ok i'll throw a spanner i dont breast feed or formula feed lol
its totally a personal preferance bottle or breast.
i was all for b'feeding and went to all the workshops bought poncho's and books galore, but i had sterilising equipment and a few bottles and some ready made cartons just in case but had no intention of using them. i bottle fed my daughter and never even thought bout bf'ing but thought what the hell its worth a go its free.
well after an emergency surprise c section i had an infection somewhere they still dont know where i had a crp of 199 what ever that means, and having 2 blood transfusions put through my wrist another drip to contract my uterus in my hand and another line inthe other hand with antibiotics i was shattered and felt useless and then mw's saying upsetting things to me for example (i know it sounds petty but) one mw was really rough taking blood a few hour after my section i still hadnt fed him by that point and she kept saying i had crap veins as soon as she walked out the room i broke down and that was the beginning.
everytime a mw came in the room i know they were only trying to help but they were grabbing my boob and Rhys's head really roughly it kept happening over and over again i had finger print bruising around my nipples from them squeezing them he just wouldnt latch for long. i literally dreaded a mw coming in or rhys crying for food what the bloody hells natural bout this i kept thinking. then my mw who is the hosp lactation consultant aswell came said there's something not right with his latch looked in his mouth said he were tongue tied and if she snipped the skin under his tongue it would sort it hmmmm well she did it although i didnt really want t doing i thought she might think i didnt want to breast feed anymore and wasnt committed and i didnt have the guts or the energy to argue with her she's an old battle axe of a woman and really strict, thank goodness he didnt scream out in pain as i'd never have forgiven myself, but even after that he still did the same she said you'll be ok it'll just take you longer than other girls maybe a month or so. mmmm great i thought tried for a baby for nearly 4 yrs and the 1st few weeks are going to be a battle of screaming baby and sore tits. but i was really determined..
anyway i came home thought right now no-ones grabbing me i'll go in the bedroom and relax..... oh no visitors came so in and out the lounge to the bedroom and back again i felt like everyone was thinking shes crap mum cant even feed her own baby whats so hard bout putting a nipple in a babys mouth, so the next few days i said no visitors best thing i did... but 1 day after coming home lactation mw came round and i admitted 4am in the morning my boobs were killing and i gave him a bottle and he slept for 4 hrs the most sleep i had in a week and was thinking enough is enough i admi failure.she gave me a big hug said she not met anyone more determined and try so hard and i'd been through so much the past few days no-one would blame me, i was so scared of telling her she looks a right hard faced cow lol, was surprised when she said that but glad she did.
so she said why dont you express for a day and see how you go, but that nite after expressing my milk i put him down at 11pm and he slept through till 4 am i havent looked back since i'm now breast feeding but through a bottle lol, i express 2-3hrs a day 4 at the most i express all my fore milk and hind milk and he drinks the lot bout 4 oz every 4 hrs sometimes less but i express 5 oz at a time 9 oz in the morning so i'm usually 1 or 2 feeds ahead of him lol the first week he lost just under a lb the 2nd week he gained a lb i was well chuffed i feel really lucky i have a breast fed baby but by bottle lol a baby sleeps 11pm till 5ish then till 9am.
so i totally do it backwards lol but i feel like he's having all the goodness from me and when nature stops my milk or i just cant do it anymore then he'll go onto formula and thats totally fine too.
its whatever works for the individual. i had made myself so hung up on this breast is best etc that i then made myself believe formula is bad in my hormonal state i wasnt being rational.
i dont get the bonding thing at all i didnt feel more close to Rhys when i fed myself or with the bottle we still have a good old cuddle and so does his daddy too.
a well fed baby is a happy baby a happy baby is a happy mummy and daddy
xx
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