Ok, I just got ripped a new one for my breastfeeding question?
I am really not selfish… maybe a little. But honestly my mom told me that formula is better because it has more vitamins and the baby gains weight faster and sleeps longer. Ok, so I will do more research on this. But what if the baby can’t drink milk? Both me and my gf are lactose intolerant. Will this matter? Give me a break here, I am excited to be a dad but scared and clueless too. Where can I find good information without the hostility? websites? books?
Breastmilk is the healthiest thing for the baby. I will give you my experience with both.
I have both breastfed and formula fed. Breastfeeding was much easier. Formula is expensive, why pay for formula when breastmilk is free? (I spend over $100 a month on formula)
Every time you go somewhere you have to bring enough formula and if you don’t bring enough, you have to leave. You have to have safe, clean water wherever you go to be able to mix the formula (if you mix it before you go you have to keep it cold somehow). If you buy ready to feed formula you have to have somewhere to keep it refrigerated.
If you warm the bottles you won’t have a warmer everywhere you go so you have to stand warming a bottle in the sink (if you have a source of hot water), when you are somewhere like the mall this is a major pain, who even wants to touch the sinks in those nasty bathrooms.
Even warming the bottles at home is a pain because the baby is crying the whole time.
With breastfeeding there is always free, warm food right there for the baby.
Plus your baby may not tolerate certain formula so you have to keep switching formula until you find the right one. You may never find the right one. (Despite what people say they are NOT all the same, babies tolerate some better than others).
When you run out of formula you better hope you are near a store (and a store that carries the brand you use as well, they don’t all carry the same brands).
All in all formula is much more of a pain. You aren’t selfish you just don’t know enough about breastfeeding, I didn’t either when I decided to quit breastfeeding and go with formula.
Encourage your gf to breastfeed, it is not only healthy but way easier in the long run.
If I had to do it over again I would still be breastfeeding my son who is 7.5 months, I totally regret quitting breastfeeding after 5 weeks. I have learned a lot since then.
And sorry but your mom is wrong.
UPDATE: Breast-feeding Question