i hate it...please dont judge me, everyone else has :(

[KatyR]

I admit it....I don't enjoy breastfeeding. I find it difficult and LO is always fighting me to latch on, squirming, and fidgeting while drinking and constantly coming off and having to go back on. He is so windy that it takes me at least an hour to feed and wind.
I hate that I can't go out properly at the minute as I never know when. He would need feeding. I haven't yet fed in public as he kicks up such a fuss I wouldn't want the attention.
I hate that I can't get more than 2 hrs sleep. I hate pumping in order to build up a supply just so I might be able to get out.
I told OH who basically said that I could quit but LO wouldn't be getting the best if we went to formula.
My friends said I should stick it out as I had been adamant that I was going to breast feed. Feel like my choice is being thrown back in my face.
I will continue to BF although I now give a bottle of formula at bedtime in the hope of some sleep. I will continue to pump in the hope of being able to go out
Just needed to vent to people that understand its not easy and sometimes you just feel like crying and giving in

 

[DaisyMai]

Hi hun,

Don't beat yourself up hun,atleast your giving it a try! Have you had a health visitor or midwife give you any help?
Breastfeeding can be hard at times so don't think you're the only one.
I had a tough week a few weeks back(my boy is 7 weeks now).Just like your LO he was fidgeting,crying,kicking and pulling off lots and feeds were taking forever.
I was about to ask for help from hv but I figured things out before.I was sometimes thinking he was hungry when infact he was tired.He would then latch on and get upset and pull off or just fall asleep.
Once I figured this out I made sure during the day he was getting enough sleep and things soon settled.
He also had terrible wind,which seems to have calmed loads.Each time I change his nappy before I feed I will move his legs up towards his chest,side to side and circle them to release any trapped wind.This also helps him settle into a feed.

Hope this helps hun and you can both work through things as you sound determind enough! =o)
Good luck!

 

[missk1989]

Im sorry your having a hard time. Im all for breastfeeding but if your not enjoying these precious weeks with your baby then im not sure its worth it.

 

[Nicolalove353]

Sorry you are not enjoying it. It is not easy and i don't think anyone understands how hard it is until they go through it. I have battled with it for 4 months and just stopped. My lo was very winded with bf too but it got better with time. I hope the bottle at night helps you get some sleep! Do what you think is the best for you and your lo. The latch will get better with time also, my lo had a horrible latch in the beginning but as he grew and his mouth grew bigger, his latch got better.

 

[liz1985]

Do not feel bad. It is hard. I never realised how hard untill I did it myself. I gave up really early with ds and regretted it, and this time I was determined to make it to 6months, but ive already wanted to give up several times. I find giving myself smaller targets works for me. My first was to do the first 3 days, then a week, then two. My current is to get to 6 weeks. Everyone seems to agree it gets much easier around 6 weeks.

I would definitely get someone to look at your latch etc just in case there is a reason lo is being so fussy. My hv made a slight adjustment to dd latch and it made a huge difference. The last day or so my lo has been a little fussy again, and shes got oral thrush, got medicine so hopfully wont last long. So there could be reasons for your lo as well.

Lastly dont let anyone pressure you or make you feel bad for any decision you make. Its your choice, you have to be happy and comfortable, and most importantly you need to enjoy your baby.

 

[NurseSooz]

Do what you can to enjoy the most with your wee one. At the end of the day happy mum = happy baby. That's the important thing. If baby is getting fed, at the end if the day, that's all that matters. You're doing great x

 

[cat_reversing]

hey, bf can be hard and you both have to learn how to do it plus your hormones are still settling and sleep deprivation doesn't help.
it's ok to not like it, at the beginning I didn't like much at all about having a baby, I love my child but was so overwhelmed and tired, I struggled to bond with her and it just felt all too much and I wanted it all to stop. I hated the chair I used to sit in and feed as I seemed permanently attached to it, did quick shops as I didn't know if baby would start crying for a feed and felt generally frazzled, gradually feeds evened out and a routine started to emerge and things got more manageable.
You might just be going through a rough patch with bf, can anyone look after lo so you can catch up sleep a bit, that might help how you feel.
Ultimately, you and only you can decide if you want to carry on, if you do decide to ff then at least baby had a good few weeks of bf, there's no shame in stopping if bf is making you miserable then don't do it! my friend tried bf but the hormones made her really down so she ff from 6 weeks and her kids are fine, it's what suited her and her family.

 

[FAB mama]

We had most of those issues too, but I'm really glad I stuck with it. LO went through phases of latching trouble or something… I'm not really sure what it was honestly, but they seemed to just go away. I didn't feed in public much at all. I needed pillows and had trouble latching him and didn't see how I'd ever do it in public, so I was home a lot. That was ok with me, but if it isn't right for you then do what is best for you and your baby. I can't say that the sleep issue will get better anytime soon. LO woke every few hours for a long long time. He's just started sleeping longer now that we are somewhat bed-sharing.

If you WANT to stick with it, I have to say all the research I keep reading about BF'ing is just amazing, the benefits are so great it's encouraging for me to keep going, but please don't feel bad if it doesn't work out for you. However, it's wayyyyy wayyyyy easier now than it was in the early months.

 

[AC1987]

awww you're right it IS hard! I mean ff can be hard to, as there will still be night wakings and such. But bfing is exhausting and hard nonetheless.
I remember the first month was awful bfing my DD some feeds it was almost as if she couldn't remember what to do and she'd get REALLY upset... and I'd feel helpless, but soon it became sooo easy
However it is up to you, sometimes combi feeding works well too

 

[Perplexed]

I understand also. I was just thinking this myself. I don't enjoy breastfeeding at all. My ob told me it'll take a lot of patience and I never even dreamed how much!

I have no solutions or words of advice. All I can say is I'm at the same place too

 

[Noo]

I didn't enjoy the first 6-8 weeks one bit.

 

[Here_we_go]

It sounds like you're going through a growth spurt. My daughter would often get mad and fight with my boob: latching on, popping off, crying, relatch, then downright tantrum. I would always take her off my boob, put her on my shoulder and give her a pat. She'd usually burp and it gave us both a time out. Then I'd offer the other side, sometimes having to repeat the whole process (pat, burp, other boob). Some evenings I had no choice but to go into a dark room, turn a fan on for background noise and nurse her there. Sometimes the living room was just too chaotic with son getting ready for school the next day, hubby trying to find something to watch on TV, etc.

My daughter slowed the constant nursing down after 8 weeks. Suddenly I noticed we could go for longer without her wanting to nurse. I could nurse before going into the store, do some grocery shopping and even make it home before she wanted to feed again. It was like a switch was thrown and suddenly she didn't need the boob all the time as before.

It does get easier but growth spurts are always going to be hard for both of you regardless of how you feed. Lots of crying, fussing, grumpiness and that includes the baby

Good luck

 

[babyv13]

no judgement here, I feel exactly the same

 

[kung_pao mama]

Like so many have said, it does get better. My son is 3 months. We went through some hardships early on. I even began expressing and ff instead of nursing during the first couple of weeks because we had so much trouble. But if you just keep at it, it honestly does get easier. I'd even say that it gets easier than feeding bottles. I find it to be a pain to prepare a bottle when i have a hungry infant to tend to. lol.

That being said, you could always feed a combination of formula and breastmilk. You shouldn't continue breastfeeding simply because of what other people say. If it truly isn't working for you, switch to formula. You need to take care of yourself as well.

 

[Perplexed]

It sounds like you're going through a growth spurt. My daughter would often get mad and fight with my boob: latching on, popping off, crying, relatch, then downright tantrum. I would always take her off my boob, put her on my shoulder and give her a pat. She'd usually burp and it gave us both a time out. Then I'd offer the other side, sometimes having to repeat the whole process (pat, burp, other boob). Some evenings I had no choice but to go into a dark room, turn a fan on for background noise and nurse her there. Sometimes the living room was just too chaotic with son getting ready for school the next day, hubby trying to find something to watch on TV, etc.

My daughter slowed the constant nursing down after 8 weeks. Suddenly I noticed we could go for longer without her wanting to nurse. I could nurse before going into the store, do some grocery shopping and even make it home before she wanted to feed again. It was like a switch was thrown and suddenly she didn't need the boob all the time as before.

It does get easier but growth spurts are always going to be hard for both of you regardless of how you feed. Lots of crying, fussing, grumpiness and that includes the baby

Good luck

Thank you for posting this! Helped me a lot and made me hopeful!!

 

[stripeycat5]

It does get easier I promise. You will be soon getting your boob out and lo will do all the work for you!;-). It is hard in the beginning and if it is too tough then there is no crime in formula feeding. As far as public breastfeeding goes try and find a mothercare or somewhere with a feeding room for your first few goes at public bf it boots your confidence so much. Mine was a little stresser on the boob at that age and I found a pashmina brilliant as a cover up as there was so much of it! I had a week in hospital with my lo and having the support of the midwives 24\7 was such a huge help to me so if you having trouble mayne get some advice from you midwife or health visitor. Huge hugs you are doing a fab job just do what it best for you and bubba

 

[fatandlumpy]

^^^ this

Also - bub may even get your boobs out for you. Mine does.

It's your body... you love your baby. Whatever choice you make will be the right one for you. Formula isn't poison...

All the best