Last week I posted a survey from Philips Avent about breasteeding, and thank you so much to everyone who took the time to answer – the insights were really interesting and useful (I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't heat up bottles of milk – seven percent of the respondents also don't!)

Here are the results:

1. Why is the main reason you decided to breastfeed?

    

    

    

   1. All of the above – 74.1%
   2. Nutritional and health benefits for my baby – 23.07%
   3. Strengthens the emotional bond – 1.68%
   4. It’s convenient – 0.13%
   5. Health benefits for my body – 0.13%
   6. I don’t breastfeed – 0.13%
   7. Other: 1%

 

2. What are/were your biggest concerns around breastfeeding?

    

    

    

   1. Producing enough milk – 50%
   2. How to get my baby to latch – 23.51%
   3. Sore or engorged nipples – 13.95%
   4. Nutrition and whether my milk was good enough – 9.43%
   5. Other  – 31.%

 

3. When breastfeeding, what helps you relax?

    

    

    

   1. A rocking chair or somewhere comfortable to sit – 48.96%
   2. Privacy – 27.68%
   3. A quiet room and soft music – 11.75%
   4. Having my partner with me – 7.05%
   5. Other – 4.57%

 

4. How many times do you breastfeed a day?

    

    

    

   1. 6-11 – 38.87%
   2. Every two hours – 36.45%
   3. 12 plus – 13.0%
   4. Other – 10.66%

 

5. When expressing, which breast pump do you prefer? 

a. Electric – 71%

b. Manual – 29%

 

6. Do you store your breast milk?

    

    

    

   1. Yes – but I just refrigerate for the day – 46%
   2. Yes – I freeze up to 6 months – 35%
   3. No – I prefer to not to – 12%
   4. Other – 7%

 

7. How do you warm up a bottle?

    

    

    

   1. Placing the milk container in warm water – 69%
   2. Bottle warmer – 20%
   3. I don’t warm up bottles – 7%
   4. Microwave – 4%

 

8. Would you breastfeed in public?

    

    

    

   1. Yes – 61%
   2. No – 39%

 

9. What do you do when breastfeeding doesn’t go according to plan?

    

    

    

   1. Consult your midwife/doctor – 41%
   2. Consult and confide in family and friends – 28%
   3. Online search – 25%
   4. Stop breastfeeding – 1%
   5. Other – 5%

 

10. Going back to work, what do you do?

     

     

     

    1. Breastfeed when I can and express for the rest – 81%
    2. Only express and store – 8%
    3. Use formula – 5%
    4. Other – 5%

 

11. Does dad/partner get involved in feeding time?

     

     

     

    1. Yes  – 71%
    2. No – 29%

 

12. Overall, how would you rate your breastfeeding experience?

     

     

     

    1. Tough but worth pushing through – 58%
    2. Amazing – 39%
    3. Painful – 2%
    4. Never again – 0%

 

Image: Shutterstock

 

Feature image: Shutterstock