Why did you switch?

[MilkOnTap]

I'm bf'ing Jedd pretty much full time with the exception of a supplementary bottle of formula in the evening. He isn't putting on much weight, and always sleeps better after having the formula. He is more settled, and seems to be happier in general.

All these things combined make me question whether I should switch to FF full time; or give him more than one bottle a day.

I'm just wondering how you came to the decision to formula feed - and do you regret finishing up bf'ing and wish that you had continued... :detective:

Keep it nice ladies :)

[FourAngelKisses]

The pain. It was worse than childbirth.

With DS1, I lasted 9 days. With DD I lasted about a week. DS2....3 days while in hospital, then I expressed for another 10 days, which hurt just as much. With Troy, I lasted 24hrs (I only fed him 3 times in those 24hrs, but I was writhing around in agony the entire time he was attached).

I REALLY wanted to BF my kids, but I was in too much agony and I was resenting them a LOT. When you have to tell a midwife to take your child away because you can't stand to be near them while they cry in hunger........something has to give.
I used to regret switching, but only because of the guilt. By the time I ahd my 3rd child though, I couldn't give a toss what people thought. My child was being fed, they were all happy and healthy, never sick or anything. So nothing else mattered.

[FourAngelKisses]

BTW....Jedd is just gorgeous!!

[mishlc]

I stopped around 3mths. After about a week i was willing to give up coz i had such sore nipples but then got shields and perserveered.

I found DD slept alot better after formula feeds aswell. I started her on S26 gold but she was a bit whingy so I tried her on soy but she got constipated so I ended up putting her back on S26.

I started with a bottle at night and then introduced one in the day and then progressed from there.

I kinda wish I'd gone a bit longer but at the same time it was the right thing to do at that stage.
Go with what you feel comfortable with. I felt really guilty when I was a round B/feeding Mums and I had a bottle but i was uncomfortable feeding in public and so would be hesitant to go to the shops etc so for me I gave it 3 mths and then weaned from there.

:thumbsup: Hope that helps, somewhat?

[RaryGirl]

DS decided at 6 months that he no longer wanted to BF - he'd have EBM but not direct from the source. As pumping every feed just wasn't an option, so we switched to formula.

[greengables]

I kept at it for 7weeks (during constant mastitis and 3 courses of antibiotics - a sign of weakened immune system after having chemo/radiation for lymphoma only 11mths earlier)

I kept going and going and going until I got really bad PND and then had to stop due the the meds they put me on!

I was really sad though and grieved because I actually loved breastfeeding. However, my body and my mind just couldn't handle breastfeeding. It is a huge demand on the mum (I read it takes 30% of your energy). Hope I can Breastfeed this time and my body can handle it this time, but this time I will switch to bottles if I need to and not try to be SUPER mum! :)

[SairBear]

i BF caleb up until he was 5wks old. i started supplementing at nite lso with a top up formula feed at 2wks old as he just seemed so hungry at nite and my boobs were always empty and he was getting nuthin. At that time my Dp and I were going thru a bit of rough patch and i was pretty stressed on top of having low milk supply and i didnt want Caleb to suffer so we changed him over to formula slowly still BF when my boobs were full. I dont regret the decision as he is thriving now. But i did feel sad about BF ending and my supply totally going ,i cried the day i completely stopped BF.

I tried my best and thats all i could do

Id advise you to speak to your Health nurse/GP about what your doing to see what they think and if they can offer any other tips/advice.

[funnyfarm]

:hugs: to you Pink Lady.

I have FF both my DD's. First DD i breastfed for 3 weeks . She would feed constantly and the midwives told me to feed her until she would drop off. Well, she wouldn't drop off. She would stay latched on for 2 hours, nap for 1/2 hour and wake up hungry again. I worked out after FF her for a week that she was comfort sucking and i should have pulled her off and put a dummy in :rolleyes: (read your story of Jedd feeding, and it sounds a bit like what he is doing). I was totally exhausted, crying all the time because i was tired and DD was crying alot as she had alot of wind problems etc. Changed her to Formula and things settled down. Felt guilty at first but that soon changed when i started to get more sleep. :sleeping:

DD2 was formula fed from day 3. She had latching on problems and it hurt too much. I had no problems or guilt this time putting her on formula as i knew that if i was happy, bubs was happy. Never really had many sad/crying moments with DD2 because i never really put pressure on me to breastfeed. I tried, it didn't work so i formula fed. Simple.

I wish i could have breastfed my DD's but looking at them now they are happy children and being fed and loved and that is all that matters. They aren't going to care when they are older how they were fed and no-one is going to know by looking at them how they were fed.

Dont regret formula feeding, but did feel guilt with first DD because of all the pressure i put on myself to breastfeed.

:hugs: again. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just go with what you want to do as Jedds mum. You know whats best for your little man. If you want to try more FF, try it and see how you go. Maybe for a couple of days, FF him and keep expressing incase you want to go back to breastfeeding.

Janet.

[Queen]

I decided I would breast-feed during pregnancy and THAT WAS THAT...I lasted oh about 3 weeks, DD was losing weight, and I took her to hospital, they tested my milk, and told it was as good as water, so I had no choice but to bottle feed.
I felt so gulity about it for weeks, and all the looks I got whilst out and about:gloomy: ...

Now she is happy, healthy and doing well...

IMO as long as the baby is happy and and being fed, thats all that matters.

:hugs: Good luck

[♥Heaven Sent♥]

I bf Serena until she was 4 months,i struggled with it she was a very lazy sucker and had very bad wind/colic/reflux.

I was also sick and and had to go into hospital to have my gallbladder removed.I think that going into hospital and having MAJOR surgery was the reason why i had to finish up bf it made me so tried and my milk was drying up.At the time i wasn't thinking clear,i took the easy way out i thought to myself she's more settled on the bottle i'll just put her on it.

If i had of known then what i know now i would never have stopped i would have persevered with it.

[FourAngelKisses]

:hugs: to you Pink Lady.

I have FF both my DD's. First DD i breastfed for 3 weeks . She would feed constantly and the midwives told me to feed her until she would drop off. Well, she wouldn't drop off.

I had a baby that did that. He started feeding at 12 midday once and was still going at 6am the next morning. He hadn't stopped once!! In the end I made them take him away and give him something else. I was bleeding like crazy and VERY sore.........plus I couldn't stand the sight of him any more as a result.

[MilkOnTap]

I had a baby that did that. He started feeding at 12 midday once and was still going at 6am the next morning. He hadn't stopped once!! In the end I made them take him away and give him something else. I was bleeding like crazy and VERY sore.........plus I couldn't stand the sight of him any more as a result.

:eek:

OUCH!!

This is a decision I'm really struggling with... I really want him to put on more weight, and it seems that my milk alone isn't doing enough... :(

[Bumble]

DD never attached ever so i pumped for three mths then i gave up once i put her on formula such a betta bub i don't think i was pumping enough!
DS i got help in hospital and almost 7mths on there is no bottle in the house:smiliedance:

[RedPanda]

I gave up because it was painful for me, and I was having a lot of personal issues at the time. I also lost my confidence after DS was not putting on weight. At first I was devastated, and regretted not giving it a better go. However, I've stopped being hard on myself and now it's not an issue for me. I'll try to breastfeed my next child as I truly believe in the benefits, however I'm not going to beat myself up about something I can't change. Bottlefeeding got me through one of the hardest times in my life. I probably wouldn't change it even if I could, but next time I'll have a different mindset.

Hope this helps Ally!

[Melo]

I stopped b'fing DS at 7-8 weeks, he wasnt gaining much weight, felt like he was ALWAYS on my breast. I wasnt happy, and he wasnt sleeping very well.

I went Cold Turkey and gave up b'fing. Within days I had a whole new baby!

I'm still going strong with DD (Shes just turned 6 months).

[Ana Gram]

I hated it. It was horrendously painful, I ended up wanting nothing to do with my child and when she was feeding I wanted to throw her across the room.

I switched to pumping but I still hated it. I was relieved when I got eczema all over my legs and had no sleep for 3 days as I was put on drugs that I wasn't able to breastfeed with.

Oh and no regrets and I don't ever wish that I had continued. There is no guilt for me.

[juzzy]

i give DD 2 bottles of formula a day, one in the afternoon and one before bed., but she gets breastfed before hand.

The reason i started giving bottles was that i got mastitis twice which reduced my milk supply. I also had badly cracked and bleeding nipples. DD would want to feed constantly and it would really wear me down and i started to resent her as a result of that. She also wasnt sleeping very well either.

I fully breastfed her for the first month when i first had mastitis. I then started to lose confidence and then 4 weeks later i got mastitis again and decided that for my own sanity i needed to give her some formula. I decided night was the best time as my supply is really low then. Didnt even occur to me that she might sleep better.

Giving formula probably reduced my supply further but i have found that we have a nice balance going now and everything works nicely. DD and i are alot happier for those bottles. She has about 4 breastfeeds and the two bottle a day. Anyway, my point is perhaps try giving more than one bottle?

[RedPanda]

Thank you and please remember to stay on-topic everyone. It is important to remember that posts must be supportive and relevant. Also, please bear in mind that this is in the bottlefeeding section, and this thread is aimed at finding out the reasons people switch to ff.

[Kizmet]

Hun, no one on here can help you make your decision. I know how much you want/ed to breastfeed exclusively and can completely understand how you are feeling. The reasons I stopped were due to a lack of milk caused by stress due to DH being rushed into emergency for an operation then myself being rushed in two weeks later. I also had lots of pain and bleeding which didnt help with the stress and me pursueing with it.

Once I switched over I was a happier less stressed mummy, abigail thrived and was very happy, it gave John a chance to help me out and let me catch up on some sleep (after his op) and was the best option for me going under anaesthetic and yad ayada yada

The only thing you need to be thinking of is what is best for you and best for jedd. Maybe if you increase his FF for a few days maybe do one FF one BF and inbetween BF you pump it might just help him and you both settle and both of you relax. That way your supply would still be the same as youre pumping and it gives you both time to work things out.

Do NOT let anyone make you feel guilty if you switch over to FF. You have met Abs, she has thrived on formula. BF is brilliant if you can do it however FF is a great alternative. Do not feel guilty no matter what your decision is. You are not giving up or giving in you are simply doing what is best for you and Jedd.

[reAllytee]

I was realistic about how hard b/f would be due to my aunty b/f all 5 of her boys & she was impressed at how well i got Boof to latch etc as were the midwives.

So i kept going through the pain, blood & skin hanging off until i saw the LC 24hrs after he was born. I finally asked whether this was normal & showed her my boobs. She was rather horrified to say the least.

Together i showed her how he latched which was fine but then she also witnessed how he would scream after feeding from both boobs. So whilst it wasnt pushed onto me we discussed him being comp fed after a feed & this is what i chose to do.

She helped me resettled Boof & it was at this point she realised he had a tongue tie. Which would explain why i was bleeding & had cuts around my nipples. The tongue tie was cutting me like a saw & add that with having teeth just under his gums. I was being massacred at every feed which at that point was on demand every few hours. It never had a chance to heal because it no sooner stopped bleeding that i was feeding him again.

So in the end i couldnt bare it anymore & was in such agony i started him on formula to which he started to become happier getting some food into his tummy. The pain i will still in after getting home was still unbearable & my milk still wasnt coming in. So he was full ff by the time the week was up.

I never got my milk. Many say that doesnt happen etc etc which im sure in many circumstances isnt the case but in mine it was. I never did anything to stop my milk like they advised nor did i get engorgement or leakage there was nothing there. I put this down to his birth & what happened.

I still suffer pain in my nipples from the damage Boof did & i cant even stand fabric rubbing against them so wear a bra now 24/7 no matter what. Im often stressed over how this b/f experience is going to go but i figure i will give it a go & see what happens but i certainly wont be as stressed about the changeover this time !

Only you can make the decision Ally & whilst i understand you are stressed about his weight etc remember b/f babies do vary differently to ff babes. You can only read so much etc until the times comes you need to go with what feels right.

You are doing brilliantly :hugs:

[Mahjong]

I breastfed till DS was two weeks, lots of persistance, cracked nipples etc... then my supply dried up and literally had nothing there to feed him with.

I was sad that I had to give up, but once I saw how settled DS became on formula, I knew he was starving the poor kid and the guilt slid away.

If I ever go again, I would love to breastfeed longer.

[ziggie]

PL, you asked in your OP if anyone regretted switching to formula... I am one of those.
We struggled from day one with bad attachment, so I went to see a lactation consultant, who got him on for me. I thought that would be the end of our problems, but then Mitch started to come off screaming, after only a few minutes. He'd then latch back on, then come off again. We went to a paediatrician, who diagnosed him with reflux. Again, I thought all the problems would go, but nope. He then pretty much flat out refused me for a week. Out of desperation and worry, I went and bought a bottle and some formula, which he drank like it was his first meal ever.

Since then, he has been a perfect, HAPPY little boy. It was ME who had the problems. I felt extremely guilty for not perservering, because I know that breastfeeding is better for him. All the comments people made made me extremely sensitive. I took every word to heart.

If people had have minded their own business, kept their comments to themselves and realised I did the best I could, I think I would've handled it a lot better.

Have you been in contact with The Australian Breastfeeding Association? I'm preparing myself to succeed with the next bubs, and have found them really helpful. They know exactly what they're talking about. They have a help line that I've been using.

HTH!

[tootiredtosleep]

I switched over after about 4 months when DD seemed constantly hungry and have never regretted it.. it was like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders, I was happier and DD was too.

Making formula and dealing with bottles, sterilising etc wasnt much fun after the ease of breastfeeding, but I soon got used to it. DH loved that he could be more involved too.

You have made a wonderful start and I know that whatever you decide it will be the best for Jed and you. Things don't always go to plan, thats one of the first things I learnt with DD and it is still so true now.

[reAllytee]

Since then, he has been a perfect, HAPPY little boy. It was ME who had the problems. I felt extremely guilty for not perservering, because I know that breastfeeding is better for him. All the comments people made made me extremely sensitive. I took every word to heart.

If people had have minded their own business, kept their comments to themselves and realised I did the best I could, I think I would've handled it a lot better.


:yes: :yes:

I felt horrible because i hadnt got that instant bond with Boof due to all that happened so had expected the b/f experience to do it for me. Instead it only sunk me deeper & made me loathe him more :crying:

The things that hurt the most was my MIL telling me i was a wuss for not continuing etc. Was already feeling horrid without her adding to it. Took some time but i got past it all.

[FourAngelKisses]

Did you tell your MIL that if she wanted him to be breastfed that she was more than welcome to do it for you?

[LittleBoysRock]

It was very simple for me...DS wasnt getting any milk as my body wasnt producing any. I found BF extremley painful and traumatic not to mention I didnt enjoy being exposed and didnt feel comfortable feeding in front of certain people (like FIL).

I did feel a sense of loss when I stopped, like I had failed. I dont feel that way anymore when I look at DS and see how perfect he is.

Do what makes YOU comfortable...there is no right or wrong. :hugs:

[reAllytee]

Did you tell your MIL that if she wanted him to be breastfed that she was more than welcome to do it for you?

No way !

Knowing her she wouldve tried :barf:

I wouldnt let her babysit my babies let alone feed them !

[FourAngelKisses]

lol, good point!!