Should I breastfeed? Is it the healthiest?

Question

Hi guys. I’m a first time mommy and I’ve been so conflicted whether or not to choose to breastfeed. Some say it’s healthy for the baby and others say it’ll leave you with pain in your nipples and cause your boobs to drag. Am I able to breastfeed and bottlefeed?

Answer

Breast is best. Formula tries to mimic breastmilk, but breast milk is a living source of nourishment that constantly changes with your babies growth and specific needs and formula is not close to the same nor can it come close to the same. 
It doesnt always lead to saggy breasts (my mom had 10 kids and didn't have any sag til after #6 and a filriend tandem fed twins and had no sag afterwards either), and most nipple pain is from incorrect latching. You may have some tenderness the first week or so because they arent used to it, but it isnt that bad and there are tons if lotions, creams, and other pain management methods to help with it if you need it. My girl is 3 weeks old and I dont have any tenderness or pain anymore unless the latch is off. 
You can also pump breastmilk. You may still have the tenderness while your nipples get used to it. I breastfeed and pump so I have some bottles available for when I cant find a private place to breastfeed in public, since my girl doesnt like being covered. Pumping after nursing is easy, and most insurances will cover the cost of a pump for you. You just need to wash a few parts of the pump each night to keep them clean to prevent bacterial contamination of the next batch. 
You can also mix breastfeeding and formula feeding. However, your supply is established in the first 6-12 weeks of your babys life, so eliminating formula later can make it harder for you to produce enough milk for your baby. This way allows you to provide formula if you want, while also giving the added multitude of benefits of breastmilk.

Answer

Please do it. It is the healthiest for both YOU AND BABY and it will save you a ton of money. Formula is CRAZY expensive. Breastfed babies spit up less and tend to have less acid reflux. Seriously do research on it. It is a LIE when people say formula is just as good. It is not. Now if u are unable to or struggle with it DO NOT feel guilty in any way if you choose to formula feed. But please give your breast a serious try. WE PRODUCE MILK FOR A REASON.

Answer

I think you should at least give it a try, and if it's not for you..that's ok. It is very good for babies to breastfeed, there are numerous health benefits. However, fed is best..so if you'd rather do formula, that's fine too. I didn't try at all with my first born, so she went straight to formula..my youngest, I decided to give it a shot BUT I never did any research or learned how to do it properly..so I failed miserably and gave up after a week. This time around I plan to breastfeed and stick to it, I've done my research..and I'm sure I'll also learn on the way.

Answer

Technically it is healthiest for babies. From what I have been told your boobs will sag either way from pregnancy 🤷🏻‍♀️ I am still breastfeeding my 9 month old and it is a very special thing to do. I can’t say there haven’t been hard times but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I agree with the others saying you should at least try it. But yes it is healthiest for babies.

Answer

Okay so quite a few things; 
Pregnancy is what makes your boobs sag (or not) but until you have baby and you’re done breastfeeding (or choose not to and those hormones go away) you won’t know if pregnancy affected your boobs. It’s a huge myth that breastfeeding causes the sag. 
Breastfeeding does hurt at first. Not gonna lie. I cried everyday the first 2 weeks from day 4-14. But I breastfed for 14 months. It was so worth it to me. I’m doing it again in less than 3 months. 
Breastfeeding helped me lose 55 lbs. I only gained 35 during pregnancy, and was no where near over weight pre pregnancy. It helps a lot of women lose weight because it burns a ton of calories. But, some women do gain weight because they eat too much to over compensate. 
Breastmilk is healthier. Not saying formula is bad. But baby’s saliva interacts with your milk and your milk can literally adapt to prevent them from getting sick by using your established antibodies. Night time milk is more fatty to help them sleep where as day time milk is less fatty/more watery to help hydrate. It truly adapts to all of baby’s needs. 
I’d say give it a try for a month. If you can make it the first month, you can make it however long you choose to. Don’t give up in the early harder days. It does get easier.

Answer

Biologically speaking, in most cases, yes breastmilk is better. It adapts to baby’s needs. It comes loaded with antibodies that help with baby’s immune system. It will change from fattier milk to more watery milk depending if baby is dehydrated. Breastmilk is amazing. But that’s not to say formula isn’t a good option. It is. I’m a strong advocate for breastfeeding but I’m also a strong advocate for moms doing what’s best for themselves. Breastfeeding can take a mental toll as sometimes it gets overwhelming. If you want to give it a shot, do it! I loved breastfeeding. It was hard at times but it felt amazing to feed my second baby from my breast. But I also formula fed my first. And it felt just as amazing doing that because my mental health was not stable enough to continue pumping, as my first would not latch.

Answer

I think you should absolutely give it a try if it's something you'd be interested in trying. The bond breastfeeding creates is amazing and it really is liquid gold. Though breastfeeding is amazing it can be painful at times but it's not a constant pain. The first few weeks are the hardest but your nipples get used to it. That being said don't feel like you have to breastfeed. You are not less than any other mother if you choose to formula feed for any reason and formula is still an amazing thing. Your baby will still be still be just as healthy and strong and smart from formula

Answer

I wasn't able to breastfeed and my boobs still sagged so don't let that be your deciding factor. Give it a try and go from there.

Answer

You do what’s best for you and baby. Yes breastfeeding is the healthiest for your baby I breastfeed for 6 months but also bottle feed my son and he’s perfectly healthy soon to be 3 year old. You never know what will happen some moms just aren’t able to do it for many reasons and that’s ok a formula feed baby can be a healthy child as well  and for me personally as long as my baby is fed and healthy that’s all that matters.

Answer

I really think most my weight came off due to breastfeeding

Should I breastfeed? Is it the healthiest?

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