Breast feeding

I breastfed all three of mine and enjoyed it. It came very easily for me. For my first two I was the only one on the ward breastfeeding. That had changed by the time I had number three. I am not in the least bothered whether a woman chooses to breastfeed or not. It is a personal choice in a country like ours but probably less so in a country where clean, plentiful water to mix feeds is not so readily available. No woman should feel guilty either about breast or bottle feeding. It is the relationship you build with the child that is important.

Tried hard but couldn't . Are you closer breast feeding? Maybe, but sitting in a chair at night with baby and bottle in the moonlight cuddling and rocking together felt just fine to me. Just because a baby is bottle fed dosen't mean you can't get close and feel that special bond. If you want to breast feed and can that's great and if you can't then that's fine too. Mums should feel comfortable doing both. As long as the babies are loved, bottle or breast is just fine.

Fed, not feed. (I must learn to proofread.)

I breastfeed both of mine until they lost interest at about ten months. I had a cracked nipple a couple of weeks in with DS2 and that was jolly painful. I used a nipple shield for a week or so until it healed. My mother told me to eat lots of rice pudding, which I was happy to do and DH used to take a Tupperware beaker to the pub and bring me back some draught Guinness, which I was also happy to consume.
Whatever mothers choose to do is fine but I was too lazy to do all that bottle washing and sterilising.

I breast fed all three of mine - DS1 unsucessfully - followed instructions of midwife - DD next - Dr Spock's chapter helped enormously to bolster my beliefs - result, successfully breastfed for many months. DS3 just got on with it - husband happy as cost was minimal (bar of chocolate and a Chinese take away once a fortnight) no mess, no fuss. Would do it all again (the breast feeding that is) - at least I got to sit down at regular intervals.

I did enjoy breast-feeding. Warmth and closeness - brilliant - I loved it!

I did it. You just got on with it. My sister was a midwife so wouldnt hear of not doing it or giving up early. Never any problems in public. I well remember feeding DD on the bus. Discreet use of shawl -no probs.

I was seen as an oddity by one or two friends in the 70's. I was only able to feed DD for a couple of months because I had a particularly useless health visitor, but I fed DS for 11 months at which point he decided a cup was much easier and completely lost interest DD is the one with the PhD so I can't say the bottle did her any harm

That must have been so hard Gilly. Of course for many it is a choice- and I wouldn't judge- and yet, in the 70s, some of the friends who chose not to breastfeed, were so rude about those of us who did- and tried to make US feel like dinosaurs and downtrodden little women for choosing to do what came naturally- unfortunately.

I breast fed all 5 of mine, but never for more than months, the bit I hated was first thing in the morning wnen my boobs were like a couple of solid bricks, and boy, did they hurt!!

Thank oyu Nelliemoser

I will never understand how/why women make other women feel guilty or somehow a "lesser caring" mother because they didn't/don't breastfeed. My children have grown up perfectly fine on Cow & Gate as have thousands of others.

Gillybob I am sorry you had such a difficult time with your first baby. Attitudes were very different then.

Yes I did and I really enjoyed it. I did not worry too much where I fed but I just wore the right clothes so it was quite possible to be discrete. No getting out of bed to warm up a bottle to the right temperature and feed baby. Plug in and go.
I had a C section and being able to breast feed help me realise I was not a total failureas a woman.

My DD who got into "wearing babies" in a sling perfected feeding her babies on the move when out and about. When I was out in a M&S cafe with DD feeding new baby there was a woman at the table a good bit older than me who was looking on with approval.

I couldn't! No milk! Always felt and feel guilty.

I didn't breast feed either of my 2 children. I don't feel in anyway guilty for that. I was 18 when I had my son in very difficult circumstances. I lived with my parents for a short time after the birth and there is no way on this earth my dad would have tolerated it. I know that sounds crazy but having a baby when I did was deemed shameful enough. He wasn't over happy about nappies, sterilising equipment lying around either. I had to go straight back to work after the birth anyway and my poor son was in full time nursery at 6 weeks !

No its fine I am not at all offended I know I'm weird- still got perky bosoms though!

I hope my comment about weirdness wasn't misunderstood. I meant people objecting to women feeding their offspring outside the home, not women who prefer not to breastfeed - I am all for choice

The same experience as you, Luckygirl, although DC1 and I managed to struggle on for 10 or 11 weeks it was not a happy experience.
The others were fine!
Although I must say I was discreet rather than flaunting what we were doing.

A happy mother has a happy baby Teetime. Nothing weird doing what suits you.

I did with both- painful at first with DD1 as I had an emergency C section (transversal breech) -but loved it. So easy, at night, for travelling- both for about 8-9 months naturally going on to a cup. And it was a fabulous way to lose weight easily and get a tight tummy again after both.

As Anno says, the feeling and bond was just wonderful and I am so glad I did.

No I must be weird (as if we didn't already know that) never did it because I never wanted to.

Breast feeding is one of the most wonderful experiences any woman can have. I loved it and was rather put out when DS1 decided at 7 months that he would rather not, thanks very much! But neither of my two ever had a bottle.

Two of my three (the first would not suck - little tyke!) were fully breast fed for many months with no hassle about feeding in public - my DGC all in the same situation and no problems at all. So no apparent change in public attitudes over time here.

Oddly, I think it's more controversial now than it used to be. That's odd because we are supposed to have fewer taboos nowadays rather than more.

I never found that my breast-feeding outside the home caused any controversy. Nobody said anything negative or even looked anything negative, ever. Sometimes someone would smile and once someone commented approvingly on my happy baby when the feed was over. That was on a train.

I'm amazed at the fuss that sometimes happens nowadays and the outrage some people express, but for every story of fuss there will be hundreds of babies being breastfed 'outside the home' with no fuss or bother from anyone. I think that's worth remembering.

Mums!

Yes and I think a lot of nonsense is talked about mum's donig what is a perfectly normal part of a mammals life. What is abnormal is objecting to it -weird.