I cringe at the idea that "bf takes more effort for the first 5 weeks." I think having a new baby, especially a first baby, makes parents feel inadequate no matter the feeding method. It simply hasn't been my experience (working with many mothers) that breastfeeding is difficult. Preparing formula and washing a bunch of bottles and stuff, now *that* seems like a lot of work to me. Then there are the babies who don't tolerate formula A and the parents start trying formulas B, C, D . . . not to mention dealing with more colic, illnesses, foul diapers, and so on. That's fairly common, and more work. Yes, there are certainly mothers I've worked with who have faced great challenges in the first weeks of breastfeeding, but they are not the norm. Perhaps this difference in perceptions is due to the fact that I mainly meet moms who are motivated and informed, whereas doctors, hospital-based LCs, and other HCPs probably meet many more moms who are already having trouble, or who are not all that committed to bf. Even though I don't think bf takes more effort, I often suggest that moms give themselves 6 weeks to really feel as if they've got the hang of nursing, and to wait until then to make any decisions about discontinuing bf (if that is something they are considering). I bet lots of formula-feeding parents don't really feel confident until around that time either . . . Margaret Longmont, CO *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html