Not sure what to do regarding expressing

[hopingtobemum]

Hi

My daughter is only 3 weeks old and I am now thinking of giving up expressing. She wouldn't latch on in hospital and so I had to give her formula as she was getting poorly. Since then we have alternated formula bottles with expressed milk bottles. My milk is slowing down a little bit as her demand for more increases.

I feel bad for saying this but am really thinking of giving up expressing. I just find it so time consuming and tiring at night. I want to be spending more time with her but instead husband is doing everything while I express. Plus he is going back to work tomorrow so don't know where I will find the time.

It's just I feel like such a failure. We have tried a few times to get her to breastfeed but she gets very stressed and so do I. Will she be affected by just having formula? She is quite a windy baby and we are using infacol so will just formula make this worse?

I just dont know what to do for the best for her. I worry constantly!!!

Advice please,
Xxx

 

[moomin_troll]

Of course natural breast milk is the more healthy option for her it doesn't mean u have to do it.
If ur unhappy expressing then don't do it and don't feel guilty about it at all x

 

[harveydog]

Have you tried nipple shields? I was given them from the hospital as my LO and I stayed for 12 days (full term but had glucose, temperature and then Minuit oxygen issues) and as he was fed by tube for the first 7 days and he had problems latching. It really helped us

 

[helensamantha]

I second the nipple shields. My LO wouldn't latch to begin with and the shields just helped get her on and stay on. Once she was comfy latching with them I slowly weaned her off them. Stressing about expressing will affect your supply, easier said than done I know but try to relax. If it makes you unhappy then stop, it won't be good for you or your baby if you're unhappy. Formula isn't all that bad good luck hunny, chin up

 

[Celesse]

I got my late latching daughter to latch by trying her at the breast before every feed, so she got the msg that the squishing pink things had something to do with milk. My son was a poorly baby and then I was poorly, so at 3 weeks he was mostly bottle fed. I found it hard to keep up with his demand after the 3 week growth spurt mixing formula and EBM. Even at 4 weeks he was mostly bottle fed, but by 8 weeks EBF. So may still be able to turn this around.

That said, I hated expressing. I still hate expressing. It's invasive, time consuming, and to me it was a symbol I was failing. The moo-ing sound of my medela brings back hundreds of painful memories. No way I could keep up expressing long term, without the chance of getting back to EBF. Having been on the journey of bottle to breast twice, I can say it is incredibly hard, and it takes you away from your baby. I feel I missed out on my newborn experience both times due to expressing and getting BFing sorted. First time I continued due to complete bull headedness, second time I didn't want to be the freak, BFing her toddler and not her baby.