My 5 week old is currently EBF, but I'm struggling in the evenings... She feeds well and is gaining weight, and during the day and even overnight it's all quite manageable - however between 5pm and going to bed (she goes with us around 9-10pm), she is just constantly wanting to feed and seems to get incredibly frustrated, going from side to side and basically beating me up to try to get more milk, crying in frustration when she apparently can't get enough.
I've been expressing a bit in the morning when I seem to have a better supply, which we then feed her an hour or so before bed, which helps a little, but I am mentally really struggling with being pinned to the sofa for 5 hours a night - can't put her down to cook or go out to do anything, and the amount I can express isn't enough to leave her with DH to even go to bed really early and get some sleep. I appreciate that BF is hard, and was prepared for it being a challenge, but am now seriously considering giving her one bottle of formula in the evening to save having a hangry baby and the resulting distress for everyone.
Sounds simple and obvious when I look at it written down, but I keep reading horror stories about diminishing supply, formula damaging the digestive system, and making it sound like a bottle of formula a day will negate all the benefits of breastfeeding at all - is this the case, or am I overthinking? Is my sanity a greater benefit than exclusive breast feeding (for baby, not me)? Or should I just suck it up and keep going as we are? If the latter, does it get better any time soon, or am I resigned to 6 months of it?
Give me opinions and experiences, please - I'm currently very suggestible either way!
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17 replies
Madbee · 13/11/2017 10:08
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