Pregnancy Week 38: Breastfeed or Bottle Feed

You only have two weeks until your due date by the time you are thirty-eight weeks pregnant. If you haven't made a decision yet, you may want to weigh the pros and cons of breastfeeding or bottle feeding your newborn. Your baby is putting the finishing touches on his development by your thirty-eighth week of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Week 38: Baby's Development

Your baby weighs close to seven pounds and is measuring about twenty inches long by the end of your thirty-eighth week of pregnancy. Your baby will gain more weight this week. He is also putting the finishing touches on his development.

His lungs are increasing their surfactant supply to make an easy transition from breathing amniotic fluid to breathing air. His fingernails and hair are continuing to grow. Your baby's brain is making more neural connections and will continue this rapid growth well into his first years of life.

Pregnancy Week 38: Breastfeeding or Bottle Feeding

By your thirty-eight week of pregnancy you probably have a good idea on how you are going to feed your newborn. If you are still thinking about whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding is the best route for you and your baby then consider these pros and cons.

Pros of breastfeeding: Dinner is always readily available and it is served at the right temperature. This is especially convenient in the middle of the night when you are staggering to try to feed a wailing newborn.

Cons of breastfeeding: It will always be mom who will be doing the staggering since no one else can feed the munchkin. The other con is that you cannot go anywhere for an extended period of time without taking a breast pump.

Pros of bottle feeding: Anyone at anytime can feed your baby.

Pros of breastfeeding: The bonding is wonderful and will stay with you and your baby for the rest of your lives.

Pros of bottle feeding: Mothers who choose to bottle feed will have this same bonding experience. Love is love, no matter where the food supply comes from.

Cons of bottle feeding: Your baby's poo will smell worse than if you breastfeed.

Cons of breastfeeding: Your baby will receive everything you eat and he or she may not like it. You may have to eliminate spicy or gassy foods from diet because your baby might not tolerate it. Broccoli, Italian, and Mexican food may cause gas in your newborn.

Pros of breastfeeding: Breast milk contains all the nutrition your baby will need. It has an added benefit of your antibodies which can help keep your baby healthy.

Cons of breastfeeding: You may have to give your newborn vitamin supplements that bottle fed babies do not need.

Cons of breastfeeding: You will have sore nipples as both you and your newborn learn how to nurse. Once you get it down though, you shouldn't experience any pain.

Cost of breastfeeding: You will need to buy a breast pump if you are planning on ever being separated from your newborn for more than two hours. A good breast pump will cost about $200. A manual breast pump costs around $60. You will still have to buy some bottles because that is the only way that you can feed your baby after you pump.

Cost of bottle feeding: Depending on the formula that you buy the cost for feeding your baby will range from around $120-$300 per month. The higher cost is only if your baby needs special formula because of an allergy or intolerance to regular formula.

Some mothers, despite their best efforts, simply cannot breastfeed. This is not a failing on your part, it is just the way it happens. If this should happen to you please remember that it does not matter if your baby is breastfed or bottle fed, only the love and caring matters.

For more pregnancy weeks and fetal development you can read:
Pregnancy Week 34

Pregnancy Week 35

Pregnancy Week 36

Pregnancy Week 37

Click here to find more information on your pregnancy and baby's development.

Sources:

Personal Experience

Fit Pregnancy (2009). Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved: April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: fitpregnancy.com/calendar/40251887.html

Myers-Gorrie, Trula, Slone-McKinney, Emily, & Smith-Murray, Sharon (1998). Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (2^nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company.

What to Expect (2009). Weekly Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved:April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/landing.aspx