for those who tried BFing and stopped...

at what point did you stop and why?

i have been having a bunch of ups and downs with BFing and part of me wants to keep going and part of me wants to stop...

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

I stopped after four weeks. I learned from a visiting nurse on day 3 that DD wasn't latching on properly and she was actually dehydrated. We started supplementing with formula after BF sessions. While she would still BF, I could tell she preferred the bottle. It became more and more of a battle. She would end up in tears. I would end up in tears. Eventually, I decided BF wasn't for either of us even though I had really wanted to do it.

The best advice the nurse gave me was not to feel guilty if DD decided she didn't want to BF. Her words were, "It's her choice and don't you dare feel guilty about it." Remembering those words always made me feel better about permanently switching to formula.

Best of luck!

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

I also stopped at 4 weeks. DD had tongue tie and couldn't latch properly. I was pumping and then feeding her the bm from a bottle. At 3 weeks I got a breast infection. Between the pumping then feeding, waking up every 2 hours, and being sick, I was so exhausted. Don't feel guilty if you stop!!

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

I stopped after 2 weeks. It was just a struggle from the beginning. I was uncomfortable, and we had latching problems. I was blamed for giving her nipple confusion, because I gave her a pacifier. I felt guilty, I felt pressured, and I felt stressed. All of these things made for an unhappy situation in our house.

Everyone in our house was happier with a bottle, there were a lot less tears from me AND DD. I did continue to pump, which helped a little bit with the guilt.

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

I bf my twins for four weeks. It was the hardest four weeks of my life! They ate 8 times a day an I pumped after each feeding. I was exhausted and barely got to see my kids bc I was always pumping.

Then I got mastitis and was on antibiotics. Then I got thrush and my DS got thrush. My chest hurt somuch I could barely hold them. That's when threwin the towel and switched to formula. I felt horrible at first, t got over it when I saw that they were doing great and I was happier

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

I BF my son, but I did not stop, although I was close to many times. My milk took over a week to come in. DS wasn't latching on properly and he was a very eager eater who ate every hour and 45 minutes. I was incredibly sore the first few weeks and I cringed everytime I had to feed DS. I hated feeling that way. Three weeks after he was born, i had a medical emergency and DS got a bottle with formula for three days. I then had to reteach him how to latch on. All while being incredibly sore and having a skin infection on my nipple. What helped me was having my mom to support me. Without her constant support, i definitely would have stopped. I also had a lactation counselor come to my house to help with the latching issues.

You have to decide what is best for you. There is no right and wrong answer. It is what works best for you and your DC.

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

11 days .. had to for medical reasons but honestly I was feeling like a cow hooked up to a milker (aka the pump).

I refused to LET myself feel guilty about it. Society this and that but AJ is healthy and that's ALL that matters.

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

Can I fist say, I wanted so much to breastfeed I threw out coupons and samples of formula when I was pregnant. I was so confident, read books, was ready to go. I was leaking like crazy pregnant and it just made my breast feeding ego huge.

Lack of support. LIF is wonderful and I got a lot of support here, but my mother kept saying "you don't have to BF" my husband was saying "formula is not the devil" and my baby was screaming at me all day long to eat. He didn't leave my breast. I didn't sleep for a week straight. Even as a tiny newborn he was always starving. I might have gotten 30 minute breaks. He would eat and scream. By the first week, ped said nothing is wrong with him, maybe just colic. So I started swaddling and then he would wake every 1-2 hours to eat. I couldn't believe how hungry he was. My breasts hurt so much, I was tense and crying while bf. I kept on though, I wanted so much to do it and everyone said by 2nd month its def will be easier.

By 2nd month it wasn't. He was just mad at me all the time, he seemed like he was starving and I felt like I just didn't have enough for this giant baby. DS measures over 100% in height since birth. I pumped all day because I wanted to see how much he was eating and BF once or twice a day, and then by 3rd month did all formula. He was taking 5 6oz bottles by 2.5m, plus 1-2 BF sessions. By 3m he was taking 5 8oz bottles.

I'm older and wiser now, but I still cry every now and then about how much I wanted to BF. And continuing to do it and failing at it, make me feel 100 times worse. At least with formula, I thought well at least my baby is not starving. His weight was always around 50%, when I started formula he went to 75% weight, which was very good, considering he was 100% height. So I felt good about formula eventually.

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

Too painful for me! Did it for 2 wks

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

about 2 weeks. i was never interested in BF (just did not feel comfortable) but was pressured into it by ILs and their whole side. DH was caught in the middle. he wanted what was best for me and baby but also wanted to agree with his mommy.

my milk never came in. (i would get maybe 1- 1.5 oz) a DAY and my DS has always had a big apetite. i finally just said ENOUGH and went with all formula. DS is now a happy healthy 9 month old who eats anything and everything that he can bite

i STILL get comments from IL side of the family about how i didn't try hard enough, did it worng, didn't care enough about DS to keep going, etc. etc. I just look at DS and what a perfect baby he is and forget about all their comments. contrary to what they believe, BFing your child is NOT what makes you a good mother!
(sorry, BFing is my pet peeve. i'm just very tired ofhaving it shoved down my throat or having to be made feel guilty or like a bad mother because i didn't bf)

Re: for those who tried BFing and stopped...

I stopped after 4-5 weeks. I never had a GREAT supply and my newborn was starving.
She could never get enough milk, and at less than a week old, she wound up back in the hospital severely jaundiced, dehydrated too. That's when I HAD to supplement with formula.Then I became sick with bronchitis and was on antibiotics. I felt so horrible with my fever and being sick, that DH got used to feeding her for a few days, it was a really nice relief.

I def had the blues pretty bad too, and being strapped to that couch 24/7 was not helping my mental state.
It just became so much easier, eventhough I was pumping, and still giving BM bottles, she was just SO satisfied after formula, and was content. Her being content = ME being content. I never looked back, and she is doing awesome.

I always said I would try it. I did. It just wasnt for me.