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I feel your pain! Kayla spit up a TON of blood two night in a row, then when I pumped blood was squirting out, so I took a break from feeding from that side over a weekend. She is 6 months now and I managed to get through it somehow! (I'm stubborn!) But I just wanted you to know I wanted to give up for weeks and I look at you as a very strong woman for doing what you needed to do for your sanity! :) So glad you two are doing well!
I'm so sorry, I'm not a mom. I wish you luck with your problem. But...I had to write to say...that little face is so precious. So adorable. I just want one so bad. I wanted to say congrats on your new little family. Oh, I love him!
I managed to breast feed for 7 weeks- but hated EVERY minute of it- so I totally get it. You should not feel bad for formula feeding. If you are happy then your baby will be happy.
Don't get down on yourself for making the right decision for you and your baby. The answer to breast or formula feed is different for each mom and baby and no one answer is wrong.
I love Rose's sweet cheeks by the way.
I felt the same way at about the same time as you. I wanted to cry everytime I had to feed him and I completely respect that you would want to stop!
For what it's worth, I have managed to keep it up although I still don't love it. Some things that helped are putting breast milk on the nipple and letting it air dry, lanolin creme, and making sure the latch is big. The other thing that helped was pumping for a few days on one side to let the skin recover. When the milk really starts coming in that helps too. Eventually the skin toughens up a bit but it's still doesn't feel completely pain free.
You have to do what makes you and baby happy. Stressing will only stress her out, and lead to a bad situation. Do what you have to do!
Don't feel bad! You tried!!!!! Sounds like you made the right decision for you and your baby!!
Ok first of all this is the first picture I have seen of her and she is just perfect! Second, I'm not a mom, but try not to feel like a failure - because you aren't one. It sounds like you did the best you could to try to breastfeed your daughter and it just wasn't right for you. And that's okay. It is important that you are happy and healthy in order to best care for your daughter and it sounds like you wouldn't have been happy if you continued breastfeeding...there is nothing wrong with that!
I didn't give up early but I don't blame you in the least. Nobody is told the truth about how difficult it is to breastfeed. It's supposed to come naturally but it does not. At all. And no one is prepared for the time investment. You are feeding around the clock for at least six weeks before it gets easier. But not for the fact that I spend two weeks with a lactation consultant right after my son was born, I would have given up.
My son was not latching on properly and every single feeding (like 6-7 times a day) I had to fill a plastic bottle with formula, hang it around my neck and tape these tiny little tubes to my nipples (while he was screaming) and formula would flow while he was getting breast milk at the same time. I had to do this for over a week. It was a total nightmare to this day I don't know how I got through it.
But do not feel guilty and do not feel like a failure. You are doing what is best for you and the baby. Plenty of my friends did not breastfeed and their kids turned out just fine: smart and healthy:)
I quit after 2-ish weeks, pumped for a few days, and then went promptly to formula full time. I still feel guilty sometimes, but the good news is that time heals all. I feel a lot less guilty, a lot less often these days.
Sweet little Rose is going to be much happier and much healthier if her mommy is happy and healthy. You did a great job this last week, and I know you tried your hardest, but it's ok to admit when it gets to be too much. Plus, there are so many great things about formula feeding! For one, she'll probably sleep longer and go longer between feedings at an earlier age. I think Addie went to a four hour feeding schedule almost immediately after switching to formula. Extra sleep makes all the difference! Not only that, but you can share the bonding time (and nighttime responsibilities) with your husband. You can have more free time and pass Rose off to your husband if it gets too overwhelming without worrying about her getting hungry again in an hour or two. Plus you don't have to worry about leaking breasts, pumping if you're away from her too long, cracked/bleeding nipples, complications like clogged ducts and mastitis, etc... Formula feeding is not all bad! There's a lot of pluses to it.
Hugs, momma. You'll get through this. In the end, you have to make the decision that is right for you and your family. Formula feeding does not mean you failed and it does not make you a bad mommy.
Rose looks so sweet. These first few weeks are tough but I look at how big my little girl is now (at 9 weeks) and already miss her tiny little spunk. If you're done with breastfeeding you could always pump for a bit and make a little freezer stash before your supply goes away to mix in with the formula. But don't feel like a failure, you're raising a beautiful little girl.
@PutABirdOnIt: You taped tubes to your nipples every time you had to feed him!? That's insane! Do people do that often?
Its okay that you decided to stop! It will be better bonding time if you are not in pain. Just lovingly hold him while feeding time is happening (with a bottle.) I know it seems like you just gave up, but IMO all in all you just did what was best in your situation! I didnt breast feed long either. My son didnt latch on no matter what or how many specialists we saw. So feedings took forever it felt like because I was pumping and pumping and then feeding etc. But apparently my milk didnt have enough calories (didnt know that could happen) and he wasnt gaining enough weight so his pediatricion put him on formula and everyones lives got a lot easier from their. I know some are against formula but it all has to meet certain healthy guidlines for baby!! good for you!! but I know that can be a tough start to motherhood.
Happy mom = Happy Baby! You did what's best for you and your family! Your baby is so precious!
@Navy_Wife: It's not necessarily what everyone has to do but it isn't as uncommon as you might think. My sister had to do this when she was having trouble. It gets the nutrition to baby while encouraging breast feeding to bring in supply and keep baby latching on so (s)he doesn't start to prefer bottles since they are less work than getting milk out of the breast.
The important part is that you still have bonding time and your little one gets the proper nutrition. I exclusively pumped for 6 months, and it was the right decision for us. My son still got breast milk and, even though I felt like I was chained to the pump, I don't regret it. Good luck going forward!
Such a precious picture, BTW!
Thanks for all your support ladies! The more we bottle feed, the more I feel like we're making the right decision. I got some good sleep last night (well, good compared to the past week of no sleep) and a good nap today! I feel like I'm a much better mom now that I'm less stressed and well rested!
I do still feel guilty about the money we spent trying to breastfeed. We had to rent a pump and buy special bottles, which added up to $100. We're low on money right now (just bought a house and had a baby), so I hate just throwing that money away. My husband says he doesn't care, we had no way of knowing b/c we're new parents and we just have to try things to see if they work.
Can you sell those special bottles back? Or maybe sell them on Craigslist? Formula feeding can also be expensive, but I've found that all the big name formula companies (Similac, Enfamil, Gerber, etc...) allow you to sign up for coupons and "formula checks" on their websites. Definitely check it out, when you get the time!
@Mrs. Spring: Thanks, that's a good idea! Luckily my mom just took my husband on a Costco shopping trip... so she bought us lots of formula! We won't have to worry about that for a while now.
@artbee: It sounds like you made the right decision. Congratulations to you and your husband on bringing such a beauty into this world!
I'm not a mom and don't plan to be for a few more years yet, but I've never heard that mothers and babies could have so much difficulty with breast feeding. I read your other thread, but you didn't go into much detail. I know it's quite personal, but would you please describe what happened? I've never heard anything about bloody nipples or spitting up blood before, and I'm honestly just curious. I hope you don't mind.
There is no shame in feeding formula.
I was appalled to learn of such difficulties. My friends and I all breastfed and frankly, it did come naturally. No problems at all! I had no idea that some ladies had such a hard time. Major ouchies!
@Navy_Wife: It was just for a week or so. They were really thin tubes and a special kind of non-stick tape. Anyway, my lactation consultant told me that it helps give the baby nourishment at the same time getting them to breasfeed. It totally worked. No more tubes or formula. lol
OMG! She is so cute! I just had to get that out. I really want to cyber pinch those cheeks lol
Ugh, I remember at day five I had the same thing happen! I cried and cried and cried. I hated breastfeeding. (Until I saw my LC, not the whole time.)
Maybe you could pump your milk until your supply is gone to bottlefeed her? It's a waste to just let it waste away. Too bad your hospital lactation nurse lady couldn't help you more. But you sound very happy about your decision. As long as you're mothering with love, you're making the right decision!
Almost everyone I know struggled with this. If it was the most natural thing in the world, my company wouldn't carry 200 square feet of equipment for it. And on a daily basis I wouldn't see exhausted, weepy new moms looking at the display, trying to find something to make it easier/work. You made the best decision for your family, which is the most important thing you can do as a mom. The pressure is off! Enjoy your daughter. She is so damn cute, it makes my ovaries do flip- flops! your
@GreenEyedMoon: Well, my baby girl tricked me into thinking breastfeeding would be easy from the start. She latched on right away after she was born, and all was good. She lost some weight in the hospital, but that's normal in the beginning, so they sent us home and said all was good. Our first night home was crazy! She was up all night screaming her little head off. I would feed her for 2 hours straight, then she'd scream and make her "I'm hungry" face (smacking her lips together, sticking out her tongue, routing around, etc). So I'd try to feed her again, and she'd suck away for hours and then scream. We assumed she wasn't getting enough food and went to the doctors in the morning to figure out what to do. He said to suppliment with formula until my milk comes in, so we started that. I nursed her and then would give her formula every time. Even then, she decided it was so easy to use the bottle that she didn't want to nurse anymore, even though my milk had finally come in. So we called the lactation con. She told me to pump to keep my milk supply up, and gave us lots of tips and tricks (try to nurse first but don't fight it if she doesn't want to, then have my husband feed her from breastflow bottles while I pump). It took less than a day for her to be back to nursing. But after all of this my nipples were already rubbed raw. My boobs constantly hurt (and to make it worse my who-ha still hurts from a tear when she was born so everything hurts!). Bleeding is pretty normal with breastfeeding in the beginning I've heard, but still scary. I tried lanolin (cream to help with soreness), nipple shield, etc, but nothing would make them feel better and I couldn't handle it anymore. I talked to friends who are breastfeeding and they all said it takes weeks for your nipples to toughen up, and I couldn't imagine going another day like that.
I actually sat there biting a towel sobbing while MB breastfed on day 6. I was DONE. My boobs hurt SO BAD. I was miserable. I went to see a lactation consultant, and she agreed to see me on short notice. She helped me to latch on properly and it was AMAZING. It was the first time it didn't hurt to nurse! I was so relieved. I guess I agree that your nipples don't really toughen up for a couple weeks, but latching properly made all the difference for me.
If I hadn't gotten the help I did I would have given up BFing that day. My plan was to pump as long as I could and give her the milk from a bottle. I remember doing crazy stuff like pumping while she was asleep so when she woke I wouldn't have to nurse her or nursing only one side at a time so I would have four hours between sessions. And the first time I just gave her pumped milk from a bottle, I was SO RELIEVED. And the sleep was great too (I see you got sleep in, doesn't that feel great!) I can't tell if you're ok with your decision or not, but I hope that you are. Really that's the important thing.
@artbee: Sorry, I responded to your other post before I saw this one. I totally understand. All that pumping along with nursing at the beginning is positively painful, beyond exhausting to say the least. :( Sorry you had to go through that! You are still a great mama and I'm glad you are enjoying your bonding moments with baby as it is!
my son is 2 weeks old and i'm continuing to bf but i don't blame you the LEAST bit. my first week was horrible. it was excruciatingly painful every time and even though i was doing everything my lactation consultant told me to, my nipples were cracked, scabby and raw. i kept reading stuff that said if it hurt i was doing something wrong, but i think that's bs! at least in the beginning. bfing is very draining and can be painful even when done "perfectly" and if you feel like its better for you and your baby to formula feed, go for it! it's all about what makes you happy and what you're comfortable with :)
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Thats what I told my husband after I watched my baby spit up blood from eating off my bloody nipple. He had a minor freakout, thinking I was talking about being a mom in general and not just breastfeeding. Like I would ever want to leave this sweet little face!
I already told my birth story and struggles with breastfeeding here, and even with lots of support and encouragement from all you lovely ladies, my family, and husband, I decided to stop. After only one week of trying :( It just became way too much. I'm in so much pain, which I know is normal, but I just can't take it. I dread feeding time. I hate every second of it. It's not a good bonding time for us because I'm in so much pain and so stressed out. I don't even like doing skin on skin b/c my boobs always hurt when I put her on my chest. Well they always hurt no matter what. I hate giving up so quickly, but I really can't take it, and I think it's best for both of us if we just switched to formula.
Only a day of formula and my life is so much better! I was able to get some sleep because my husband can feed her now too. My boobs are already feeling better. I love feeding time, she sucks on her little bottle and looks into my eyes. As much as I wanted to breastfeed, I just feel like it wasn't for me, and I know that now.
But I still feel like I failed. Anybody else give up so early?