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i made a post just like this when i was debating switching from BF to formula! Mine ended up in the NICU for meconium aspiration for 7 days where they gave him formula, so i was paranoid when he came home that i wasn't making enough milk (i was) and supplemented anyway, and i was still stressed and paranoid about how much he was getting even though he was gaining great but the stress just got to me. Plus he had bad reflux and would fuss a lot while nursing and i started to dread feeding and obsessing over it hourly. His ped suggested he might have a milk allergy so i eliminated basically everything from my diet and it was extremely hard. The next visit she suggested alimentum since his reflux wasn't getting much better plus he had a persistent skin rash she suspected was allergy-related. I took that opportunity to completely switch and he's been on formula since 8 weeks. I'm glad i stuck it out for 8 weeks and i am way less stressed out, i don't ever dread feeding, and i know exactly how much he is getting, which was what the issue was for me. I couldn't trust my body to do what it needed to do, sadly, but that's my personal issue. and he's still gaining weight great, i can now eat what i want (although that sounds a bit selfish) and his reflux is so much better!
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I decided to formula feed because it was the best choice for my baby and myself.
It allowed an incredible less-stress option for bonding, a real bonding opportunity during feeding for DH and grandparents, and was convenient.
YOU are part of the equation. YOU and your mental and physical health are important. Breast milk is not magical unicorn tears and formula is not devil milk. Formula is engineered to meet your child's nutritional needs. Your healthy mental health meets your child's needs. You should feel NO guilt about your choice. As long as your baby is full of either breast milk or formula, you're making the right choice.
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@babtsmom do you know why they are frowned upon? What about using the shield sucks? Is it difficult?
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@Pumpkin Pie: I guess it's because it doesn't necessarily teach baby how to latch on? Like a crutch. But for me, without the shield, my LO would never have learned. It's not difficult but they suck because they don't stay on very well sometimes and you have to clean them after each use (I ended up just buying a bunch and rotating them, which helped especially in MOTN when I was nursing 2-3x a night at first)....
If you want to try it out, I can send you a couple of unused ones. Not sure of your size, but I think mine is 24mm. They're still in packaging- they're not cheap ($10 or so each). I'm not using them so I'd be happy to give them to you. Just private wall me with your info
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I only breastfed my son for the 4 days we were in the hospital (csection).
He dropped over 10% of his body weight and had jaundice, and I was freaked that he wasn't getting anything. He also had a hard time latching, even with the nipple shield. I kept telling the LC's that it hurt, and they kept telling me it shouldn't hurt but never really helped me.
I leaked minimal amounts of colostrum but I really suspect I would have had low supply because my boobs didn't even hurt or leak once I stopped nursing him.
I also had PPD and breastfeeding gave me major anxiety. Once I switched him to formula, I felt such a sense of relief.
I will try again with baby #2, but I won't beat myself up if it doesn't work out again.
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