Failed to bf exclusively for 6 months...

[thisonehasalittlecar]

...because dd3 (just turned 6 months) has had TWO formula feeds. I'm not really berating myself about it, but when I come across hand-wringing over the statistic that only 1% of mothers exclusively bf to six months I feel like jumping up and down and saying, hey what about me!? I nearly managed it! Isn't there some sort of bf silver medal for those of us who didn't quite get there?

[notcitrus]

I know exactly how you feel - ds had a few formula feeds and lots of expressed milk around 6 weeks when I was dealing with terrible breast thrush that was finally diagnosed by a consultant, and then a few more bottles over the next few months when I really needed sleep and needed to take lots of painkillers that weren't a great idea with bf anyway.

I calculated, during one night feed when I was exceptionally bored, that he had been about 98.6% breastfed, and over 99% breast-milk-fed, by 6 months.

I was going to award myself a gold medal out of chocolate or something but never got around to it.

I have to admit that with dd last year she had about 4 formula feeds - 3 of those small bottles of ready made formula, mostly rejected - and when she had various jabs or whenever it was they asked if she was ebf, I just said yes...

I give myself a mental gold medal anyway. :)
Especially as she's still bf at 12.5 months, waking in the night and only consolable by co-sleeping as she's started nursery and has the 3-month cold that goes with it. Gold stars every night for me!

Congratulations, btw. :)

[monkeyfacegrace]

Why do you deserve a medal

If you get one, I bloody want one too, even though my nipple never touched my dc's mouths.

[thisonehasalittlecar]

Thanks notcitrus. I hereby award you 2 chocolate gold medals!

[thisonehasalittlecar]

Monkeyface, you may have one too. Chocolate ok?

[monkeyfacegrace]

Chocolate makes me forgive, so go on then

[thisonehasalittlecar]

Also I wonder if the focus on the 6-month goal might not discourage women from carrying on past then.

[leedy]

I thought the "exclusively breastfed til 6 months" recommendation was about when to introduce solids, not an YOU MUST GET TO THIS POINT WITHOUT INTRODUCING FORMULA OR YOU HAVE FAILED AS A MOTHER thing?

[leonardofquirm]

I just take it as only milk required till around 6 months and ideally this will be breast milk?

[BertieBotts]

Dunno, I failed on that too even though my child never had formula at all because he started solids before 6 months. :)

I think the 1% figure is a bit misleading because it makes sense that most people introduce solids or formula by 6 months rather than on the day or have given formula in the very early days or occasionally when baby is being babysat, etc etc. figures for "any" breastfeeding or for breastfeeding being the main source of food (difficult to judge perhaps) would make more sense by 6 months.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that even with the most perfect "textbook" fed baby, you'd expect to see exclusive breastfeeding rates trickle down to 1% or 0% at around 6 months because that's when guidelines state to introduce solids.

It's useful (for medical professionals etc) to have EBF figures up to 6 months, but it would be more helpful to people in general to see the figures for "any breastfeeding" up to, say, 2 years.

[leedy]

Actually, yeah, DS1 was "textbook" in that he was breastfed til 2, never had formula, but he did start solids probably a week before 6 months (because he grabbed a chunk of melon from my plate and ate it, whereupon I figured it was probably a good time to keep giving human food to him).

[JimbosJetSet]

I feel exactly the same way littlecar - both of my DCs were given formula when they were born because the hospital staff insisted it was necessary in order to treat their jaundice
They never had it again after that but I was (and am) gutted that they have both failed to be ebf until 6 months. Of course I know it does not matter at all, in the slightest, but yes I know just what you mean. I thought I was the only weirdo to feel that way

[luanmahi]

I consider mine to have been "exclusively breast fed for 6 months" even though it was a struggle for the first 6 - 7 weeks due to latching problems, low milk supply and thrush. I gave her as much milk as I could but she had a fair amount of formula in that time. We also started weaning about a week before 6 months as she suddenly started to get interested in what we were eating. I agree with leedy; the exclusively breast-fed guidelines are more about not weaning too early.

[CanIHaveAPetGiraffePlease]

they're not considered exclusively breast fed until 6 months if you give food a week before, hence the figures being a bit misleading as many people are still bf but may have given fruit for example and don't 'count' for the figures.

[tiktok]

Oh , please......stop with the 'F' word! For Failure, Failed, Failing and so on :(

No one can tell mothers how they 'should' feel, and not compare or judge themselves in negative ways.....though it is very destructive and unhelpful to do so....but we could at least use better words for it? :)

[Loislane78]

I EBF LO until 23.5 weeks cos she really wanted some of what I was eating and gobbled it down so we started weaning then. More importantly she was showing the signs of readiness which has to be the best indication.

The 6 mo mark is surely a guideline and no-one actually thinks 25.6 weeks is no no but 26 weeks is fine I don't think parenting is as prescriptive as that and as we're always told, babies don't read the books :)

Gold stars all round I say however and whenever you feed!!!! We survived the sleep deprivation (just!) and everyone is happy and healthy - all that counts :)

(Hands around copious amount of choccie biscuits and )!