Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

I truly hope this comes across the way it was intended, as to not offend either BF moms or FF moms

Is there anyone else out there who just didnt feel strongly either way ? I gave BF a whirl w/ my DS and he couldnt latch , so it was no biggie, I did pump for 8 weeks ( that wasn't much fun- lol)..

Tried w/ my DD, and she was catching on, but I myself couldnt commit to it knowing I had an active toddler at home..

Honestly, I am wondering if I am missing some "female" gene somewhere because when I think of feeding my child and giving them noursihment, it truly doesnt/didnt matter whether it is BM or formula...Bad analogy, but to me its like drinking Coke vs Pepsi or driving a Chevy or a Ford, it gets us where we need to go safely either way...I know they say "breast is best" but since formula is an FDA approved option, we know it is safe as well so I am glad it is an option for everyone....

As for the bond, I don't have anything to comapare it to because like I said, my DC's werent great latchers, but I honestly "for me" don't feel I could ever be any closer to either of my children- The minute I laid eyes on them , it was love at first sight...Feeding was just another thing I did to take care of them, along with bathing, diapering etc...But I cannot say w/ certainty, I have nothing to compare to...

Did this come across right ? Anyone else feel indifferent about the feeding aspect of raising a child ?

We all have the hardest most rewarding job we will ever have and thats universal !

Re: Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

I felt/feel the same way. I was originally on the fence with BF and decided to give it a try. I had a very difficult time with it. I pumped for a while but didn't drive myself crazy with it. For me and my family stopping breastfeeding was the right decision. I was able to bond with her better that way.

Re: Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

Honestly, it didn't matter to me. I wanted to give BFing a try and i did. I lasted 10 days. I wasn't 100% committed to it and i told myself i'd stop once it affected my mental state.

Plus i wanted my dh to be able to help with the feedings and bond with ds as much as i did.

If the BFing worked out, great! If not, no biggie... that was my attitude.

Re: Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

Now I'm indifferent to it. When DD was born I so wanted to BF, we had some challenges in the beginning, and I was devastated I couldn't BF for the first 2 weeks. After I started, we had new challenges, and I felt like a complete failure as a mother (pp hormones didn't help of course!) I stopped BFing when DD had a total meltdown one night which in turn I had one as well. I tried pumping, and did that for a number of weeks, but I found it too difficult to keep up with during the day home with DD. I also never felt that "bond" and actually felt more a bond when I was bottle feeding DD, probably because we were both more relaxed at feeding time.

I will say, I do get annoyed at the posts where someone will say, "every new mother should give BFing a try because there is nothing like that feeling you get when your child is nursing..." Well, I NEVER got that magical feeling, and I actually HATED AND DESPISED every second of BFing. Nursing is not for everyone.

I will not even attempt BFing with the next baby. I never want to feel that way again, and if that comes across selfish, oh well....

Re: Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

I feel pretty much exactly the same. When the time comes for #2 I don't even know if I'm going to try. DS did great on formula (once we got him on the right one!), hasn't been sick, and is happy as a clam. He couldn't have turned out any better if I had BF'd. The only downside to FF is how $$ it is

Re: Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

I think it's great to BF however it's not for me and I have no guilt/issues about that whatsoever.

I think it is so silly to think that if you BF you bond more with your DC then if you FF.

We all bond because we are moms and love our kids overwhelmingly such that ever moment is special. It's not because of how we feed them.

Message edited 6/18/2009 8:47:35 AM.

Re: Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

I felt the same way - if bf worked easy enough I would do it, but if it didn't no big deal.
With that said my ds would sleep 5 hours at night from day one and I wasn't about to mess with that - so I did combined ff and bm for 9 weeks and then said forget the bf. I will try the same approach with baby #2.

Re: Spin off of sorts to BF & FF ....Anyone indifferent?

Although I breastfed both my boys and will breastfeed my third, I always tell people that they have to do what's right from them. I actually get annoyed when people tr yto shove BFing down a woman's throat. It is not easy by any means and not for everyone. I was not breastfed and I'm fine.