You are not being selfish at all!!! I wasnt able to breastfeed Kyla as my nipples where cracked and bleeding, so i expressed for ages! I tell ya it was so pointless expressing, as Kyla would wake up through the night for her feed and i would give her the bottle and put her back to sleep, but then after that i would have to stay up for about an hour extra just to fill a bottle up for the morning! I found formula to be the best thing ever! Kyla took to it so well! i went to the s-26! She didnt have a problem with bottles as it was the only thing she new anyway! You will find your daughter will sleep better and longer and you can let someone else have a turn at feeding her! If you dont want to give her formula yet then express as much as you can and keep in the freezer or the fridge (it lasts 72 hours in the fridge i think) and then if you need some alone time or go to the local shops for a while or even a sleep then someone can watch bub and wont have to worry about you needing to feed her! Goodluck! and remember its your choice, sure breast will always be "best" but if your not happy and tired and grumpy... then bub will be grumpy! You have to look out for number one, keep yourself happy and everyone else will be happy!

P.s. If people look down on you for using formula, ignore it! They are not you! I had people look down on me for so long, but they didnt know what i had to go through! so stuff em, you do whats right for you and your bub!

~ Amy & Kyla

I really think you would be being selfish to stop breast-feeding purely for the fact of freedom. Fair enough if you are returning to work or having problems feeding but otherwise if you can, stick with it. My daughter is nearly 11 months and is still breastfed. I admit there have been times when I have thought, "Oh enough, I want out, I'm tired, It feels like she is permanently attached to me...." but I have stuck with it and I know in my heart I have done what is best, in my situation, for my daughter.I understand everyone is different and everyone has different opinions and circumstances but I'm sorry to say I think it would be selfish of you to give up just for your freedom.

~ Bays Mama

heyy.. im sorta going through the same situation as you, as i am 17 and still wanting that social life like going out with friends and going to a party occasionally, but since ive gotta breastfeed every few hours i cant.. ive looked heaps into expressing and geez it sounds like a lotta hard work, but then again, what isnt with babies :)  if you wanted to express you would have to still do it every few hours to keep your milk suply up.. or you could express lots and freeze it and make 3 months supply and then go onto formula.. i havent looked into formula much so im not going to comment good or bad on it..if you get like the avent bottles or something theyre meant to be easier to switch them, but i cant help on that little bit because im still breastfeeding!! (as he is 2 & 1/2 months) hope i helped....

~ Samm

I completely agree with Bays_mama. If there is no real issues for not breastfeeding why stop?? You can express, or perhaps give one feed a day of forumla to give yourself a break. At 3 months old, I still think it is crucial to try your hardest to continue breastfeeding. I don't care what anyone will say abut formula being close to breastmilk, RUBBISH.The numerous times I have gotten sick while breastfeeding my son has NEVER been sick, that in itself is a good enough reason to continue, Ive been breatfeeding for over a year, and wouldn't have it any other way, we all have times of feeling like we are an attachment of our baby, have sore dry cracked nipples,tiredness.But the time really does go by so quickly, its such a short time we have to put up with these small inconviences for such a great gain. While I understand lots of people are unable to breastfeed thats fair enough, but stopping for your freedom?? I think you gave your freedom away when you had a child. Whats another 3 months?? I'm sure you could handle it.

~ LisaLu

Everyone has a different opinion on this, depending on their own experiences.  really, noone can say either way which is going to be better for your child, only for their own.  i bottle fed my two boys, because i had to, but would have breastfed if i could.  however i probably wouldnt have done it for as long as some people do.  but thats just me, personally.  i understand the whole "breast is best" side of things, but, in my experience bottle fed babies are able to wait longer between feeds and also sleep for longer periods at night.  again, this is only the babies i know who are bottle fed, compared to the ones i know who are breastfed, not all babies.  anyway, what i think might help you, is if you are feeling really bad about not breastfeeding, but still want to be able to have someone else feed tamara every now and then, you could plan certain times where you want some rest time or whatever, and express for those occasions so that someone else can feed her.  just remember, you dont have to wean her onto a bottle completely if you dont want to.  that way you can still breastfeed and still have time where someone else can feed her too.  just thought id mention the happy medium in case thats the way you wanted to go.  as for changing from breast to bottle, i did that with my son when he was about three weeks old, because i wasnt making enough milk for him, and he took to the bottle like a champion, no problems at all.  but i think it depends on the child.  and just remember, everyone will have their opinions on this one, but in the end, just do what is the best way for you and your child, rather than listening to generalisations.  good luck :)

~ Ofelia Heiny

I bottle feed my 5 month old daughter and wish that i could have continued with the breast a bit longer but couldn't because i didn't have the supply, its not convenient to prepare bottles, take them everywhere, heat them ect when you have a constant supply ready to go right there on your chest. if you want a break for the night every now and again you can always express, or like said above alternate between formula and breast i had to do that to see if i could get my breast milk supply up but it didn;t help so then maddie went straight onto fomula for good.

~Crystal

Dont feel guilty, I stuck out breatfeeding for nearly 3months and didnt enjoy a bit of it, it hurt, I was tired and had no one to help out cos' his feeding depended on me... I didnt have a very good milk supply so expressing and feeding would take a LONG time I'd mentioned to friends and family I wanted to formula feed and they all made me feel guilty for thinking that, that I wasnt a good mum if I didnt breatfeed.. truth was I couldnt breast feed... Once I made the decision Lawson was sleeping all night going longer between feeds and I got more sleep and time to myself... was brilliant... his NEVER been sick had colds nothing and is developing just as good even better then breastfed babies I know... if I hadnt of let people make me feel guilty I would of swiched ages ago but I tried to stick it out cos I thought I was doing a bad thing but I'm not!! Dont let others make you feel bad if your not happy and want more freedom then swich to formula and dont let other talk you out of it if it means your unhappy... All the best!!

~ Annie

First thing dont feel guilty! you need to have a life too they have come so far with formula these days that i think it is just as good as breast and it usually puts a bit more meat on their bones. my son loved bottle straight away.try using karicare i was reccommended it and i think its really good. u are defintly not being selfish i thought i was too but shes your baby u can do whatever you want.good luck with your new found freedom!

~ Whitney