If so, what did you do??
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It def took a long time to get the hang of it! It was sooo painful for the first 8 wks and I really hated it... Once we got over the initial problems though, it got so much easier and I actually started to enjoy it. I got a clogged duct yesterday though, after about four months of smooth sailing, so it's back to pain again
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It took quite a few adjustments to get to a relatively smooth breastfeeding relationship for us including eliminating quite a few things from my diet so I had lots of days & even sometimes weeks that I was ready to throw in the towel till about 3 1/2 months.
What did I do? Just dealt with it really, not breastfeeding just wasn't an option for me unless I medically was unable to. It hasn't gotten easier though & at 5 mths I'm happy that we're still going strong.
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I don't hate it (though I've had my moments) and I don't like it. We are nursing till he's two for medical reasons. So we just keep doing it. I try to distract him if I really don't want to and daddy takes him sometimes. Otherwise I use it as an excuse to sit down and watch a show or something.
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I didn't really enjoy it so I pumped almost exclusively during my maternity leave. It got a lot easier and I started only breastfeeding towards the end of my leave!
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The first few weeks were the closest thing to torture. I mean tears down my cheeks, curling my toes, etc. We pushed through and now love it.
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I hated it because I was so stressed out for a couple of months. I went to exclusively pumping for a month or so. Then I got nostalgic for breastfeeding, tried again and now I love it. It's amazing how a bad experience can turn into a good experience after taking a break for a while.
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I hated BFing. It was a nightmare for me. I also find it awkward and uncomfortable.
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I didn't love it. I think the early difficulties with production didn't really help, as I never felt confident that I was feeding LO enough. I also had postpartum depression and the added stress of breastfeeding made things pretty unbearable. I made it until 2.5 months and then I just couldn't do it anymore. Of course, now I miss it at times. But my LO also took to formula incredibly well and she is an extremely happy little baby, so I feel confident I did the right thing for both of us.
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i did not like BFing. after about 5 days of not sleeping, for all of us because we were having problems, i pumped and he was also supplemented with formula.
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It was very hard in the beginning, and even now at almost 5 months some times there will be complications but overall once I got past the 1st month I got the hang of it
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I used to cringe when I heard my LO fussing because I knew it was time for him to eat and he took so long to nurse (40 minutes every session every 2 hours his first month). I gave myself mini goals to accomplish - my first was making it to 6 weeks. At that point, I felt like we were getting the hang of it and I was also pumping so my husband could help give bottles once or twice a day. My next goal was to make it to three months and we just hit that yesterday! He takes 20 minutes to eat now every 3-4 hours so he's much more efficient and I actually find breastfeeding convenient since washing bottles is not my favorite chore
Now I'm going to make it to 4 months and re-evaluate.
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@Thehistoryofus: We're 2 weeks in & I am so frustrated! It hurts all the time - a bad pinching. I've been pushing through and am so tempted to stop and just pump. How was it for you & what happened that made it finally easier?
We had a lactation consultant here & she is coming back again today. I think we just have a really bad latch, but I don't know what else to try to correct it! I've read so many things & looked at all of the diagrams...nothing is helping
Thanks!
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@bienlivingdesign: Aww if you can keep it up!
You are doing the right thing checking with a LC to check the latch.
Honestly, what I ended up having to do was take a break on my really sore side and pump for about 3-4 days. That let it heal which helped.
I also attending a breastfeeding support group twice a week and LOVED it. There was a LC there and we could do pre and post weights. It was great to hear all the challenges and solutions. Many stores even offer some of this (mine was through the hospital).
Part of it is to keep reading about BFing and learn new things to try (when you are ready). Think if it kinda like pregnancy, as soon as you get comfortable, something will change. Once we got through the first three weeks it was a lot easier with only minor bumps. For the last 4 months it has been a complete breeze.
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@littlecasita1122: I totally agree with mini-goals!
My first goal was to EBF for my maternity leave. I did that so I started to pump at work and wanted to make it through 6 months.
When she got teeth and bit me for the first time, I said if I wasn't healed in a week and was still in pain that was the end.
When I was really frustrated with pumping, I would say to get through to the weekend and re-evaluate the next week.
Every time I was able to work through the issue, knowing I would give myself an "out" if I needed it and it worked out every time!
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Thank you ALL for the responses. I feel much more normal...everything I could find online was just so GUILT inducing...like all moms are supposed to be ok with breast feeding.
@zippylef I feel the same way, and was formula fed because my mom felt the same way!
I do feel a bit guilty but we are pumping and bottle feeding and supplementing with formula. We will likely go to formula after awhile. I feel good that she is at least getting some breast milk. I felt a bit harassed by LCs at the hospital and when LO lost a lot of weight I just felt I couldn't trust them anymore. If I ever have another child I might do things differently but this is working for us now.
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I really hated it at first! It was so hard. I got really beaten up to the point my LO was spitting up blood (that he had sucked from my poor nipples). Turns out he had a tongue tie which my LC recognized and things were better once I had that fixed. Even when it was less painful though I still hated it because my supply had suffered and he wasn't gaining well so I felt like I had to feed him constantly and he took sooo long! I felt like I was tied to the couch all day. Now at 8 weeks things are much better: no pain, he is much more efficient, and the feedings are less frequent. I now appreciate not having to get up at night to make bottles and not having to worry about formula, etc when getting out. I still dont love it, but i dont mind it too much.
For those in the first brutal weeks, hang in there!
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@bienlivingdesign: hang in there. I didn't believe people when the told me it would get better. I thought I would always feel the toe curling pain and endless sore nipples. I survived by using copious amounts of Lansinoh and by week 8 it magically completely stopped hurting. It was amazing.
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I hated it for 2 months, disliked for another 2, then tolerated it for about 6 more before I started liking it. Yes, not joking, but I was super stubborn about it. This might be strange but I made myself read lots of medical research so I knew why I was sticking with it.
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@googly-eyes: Please do not feel like you have to breastfeed. You dont. Your baby will be just as healthy and just as happy being formula fed. I tortured myself pumping because i felt like it was "best". Its not. My LC actually sent me an email when my LO was about 6 weeks old saying that there is a certain point where quitting BFing is what is best for mom and baby. Feeding time is bonding time and when mom is unhappy and stressed, you dont get that precious bonding time. My LO also dropped a ton of weight right off and thats what made me give her formula is the first place. I also felt extremely guilty and pressured by the hospital staff.
I lasted about 4 weeks pumping before I started to feel ridiculous. I was struggling to keep my supply up and i was pumping 20 minutes every 2 hours. Thats a full 1/4 of my day. I felt like that was precious time I should have been spending with my daughter rather than attached to a pump. In the end, going for all formula was what was best for me and my daughter. Shes 6 months old now and is happy and growing like a weed. We have a close bond and I feel like I would have come to resent her if I had kept on with the pumping and the supplements and all that.
Anyway, thats just how I felt about it. I really hope you can come to peace with whatever arrangement you end up with. I just wanted to tell you that you dont have to feel guilty for quitting, if you do.
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I will be honest, the WORST thing I did was to rent the hospital grade pump and bring that home. It was starting me down from the corner and I was so depressed when I was pumping, I was literally crying. I was pumping constantly and nothing was happening, it was a vicious cycle for us. The pain was manageable, but the lack of production was very difficult for me to take.
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I hated it at first. Not only because of the extreme pain and discomfort that it brought but also because it felt like I was just a walking food bag. Whenever we went anywhere she would always got passed to me because she was hungry. I spent a lot of family get togethers in a dark lonely bedrooms breastfeeding my baby. I felt really tied down because of this. 14 weeks later im feeling a lot better about it. Although we have our battles with her being fussy at the breast we will persevere and get through it. It does get better though for anyone thinking that it doesnt
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The first few weeks were so hard! The toe curling pain and cracked, bloody nipples were terrible! I would get a knot in my belly every time I heard LO fussing because I knew it was time to feed but I didn't want to do it! My LO was jaundiced and admitted to the NICU for 24hrs. An LC came to see me during that time and suggested I use a nipple shield to help me heal and make it easier for LO to latch on. The shield was both a lifesaver and a nightmare at the same time. I was able to heal, but it took some time to wean LO from it. While using the shield I had to supplement breast milk through a syringe to make sure LO was getting enough food and gaining weight. It was a lot of work!! Once we stopped using the shield things got so much better. LO is 12 weeks now and I love BFing. The bond I have with her is amazing and I am so glad I stuck to it. BFing is a breeze now, but based on those first few weeks I never would have thought things would get better!
With that said, I highly believe every baby is different and what works for some may not work for others. Do what feels right for you and your family. Don't beat yourself up, babies are hard! Trust your instinct. If you decide to stick to BFing, it will get easier!
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Good luck with whatever you decide to do! I had a similar experience to you and can tell you that my LO is formula fed and now at a little over 4 months old she is such a happy, thriving little girl. Yes, I wish that I had been able to breastfeed for longer, but I have learned (for the most part) to let go of the guilt. I hope whatever you decide ends up being the right thing for you and your baby
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I hated it the first few weeks, then it got easier and I loved it, then I had a hard time pumping to get ready to go back to work so I went back to hating it. I've since weaned him and am at peace with the decision. I needed to get back to enjoying feeding my son
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I did. Within a week of birth both of my nipples were cracked so bad that I couldn't convince myself to let him latch. There was an open wound covering almost half of my nipple on one side. I would cry every time I heard him fussing because I didn't want to have to do it again. So I pumped for three weeks to give myself time to recover. By the time I felt brave enough to try again, it was like he'd forgotten how to latch! I had an infection in the cracks, and then got thrush because of he antibiotics. We're at almost 7 weeks now and I've finally gotten to the point where I don't cry every time I'm trying to latch him on. I wouldn't say I love it now, but I don't hate it any more.
What saved us was the amazing LC we saw. She was patient and thought outside the box, instead of just spouting the same stuff over and over like my midwives were.
Just do what feels right and remember, there is nothing wrong with formula if that's what works!
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I loved it at first and felt so good about feeding my baby myself, but I quickly grew to hate it. After I got through the cracked, bleeding nipples in the first weeks, LO was very fussy (arched back, screaming, flailing) at every single feed, starting at 8 weeks and lasting until I stopped just shy of 6 months. I had to walk and rock her while shushing and singing nearly every time I fed her--it was a constant battle. She had acid reflux and even on meds, she pretty much hated breastfeeding. I spent many family gatherings alone in a back room, pleading with my screaming baby to eat. It was miserable for both of us.
She'll be 6 months old in a week and I'm slowly weaning her onto formula. I tried pumping, but have a hard time pumping enough, taking 40 minutes just to get 2-4 oz. When I would pump for what felt like all day long, my LO just fussed and I realized spending time with her is more important than being attached to a machine to provide some milk. I feel tremendous guilt (and guilt at the relief I feel), but I also think making it to 6 months is pretty good and I just have to be OK with that. She is much happier now, and I'm glad that the tears at every mealtime are over.
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@zippylef Thank you so much for your post. I am still pumping and supplementing w/ Similac sensitive (which seems to be working out much better than regular Similac, they were both samples.) I am not pumping as often as I should but when I was I would just sit there and cry, not really sure why but as soon as I stopped pumping all the time my mood improved a ton. Anyway thank you a ton.
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I should change my answer--I found out my LO had a tongue tie and a lip tie, got them revised and we saved our BF relationship. I don't hate it anymore, and I'm very glad I kept searching for answers as to why it was so difficult.
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i did hate it in the beginning. was so painful. just had a goal in mind - 3 months. then 6 months. now a year. and focused on that. now, i don't hate it. i even borderline enjoy it haha. really hate pumping though.
Now I'm going to make it to 4 months and re-evaluate.
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