So I quit.....

[Soon5kids]

I think I am officially bowing out of bf. My son won't take to the breast at all now and is screaming. I have been pumping and went from 5oz to 3oz now down to 1oz. I mean how is he going to survive off of this. I have tried every advice and nothing is working so I just have to call it quits. This is just so sad because I poured my whole heart into this now I am shattered.

 

[cooper2010]

Things don't always work out the way we plan for. Just know that it is ok.

 

[mrs_park]

Awwwww hun I feel for you

At the end of the day you have to do what's right for you and your LO. You've given it such a good go and you should be so proud of that

 

[Sarahkka]

What you gave him this far was so good for him. Well done and no guilt, pressure, or anything negative on your decision to stop. Everyone has their enough point and being honest with yourself about yours is a healthy thing. Huge kudos on what you did manage to do and wishing you an easier time of things with the FF!

 

[MommyMoore503]

You've done a great job and just because you'll be giving him formula doesn't mean anything. A lot of ladies don't even try so be proud for what you've given him. Xx

 

[ellie27]

All our babies will thrive no matter how they are fed..

You have done so well.

My LO is 2 weeks old today and I cannot even pump 1 oz.

You have made the decision and its right for you.....happier mum = happier baby

Dont feel guilty!

 

[Soon5kids]

Thank you ladies so much for all the support. I still keep wishing there was another way to just keep him on the breast. I still pump but don't know how long that will last before I dry up.

 

[midori1999]

If you want to stop BF, then obviously that is fine and your baby will almost certainly be just fine. No need to feel guilty, any breastmilk your baby has had is great and has benefitted him.

However, if you're not really happy with your decision, then I'd suggest getting some decent, real life help.

I've had a quick read of your other threads and it seems like you were advised to top up with formula pretty early on. Do you think maybe your LO has nipple confusion, partifcularly as you have mentioned you now find latching him difficult? Can you speak to a La Leche League leader on the phone or get to a group for some practical help? The best way to go from here would be to stop with the bottles and only breastfeed your baby, but you will need experienced help with that, both in terms of how to stop the formula safely/increase your supply and how to get your LO to latch properly. You'd probably find the 'support' of a group of BF women helpful too, although I have found at BF groups that support is really just in the form of being able to chat to other Mums, who happen to also BF and who you can sound off to or just chat to about life with a baby/BF a baby in general.

 

[Soon5kids]

@midori1999......Thanks. I just have been super emotional about this. So I will call around tommorow to see if I can't get some help before completely throwing the towel.

 

[midori1999]

You will also find that a good BF counsellor will be able to help you transition to FF if that's what you decide to do and help you deal with your feelings about this.

I hope you can find a solution that suits you, whatever that may be.

 

[Brookey]

if you decide to stop then you shouldnt feel bad, you gave it a shot.

However can i just say that i was really worried a couple of weeks ago as when i expressing, i was struggling to even get 1oz (i used to get 6oz in one go!). i was really panicking that lo was going hungry so a spoke to my HV and she said that the amount you get when you express is not indicative of how much your baby gets.

that was a couple of weeks ago and now when i pump im getting around 3/4oz.

im not trying to change your mind, if you decide to stop then thats fine but just wanted to give a bit of encouragement if you decide to carry on a bit longer.xxx

 

[Palestrina]

Obviously you should make the decision that feels right to you. Lots of women go on to FF and their babies are happy healthy babies. As long as you don't feel any guilt about it then you must do what's right for you and baby. However, BF in the beginning is very difficult, you're not experiencing anything more difficult than what we have all experienced, and you should know that if you cut out the formula and stick to BF full time that it will eventually get better. If you're willing to stick through it it does get better. I don't mean to sound preachy but I see alot of women "try" BF and then when they find it difficult they talk themselves out of it and cloud their mind with reasons to stop.

 

[patch2006uk]

I agree with midori and palestrina - if you don't want to stop, you probably don't have to, as long as you get yourself some good support and stay positive.

Why are you expressing? Will LO latch on at all? Ideally, if he'll latch on, just let him feed feed feed and your milk supply will sort itself out for his needs.

If he really won't latch, then consider switching to offering top-ups from a cup. This way he won't be sucking from a bottle and hopefully will latch on a bit more readily when he's ready (this is what we did with my LO, who wouldn't even open his mouth for 8 days after being suctioned at birth)

How often are you expressing? I was told to express every 2 to 3 hours during the day, and every 4 hours at night in order to establish a good supply. If you pump this often, even if you only get a small amount per time, the amount will add up quite quickly. Remember as well that babies actually have really tiny tummies. They're born with a capacity of around 5mls, which goes up t0 15 mls over the first week. A BF baby, on average, doesn't really drink more than 4 ounces of milk per session. The volume of formula that babies drink is just because formula isn't digested as efficient as breastmilk, so more is needed to get the same nutrients. Breastmilk is super easy to digest, so the volume per feed can be less.

I'm a bit surprised by the posts saying to just give up and not to worry. You obviously want to BF, and there's nothing wrong with that! There isn't anything wrong with formula, but if you don't want to FF, I don't believe you have to.

Contact La Leche League and NCT and find a local BF consultant (google is your friend). If you still switch to FF later on, at least you'll know you gave BFing your best shot.

However things pan out, good luck

 

[Ashley8806]

I'm sorry you have had such a hard time. I can relate - I was in your boat last week and somehow things turned around, but I was about to quit as well. You should not feel bad at all - you gave him the best start possible and that is great! I was FF, and I am just fine I haven't read your other threads, but just thought I would throw this in there if you haven't been told this yet - have you tried Fenugreek? It is supposed to boost your supply. I started taking it about a week ago, and am finally seeing the results of it. I have been pumping after feeding LO and went from pumping *maybe* 1 oz after feeding her, to 4 oz today. It might be worth a shot before quitting, but if you are already decided to then that is fine too

 

[Soon5kids]

I am so thankfuL for all you ladies. I did find a La leche group in my area and I will go this friday to see if there is anything else that will help. I am not one to quit and in this case there is burning desire that just keeps me wanting to keep bf. I just want to have this special bond with my last born. Maybe that's why I am so hard on myself right now.