I’ve totally been on both sides of the fence now: After breastfeeding my son failed following two short weeks, he spent three or so months on formula, and I was fortunately able to bring my milk back so we could continue to breastfeed to this day.
Each one has their perks (and their downfalls!), so I thought I’d share my experiences on either side with these handy lists of awesome perks to bottle- and breastfeeding. I’ll share my awesome points on bottle-feeding today; tomorrow, I’ll have why breastfeeding is awesome, too.
1. Bottle-fed babies need to be fed less often. It’s true that formula is more difficult to digest than breastmilk, and while that may mean some experimentation to find the right formula for your baby, it also means a little more shut-eye for you. (And trust me, when you’re struggling to form a coherent sentence in the mind-fog that is new parenthood, fifteen minutes really does make a difference.)
2. Someone else can feed the baby. When we switched to formula, I was able to set a few bottles with water and powder on my husband’s nightstand, snuggle back into the covers when Tycho would fuss for food, and enjoy a bit of luxurious shut-eye while Matt stumbled half asleep to the nursery as he shook up the formula. He was also able to take care of him more consistently so I could, you know, shower. Or go to yoga. Or sleep. Precious, glorious sleep.
3. You know exactly how much baby has eaten. And when you have a numbers- and facts-driven partner like my husband, that amount matters. A whole hell of a lot. Maybe even so much that you, in your desire to just feed the damn baby and get some damn sleep (see a pattern here?), end up fighting with said partner about why it doesn’t matter if baby didn’t have all four freakin’ ounces or just make another damn ounce as the baby is flipping the fuck out for more food.
(Erm... maybe that particular part isn’t a perk. But yeah, the numbers thing? Totally is.)
4. Normal bras! And shirts! And dresses! One thing I now have to think about constantly is whether the clothes I’m wearing have easy access to my boobs (and not for Matt’s benefit, much to his chagrin). When we were bottle-feeding? I could wear whatever cute top or flowy dress I wanted without being concerned about how far I’d have to pull it down or up to feed baby. Those clothes are pushed back into the recesses of my closet for now, forgotten until Tycho starts to wean. And while I’m okay with that, they really were cute clothes.
5. Your hormones balance back out sooner after birth. It’s true that the hormonal changes associated with lactation can lead to a lower sex drive and a dry vagina, neither of which are conducive to lovemaking. Not lactating? You’re less likely to have this problem! So sex on, lovely ladies.
6. No sore nipples or boobs! I have a bottle-feeding friend who, while she was sympathetic to the chewed nipples I had that required curled toes and braced teeth to latch Tycho on, admitted that she was happy to never have to deal with things like thrush, plugged ducts, mastitis, or other issues that can plague breastfeeding women. (Nothing will save you from when they get teeth, though, apparently. While Tycho still has none, her son has a handful of them, and he uses them. Can’t wait.)
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| Nipples. Nipples EVERYWHERE! |
There are some days when I miss bottle-feeding, especially in the middle of the night when Tycho wakes up crying and wants only the boob. He used to be able to take a paci, but now? Nope, not having it, it’s all about mama. Which is okay (and this too shall pass), but man, there are some nights.
For me? My bottle-feeding experience clearly coincided with sleep, both quality and quantity. What all do or did you like about bottle-feeding?
Pretty much what you said here. Added benefit of feeling like "me" again, because I didn't still have hormones running through me. I spent my whole 41+ weeks feeling like a complete stranger, feeling like I had the flu and dementia and what-not, so it was nice to get back to really being myself again. I can't even really explain it but I never felt like I was the same person while I was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteRelated, sort of - did you see the post from FFF about the study about bottle feeding/breast feeding and not breast not beating bottle? I liked that they took siblings to compare - I always said the only way to know for certain would be to take identical twins in the same environment and study them in the long term, this is pretty close. I wish bottle vs. breast wasn't such a debate. There isn't that much debate out there about chicken vs. beef, why should there be so much debate about how women feed their babies?
Totally true! Switching to formula was the best thing ever when you're on the precipice of PPD, and allowing my hormones to stabilize allowed me to really bond with my son. My pregnancy was great and all, but it all came to a head when he was born, so I'm forever thankful (and I'm even more thankful that it helped you, too!).
DeleteI didn't! I love FFF, so I'm glad you mentioned it. I'll have to check that article out. I've always wondered if a study could be done with identical twins and see how it pans out, but it'd be so difficult considering that things like personality, behavior, and other factors are NOT driven by how a baby is fed, but (at least IMO) a direct result of who they are, innately, as a person.
I hate the debate so much, and having been on both sides, I can totally see why each one has its benefits. I wish it wasn't such a huge deal, though -- babies that are fed are babies that are happy, no matter how it's done!