🚨 Advance warning 🚨 This forum will be closing on 1st May – please see our pinned thread for more information.
breast vs bottle
Hey all! I've been having troubles being consistent with breastfeeding. Before Chloe was born, I was pretty firm on strictly breastfeeding her for the first 6 months. Soon, I found that she would often get frustrated while feeding and I would have to supplement with formula. I have taken advice from the public health nurse to pump 5 minutes on each side following each feed to increase my milk but still, my lo is constantly hungry and not satisfied. I feel bad that I am starting to give her more formula than breast milk. Is it possible that my breasts just don't produce enough for her? Has anyone experienced the same? I've met people who strictly breastfeed and feel bad that I am not doing the same.
0
Replies
Try not to beat yourself up about it, i know its easier said than done because i was in tears on a few occasions about it as i felt so bad and at first i really missed the close contact, but try to remmeber that breast isnt always best for everybody if u do decide to stop and just enjoy your LO without feeling so pressured. Some people are lucky and dont have many problems (i still feel jealous when other women are successful and i hate that i feel that way but cant help it) but at the same time i decided to do what was right for us and im happy that i chose to do just that.
If u decide to persevere- i would talk to your HV as they can perhaps point u in the right direction for some bf clinics or give u some valued advice
Good luck, and i do feel for u because i remember how low i felt about it, i hope this helps u a bit anyway
Hannah xx
i could have wrote that post myself its exactly what i went through to the letter and yes i hate it when others do it and i cant xx
I think we have to remember that all babies are different and yes bf does give the best start but doesn't work for everyone and surely having a happy baby who is getting the amount of feed they need and is being loved and cared for is the most important thing.
So don't beat yourself up about it do what you feel is best for you and your baby - happy baby happy mum and vice versa.
Good luck!
My 2nd daughter suffers from the early signs of asthma and for a long time I thought that was because I didn't feed her, but my 3rd daughters who I am feeding is now showing signs of it so don't beat yourself up over not feeding yourself.
As long as your baby is happy, gaining weight and contented that's the most important thing.
Sam xx
this is so familiar Abby was 10lb 5 1/2oz at birth and i just couldn't keep up with her as she needed more than i had so i now give her on average 4 to 6 oz of formula a day it increases when she has a grow spurt we are now at 9 weeks and are going to carry on like this as long as we feel its ok.i did feel really upset annd a bit of a failure as i had fed my son exclusivly for 5 months and continued during weaning till he was 11months so not having enough for aby was a hard thing to admit.but now i have a wee girl who is happy to get fed anyway it comes most of the time some times she messes around wanting me when im giving her a bottle and sometimes she messes me when she wants a bottle!!
only advice i will give is relax always offer boob first to stimulate your milk as the first sucking they do is stronger to get the letdown reflex to happen then offer bottle and you will get like me where the formula feeds decrease so you have the convenience of it during the night or if your out during the day...
fea x
While I agree that you should do what makes you most happy there might be something else you could do to help continue bf.
Are you eating enough calories? You need to keep up with the 500 extra calories per day as you did in late pregnancy. I find that I don't have the appetite to eat as much as I should so I bulk up my calorie intake with hot chocolates and lemonade.
Also make sure that you're drinking LOADS of water; seriously, I mean loads. I probably drink 8 pints of water a day and 2 cups of tea or coffee. If you're thirsty then you're already dehydrated. The more you drink the more milk you'll produce.
My LO is 18 weeks old and I've just started to wean onto a bottle because I want to be able to have a drink over xmas. I feel immensely proud that I've bf my LO and would encourage anyone to do so.
Good luck x
I wish you luck inwhat you decide and remember a happymummy + a happy baby
Vic x
It is hard work and I had to keep reminding myself that we were both new to this and both learning. I had the opposite problem to you, I had an over abundent milk supply which many see as a blessing unless you suffer from this (I was leaking constantly).
My sister advised me to look on www.llli.org for lots of breastfeeding advice (La Leche League International).
I didn't feel I got the hang of it until he was about 13 weeks but I started the transition to formula as I saw my boobs having huge problems with weaning my baby off them at the recommended rate and I felt it was better for me to reduce it very slowly.
Don't feel bad about giving formula, I got/get nagged by my mum (who BF me for 15 months!) but this only spurs me on to do exactly what I want to do and not what anyone else tells me. Do whats right for you.
I have heard that to increase your milk supply you should get your bb to feed more frequently but it will take a few days to take effect (if it works!). Drink plenty of water (I was told to not drink too much!). If you are determinded to try and give solely breastmilk have you thought about expressing for every feed and giving her BM in a bottle so you know what she is getting exactly and then make a decision on whether to top up (although I can understand this would be very time consuming). Or if you are extremely rich and open to it - hire a 'wet nurse', apparently it is becoming very fashionable with American Celebrities who will pay $1000 a week for someone to do this (I think I read this in Grazia magazine a couple of weeks ago?!) - I hope this last one makes you laugh, but thinking about it it's actually what was done before formula was invented wasn't it?!
Give the LLL website a look, don't feel bad if you do top up or move solely to formula, just do the right thing for you.
Good Luck.
x
Anyone changing from breast to bottle - try MAM bottles, their teats are great (funny shape) and my baby would only take these teats at first, turned his little button nose up at AVENT! But luckily doesn't care what bottle he has now that he is solely on formula!
FYI - weights of my bb who isn't fat (and I'd be the first to say if he was!), we're both 5ft 6inches tall, I am or was (lol!) slim build - my hubby is stocky. Everyone told me I had a small bb but he didn't feel small!
At birth 7lb 1oz.
11days 7lbs 4oz.
18days 8lb 1oz.
4wks 9lb 7oz.
7wks 10lb 7.5oz.
9wks 11lbs 3.5oz
23wks 15lbs 9.5oz
He had one bottle of formula at 8wks old then I left it for a month.
Her weight looks ok to me. I'm sure the HV would say if they thought she was overweight - show him your bb's red record book.
Remind him that babies should have cubby bits, mine has cubby legs (like his dad! lol!).
Your picture is gorgeous - looks like a little cutie to me.
I think there has been a slight link to obesity when older if formula fed but anyone can be fat when they're older if they are a greedy pig - BF or formula! My sister has started getting chubby cuz she can't stop troughing and she was breastfed...she isn't keen to lose it as her boobs have grown! lol! I used to be a size 8 but now I'm a 12, I am older/filled out/worked shifts so ate too many take aways/had a bb and I was BF for 15 months.
Just a 'Chubbys' get out clause if formula fed! lol!
x
Sam xx
it is not easy and only a man would think it is!
I cant get a night out and have a good old drink because i have to feed him in the morning!
so think that, you have given yor baby the best start in life and really your getting the best of both worlds because you still have yor ;ife to yourself, where as my baby is stuck to my boob lol
so as long as you drink in moderation (how crappy do I sound!) you can have a couple of drinks, I intend to !
My lo is 6 monthd old now and im still bf. I found it difficult at first, but that was when he had hit hid first growth spurt. I felt like i dint have enough milk for him and i was failing and starving him. once he'd finished his spurt tho it got easier and i still find it easy now. I'm fortunate that its been easy, a lot of people have found it very difficult.
having said that if you find it easier to give your lo a bottle then do so, who is anyone to tell you how you should feed your lo. its your baby and as long as youre both happy nothing else matters.
xx