Should I start bottle feeding?

[Little S]

Please help... I have a beautiful little girl who is 3wks old and so far I have been breastfeeding her. TBH I have not really enjoyed it due to the pain -its got so bad I start to dread hearing her cry when she's hungry and the pain is worse on one side with cracked nipples and bleeding. I have been thinking about changing to FF but each time I give her a bottle I worry that im not doing the right thing or that i will regret it - i have been crying all day. I just dont know what to do.
I didnt plan on feeding her myself for longer than a couple of months anyway but in reality im nOt sure i can even do that, esp as the feeds are every 2 hours max, i feel like i cant do anything with my day and im exhausted.
Suppose im just wondering if anyone else felt like me before switching and whether you felt it was the right decision? Also - how did you get the milk to dry uo? Did you express?
Just feel so upset and guilty.

 

[Mindy_mini]

Hun I don't think a formula feeding forum is the best place to ask this.

Only you can make the decision but I would urge you to speak to your hv and see if she can give you some breast feeding support or put you in touch with someone who can. Breast feeding shouldnt hurt (or so I'm told!) if the latch/position is right and it sounds like you might need some support.

If you don't want to bf then put her on formula but I just think you need to sort out if it's because you don't want to feed or if it's because it's painful.

Hope that makes sense
xxx

 

[punk_pig]

I know you probably want replies from people who FF to get their perspective but just had to reply as I went through agony trying to get LO to feed properly. Midwives told me my latch was good but I knew otherwise and it was only after receiving support from La Leche League and NCT that things started to get better.

Things that helped:

Latch advice from the above organisations
Lansinoh (pure lanolin ointment) for any cracks
Resting the damaged side by block feeding (feeding from one side for a few feeds in a row)
Resting the damaged side by expressing and feeding breast milk from a bottle
Trying alternative feeding positions (for the first 5 weeks LO would only latch on the left side in the rugby hold)

I thought I'd never 'enjoy' breastfeeding and couldn't see how it was supposed to bond you together as i resented her and dreaded each feed! Now she is 10months old and starting to reduce her feeds in favour of solid food and I'm GUTTED!!!!! I was so sure I'd give up bang on 6mnths but it became so easy in comparison with preparing bottles that I breezed past 6months without really noticing.

Good luck with whatever you chose. FF is the right choice for some, just make sure you have got all the help you need to make that choice without regret.

 

[Little S]

Thanks both - thats the problem... I just cant decide whether I want to continue or not. I will probably persevere for a few more days and see if the pain goes. I do feel very self conscious about having to breastfeed in public but I suppose it is something I will just have to get used to if I continue.
Thank you for your replies - I know that I just need to decide whether the pain is too much to carry on AND whether Im actually enjoying breastfeeding.

xxx

 

[gingerwhinger]

I didn't enjoy breastfeeding my son so with that and other reasons (I was ill and in hospital so it wouldn't have worked anyway) I forumla fed. I am not ashamed to say that I shall be bottle feeding this baby. I quite simply do not like breast feeding. There, I said it! I did debate the topic in my mind over the last few months but I am at peace with my decision now. By all means get the support to breast feed, it is best for baby... but if you just don't like breastfeeding then do not feel guilty for bottle feeding x

 

[Little S]

Thank you hun.
After a day of tears I have decided to just persevere and see how the next few days go. When it doesn't hurt I quite enjoy BF and love the close contact with my little one but on one side its agony and I end up crying. I am also worried about feeding in public but havent done it yet so tomorrow I have to go out and will need to feed her during that time - time to bite the bullet and see how it goes. I also feel that feeding on demand means I can't do anything else with my time.. but again, everyone says it gets beeter so I will just have to wait and see I suppose. Just don't want to rush into giving up if I can overcome the pain and my worries. I totally get why lots of women choose to FF though... BF is really hard.

xx

 

[summer rain]

Honestly I would get your latch checked by a professional from a BF organisation as advised by the other ladies; while there is nothing wrong with FF at all; it would be a shame if you gave up over what turns out to be a minor latching issue that when tweaked makes a 100% difference. Good luck! xx

 

[BattyNora]

Hey hun - only you know in your heart what will be best for you both. IF you want to switch then $aybe doing it gradually will help you find a level of combination you're happy with, or show you ff is what you want to do. IF you want to give BF another go then I agree with the other girls, go and see a BF support group and get them to have a look at the latch. Honestly, don't just give it a few more days because it is so hard when you're in that much pain. There could be all kinds of reasons why it's difficult that someone would be able to pick up and help with.

I had 12 weeks of pain and hated it. I was like you and dreaded every feed. Only now do I not hate it; I don't enjoy it yet but hope that will come. I decided to stop BF and have LO on bottles for two days, but the action of stopping and confronting my feelings made me realise I needed/wanted to carry on.

Whatever you decide I'm sure there are many people on both this board and the bf one that will able to support you X

 

[Chelsea.ann1]

I felt that way though for different reasons...

I felt EXTREMELY guilty as ppl are quite mean about it sometimes...

Discovered formula feeding made both of us much happier and she's now thriving.. so am i.. don't regret it one bit

 

[missZOEEx]

I went through exactly the same thing as you! what you just described was what the first 2 weeks of my sons life were like. I would break down everytime it came time for a feed, I had scabbed over and bleeding nipples and eventually I decided to just pump only so that my 'nipples could heal' I know now that I was just using that as an excuse - I didn't want to do it anymore. So in the end, after many tears & thoughts that I'd failed I gave in to formula. Breast feeding simply is NOT for everyone. It doesn't make you a bad mum. But as has been said, if you really want to continue definitely see a consultant about latching properly and get some advice. Good luck. x

 

[patch2006uk]

The first 6 weeks are when BFing gets established and you learn how to do it. After the 6 week growth spurt, things really do settle down-babies often go longer between feeds, sleep more at night and become more interactive (which makes more difference than you ca imagine!)

People who switch to formula at around the 4-6 week mark often believe that the formula has made the difference. In fact, the baby would probably have started settling anyway if still BFed. I really don't believe feeding method makes that much difference to the temperament of a baby. It just takes a bit more work to get BFin sorted and everyone settled.

The pain sounds like it could be a latch issue. Has a feed been observed by a qualified LC? It may also be thrush if you had antibiotics since LO was born. Is the pain just at the beginning of a feed? Thrush pain would last the whole feed and potentially between feeds too. I remember dreading the next feed, that's quite common when you're dealing with sore nipples. I remember crying because LO was wanting his next feed about an hour free the last one and my nipples were throbbing and I kept saying to my husband 'it's not fair, I don't want to feed him again'. FF for me though wasn't an option, so I gritted my teeth and got on with it. It took about 8 weeks for feeds to be easy. It felt like a lifetime at the time, but it's actually a tiny portion of your baby's life.