Can anyone share a happy story of formula feeding from Day 1?

[tabbycat11]

@baberean It’s weird bc it is a baby friendly hospital but the doctors and nurses I’ve mentioned it to have been supportive. The actual literature they give is appallingly coercive and shamey. There’s kind of a disconnect there. I think bc I have an autoimmune issue and prone to mental health things and on medications it will be an easier sell but I think any pushback in that vulnerable state would feel devestating so at my last appointment I think I’ll ask how to get out in front of it to avoid any shame, I know it would hit me really hard.

 

[baberean]

@tabbycat11 Good idea!!! You will have so much other stuff going on that the last thing you need is unwanted pressure. I am all for people feeding as they want, but I find it terrible that there is so much pressure put on moms when they are most hormonal and vulnerable.

 

[aliemikeyj]

@tabbycat11 Never wanted to BF, had no desire to do it. I knew my mental health and knew it wasn’t for me. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t had been able to due to hemorrhaging and broke my tail bone during birth (sound traumatic, but the whole thing really didn’t feel traumatic to me) I was so exhausted after that my son spent the night with the nurses at the nurses station.

He was formula fed first few days, it should have stayed that way. I regret that it didn’t. But then had a couple bad nights of fussiness and decided to try BF and it calmed him instantly. Though it still BF only lasted a week maybe a week and a half, because I hated every moment of it. It was mentally draining. I also hated feeling being the soul food source. I felt trapped and my day was dictated by breastfeeding or pumping. I also got way to overstimulated and overwhelmed. So being able to pass him to my husband to feed helps so much.

Made the decision to completely formula feed and if we decide to have a 2nd kid in a few years I will choose Formula right away. My son is 6weeks old and as happy and chubby as ever. Also my husband loves that he gets to feed and hang out with our little dude. Leaving the house is easier because I can feed him anywhere, and not have to worry about finding a place to nurse (I’m not the type to whip it out in public)

As for guilt, try not to worry about it. Your baby Having a mentally healthy mother. Is more important than breastfeeding.

 

[crownfair]

@tabbycat11 With my first, I had a really long tough battle of my daughter not gaining weight. She showed all the signs that she was eating enough by breastfeeding, but in reality she wasn’t transferring nearly enough. I made it until month 4, when I went crazy and did every feed for a weighted feed for 2 weeks, while also triple feeding. It was hell. My supply never went up to where it needed, and dropped even more due to stress. After we started formula feeding, her weight skyrocketed and she started flourishing. I became a lot happier.

With my twins, I told my husband that while I wanted to try and Bf again, I didn’t want to do it if it was a battle. Baby B latched ok but had a tongue tie making it painful, A was in NICU and tube fed and couldn’t figure out latching when he got out. But right away I also started having crazy pp complications, and it was clear, based on my pain and everything else, I needed to focus on myself. We switched to donor milk in the hospital, and formula as soon as we were home and it was the best decision for both my health, and my family. At 8d pp, I was re-hospitalized for pp pre-eclampsia. I was able to stay by myself and not bring my boys back so my husband and MIL could watch them, and take meds that are questionably safe for breastfeeding. Since then, formula has allowed me to sleep and share the workload of feeding the boys. They are chunky and growing well. I’m fully happy with my decision.

But I also get the guilt and regret. It’s hard to not feel the stigma of formula, even if you know you are doing what’s right for you and your family.

 

[amenradio]

@tabbycat11 I really wanted to focus on recovering after my c-section (physically and mentally), so I really didn’t want to overwhelm myself with breastfeeding. I also wanted my husband to be able to help immediately, and I’m planning on going back to a job that would be hard to incorporate pumping time into. I remember being asked several different times if I was breastfeeding or doing formula in the hospital, but once I said formula, nobody made a big deal of it and they proceeded to support me. My husband actually was the first one to feed baby (I have zero recollection of this for some reason), and she was a great eater from the start and the formula we chose mostly agreed with her (she was gassy, but her digestive system was still figuring itself out). She gained weight after delivery, and now she’s almost two months and is still a great eater and formula is working super well for us. I actually had to go get a blood transfusion 6 days post partum which was super stressful, but I have no idea how I would’ve managed if I was also breastfeeding.

 

[gthan]

@tabbycat11 My baby was born 5 weeks early. I had an emergency c-section and the drugs knocked me out for DAYS. Thank God I had already decided to do formula only! I cannot imagine having to mf’ing breastfeed on top of all that. My baby is almost 7 months and T H R I V I N G. 10,10 ZERO regrets.

 

[katrina2017]

@tabbycat11 We went to the hospital with every intention of my wife breastfeeding. We tried but physically it just wasn't in the cards for us. We gave it a good shot but at the end of the day, our son needed to eat. So we asked for formula and we were given zero attitude or judgement (at least in front of us haha).

Been formula feeding ever since for 9 months now and he's growing like a weed.

 

[macwilliam]

@tabbycat11 Motherhood is hard enough when they are this young. The time you would have spent breastfeeding or pumping you now get to share with a bottle with your partner and any other family, who will also love feeding them and bonding in that way. Without hours of pumping, you get to spend cuddling and playing and talking. And they already took so much of our bodies with pregnancy and delivery/surgery, at least your boobies get to be only yours again.