Giving breast feeding another go after previous bad experience?

[Louise88]

I breast fed my daughter bit gave up after 6 weeks and never looked back. When breast feeding my daughter used me as a soother, woke up every hour for a feed or suck I could never tell and she used to take that much she'd projectile vomit after every feed all over my boob and on herself. Starting the formula she slept through the night, soothed on a dummy ( she wouldnt take a dummy while I breast fed) and she stopped projectile vomiting after feeds.

I would like to breast feed this baby but scarred of having the same experience I know breast milk is better for them. I was thinking maybe after the first few days take baby off the breast and just feeding breast milk though a bottle instead? Would this work? I couldnt express much milk with my daughter because she'd suck me dry so I'm thinking express milk and bottle feed so babies getting best milk and I'm not tearing my hair out?

 

[3boys]

it is extremely difficult to exclusively pump and feed baby with breastmilk through a bottle and while some woman manage it they generally wouldnt choose it. You will spend all your time either attached to a pump or with a bottle in your hand and you would have to set your alarm to pump at different times through the night as these produce important hormones to stimulate milk supply. I myself struggled to bf my first 4 children because of pain etc and normally gave up within a few weeks. With my last baby i was determined to bf and its completely normal to feel like baby is always attached to you in the early weeks as this is important for milk stimulation, i found for me that after around 8wks it completely settled down and was much easier that when i ff babies. As for sleeping if you do some research into why babies wake through the night you will see that their sleep pattern is completely different to ours and that its really important for them to wake through the night and in fact reduces the risk of sids. This information made it easier for me to get up so much during the night as i knew it was what was best for baby. Breastmilk is designed to be digested quickly and keep baby in a light sleep so they can be woken easier. In countries where breastfeeding and co-sleeping are the norm sids is generally unheard of. Another problem you would face with exclusively pumping is that normal pumps wouldnt work too well in the early weeks for you and you would need a special hospital grade one. Obviously you have to make the right decision for you and your family but i cn genuinely say that being able to successfully breastfeed my son for 11 months was so lovely and an amazing experience. I hope it all goes well for you whatever you decide. x

 

[MumToEva]

I'm the same - can't decide if I want to try breast feeding or not this time. I really wanted to breast feed with Eva, but she was early and really tiny, so was too dopey to be interested in feeding. I tormented myself with a breast pump (a hospital grade one which I used day and night), but without her stimulation my supply just dwindled away to nothing. I had such guilt, like I'd failed her somehow, and it took me quite a long time to get over that. I know that breast feeding is so much better for baby, but having lived through how that affected my family, I'm really not sure i want to put anyone through that again - myself, my hubby, Eva or the new baby I haven't ruled it out completely, but I can't decide one way or the other. Think I'm gonna wait and see - if baby takes to it like a duck to water then great, but I don't think I can go through the heartache again if it turns out to be a real struggle.

That doesn't help you any, just sympathy!

 

[babyhopes2010]

my dd didnt latch and screamed constantly i gave up imo...too soon. i will be trying my best to bf this one

 

[bekkie]

We're going to give BFing another go this time, the first 6-8 weeks were tough with DS... but it got easier - he didn't even start sleeping through the night once he was on solids, so I don't know if switching to formula would have done anything... however; I'm not going to be so reluctant to combo feed - I don't think I'll pump much, if at all - I found it to be a real pain in the butt... when we are at home and at night though I'll be nursing as much as possible as long as everything goes well.

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

With dd she refused to latch so I expressed (tried to latch her before expressing) & I would express every time she had a feed.. So every 3 hours or so. After a month she learnt to latch & i fed her until she was nearly 6 months

Ds latched straight away but ended up with mastitis & a breast infection as he couldnt latch properly due to a short tongue. So he would feed constantly. I decided to express after 3 weeks of struggling & I expressed for 3 months. It was more difficult with having a toddler but ds would have a bottle of ebm & I would then wind & express for 30 mins.

It is do-able but you do have to keep up the expressing on a regular basis.

Nothing puts me off trying again though & if it doesnt work i will express again but i intend to go to breaststart groups & call the midwife when i need to.

X x

 

[Toms Mummy]

Well done queenmummy!.... It always feels like people give up too quickly. My son was born early and was tube fed my breastmilk for the 1st 10 days, it was hard expressing esp without his stimulation but it was worth it. He then latched on a couple of weeks later and when I got mastitis I went back to expressing and him feeding off me and it cleared up really quickly I BF until he was 16 months old. I am very determined to do it again.

PP, what your LO was doing (besides the projectile vomiting) sounds pretty normal! I was used as a comforter for months! If the prjectile vomiting happens again maybe look at your diet x

 

[MumToEva]

....

 

[atayl16]

With my first, I ended up switching to formula for the same reason. With my 2nd and 3rd, I was working, so started with formula. With my 4th, she was exclusively breastfed and is still on the boobie at 22 months. She latched like a champ from the get-go and didn't have the problems that 1st DD had. So, it is absolutely possible that you can do it this time without problems. Each baby is different, and you change as well. I say go for it and see what happens

 

[Dream.dream]

The first month or two is hard , they do feed a lot and its actually normal to have them nursing every hour , its ment to establish your supply and help babies tummy expand.

If you really want to give it a go. Contact your local le leche league and have them visit you in the hospital . They are very helpful

 

[Louise88]

It's good to know the hourly breast feeding is normal, my friend had a baby 2 weeks ago and she's breast feeding him but he always sleeps and only wants fed every 3 hours... How jealous am I!!! Lol

I think I will give it another go with this baby I think if I don't bother and feed formula from the word go il always think of the what ifs etc. just hope this babies a sleepy one lol

 

[Toms Mummy]

There's no harm in giving it a go. Good luck

 

[Dream.dream]

It's good to know the hourly breast feeding is normal, my friend had a baby 2 weeks ago and she's breast feeding him but he always sleeps and only wants fed every 3 hours... How jealous am I!!! Lol

I think I will give it another go with this baby I think if I don't bother and feed formula from the word go il always think of the what ifs etc. just hope this babies a sleepy one lol

Some babies go longer and that's normal too. It's kind of like how some babies sleep through the night early on and some don't

If you can learn to nurse in bed it helps with night feedings and a sling can help so during the day you can feed and get things done


Good luck I hope it goes well for you

 

[Toms Mummy]

I 2nd the sling!.... I remember bf Tom whilst walking along the beach with the dog