your baby gets most immunities from the breast milk... i am the type of person who will give until i'm dead so i'm breast feeding exclusively... have you thought about doing both? or maybe getting a breast pump?... really it does come down to you though

I went back and forth until the week before I had my baby. I figured I'd at least give it a try. If you don't like it, then stop. At least you tried.

so far im choosing not to breast feed. just because of the after affects i think that it will do to my breasts. it probably does sound selfish to most but i wasnt breast fed and iam perfectly healthy, so.

breastfeeding without a doubt is the healthiest thing you can do for your baby.. there are studies showing that it children who are breastfed have higher iq's, get sick less often, and are over all healthier children but at the same time i think a happy mother is very important. i think you should at least try, a lot of problems are caused by women not having the baby latch on properly and that is usually when you have problems. with a good lactation consultant you should be fine. if you try and find your uncomfortable then use formula.. dont let anyone judge you for your decision because you are the one who has to live with it but id above all put your childs welfare first and not just do it because of what it will do to your breasts. i have a lot of friends who breastfed and a lot who didnt (along with my mom and sister) and we all have noticed that your going to sag regardless and there is always pushup bras and plastic surgery

I'm really looking forward to breast feeding my baby. It just seems like the most natural thing in the world and it's the number one reason your breasts exist, so they can feed your baby. I really hope i'm able to do it. I know some people have problems and aren't able to, but if I can make it work i'll do whatever I need to do. I just find it really fascinating how babies know how to find your breast by feel and smell as soon as they are born; that they often crawl up on their mother's breast when they are placed on the stomach shortly after birth. I read that your nipples turn darker when you get pregnant so that they contrast more with your skin colour and the baby can see them better. They've done tests and found that newborn babies will focus most on a dark circle about the size of a nipple above all other shapes and sizes. Also, they are able to focus about a foot away from their faces, which is ideal for looking at their mother's face while breastfeeding. To me it just seems like it will be a chance to bond with my baby and give him or her the healthiest start. It just seems to me that it's a natural part of motherhood. My breasts are going to get old and sag as i age anyway and I know my guy loves me for me no matter what my boobs look like. but that's just me. If it's going to make you very unhappy, then i guess it would be better to avoid any resentment toward your baby. i guess in the end it's a personal decision that you have to make for yourself and your baby.

Very interesting information. I didn't know this.

Breastfeeding is actually very comfortable once you get used to it. It is such a great experience. It seems that once you can get over the 4 to 6 weeks bump, you will be fine. I am very glad I decided to breastfeed! I wish I could have gone longer. I had to stop due to a lump (another story). Yes, I am not as perky as I once was and I miss that. I now have some great "make me perky" bras and need to do more chest exercises! Sure, I sped up the sagging process but at least us females have some options.

I would encourage you to try it. It is proven to be the best for the baby. It may hurt at first because the baby may not latch on appropriately like Vanessa said. That happened to me at first and it took a while to get the hang of it.

Your husband sounds like a great, supportive guy! I wish you luck in your decision.

Breastfeeding has little impact on a child's intelligence, says a new study, but adds that it is still important that newborns continue to be breastfed.

Anjali Jain and colleagues from the British Medical Research Council studied 5,475 US children and mothers. They also identified 332 sibling pairs in which one child was breastfed and the other was not, reported the online edition of science magazine WebMD.

They found a positive impact for breastfeeding on intelligence only when other potential contributors such as the mother's IQ and the parents' educational and economic status were taken into consideration.

The researchers also did not find any significant difference in intelligence among the breastfed and non-breastfed siblings.

"The mother's IQ was by far the most important variable, accounting for 70-75 per cent of the difference between children who were and were not breastfed," said Geoff Der, one of the researchers.

He, however, said that these findings should not discourage mothers from breastfeeding their newborns.

"Even if it does not enhance intelligence, breastfeeding remains an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants," said Der.

Breastfeeding has been shown to lower an infant's risk of infections and is believed to help protect against allergies, diabetes, and obesity later in life.

"We would never suggest that any woman should choose not to breastfeed on the basis of our findings," Der said. "Clearly, there are many other good reasons to breastfeed."

oh i feel bad for my kids if they get my iq level lol

yeah, it'll be hard for them being so much smarter than the rest of their class.

Trey was only breastfed for a couple of weeks exclusively and I have to admit he's way smarter than the average almost 2 yr old. I know he's my kid but it's true. Even at daycare they send him to play with the 3-4 yr olds cause he gets bored with his class.

Anyway, breastfeeding is good for their immune system and I wonder sometimes if his asthma would be better if I had breastfed longer, but my sanity was a little more important to me at that time. I just couldn't hancle the 45 min feed every hour. I wanted to crawl under a rock. But that was me. YOu do what you think best.

My thoughts on breastfeeding:

Breast feeding is a little uncomfortable at first, but with the help of a good lactation specialist (found in most hospitals) and a commitment on your part, it shouldn'e be too painful. I loved every minute of it once we got going. It is also a great way to help you lose the baby weight. It helps reduce your uterus back to it's original size much faster as well. Mothers also have the benefit of experiencing a release of Oxytocin while breast feeding which makes us feel happy, calm, and serene (it's also what is responsible for orgasm, by the way). Breast feeding also forces you to sit down and rest and recover periodically throughout the day, which is hard for moms to remember to do. I can't remember, but i think that breast feeding reduces your risk of some types of cancer-I just can't remember any more details about that right now.

Breast feeding is much healthier for baby. Your milk will change as your baby grows to fit his or her needs. there are no bottles, equipment to carry around, and you will never forget to bring baby food along wherever you go. Formula can cause constipation at times, and is very expensive.

WHatever method you use, I am sure your child will still grow up to be healthy, happy, and love you beyond reason. Mothers who choose formula are not bad mothers, so don't let anyone tell you that.

About the boobs-gravity will take care of them in the long run anyway, and breast feeding is what they are designed for.

Good luck in your decision.

my personal opinion is everyone should at least try to breastfeed, if its not for you then you can stop at any time, colostrum is so important for a baby

your going to get milk anyway and it will mess up your boobs some

personally i tried breastfeeding, she did really good at first (dispite being incredably stubborn) but then a fw days later she stopped eating, i tryed very very hard for about a week and she lost so much weight i had to suppliment then we learned she is milk protein intolerant and lactose intolerant so shes on soy formula and i cant breastfeed because the milk protein in my milk is why she wouldnt eat it was upsetting her stomach, i felt so awful that i couldnt provide such a wondreful thing for my daughter (and it didnt help that dh was never supportive of me breastfeeding) i still feel bad about it sometimes but its the only way she will eat

whatever happens, whatever you choose, it has to be right for you, but i suggest you give it a try if nothing else for the time your in the hospital, so the baby can get the colostrum and so you can see how it is, everyone knows about bottlefeeding but no one personally knows about breast feeding until they try it

~alicia~

I could give you hundreds of studies saying it does have an effect.. it just depends on what researcher and study is preformed.

I've breastfed my daughter her whole life (10 months so far). The first few weeks was uncomfortable, but she has been sick exactly once in her 10 months on this earth. I attribute her good health to being breastfed. We've also saved a ton of money by not buying formula and bottles.

I suggest weighing the pros and cons and deciding what's best for you and your baby. What's best for one family may not be best for another.



that does sound selfish to me (sorry to be rude). Your breasts are going to sag and look horrible in a number of years anyway. Why use that as your only reason? I would rather have saggy boobs and give my child the best possible start in life than have perky boobs for a few more years and potentially have a baby with illnesses. Besides, the only other person who will be seeing my boobs is my husband, and if he doesn't like them then he can pay to have them fixed.

.I'm not anti-formula. I just think a mother should weigh all the pros and cons, not just one or two. I think vanity is a poor reason to base such a big decision on, personally.

It is uncomfortable at first. Once your baby learns to latch on and your nipples toughen up a bit, it can be terrible pain. Then it is so worthwhile. It made me so proud to be able to give that to my kids, and it's such a great bonding experience. It is so easy!!! No bottles, mixing, heating, etc. It's always perfect for them and it's always the right temperature and best of all, it's free!!!

It's a huge committment and you have to be 100% into it, or you'll be miserable. It's really hard to supplement and breastfeed, because you make as much milk as you need to provide for your baby, so if you use formula your body won't produce enough (supply and demand). You'd have to pump to keep a constant supply, and that for many doesn't work. Personally, I could have breasfed triplets, but .I couldn't pump to feed a bird.

If you decide to not breastfeed, my ped says the best formula is the cheapest formula. He says chemically they are all pretty much the same.

Oh yeah, don't let anyone give you a hard time if you decide not to. It's your boobs and your choice.

hahaha that's the first time anyone has ever said anything like that to me, i like it and wish it were true tommy was tested and is pretty much on genious level, so if we have kids maybe they'll get lucky and get his iq level.

For me i am going to try my very hardest to breastfeed. In my opinion it's more practical, ok if you don't want to whip out your breast in public it isn't but there are ways of being discreet.
My reasons for breastfeeding are:
1. Colostrum provides much needed antibodies.
2. breastmilk develops with the baby, so there's never the worry of is the feed too strong/weak.
3. It is free apart from breastpads, nursing bras and a pump if you want to use one.
4. Astma and excema are less common in a breastfed baby.
5. Breastfeeding helps the uterus to contract and you to loose weight quicker.
I'm going to stop now or it will go on for too long At the end off the day it's a personal choice you do what you believe to be best for your baby