feeling down

[Neeno]

hi didn't know where to put this thread so i hope im doing it rite.
i just felt so lonely as i have no one except DH to talk to about this and he is not getting it
sorry it could be long
so here it goes
My baby is almost 3 weeks old, the day she was born, i breast fed her in hospital and i never knew it could get so much complicated, i had always thought of Bfing and never thought about bottles
so when we came home i had problems with her not latching properly and not getting enough milk from me so i had to top her up with Formula
my nipples were sore and cracked ,bleeding after each feed,
i had the public health nurses visit us everyday to help me i tried expressing and putting her to breast to increase my milk supply but never got more than what i was getting the first day , tried nipple sheilds tube feeding infact everything i could but nothing would satisfy my baby and she screamed everytime i put her on breast. i was so tired and in blues i cried all week,so at our 1 week check docs advised me to go with ffing so that he could give me smthing for my blues.
so we bought bottles and formula and now she is exclusively fed on formula.
i felt better after that for one week
but now again this week im feeling so down about not being able to feed my baby.
i read on here how easily you girls bfeed your babies and i couldn't do that

when we buy formula i feel really bad as my baby was supposed to get it free from me.

i didn't know it would be so difficult , i never got full breasts my breasts are back to pre pregnancy position and i feel really bad.

i dont know why i typed all that but i thought writing it down knowing that smone might read it ,,might help
thnx for reading

 

[ryder]

Dont feel bad, even the little bit that you did get in the beginning will provide her with anti-bodies... Formula nowadays is more then sufficient, dont let anyone make you feel like your feeding your baby poison. The main thing is that your baby is happy, fed and loved!

Dont let people on here fool you either, if you read through the posts you will find that many women here went through 6 weeks of hell, and go through super rough growth spurt patch etc. Each to their own, but BFing isn't all sunshine and happiness like people make out.

 

[Vickie]

You did your best and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[firstLO]

I breast fed my baby for 8 weeks but after 3 had to supplement with formula as she wasn't putting on any weight. I the end I just went to bottles exclusively as I was having to constantly top her up. I like you never felt my breasts were full and she obviously wasn't getting enough from me. I felt so bad about changing to formula but she was instantly so much more contented so I don't regret it at all. You've got to do what's right for your baby and although breast milk is the best it obviously isn't if we can't provide enough of it for them! It's far more important that they're getting plenty of food and are happy and healthy so don't feel bad after all you tried you best. x

 

[UKMummy]

Don't feel bad. Ok, I breastfed my children but there are plenty of other things I feel guilty about doing/not doing. Being a Mummy is all about feeling guilty all the time and apparently, you'll feel guilty for the rest of your life!!!! Great!

At least if you don't breastfeed you don't suffer from things like leaking boobs in public, blocked ducts, mastitis, etc etc...it's not all that believe me!!! Enjoy your baby and don't worry. All children end of on formula or normal cows milk eventually!

 

[alio]

I gave up bfing after 2 weeks. I can honestly say I was never happier until I made that decision. I am the most determined person on earth and i fully intended to bfeed. In the end it didn't work out. My baby is flourishing on formula and I am happy. Simple as that for me. xxxx

 

[elm]

I think you should be hugely proud of yourself for lasting a week with all that going on .

I'm sure your baby will be far more happy with a loving mum who is happier and formula than with a depressed mum and breast milk. The decision was really taken out of your hands anyway so you can in no way blame yourself. You've done really well xxx

 

[Serene123]

Well done for what you did do!

Aslong as you and your baby are happy, there's nothing for you to feel bad about.

 

[angie0235]

I breastfed for 10 weeks and found it so painful at first. It never felt natural to me and I can honestly say I felt so much better when i switched to formula. I became a happier mother as my hormones seemed to settle down. I felt under pressure to breastfeed - from myself. I had this idea about being 'Earth Mother' - what a joke (i still don't know what each cry means!!!). I think we expect so much of ourselves and we feel guilty that we are not doing the 'right' thing for our babies. If you are trying your best you're doing the right thing! Don't beat yourself up try to accept you're using formula and enjoy your baby's precious first weeks. Remember it's natural to feel down and teary and honestly it does pass. If you don't feel like it's getting any better talk to someone - your Health visitor or GP.