be able to feed him. So if there are some times when we may need to leave Troy. He will be able to be fed by whoever is looking after him without me having to express. Like I would
if he was exclusively breastfed. The stress of having to do this making sure that I had expressed enough in order for him to be fed. May actually result in me producing less milk and making me debate if it is actually worth going out.
Bottle feeding also means that Joe can help out with the night feeds as well. I am home all day with Troy I do not to be exhausted all of the time and been able to have a good night's sleep helps. Usually, I do the majority of the feeds instead of all of them. A Mum who is rested both mentally and physically will feel like she is a more successful parent. Then one who is sleep-deprived and feels dreadful.
I struggled to only have 2 cups of coffee a day while I was pregnant. Of course, if I chose to breastfeed the baby does get an amount of the caffeine. This is going to mean that I cannot have too much or they would be highly caffeinated. The same with alcohol I would have to avoid it or pump and get rid of the milk. Which means that I would have to stay on a diet where I am away of what I am consuming. I know it sounds selfish but I would rather be happy and my baby fed than struggling and been unhappy. I can eat whatever, I want without worrying which is amazing I missed been that free. People who breastfeed and they have said in the past when their child is ill, they have worried that it is something they have eaten. They almost have to watch what they eat and see if there is a pattern in case it is an allergy. At least I know what Troy is eating and how much he is consuming.
Bottle feeding Troy does mean that I can spend time with Jess. I do not feel like I am having to constantly tell her no I can’t do something because Troy needs feeding. As a result of bottle feeding, it means that I usually can juggle and feed him and play with Jess. I think this would be a lot harder should I have opted to breastfeed. This because feeding can take a lot longer than breastfeeding. Of course, I can always ask someone else to feed him so that Jess does not feel like she never gets any attention from me which is not something I want at all. I do not want her to feel like she has been pushed out by Troy. By bottle feeding is also means Jess can help to feed Troy. She always wants to be involved in doing this. By allowing her to do this she feels like she is been a helpful big sister.
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I feel like I would get way too anxious to feed in public. I do not want to have to feed him in the toilet because I am too ashamed to feed my son in public. This is for sure something which I know would happen. I also know I would feel like people were staring at me even if those who I was with assured me that this was not the case. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are not the best mum for your child. Bottle feeding, I do not feel ashamed when he is screaming and needs a feed, I can just feed him straight away. I do not have to go find somewhere private or feel like there are so many people watching. This does not cause me to be anxious which is always a bonus because nobody wants to feel like that.
At least I know how much Troy has been eating rather than guessing if he has had enough food. Not knowing how much milk he has not knowing if that’s enough food for him is something which scares me. I don’t want my child to be starving because I’m not producing enough milk in order for him to grow. Since he was born big at 9lb 9oz I am concerned I would have to combine feed or constantly feeding him anyway.
No matter if you bottle-feed or breastfeed, you are still a strong Mum the best that your child could ask for.
Charlotte x
