Please help- first day no Breastfeeding- regret and sadness setting in already.

[loulabella81]

I have been exclusively bf for 7 and a half months. However over the past couple of weeks my bubs seemed to be wanting more milk than he could get from me. He gets so frustrated with my slow let down and has one lot and then gives up :( I started giving him one bottle an evening as pumping for an hour each evening didnt seem to help. Anyway after seeing how easily he drinks from a bottle- and how much- I wondered if he would be happier had formula. However he has been pooing constantly ever since.sometimes its green and very watery too.

Also today he has just had formula and has been very unsettled- have i done this all too soon?!! I would have loved to carry on bf him but it just seemed like my body wasnt keeping up with it and he was getting frustrated. I feel so regretful already and need opinions before its too late!!! what should I do??? And after a whole day of not bf- my boobs dont even feel particularly full!! has my body failed us both?

I really wanted to go til at least a year- and had visions of bf my son believing it would be a soothing experience to encourage bonding- but its been one thing after the other- saw nipples for 8 weeks, reflux and latching off, dairy intolerence and screaming at feeds, and now my supply & let-down :( just wished It had been an easier ride for the both of us

no, your body hasn't failed you

your ds is just getting to an age where he is impatient and has more important things to "do" like looking around! trust me, most babies go through a phase of this and it has very little to do with breastfeeding and is no indication that you don't have enough milk

if he has a dairy intolerance then formula will make him very ill, unless you've got a hypoallergenic formula?

Personally, given that you feel so bad about it I would just go back to breastfeeding him. Talk to your GP about getting a suitable formula on prescription if you want to continue giving a formula feed each evening, and then just breastfeed the rest of the day.

have you seen a breastfeeding counsellor at all?

OP from reading your post, I wasn't too sure whether you are looking for someone to support you to carry on bf or tell you that it's ok to stop... Firstly congratulations on managing to bf for 7.5 months despite all the problems you and your baby have had to overcome.

Regarding your breasts not feeling 'full' anymore, that does happen and it's normal. Whilst in the early months breasts feel full and heavy when feeds are due and then really soft straight after feeds, this isn't always the case later on - the fluctuation in the feel of the breasts calms right down.

Some women also find that at some point, months in, they just don't leak anymore. It doesn't mean that milk supply is dwindling at all.

This happened to me around 6-7 months and because my boobs never seemed to feel like they were 'full' anymore and I stopped leaking, I was convinced my milk was drying up. It wasn't, it was just a natural change and progression (and quite a welcome one really, not to wake up in the morning feeling ready to explode!. I ditched those breast pads without a backwards glance as well :) )

If one day in, you are already having big regrets about stopping bf and if your ds is not as content on ff as you envisaged, then why not consider continuing bf for one more week to give yourself time to decide whether it's what you really want? It's something that only you can decide when the time is right.

I second thisisyesterdays comment that if your ds suffers from a dairy intolerance, then ordinary formula (which is based on cows milk) is not the way to go, sorry if you already know this.

Maybe mixed feeding using an appropriate formula is an option for you in the medium term? You can then decide when to completely stop bf on your own terms when you feel ready to do so. Good luck in whatever you choose

I agree you could perfectly easily go back to breastfeeding now if you want to. I'm inclined to think that the unsettled feeding you've been experiencing is actually something else, not related to a dwindling supply (which would be very unusual I think).

Could he possibly be teething? Would explain unsettled feeding and also possibly constant pooing, though changing the milk at that point could also have done it. If he's feeding for comfort, he could well have taken more formula than he really needs which would also affect digestion.

I think talking to a breastfeeding counsellor would be enormously helpful to you, especially as I think your options are wide open - I'm pretty certain you could go back to BF and drop the FF, mix feed or go over to FF from your current position. So talk to someone who will help you work out what's the best thing to do.

I would add (in the interests of full disclosure!) that I never ever feel like my breasts are full, never feel like I'm doing a good job or that I'm satisfying my babies. However, I've always just smashed through it BF and have now been going constantly for 6 years (two DSs - the older one stopped at 3 years old just after DS2 was born) I think it's been the right thing for us to do.