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I'm breastfeeding my first child, who is now six months. Breastfeeding is extraordinarily convenient and time efficient when I compare it to my friends using fo

I'm breastfeeding my first child, who is now six months. Breastfeeding is extraordinarily convenient and time efficient when I compare it to my friends using formula. I can just sit down and feed him. My friends have to bring formula, water and bottles everywhere. Then they have to mix it, and wash the bottles. And they have less hands free while doing the actual feeding. This is especially true at his 6 am wake up feeding, which I can do while sleeping. I do work full time, and I have to pump twice a day. Which makes it less convenient. But it takes less than 15 minutes each time. I'm fortunate to have a very flexible work environment though. It's true his father can't help with the feedings this way, but there are plenty of chores to go around.

lostlogin 13y ago
You are lucky. For my wife it was painful, incredibly slow - 45 mins, and occurred every 2 hours for 3 months when our daughter just refused to have any more. Formula wasn't a choice we wanted but it sure was easier for my wife.
rayiner 13y ago
We're mostly bottle feeding our 5 month old right now. She eats a lot (97th percentile height and weight), and there is no way pumping just twice a day would be enough. She tried to breastfeed and pump from day one, and it would take her forever just to get a couple of ounces out. The baby still wakes up to eat twice at night, and I take the night feedings. It's a huge benefit for us to be able to do that, because my wife needs 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep to function the next day, while I don't. As for other chores, they're trivial and easily outsourced. If I couldn't take on some of the feedings, I just wouldn't be carrying my weight. And for a career woman, starting out from day 1 with the husband taking a lesser role in child-rearing is a sure way to become the primary care giver and the one who will ultimately have to downshift if push comes to shove. I'm glad it works for you, but it would be very inconvenient for us, and given the tenuous medical benefits of doing so it isn't worth it to try and make it work. And I think if doctors encouraged women, especially women with careers, to evaluate the costs and benefits of breastfeeding rationally instead of regurgitating highly unscientific dreck the way they do, a lot more women would bottle feed without feeling guilty about it. What grates on me is that a lot of people who breastfeed make other decisions that endanger their children, totally guilt free. Living in a suburban area where driving is a necessity and it is common for teenagers to drive is going to have more of a practical impact on your child than whether you breastfeed or not.
- smokey_the_bear 13y ago
  I'm fully supportive of parents doing whatever is right for their families, and I don't think there's anything wrong with formula. I think that the breastfeeding advocates frequently don't mention how hard that first month of breastfeeding is, because they think it might be discouraging. But it is much, much harder than breastfeeding once it is established. Even if it goes perfectly, it feels like you are chained to the baby. To add to that, I had a lot of trouble the first two weeks, which was incredibly frustrating. Luckily, we got to see an amazing lactation consultant at Kaiser and it worked out. So people start supplementing during the first month, and don't get to see how responsive to demand lactation is once supply is established. My son is 99th percentile, 29 inches and 22 pounds at 6 months. I pump about 18 oz a day for him in the two sessions, and that's a slight oversupply. It's wonderful you were able to share night duties, that part was very hard on me. I don't think it's true that other chores are trivial though, the baby needs constant supervision, holding, diapering, etc, which my husband does a lot of. He also does most of the feeding of solids since we started that a few weeks ago. I don't really think breastfeeding is any cheaper for us though, nursing bras and pumps are really expensive too.

lostlogin 13y ago

You are lucky. For my wife it was painful, incredibly slow - 45 mins, and occurred every 2 hours for 3 months when our daughter just refused to have any more. Formula wasn't a choice we wanted but it sure was easier for my wife.

rayiner 13y ago

We're mostly bottle feeding our 5 month old right now. She eats a lot (97th percentile height and weight), and there is no way pumping just twice a day would be enough. She tried to breastfeed and pump from day one, and it would take her forever just to get a couple of ounces out. The baby still wakes up to eat twice at night, and I take the night feedings. It's a huge benefit for us to be able to do that, because my wife needs 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep to function the next day, while I don't. As for other chores, they're trivial and easily outsourced. If I couldn't take on some of the feedings, I just wouldn't be carrying my weight. And for a career woman, starting out from day 1 with the husband taking a lesser role in child-rearing is a sure way to become the primary care giver and the one who will ultimately have to downshift if push comes to shove. I'm glad it works for you, but it would be very inconvenient for us, and given the tenuous medical benefits of doing so it isn't worth it to try and make it work. And I think if doctors encouraged women, especially women with careers, to evaluate the costs and benefits of breastfeeding rationally instead of regurgitating highly unscientific dreck the way they do, a lot more women would bottle feed without feeling guilty about it. What grates on me is that a lot of people who breastfeed make other decisions that endanger their children, totally guilt free. Living in a suburban area where driving is a necessity and it is common for teenagers to drive is going to have more of a practical impact on your child than whether you breastfeed or not.

smokey_the_bear 13y ago
I'm fully supportive of parents doing whatever is right for their families, and I don't think there's anything wrong with formula. I think that the breastfeeding advocates frequently don't mention how hard that first month of breastfeeding is, because they think it might be discouraging. But it is much, much harder than breastfeeding once it is established. Even if it goes perfectly, it feels like you are chained to the baby. To add to that, I had a lot of trouble the first two weeks, which was incredibly frustrating. Luckily, we got to see an amazing lactation consultant at Kaiser and it worked out. So people start supplementing during the first month, and don't get to see how responsive to demand lactation is once supply is established. My son is 99th percentile, 29 inches and 22 pounds at 6 months. I pump about 18 oz a day for him in the two sessions, and that's a slight oversupply. It's wonderful you were able to share night duties, that part was very hard on me. I don't think it's true that other chores are trivial though, the baby needs constant supervision, holding, diapering, etc, which my husband does a lot of. He also does most of the feeding of solids since we started that a few weeks ago. I don't really think breastfeeding is any cheaper for us though, nursing bras and pumps are really expensive too.