advice on c-section and bottle feeding

[wooliver]

Hi, when i had my ds (16months)i bottle fed all the way, i couldnt bring myself to breast feed due to sexual abuse as a child, iam thinking of having another baby def by c-section due to traumatic 1st birth, iam a little worried about bonding with baby which has been delivered by c-section and fed bottles, am i worrying for nothing or should i try breast feeding if i can bring myself round to it. Has anyone else had trouble bonding in the same circumstances, any advice welcome please

[QueenOfFrighteningEveryone]

You can bond perfectly well with a baby hat is bottlefed from birth . BF is not the only way to bond, not at all.

Having said that its great if you can try to make the experience as much like BF as possible - so you do the feeds as much as you can, plenty of skin-to-skin either at feeding times or just in general, holding baby in a nursing position to feed etc.

As far as BF goes - if you want to try then go right ahead. Even giving just one feed is good for your baby. Have you considered speaking to a breastfeeding (or any other) counsellor about your past experiences? You might find it helpful even if ultimately you decide not to BF, and also some women find that successfully BF their baby can help them 'lay to rest' past experiences of abuse. It can be very empowering to breastfeed your baby.

[wooliver]

Thanks for the advice ill remember what you have said, thanks again

[StealthPolarBear]

It's up to you whether you feel you can try breast feeding - why not see how you feel after you've given birth?
Agree with QOFE that you should definitely be able to bond either way! Good luck with it all, keep us updated

[griffindor]

Thanks will do

[wooliver]

Whoops, griffindor is me, im no good at namechanging obviously, secret identity gone, thank you all for your help.