Natural V Forced

[Meh]

How many mothers here prefer bringing their babies up without any modern means.

I'm talking about breast feeding as oppossed to bottle (cows milk is not for babies, its for baby cows)

Dummies to quieten a baby down (slows development of baby)

Walkers (let a baby crawl for as long as it can - it'll walk when its ready. Crawling develops left-right brain functions which is vital)

[Trinity]

Breast is best, however it is not always possible.
I fed my eldest myself until he was 5 months old and I then had to get him used to bottles as I was returning to work part time. I found it difficult to impossible to express, and ended up using formula. I felt a total failure, but I now have a smart healthy 13 year old.

I didn't use dummies or walkers, but I know many people who have done.

What everyone should remember is that parents do not ever go out and deliberately harm their children. Advice as to what is best changes frequently and with the best will in the world you are not going to be perfect.

What you will be is the best that child is going to get.

[Bad Wolf]

my mum didn't really try breast when she had my little bro, her experience with me put her off for life (babies have clamp like jaws i have been told)

[Debs]

i had things that i was dead against doing.

i never breastfed. it just wasnt something i wanted to do, yeah it probably is best but for me it wasnt!! i dont regret that decision and any more kids that i have will also be bottlefed!
connor did have a dummy but only because he started to suck his thumb and i really didnt want him to do that! i was a thumbsucker and sucked my thumb till i was 12! at least i can throw a dummy away! connor did talk a bit later but im sure it has nothing to do with his dummy.
i am dead against walkers. i just do not see the point. my mates little boy loved his walker, but he didnt walk till he was 18 months and im sure that had something to do with it!

another thing i was dead against was feeding con jar foods, i made all cons food i think i tried a jar once and he refused to eat it! i had a day where i would cook all his foods and freeze them!

[willow]

i did not breastfeed either of my two, they both had/have dummies, and i am part of the anti walker brigade niall was walking at 8 1/2 months (he did not crawl at all) and niamh crawls around and only takes a few steps (if she feels like it!), she is 14 months

[chance]

i bottle fed both of mine and dont regret the decision.neither of them have had dummys,i didnt feel they needed it,i cant stand the 2-3 yr olds you still see with dummys stuffed in there mouths.both of mine have had walkers, but i dont feel it stopped them developing to walk.my first was crawling at 7 months and walking at 10 and my other was a bit slower,13 months but i dont feel it him using a walker made any difference.its up to the mum at the end of the day.

[Siobhan]

I have nothing against either way of bringing up a child, apart for a child will walk when it is good and ready.. My daughter did not walk by herself until 13 months but she loved holding my hand and walking... she can crawl and she also had a walker but didn't like it...

Breast is better but there is a lot of advantages to using bottle too, and if you have child crying for hours and hours, if a dummy quietens it down.. use it

[Jojo]

I couldn't breast feed either of my 2 - mastitis, cracked & bleeding etc, made me v depressed, and yet I was still put under pressure to keep trying (it didn't seem to matter that every time they were crying for a feed, I was aswell because it all hurt so much!!)

Both had dummies neither have speech problems and both talking clearly early (both were colicky!) Eldest had a walker and he walked by 10 months, youngest didn't and didn't walk till 18 months and has collapsed bridges on both feet and has to wear insoles.

All children are individual - people shouldn't beat themselves up about things (like I did) and too much is put on us as mothers that we must do this, that or everything else otherwise the child will be obese or have problems when they are older. I am now expecting my third and very panicky about making sure I do things right again, even though my eldest is 11 and youngest 3!!!

[Siobhan]

I couldn't breast feed either of my 2 - mastitis, cracked & bleeding etc, made me v depressed, and yet I was still put under pressure to keep trying (it didn't seem to matter that every time they were crying for a feed, I was aswell because it all hurt so much!!)


I agree with you that there is a lot of pressure put on mothers to breastfeed, we all know that it is better but if you are uncomfortable and the child cannot feed properly then bottle is better in these case. I was sectioned on my first child and I was in the ward with other women who were sectioned.. I didn't have any energy after and using a bottle allowed my partner to feed the baby while I rested... I seen so many women in pain and been forced to try breastfeeding... At the end of the day, as you said jojo, women shouldn't beat themselves up over the choices they make.

[Jojo]

I agree with you that there is a lot of pressure put on mothers to breastfeed, we all know that it is better but if you are uncomfortable and the child cannot feed properly then bottle is better in these case. I was sectioned on my first child and I was in the ward with other women who were sectioned.. I didn't have any energy after and using a bottle allowed my partner to feed the baby while I rested... I seen so many women in pain and been forced to try breastfeeding... At the end of the day, as you said jojo, women shouldn't beat themselves up over the choices they make. Exactly Siobhan, I beat myself up over it for 18months, scared that Ciaran was going to be obese or have learning difficulties or even that I was going to get cancer, because breast feeding apparently reduces all of these things. We all know its best, but if it comes to a point when you just can't do it, we should be allowed the choice without being made to feel like we are bad mothers