I need success stories…are formula-fed babies ever fine the way they are?

I need some moral support. I am the proud mother of a beautiful six month old boy. However, he’s starting to get fat. It’s yet another problem one could trace to formula feeding, I guess.

During my pregnancy and during my preparation for natural childbirth, I took breastfeeding classes, bought a double breast pump (in preparation for continuing to breastfeed right through age 2 (!) as recommended by the World Health Organization), nipple cream and pads, a breastfeeding pillow, books on the subject, etc. Then, three days after my baby was born and with no sign of my milk coming in, I agreed to supplement with formula. After having tried some methods like SNS, and breastfeeding for 45 minutes at a time every couple of hours for weeks, an expert lactation consultant finally looked at my breasts and saw “hypoplastic tubular” breasts, a condition related to a PCOS-like complex of symptoms. Anyway, I feel it necessary to explain all this on here, to try and prevent breastfeeding fanatics to tell me I can still breastfeed. I have tried Goat’s Rue, fenugreek, etc., etc. I’m trying something called “Shavatari” right now. I still give my baby the few, hand-expressed drops I can produce each day….just in case it helps.

Anyway, he’s been on Earth’s Best organic dairy-based formula pretty much since the second week after birth. His weight is now in 80th percentile, while his length is only 60th. I am overweight myself, and very worried that my gorgeous boy is going to be a little chubster! It’s nothing to laugh about, it’s like a mark for life.

I really need to find out if any formula-fed babies are brilliant, successful, non-diabetic, thin, fit, and healthy (???) Are there any famous Nobel prizewinners or anything who have been formula fed? How about any athletes? I need moral support, because I don’t have a choice!

Also, do you have any advice about formula feeding and not letting your baby get fat? Thanks.
Wow, Melissa is…, “can we say” beey…?

Who is superficial here??? I am feeling pretty darn guilty about not being able to breastfeed and to me, that is not superficial. It is clear that breastfeeding is ideal nutrition for babies, and I feel badly about not doing it, for my baby’s well-being. I love him a lot.
Thanks everyone else…. my baby is 20 lbs 8 oz. Maybe it’s even a higher percentile for weight(?)…I’m not sure.

Dr Sears’ book says the charts are wrong, because they include formula-fed babies in the average, and that proper weights should be even lower than the charts indicate…ugh.
Yes, if you are ever approaching the obese range (which most women only approach during pregnancy and even then, many don’t), you will know how horrible it can feel. In fact, being overweight is extremely dangerous for health, and heart, vascular, endocrine, etc. problems are not superficial. I am really struggling to take off my pregnancy weight…I had reached a healthy weight prior to that (I say “healthy,” but it was 150 pounds, which is really high for some people.) At over 200 pounds now and 5’6″, I REALLY do not want this condition for my son!

why would you not breastfeed?

hi im not being judgmental or a breastfeeding nazi or anything like that but i just wondered to the people who didnt even try to breastfeed what you reasons were? when you went to the classes and read the books about the massive benefits of breastmilk at what point in pregnancy did you decide you didnt want to give your baby this? Do you regret your decision I breastfeed and always would as it feel totally natural and instinct to me but my best friend had no intention to even try with all of her children but she cant tell me why she just says because she didnt want to. Im just curious because i want to understand better thankyou x
i totally understand if you have medical reason or even if you did it for a day and decided it wasnt right i mean for the people who get to 5/6/7 month pregnant and decide to not give there baby such a amazing thing………. and because i didst want to isn’t good enough it sounds very selfish to me
my baby girl was 10lb 7 and is breastfed at 7 months!!!
i totally agree that as long as babies are loved it doesn’t matter if they are fed breast, formula or camel milk im just a curious person and because of how natural it feels to me i cant get my head around it
IM SORRY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THIS QUESTION WRONG IM IN NO WAY SAYING THEY IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH FORMULA FEEDING MY BABE GET IT EVERY NOW AND THEN I ONLY ASKING THE WOMEN WHO DECIDED NOT TO BEFORE THEY EVEN HAD THERE BABIES BREASTFEEDING IS HARD IVE BEEN THROUGH HORRIBLE TIMES I WOULD NEVER SAY ANYONE WAS LESS OF A PARENT EVEN IF BABY GETS ONE MOUTHFUL ITS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF IM SORRY IF I UPSET ANYONE X
thanks to the last people who actually answered the question honestly and i breastfeed my 7 month old because guidelines say up to one year and i guess to me its just easy cheap ect and i certainly wont be doing it when she is toddling!!! we are all different and there are plenty of bad mothers who breastfeed so i guess its here nor there. From the answers it sounds like most give it a go and for the lady with twins i totally understand i think i would question whether to do it or not Thankyou ladies x

Has anyone read ‘the birthkeepers’ by Veronika Sophia Robinson?

I’d be interested if anyone has read it and their views on it. It is about pregnancy, childbirth and raising infants. It focuses mostly on unassisted childbirths.
The author believes that childbirth is only dangerous if you are afraid, and being in a hospital environment makes you afraid. She believes that doing a pregnancy test (rather than listening to your body telling you that you’re pregnant), having scans, dopplers, cervical checks, urine tests, blood tests etc throughout pregnancy destroys the natural bonding process and she actually calls them ‘violence to mother and baby’ (she also calls an episiotomy ‘slashing the vagina with scissors’ – refusing the use the medical term). She says the best research for unassisted homebirthing is reading other people’s birth stories but also mentions later in the book that you shouldn’t listen to, or read, birth stories with negative consequences. Actually, to quote, she says, ‘Beautiful birth stories only please, my baby is listening’.
Another quote I’v just spotted, ‘We’ve been inculturated with the idea that birth is painful, dangerous and deadly. I agree. It is painful, dangerous and deadly IF and only if we allow The Obstetric Observer into our birthing space’.
Seriously, is this a common belief? I’m interested in others views.
Oh, she also believes that Autism is caused by a traumatic birth and/or being introduced to too many strange faces in the early years.
emma’s*mommy – I agree with that, I’m sure there’s some sort of middle ground where the medical profession can make more allowances for the mother’s comfort and to lower her anxiety levels, it is better for all. I also agree that approaching childbirth with less fear, more confidence and perhaps a more spiritual outlook will most certainly make for a more succesful birth, but this book is way OTT. I keep reading excerpts to my husband saying, ‘can you believe this??’ It is most certainly as interesting read, however infuriating it is.
I definitely think that expectant mothers hear too many horror stories, but if stories are your only source of information for birth – where no knowledgable professional will be present – how will you know what to do if something goes wrong? How will you recognise that signs that baby is breech, or distressed, or the cord is wrapped around their neck? Things go wrong all the time.

I AM CURRENTLY 22 WEEKS PREGNANT AGAIN! I had my 14 year old daughter with help of forceps after being cut.?

18 months ago i had my son. I went into labour on my own, I got to 10 cm then it all went down hill. He was VERY distressed and I ended up having failed forceps then an emergency C section. I still have my hospital notes and when I shown them to the Midwife at my booking in for THIS pregnancy, her face dropped & she said she would referr me to VBAC clinic stating I have good grounds for SELECTIVE C? . She didn’t say much else so I researched my notes and now I know. I lost 2000ml blood and haehmoraged and was in High Dependency THEY SAID ANYTHING AT 1000ml blood loss is classed as MAJOR! I LOST DOUBLE THAT!! My son was born with a APGAR of 2!! They say anything between 2-3 is FATAL!! I am now so worried. I am scared they will NOT allow me to have selective C and I am so scared something like this will happen again!! I am due to speak with Cunsultant in 3 weeks were they will look through notes and make a decision. AT first I did NOT want another C cos I am scared of the scaring/belly being worse!! AND the recovery is longer and I will have a 2 yeard old to look after too!! BUT now I have done my research and realised how bad things were I don’t want any risk to my unborn baby. I have been told that there are chances I will end up having another ermergency if I attempt a vaginal birth after energency C anyway and that the scar could rupture?? I am petrified and would like to known if anyone has been through anything silimlair?? Am I best trying for VAGINAL birth, BUT what if something goes wrong and the same thing happens this time OR should I push for PLANNED C to avoid the risk of this happeneing again? Especially if the chances are I will end up having Emergeny C anyway?? What is they say I can’t have one?? If they could gurantee i could have natural vaginal birth and it will be ok then of course I would go with that but THEY can’t can they cos anyting can happen and no one knows how things will go? I am worrying myself sick over this?? What is best option. What if Im not so lucky and risk natural Vaginal, end up with an emergency anyway then it was all wasted and therefore I am best going to Elective?? Also, if the chances are I will end up having emergency C, having a planned one is better as not rushed and therefore wouldn’t the scar be neater?? I beleive they go into the old scar? Please help before I go mad!!!