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Anyone who says breastfeeding is cheaper than formula is full of it!
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Anonymous
| but at least you're not poisoning your kid! |
Anonymous
| I too have found BF to be rather pricey. In large part that is because I have had 3 LC visits, a PIS, hospital grade rental to build supply at recommendation of LC, 3 nursing bra's, a hands-free pump bra, plus tons of breast pads. The LC visits are very expensive! I knew about LLL and called a leader, but you need to be able to go to a meeting and that's not realistic post-partum for many women. Bottom line is that while it may not be MORE expensive, if you have many complications or issues, the cost can add up. There is nothing wrong about being honest about that. I am on month 14 of this and get peeved when people say that BF is free. No sister, not for me! |
Anonymous
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I don't think BFing was any more expensive for me than FF would have been (never used LCs, didn't buy any nursing outfits, used maybe 15 bottles all in all). But I'm surprised no one mentioned the greatest cost of all, which is TIME. Hours and hours and hours spent ass on couch with nipple in baby's mouth. FF would have definitely saved time, not that it was any reason for me to do it.
Plus what I'm sure will be years of therapy bills to get over the fact that I'm now size 8 instead of 4 or 6. Lost all pregnancy weight and then some by 4 months but then gained it all back plus 10 pounds. Still there at 10 months. Cannot go to gym because need to nurse baby to bed. |
Anonymous
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I had:
Medela Freestyle (about $300) hand-me-down Boppy (free, and I agree, unnecessary) two nursing bras, maybe $40 each used the bottles that came with the freestyle and never bought more, maybe had 5 bottles in all lots of Medela freezer bags, I think $10/pack one tube of Lansinoh for the early days, about $10 I have a recliner too but I would never attribute the purchase to breastfeeding! I work four days a week and pumped for 11 months. |
Anonymous
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3 Playtex nursing bras ($60) and I wore them for both kids
1 hand pump ($20) 3 bottles ($30-ish) 5 nursing tops ($70-ish) 33 months (two kids) worth of milk. $0.00. |
Anonymous
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I EBFed for 10 mos. Was on leave, so never had to pump (and never could pump, like getting blood from a turnip, even with a hospital pump) <b>and I still figure that I just broke even without pumping</b>. Here's what I bought:
1 sleep bra 2 nursing bras 3 nursing tanks (Bravado - loved them so much I still wore them after weaning) 5 visits from LC (due to issues with nipple trauma, yeast, mastitis, unexplained nipple pain, etc) nursing tea from Whole Foods copays for triple nipple cream and various scripts to treat yeast and mastitis OTC treatments for yeast (gentian violet, etc) various supplements for yeast, nipple blanching, etc (grapefruit seed extract, tea tree oil, B vitamins, garlic pills and on and on) organic nipple ointment (had to use b/c I'm allergic to lanolin) This does not include the increased grocery bills from the hunger that literally made me dizzy and stupid every day by late morning. Yes, OP, I totally agree with you. For many women, BFing costs about the same as formula, especially if you have to see a LC. If you are one of the lucky ones for whom BFing just works, good for you. Also, if you can get by with just a couple of nursing bras, that's great, but I found myself changing sizes as my body adjusted to nursing. I did not include the costs of BFing my first child for 2 mos and giving up after 3 bouts of mastitis. |
Anonymous
yep! i am right there with you!! I have 3 pumps -- Medela hand pump, hospital pump and Ameda Pump in Style. I also bought a lot of stuff thinking I was going to be able to nurse and I ended up exclusively pumping! I have about 50 bottles - LOL no joke. |
Anonymous
| Yes I spent SOOO Much on doctor's visits for infections, thrush, breast pain, etc.... |
Anonymous
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I think the OP has a very valid point. Women who don't have the resources to buy efficient breast pumps and the whole system that goes with it, who have jobs where there really isn't any great place to pump and you don't want to spend all that time with an inefficient hand pump (anyone else ever worked at Dunkin' Donuts? 7-11? I can't imagine pumping there, thank goodness I didn't give birth at age 19 when I worked there) end up formula feeding precisely because breastfeeding is free and easier only if you're actually staying at home w/ your child (or have on-site daycare and a flexible schedule, if only!).
However, I think most people on this forum did not choose formula vs. breastfeeding, or vice versa, because of the cost factor... |
Anonymous
Even 5 LC visits from the breast whisperer herself wouldn't come to more than $500 unless you insisted that every single one be a house call, which is frankly on you. Add in all the other stuff, which to be generous I'll estimate at another $500. Your nursing tanks, as well as all the knowledge you got from the LC, can be used for future kids. You may even have some of the supplements still left over. I probably spent about $1,500 on formula itself during the first year. For the first 3 months I BFed also (and bought lots of unnecessary crap to do so) but he always got at least half formula. Every dime I spent went down my baby's throat. Can't be reused for the second kid. I admit that the $1500 includes some convenience items like single-use nursettes and travel packs, and extra bottles, but clearly you people are including convenience items as part of the cost of BFing, because you do understand that things like nursing tanks and 5 different pumps and organic nipple ointment are a choice, right? |
Anonymous
| Look LC's can be $$$ I went to a non breast -wispering bitc* of a LC at her OFFICE and it was $225! Desperation and being told that formula is "so terrible" leads desperate women to do crazy things and spend crazy money. Now I think that all that I have spent and done to BF is totally crazy and don't plan on doing it long term again. The time factor another poster pointed out is HUGE. I would love to be able to work a little, keep up skills, and make extra money but the kid is a boob-only kind. Really, I felt duped once I realized all that is involved in nursing. People sell it as being the greatest and cheapest thing since sliced bread. Good for you if that was your experience, clearly it is not that way for everyone. |
Anonymous
Yup, this was me too. OP doesn't know how expensive it can be (my problems started on day 2). Pumps, fenugreek, domperidone, LC visits -- all while buying formula. Pasta definitely seemed cheap compared to the $90 LC visits. Did it anyway. |
Anonymous
You simply do not need to pump or store that much milk at any given time. You ABSOLUTELY do not need to store that much milk. Store as much milk as you can fit in your freezer and then just don't keep storing it. I really really don't get it. I BF my child for 18 months and pumped at work for 1 year and REALLLLLY don't get it. |
Anonymous
Cost factor was a big part of why I breastfed. DH was military and made $25k a year, we were stationed overseas in an area with a very high cost of living, and it was economically better for me to breastfeed. Oh, and before anyone gets on my case about having a child when poor, don't worry. DH left the military a year later and got a job (doing the same thing) and tripled his salarty. Five years later he makes nearly 10 times what he did when he had our first baby. |
Anonymous
this. PLus I'd add that I would have been buying new bras anyway. I tend to run through bras in a few years. I've been nursing for 2 years now so I've gotten my money's worth out of the bras. I also bought 2 tubes of lansinoh. 
Also, WIC moms can get breast pumps and supplies free or discounted, which is nice. So those who really can't afford the equipment are helped. I certainly didn't breastfeed because it's cheaper, but it is. You can MAKE anything expensive if you're not careful. |