Difficulties breastfeeding- switching to formula

I chose to take donor milk until my second was 5/6 months old then I went to formula. Sometimes circumstances make it hard or near impossible to breastfeed like we want and it’s ok. You put in a valiant effort and that’s all that matters. All you can do is make sure your baby is fed.

My baby would not latch, I had every midwife who passed through, try to help and it just wasn’t happening, I hand expressed into the tiny syringes for the first two days and then pumped. I was due to have the breastfeeding lady visit me at home to try and help but I ended up really sick and in hospital for two weeks so she visited me there and said forget it just get better. Even though they really tried to help I didn’t feel pressured at all. However I know even without direct pressure, the pressure to be a good mum is still there purely by the suggestion that breast is best. But honestly if it’s not for you just stop, don’t spend your newborn stage miserable, you want to look back with happy memories. My son had expressed and formula for two weeks and then just formula, you get to a point in motherhood where you have to say it is what it is to a lot of things if it’s not harming your child and they are developing well

Yes. I didn’t manage to breastfeed. I absolutely hated the cup feeding - it was messy and stressful. Your baby will do fine with formula. My little girl is now 2 and is thriving. I did pump for a few weeks but if you don’t think that’s for you don’t feel guilty. It’s best for LO to have a healthy and happy mama. Big hugs, it does get easier. ❤️

Switching to formula was such a difficult decision for me but in the end it was the best thing I did for myself, for baby and for my partner. It's so hard when you want to breastfeed but it's just not working out. I read reddit posts about switching to formula which helped me get a wide range of anecdotes from other mums. One person wrote 'your baby deserves a happy mum' and that changed it for me. When we switched to formula, I slept, my partner could feed baby and I bonded more with my baby then I ever had done breastfeeding.

Hi sweet, yes I went through this myself.. my little girl would never latch on properly and she ended up having a tongue- tie operation when she was 6 weeks old. I had my heart set on breastfeeding from day one and when it became difficult I struggled with it mentally. I thought I wouldn’t get the bond and thought I was not good enough as a mom/woman. We had to start formula from hospital, although I had gone in without any. I tried to pump in the little free time I had prior to her 6 week operation, but I was quite stressed and that affected my milk supply. Once she had her operation she could latch on much better but my milk supply was nonexistent.. so we carried on giving formula. There are lots of positives in formula feeding; it will be much easier for prep and your time. You don’t need to stress about how much you have produced and baby managed to drink. It really can be helpful and now that she is 3 months old I look back and think, I was always a good mom and enough!

We have plan A’s, then that doesn’t work out we go to plan B and so on. It’s hard when you’ve got your heart set on plan A. But, you will make the right decision for you and your little one 💕

I will say though, life is SO easy with a UV steriliser if you can afford one. We were extremely lucky and had money gifted and went and bought a tommee tippee perfect prep machine and their UV steriliser (dries and sterilises) which took away all the anxiety for me. You can find them cheap at baby markets etc but either one will help make the prep/sterilising wayyyy easier

Your story is literally the same as mine. I was on the fence about what I should do as my MH was in shambles and I felt I was disassociating from my baby. I BF for a little over 2 weeks and then my left boob stopped producing anything, I genuinely think it was the stress. I then switched to formula and although it does still break my heart I am so much happier, resulting in LO being happier. My bond with her is now stronger than ever. It is a hard decision but you need to do what is best for you.

It can be so hard, whatever happens you did your best. You could try mixed feeding, formula and pumping. Maybe taking the pressure off will give you some time to figure it out or find better support from a lactation consultant. Personally, I found mixed feeding meant that I could do BF for longer and keep trying when I would have otherwise given up. It also helped as it meant my partner could do some of the feeds, again taking the pressure off me.

I found this sooooo difficult with my eldest. There was so much guilt and indecision. I switched to fully formula feeding about 5-6 weeks (top ups prior), I was so much happier and enjoyed my baby so much more but never got over the guilt completely. I felt judged when I was out and formula feeding but it was probably just my insecurity. Pumping, cup feeding etc isnt sustainable but if there’s a reason e.g. tongue tie it might preserve your supply whilst waiting treatment. Do you have an infant feeding team that you can get help from (they were much more help than the midwives in my experience). Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you and your baby and formula is not evil

You do you! My son breastfed until 8 weeks old and then refused so I pumped.. he’s 10 and a half months and due to a supply issue we moved him onto formula.. I exclusively pumped for 8/9 months and it was HARD! It’s honestly a full time job.. and while I’m grateful I produced enough to feed him for so long I wouldn’t exclusively pump again just due to the stress and the fact I felt so tied down. Do what is right for you and your baby! Like my mum says to me.. you are just as important as your baby. You need to make sure you eat, and rest and getting stressed won’t help anyone. Don’t let your mental health suffer.

Honestly you come first too. If this journey is killing you mentally it is okay to stop. Being a new mum is hard enough. Formula is there for a reason. You can use donor milk if you really want to use breast milk and don't want to pump. My daughter couldn't latch due to my anatomy when she was new born. I tried nipple shields which worked but didn't help the pain. I became an exclusive pumper and I've done it for nearly a year now.

I'm currently thinking the same thing. Our girl arrived 6 weeks early at 34 weeks and has been in nicu meaning that I've been recommended to start expressing and pumping before being able to try breast feeding. I find it soul destroying and currently it means for each feed we are doing I have to pump, then try her on my breasts, then feed/top up using her feeding tube. It takes most of the time I have between feeds so resting is almost impossible and she's also very active at night and very hungry so it's just completely exhausting. I think I've given it a go and tried to give her the best Start possible but beyond that I'm not sure I can continue

The words I needed to hear were ‘it’s okay to stop’. And it’s absolutely okay to stop. I didn’t feel able to properly bond with my daughter until the stress of trying to feed and her losing weight was lifted from me by introducing formula. There is more support out there besides the midwives if you want to continue in any capacity but please don’t force it and make yourself upset. Local breastfeeding cafes, NCT feeding line, la leche league are all great resources that I turned to, but for me my journey ended after a few weeks. She’s now a thriving 22 month old.