Forum : Mums

i'm afraid that i dont know anything about this specifically but just wanted to say that i was not able to breastfeed either of my children despite my best efforts (i couldnt breastfeed my first baby because she had health problems and ended up back in hospital at only a couple of days old but i did combine feed her for 3 weeks and i couldnt breastfeed my second child due to me having health problems and it taking a long time for my milk to come in but she also did get a few days worth of breastmilk). i was upset about it as i really didnt want to feed them both but they are both very happy and very healthy despite being predominantly bottlefed from birth. the bonus of course to bottlefeeding is that you know exactly the amount of milk your baby has had which does make things a lot eaier!
all you can do is see what happens when your baby is born. you may notice your breasts leak towards the end of pregnancy and that will obviously be a good indicator as to what will happen at least in the early days but even if they dont leak that doesnt mean you wont produce milk. perhaps try expressing once your baby is born to see whether you get any colostrum out.
speak to your midwife again about it.
good luck.

Thanks hun
It is totally something I never even thought about. I know plenty of mums do bottle feed but i'd love to have the option instead of that being decided now. Although like oyu and the midwife say you never know. Even if its for a few feeds, guess I'll have to wait and see. There are so many formulas out there I dont know where to start looking,lol. Thanks for the reassuarnce xxxxxx

even if you did have the option it doesnt mean you'd be able to do it anyway! it is just one of those things and i totally understand that you'd want the option, i can fully understand that it must be upsetting to not be able to before you've even started but it really isnt the be all and end all. you mustnt beat yourself up about it. if you could get some colostrum then that would be great for the antibodies but it really isnt a problem, there are so many babies who never get any and it doesnt do them any harm. they say breastfed babies are less likely to get bugs etc but of course that isnt a given - i know breastfed babies who get bugs all the time. equally my eldest was bottlefed and the last time she had a sickness bug she was 18 months old...she is now 4 yrs old!