Were you bottle fed or breast fed?

[*anj*]

I thought that in light of the turn that the Duggar thread has taken it would be interesting to find out how many of us were breastfed as infants. I am very pro-breastfeeding, I nursed all of my children. I even pumped exclusively for three months when my preemie dd wasn't able to nurse due to her tiny mouth. She was born in April, I started pumping in May, she learned to nurse in late August.

 

Anyway, we've been talking a lot about the health and IQ of breastfed children and it occurs to me that many of us were probably bottle fed. Do you feel that you missed out on anything?

So here's the poll:

[nancypants]

Breastfed until I was 18 months old (You should make it an official poll anj.) :)

 

Sorry to keep editing. I breastfed all four of mine. Two of them I nursed until about 13 months, one to 15 months and one (my second) to 7 months (had to wean early for several reasons... one of which was that he was biting me *hard* about 30 times a day and laughing each time!)

[LibraryLover]

I am a 60's freakazoid. I was breastfed for 3 mos. :tongue_smilie: Of course I do not remember that, but my mother talks lovingly about it, so that makes me feel really warm and fuzzy.

 

ETA: Are we supposed to say how long we we breastfed the offspring?

 

#1. 3.7 years

 

#2. 1 year, but was gifted to me through adoption, so not a newborn at arrival. I also pumped into the sippy cup for a year after the next bio babe.

 

#3. More than 3 years. ;)

 

#4. More than, um...5 years.

 

Honestly, even though it was years and years of my life, I don't regret a second.

[PinkInTheBlue]

Me - bottle Hubby - bottle

 

All three of our boys - breast for varying lengths.

[Just a Jen in Mississippi]

I was breastfed for about 3 months.

 

I exclusively nursed all four of mine.......sweetest days of my life!:001_smile:

[amy g.]

I was only bottle fed. Yeah, that's wrong with me.

 

My mother is very anti-natural childbirth, anti-breastfeeding, anti-large families, anti-homeschooling.

[Tracey in TX]

bottle

Didn't miss anything, IMO.

[Jennifer in NH]

My Mother grew up in the 1930's and 40"s and none of her 5 children were breast fed. According to her it wasn't considered as healthy :confused:as bottle feeding.....So, I was bottle fed and all my kids have been breast fed...no formula in this house!;)

 

Oh yes, and she smoked for the entire pregnancy too! I am actually a very smart person, but wow...I'd love to know just how smart i would have been had she not smoked and had she breastfed me!? lol!

[LizzyBee]

She breastfed all of us and refused to stay in the hospital for more than a couple of days. With at least one of us (probably more), she left the hospital the day after the birth.

 

I was born in 1964 in the US. My siblings were born from 1949 to 1966.

[*anj*]

(You should make it an official poll anj.) :)

I did. It's just that the system starts the thread before you can get the poll typed up. :001_smile:

[Danestress]

but after she brought me home, she got a blood clot in her leg that sent her back to the hospital for two weeks. This was back in the day when they wouldn't even let children visit their mother's in the hospital, so she was seperated from her new born baby and her two year old for two miserable weeks. She tells me she cried herself sick, plus they made her think she could die any second.

 

My father, a total throwback who under normal circumstances was not really into changing baby diapers, had to figure it all out, and he had to buy the bottles and figure out how to feed me. He's very proud that I am here to tell about it:)

[nmoira]

Ooops... clicked the wrong one. Choose not breastfed, born in the US and it should have been outside the US. I was adopted, so it wouldn't have mattered where I was born anyway.

 

FTR, I am strongly pro-breastfeeding, but don't feel cheated or damaged. :)

[nancypants]

I did. It's just that the system starts the thread before you can get the poll typed up. :001_smile:

 

Durn system! :glare: :tongue_smilie: Of course I voted once I saw the poll was up! :D

[nancypants]

but after she brought me home, she got a blood clot in her leg that sent her back to the hospital for two weeks. This was back in the day when they wouldn't even let children visit their mother's in the hospital, so she was seperated from her new born baby and her two year old for two miserable weeks. She tells me she cried herself sick, plus they made her think she could die any second.

 

My father, a total throwback who under normal circumstances was not really into changing baby diapers, had to figure it all out, and he had to buy the bottles and figure out how to feed me. He's very proud that I am here to tell about it:)

 

 

Oh my goodness! Your poor Mom!! And your Dad was quite the trooper! I salute him. :patriot:

[Mrs Mungo]

I was breastfed for around 9 months.

 

I breastfed my girls for around 2 1/2 years and my son weaned himself right around two.

 

My husband was bottle-fed. His mom was the youngest of 13 kids and *remembered* being nursed by her mom. I think she equated breastfeeding with not being able to afford formula. She and I had a hard time in the beginning of my own mothering journey.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I was born in the Philippines (Dad was in the Navy). Mom nursed me for six months, until they were due to go stateside, then she switched me to the bottle. Of course I don't remember, but I think the switch traumatized me. I sucked my thumb till I was nine years old. Mom did not nurse my brothers and claimed it was because it was too much trouble.

 

I didn't nurse my first, but nursed the rest (4). Three were nursed exclusively.

[Cheryl in NM]

I was bottle-fed and am definitley "stupider" than my breast-fed dh, but I don't have a "book" obsession! Just kidding, please let's not start fighting again! My mother could not have relaxed enough as a person to bf, she's too much of a control freak and never relaxes all the way. If she could have I think we would have had a much better relationship.

 

OTH, I wasn't able to bf ds and it still bothers me to this day. I feel like I missed out on a bonding experience.

 

Ds did get 6 weeks of breast milk, but supplemented with formula, but of extremely low milk production. I pumped until the milk was pink from the bleeding and quit.

[Quiver0f10]

My mom went into a hospital right after having me( I believe a psych. hospital) and I was taken care of by an aunt until I was @ 5 months old and so, no, I wasn't breast fed. I have breast fed all 10 of my kids.

[5wolfcubs]

I mis-voted! I voted NOT breastfed, born in US & breastfed, born in 70s.

 

Actually, I was breastfed, and homebirthed too -- as were my 3 siblings after me. :) Just continuing the tradition here... :thumbup:

[Parrothead]

I am a product of the 60's in the U.S., and was bottle fed.

[Heather in Neverland]

His mom was the youngest of 13 kids and *remembered* being nursed by her mom. I think she equated breastfeeding with not being able to afford formula.

 

Interesting...my mom was one of 12, raised in the DEEP south in abject poverty. All 12 were breastfed. She did not breastfeed me or my two brothers as she associated it with poverty and saw being able to afford formula as one of the signs of having made it out of poverty.

 

I did not breastfeed my first son and my second son is adopted. In fact, I can't think of hardly anyone in my family who breastfed their babies and I think it has a lot to do with this subconcious image that my entire family has of it. Nothing was ever said overtly, but it is very frowned upon and there is a LOT of pressure about it.

 

Side note... I have a pretty high IQ and don't consider myself having missed out on anything by not being breastfed (incidentally, my ds who was not breastfed also has a very high IQ).

 

I am definitely not anti-breastfeeding...I think it is a very personal choice. I just thought the link my own mother (and the rest of my extended family it seems) made in her mind between breastfeeding and bottlefeeding was very interesting.

[Tweed]

I was born in 1971 in the U.S. and my mother breast fed all four of her children. She was quite the rare bird, I think. She told me that some nurses came in to her hospital room to watch her breast feed because it was such an oddity.

[momofkhm]

so I was bottle fed. She also said that she held onto that midnight feeding as long as possible b/c it was the only one that was hers. Dad fed me first thing in the morning and then when he was home in the evening. Brother fed me all day.

 

I can see brother feeding me, but dad? :001_huh:

[pmegan]

I was born in 1979, and my mother says she was one of the first of her friends who breastfed. She apparently had a friend in La Leche League who convinced her to try it. I was breastfed for a year, but she weaned my younger sister when she got teeth because she was, apparently, a biter.

[Alenee]

I was breast fed for 6mos, then bottle.

 

Dh was bottle fed.

 

DD1 was breast fed for 10 days (I didn't know a thing about it at the time so I gave up using every excuse under the sun)

 

DD2 was breast fed for 22mos and weaned when I was too sensitive to do it due to third pregnancy (I made it my "life" to learn just HOW to do it while I was pregnant with her!)

 

DD3 breast fed until 10 mos and then refused to bf any longer...(I was severely bummed)

 

All born in US.

[nukeswife]

My dh and I were both bottlefed and I bottle fed all 3 of my kids. I don't think I've missed out on anything and I don't think my kids are any worse for it.

[iquilt]

Through all of this discussion I look at my 3 children and think "Would any of you know which one was bottle-fed if you met them today?" My mom bf all 3 of hers and was a LLL leader for years, I remember helping her with meetings at our home and learning a lot about bf. I know the benefits of bf, but I would challenge anyone to guess the difference now :) My mil, on the other hand, still doesn't understand why anyone would bf and certainly didn't with her 2 boys. It was certainly easier once we got things all figured out but it didn't keep any of my thumbsuckers from not sucking their thumbs nor did it make (IMHO) any of them smarter than their bottle-fed sibling.

[Crissy]

My husband and I were both bottle fed babies, as were our two sons.

[Jenny in Atl]

My folks were old hippie beat nick types.. she breastfed all three of us but not for more than six month. Solids were pushed early and that pretty much killed her supply. I know I did not have formula, went to milk, middle brother was given soy formula (had problems with cow's milk formula) and I think youngest brother was weaned to regular formula after about six months.

 

I bf'd both mine, oldest till just shy of her 4th b'day and youngest till she was 3 1/2. I was too lazy to give them anything else. :lol:

[Peri]

I was breastfed until I was 18 months old and the only reason my mom stopped was because I had given her and infection cause I was scratching underneath.

 

I didn't breastfeed dd cause I had no experience and a weak support system around me. I had a hard time getting her to latch on and friends would sit there and tell me "She's hungry!" Guilt kicked in and I gave her a bottle and then guilt kicked in cause I didn't stick to breastfeeding.

 

With DS4, I decided I was gonna give it all I had and thank god he took to breastfeeding very easily. I exclusively nursed him for 11 months. I weaned him cause I thought he would sleep better at night but that turned out to be a myth :P and then I felat bad cause I had taken it away from him and didn't go as long as I had originaly wanted to.

 

With DS1, I had latch problems with him too but this time I didn't listen to those unsupportive friends of mine. I stuck to my guns, went to a specialist, and exclusively nursed him for 22 months. I wanted to go longer but he started latching on wrong cause his molars were coming in and it became very painful for me.

 

I am very pro-breastfeeding. I think its good for the environment due to the reducion of waste.

[Paula in PA]

Doctor & nurse convinced my mom she couldn't bf when my oldest sister was born in '52, so she never tried again. She told me later she wished she hadn't listened to them. Dh was bottle-fed.

 

Dd was bf till past 3 years. I got a lot of grief from dh's family for it, too.

[NorCalMom]

I was born in 1971 in the U.S. and my mother breast fed all four of her children. She was quite the rare bird, I think. She told me that some nurses came in to her hospital room to watch her breast feed because it was such an oddity.

 

I was born in 1972 and my mom has relayed the same experience. She felt she was going against the grain when she chose to breastfeed. I nursed both of my dc for a little over 2 yrs. and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. It was simply amazing. In fact, I cried when my youngest one weaned (I can't have any more dc).

[Doran]

And, apparently I still rather enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(kidding...really!)

 

 

 

 

Born in 1962 -- at which point I think breastfeeding in the US was on a par with maybe bathing your infant in the toilet and avoiding TV Dinners. Just a hunch.

[BamaTanya]

and Mom was sedated during our births.

 

She thought I was nuts to want unmedicated births and to bf. After attending the birth of our first and seeing how well dd grew on bm, she became a believer. My first 3 were bf and bottle(formula)-fed; I was teaching while dh was in grad school and there was no time/place to pump in a first grade classroom. Blessedly, I was able to continue nursing at night/mornings/weekends until they were 1-1.5 years. The last two (after I quit work) were exclusively bf for 2 years.

 

I wanted to give my dc the best possible start. 3 had recurrent ear infections (never in a daycare!) 2 have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Sigh.

[BamaTanya]

And, apparently I still rather enjoy it.

 

Born in 1962 -- at which point I think breastfeeding in the US was on a par with maybe bathing your infant in the toilet and avoiding TV Dinners. Just a hunch.

 

Yep, I got the feeling that bf was considered low-class or unhygienic or something in the 60s. Poor moms. I'm sure mine was doing exactly what had been recommended by her dr. She loved us and would have done anything to care for us! Besides the erroneous bf advice, she was the most instinctually maternal, nurturing person I've ever known.

[pmegan]

I was born in 1972 and my mom has relayed the same experience. She felt she was going against the grain when she chose to breastfeed. I nursed both of my dc for a little over 2 yrs. and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. It was simply amazing. In fact, I cried when my youngest one weaned (I can't have any more dc).

 

Even my mom has said the same thing, and I was born in southern California in 1979 (where you'd think they'd be all crunchy and into natural stuff). She said BFing was just coming back into vogue, but the nurses at the hospital still told her that she would need to supplement because otherwise I wouldn't get enough to eat.

[LibraryLover]

My mother had written to LLL for support. I think that made all the difference for her. She tells me that her Dr told her it was great, but that the nurses at the hospital might give her a hard time. She has told me everyone at the hospital was wonderful to her. She breastfed all four of her children, at least for a few months. My little sister was born in the early 70's. My mother would be a great doula.

[saved1112]

exclusively breastfed me in the 70s...

 

BUT she smoked the entire pregnancy... :ack2:

 

I will say that when I breathe (even when younger), I do not deeply breathe or take full breaths. I do 'sigh' occasionally instead, usually not for a reason, but more so because it's a deep breath and feels good to my lungs.

[Jami]

Breastfed in the 70s, my mom was/is a nurse, but if you ask her why she chose breastfeeding, rather than health reasons she'll tell you it's cause she's cheap and lazy. ;) Saved money to nurse and didn't want to mess with bottles. I loved nursing my three cause I knew it was good for them and it was snuggly and lovely, but I also really loved not messing with bottles in the middle of the night or when out and about and not spending the money on formula. :D

[3lilreds in NC]

I was breastfed for a few weeks, but then my mom gave in to pressure from my dad and grandmother to bottle feed. My brother was breastfed for about 4 months, and my sister was breastfed the longest at 9 months I believe.

 

I still laugh when I see pictures of me eating carrots a 2.5 weeks old.

 

I nursed my oldest for about 6 weeks until the crazies took over and I convinced myself that my life would be better if I bottle fed, my second for 11.5 months at which point she weaned herself, and Schmooey is still going strong at 8 months. I won't have the heart to wean him so I guess he can go for as long as he wants. :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Born outside of the U.S. in the early 60's. My mom started to bf her first baby in the early 50's but got a breast infection and had to stop. She never tried to nurse again.

 

Me: I was adamant that I wanted to bf my dc because dh's family has a really difficult time with eczema (he actually had to relearn how to walk at 4 years old because he had eczema as a toddler on the soles of his feet). It was really hard for me to bf (there was a lot of blood and I hurt sooooo bad!) but I'm glad I stuck it out. Ds bf until 2 years old. Dd woke up one morning at barely 11 mo. and refused to bf again! Everytime I tried she would purposefully bite hard and then cry and cry. (She's always been stubborn!) Coincidentally (or not) ds has outgrown all his allergies. Dd still has them (eczema).

[Laura Corin]

My mother always said I was breastfed, but only recently told me that she only did it for six weeks. I suppose I got something out of that.....

 

Laura

[Elm in NJ]

I have no idea. I have to ask my mom. She is in Senegal at the moment but when she goes back to Freetown, I'll ask her. I was born in the late 60's and I am guessing bottle-fed since it is only recently, nursing has become popular among the middle class in that society. The trend tends to mirror what is happening in England at that moment.

 

I breastfed ds 1 for 4 months. I found out that Chemistry labs and breastfeeding did not mix. I was working on my Masters at that time.

 

Ds2 was in the hospital for 10 days. I pumped during that time but he rejected the breast when he came home. I persisted and finallygot him hooked(he refused everything else for a whole year). He nursed until 18 months (no formula) when I found out I was having twins.

 

Ds3 and 4 (the twins) nursed for 10 months(no formula either) and they self-weaned, and yep, I was pretty happy about that. Nursing twins was hard on me and I was glad we lasted so long.

 

Elmeryl(with J12, C9, R7, L7)

[*anj*]

Yep, I got the feeling that bf was considered low-class or unhygienic or something in the 60s. Poor moms.

 

That's what my mom told me. It wasn't that she thought that was true, but she said that that was what people thought back then. Dh's mom has always been a rebel, so she breastfed all of her kids, despite the fact that people thought it was odd.

 

And yes, my mom's sister watched me nurse one of my kids and told me I was "primal.":001_huh: Okey dokey.

[sarahli]

I was bf until 6 weeks old, born 1980, so I wouldn't really vote bottle fed or breastfed since it was a combination.

[girligirlmom]

I was born in the mid 1960s and breastfed the longest of all three of my mom's dc - 9 months. She stopped when she said I bit her. She was a hospital nurse at the time and she got the support of her nurse peers to get started. She is one of 5 dc and she was born at home and breastfed.

 

I supposedly have the highest IQ of all three (as did my mother of her siblings), but since my siblings were also breastfed for about 6 months each I doubt this difference between us is related to the length.

 

Dh was bottle fed. Dh's mother was breastfed for 3 months herself, but dh's grandmother told me she stopped when she found out she was pregnant. Her doctor told her she had to wean dh's mom since her baby in utero would not survive (this is not true but what she was told in 1945). Dh's grandmother even told me about the piece of paper with the actual "formula" written on it for making bottles which included canned milk and corn syrup.

 

I have in turn breastfed each of my children and continue with the third. I have been continuously breastfeeding since January 1999.

[Tap]

The weird thing is that my mom didn't believe in formula and so she figured milk was more natural, especially "since baby cows lived on it, but no one lives on chemicals." My siblings were all raised on Carnation Canned Milk until they ate table food at 6 mths and then it was just whatever was around.

 

I am between 6 and 12 years younger than my siblings. A lot changed in those years, so I was formula fed.

 

My IQ and my memory skills pale in comparison to all my siblings! They all have amazing memories for details. But my logic, reasoning, and diligence are much, much higher. I am like night and day from all of my sibs. 3 of my sibs have lived off the system for years, even though they could definitely work. They have amazing intelligence but apply no effort to get any where with it. I have worked my butt of to get to where I am because I couldn't live a complacent life. In fact now that I think of it, they are a lot like those cows in the pastures, just content to "be".

 

 

I breastfed both of my kids for about 3 months. I would have bf longer but they had to stop for different reasons.

[Needleroozer]

In 1965, I was born very very early, and my mom tried to nurse me, but her milk just wouldn't come in. She tried to nurse my little sister, but it only lasted a couple of weeks. She was one of the moms who was told bottles were better for babies, too.

 

I nursed mine 16 and 18 months.

[Julie Herbster]

I was breastfed for six months, then put on cow milk. My mom said it was the way things were done then (1973).

 

I breastfed all five of my babies. My milk always dried up between six and seven months, sometimes as a result of pregnancy. My goal was to last for a year, but I never made it. I tried...:sad:

[DIY-DY]

I thought that in light of the turn that the Duggar thread has taken it would be interesting to find out how many of us were breastfed as infants.

They were fascinated to learn that I never nursed as a baby. So they asked DH. He said, "Nope, I was formula fed... Formula 409." Thankfully, they *get* his sense of humor, and didn't take that as an actual suggestion. ;)

 

Anyway, we've been talking a lot about the health and IQ of breastfed children and it occurs to me that many of us were probably bottle fed. Do you feel that you missed out on anything?

Do I think I missed out on anything? Probably not. My Mom didn't particularly enjoy motherhood, and I don't imagine a baby would thrive off that much ire at breakfast.

 

Seriously, though, no, I don't. She honestly did the absolute best she could, to the extent of her abilities, knowledge and resources. I'm good with that. No sense in bemoaning the unchangeable. And my poor MIL wanted to nurse, but the advice she rec'd from her OB was atrocious (for example, scrub breasts with alcohol and rough them up with a stiff terrycloth towel to "prepare" them for nursing - ARGH - makes me cringe just thinking about it!) She cried and cried, cracked and bled, and finally used formula. To this day, she is sad that she never nursed the boys, but none of her sons feel slighted or gypped in any way b/c of it.

 

I have, however, taken a different approach. I've nursed all five of the babies. We've worked through hyperlactation, letdown problems, thrush-thrush-and-more-thrush, mastitis, and the good old pump-and-dump when I had to take medications. It's been a good experience for us, in many ways, but I can't help but feel it's the long-term, long-range interaction and living we have with them that really helps to stack the deck in their favor by the time they leave home.