Feeling guilty

[StarBound]

Hello all

well my LO is feeding really well on the breast , but i found it too difficult to do every feed as he did alot of feeding and wanted to fall asleep on the breast and it was wearing me out. So my mum and partner were giving him EBF but he didnt seem to like it :/ So we tried some formula in a bottle and he liked it , enjoyed the bottle and food from it.


Problem is i now feel guilty - he breast feeds so well. I still breast feed probably 90% of the time. After all its alot easier , but my mum and partner are using formula with him. Am i right to feel guilty or is it ok for him to have both ?

 

[pinkclaire]

I would say what ever is working with you is absolutely fine!

The only thing I will say is that time they spend on the boob for ages when their young is how they boast your supply, so as long as your giving your body the chance to do that you'll be fine! HOw old is your LO? As things do really settle down by 6 weeks at the latest I would say xx

 

[fluffpuffin]

I exclusively bf, but when PIL are looking after her or hubby when I'm out they give her formula too. It works for us. I can't really be fussed with expressing and it's very rare that I leave her for long enough to miss a feed. Whatever works best for you hun. I felt guilty initially, but not anymore, as she still gets all the goodness from me.

 

[kelz87]

im doing the same.

my LO goes through phases of feeding alot and like u it tires me out.
i give her a bottle b4 bed and shes settled longer. my HV said it was fine to be giving her one.
i didnt do this with my first but it works well with the 2nd.

try not 2 feel bad/guilty at the end of the day your doing whats best for u both and still breastfeeding more than giving the bottle. x

 

[MelanieAnn]

Even if the formula doesn't effect your milk supply (more likely as your baby is older than 6 weeks) the formula can impact your LO.

Sorry. You really didn't want to hear that.

There's an explanation here: essentially, a baby's gut flora change, and the milk protein can seep through a young baby's "leaky" gut to sensitise them to allergies.

https://www.iwantmymum.com/site/articles/exclusive-breastfeeding-virgin-gut/154

Sorry. Bearer of bad news. But that doesn't mean it isn't true.

 

[Nimyra]

lots of babies get formula and they don't all develop leaky gut. I'm sure it is possible (and a risk), but probably not a very high risk.

 

[MelanieAnn]

Sorry I wasn't clear. All babies have a leaky gut, it closes around the age of 6 months. That's why introing any food other than breastmilk during this period (inc FF) can sensitise them and predispose them to allergies in latter life...

https://www.enotalone.com/article/3606.html

 

[maybebaby3]

dont feel guilty. you do what is right for you. the only thing is that your LO is only 2 weeks old which means your supply is not established yet (about 6 weeks) so i would try to bf as much as possible to give your supply time to meet your baby's needs if bf is what you want to do. if you miss a feed because you are giving formula then i'd express as that will keep your supply going as your body will think it needs to produce more milk. good luck whatever you decide to do but really don't feel guilty and dont let people pressurise you.

 

[Embo]

Don't feel guilty hun, your doing best for you little one your feeding him and if he's enjoying it and he's happy then your doing an amazing job if you've noticed on the front of the formula box it says for babies, that aren't breast fed or combined fed so its obvious that combined feeding is common! so don't worry plus he is still getting your breast milk, so he's got the best of both worlds xx