My name is Christy and I am a busy mother of four children. I have two girls and two boys (in that order) and they range from ages 5 ½ years old to 3 months. If you’re doing some math…that means I’ve been pregnant, nursing, or sporting a bottle for over 6 years. My story is not one in support of breastfeeding or bottle feeding but more one to urge you to do what is best for you and your family.
My first child, Jaci, was slow to take to nursing. She and I were new at everything and didn’t quite make the hook-up initially. I had some help from a lactation consultant after about a week and things improved. I had PLENTY of food for her and she quickly beefed up after dropping some weight. I refused to bottle feed her during that first week because I felt pressured to stick out the nursing. I was engorged, she was starving, and we were both in panic mode. Once we got things on the right track we didn’t run into anymore problems. That is, until I had to go back to work at 6 weeks. I decided I didn’t have the extra money to buy or rent a breast pump and truthfully I was embarrassed to nurse around other people and in public. I made the quick to formula bottles in a week (too fast to wean but that’s another lesson learned the hard way) and we never regretted it. We switched from formula to whole milk and vitamins at 10 months because she was too beefy.
My second daughter, Carli, was born 2 years later and was nursed until she was roughly 10 months old. While she would take a bottle she would have nothing to do with formula so I broke down and bought a pump. I pump to and from work in the car (yes, on the interstate) and during my lunch break. It was a miserable 9 months (I went back to work at 6 weeks again) but as a mother, I did what I needed to in order to have my baby healthy. We switched her to whole milk and vitamins at 10 months also. Mind you, with both girls they were off bottles when we went to whole milk.
Then came Troy 2 years later and he was quite a handful from the start. While I had quick recoveries with both girls I had an emergency c-section with Troy and struggled after returning home. We did not do well with nursing and I quickly developed mastitis. I was treated with four different antibiotics in the first three weeks and really struggled to keep things together. I wanted to nurse my new baby to build that bond I had with my girls but couldn’t even hold him to my shoulder to burp him because of the pain of my breast infection. So, we quit. Already in terrible pain I quit cold turkey (again, not something I recommend) and we went straight to formula bottles. He thrived, I healed, and the world was right again. I have no regrets. I went back to work at 8 weeks.
Now we have Luke, just 18 months after Troy, and he is a bubbly boy that loves his mommy and the bottle, too. I nursed him exclusively for the first 3 weeks and then began one formula bottle during the day. We are now at 2 formula bottles and nursing 4 times a day. This meets the demands of my work schedule which will resume in 5 weeks. I started Luke on formula bottles long before it was necessary but now can go on shopping trips, visits with friends, and lunches without having to worry about nursing in public. This has always been an issue for me!
I know there have been studies done that show breastfed babies are “healthier” than formula fed babies. I have no proof of that. In fact, my children have chronic ear infections and with the exception of Luke, have all had ear tubes at least once. Jaci had her first set at 11 months, Carli at 13 months, and Troy at 20 months has already had 2 sets. So…regardless of breast or formula if your child is going to get sick, it is in my opinion that they will.
Also, I know there are many people out there that argue that a mother is providing the best brain developing nutrients if she breastfeeds instead of formula feeds. My oldest daughter Jaci has been reading and doing basic math since she was 4 and my daughter Carli is already spelling basic words at 3. Does this mean bottles were better or breast was the influence? No. Parenting and proper stimulation is the influence. Paying attention to your children and giving them the chance to discover and be independent is the influence.
Lastly, I have found that it doesn’t matter if you bottle feed or breastfeed, a baby will sleep through the night on their own schedule. I was told a breastfed baby will take longer to do so but have not found that to be true. All my children have slept through the night by 4 months of age regardless of our feeding choice.
So, there you have it, my 2 cents. Feed your baby however you can. Feed them on a schedule, feed them an appropriate amount, and love them to pieces. You can’t hold them too much. Believe me…I have tried.
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