Switching from breast to bottle after 3 days... How?

[Kayano]

So after 3 days of non stop help trying to get my poor baby to bf I have had a breakdown to the mw who suggested to not
Force the breast feeding.

Nb/ I suffer with anxiety and had cried non stop for 2 days and was starting to panic everytime I looked at her.

I tried so hard and I feel awful and ive let my baby down but I couldn't bear feeling like that around her :( I think she picked up on it too

I had a good supply but baby just would not latch or suck and we were both really distressed. She was also getting jaundiced

I also had big breasts anyway and had to prop them up with pillows and they really hurt.

So DH, myself and mw discussed options and I have decided to bottle feed I am so exhausted and down. a seven minute feed took over 2 hours with assistance

However as I had tried for 3 days my milk had started to come in... So now my breasts are getting harder bigger and sore...

Do I just leave them and they will dry up and go down or do I need to do something? I don't want to express its all too much :(

It is best to leave them as expressing will prolong the agony. Take painkillers to help with the engorgement and cabbage leaves in your bra. It shouldn't last longer than 48hrs.

Meant to say, son't feel bad about it. You have tried and it has made you miserable, and that is not a good place to be. I had the same situation with DS1, and both me and him were happier once we stopped the battle.

Poor you!
Have you seen a feeding advisor? They may be able to help.

Kayano Hey, I've been there, don't beat yourself up. When I stopped bf my son at 6 days, someone (my NCT teacher of all people) said - "There is more than one way to nurture your baby". She meant, that how you feed you baby is just one of hundreds of things you will do for your child over the years. When DD was born a few months ago, I was very ill afterwards and only bf for 9 days; my experience with DS showed me that ff is not the evil it is made out to be. There is a lot to be said about a happy mother nurturing a happy child.

As for how - both times I just stopped. My boobs went down overnight, and I took paracetomol for the pain. As you say, expressing will not help. Good luck.

hot flannels on your breasts will help to relieve just enough milk to stop the pain but wont maintain supply.

you shouldn't just leave them as you could contract mastitus and that's the last thing you want

congrats on your baby :)

And congratulations on your lovely, snuffly, gorgeous new baby!

You don't need to express - if you're not stimulating the milk supply by latching baby on then it should dry up fairly quickly. Just keep an eye on them for any signs of mastitis or blocked ducts (never had these myself thankfully but apparently a red sore patch on the breast is indicative).

It is awful when you're struggling with BF, I had this experience with my DS and ended up almost feeling angry at him for 'making' me feel so guilty and helpless. Of course it wasn't his fault (or mine for that matter) but all the hormones that are raging through your body right now make it feel that way.

My DS had jaundice too and the one thing that made me feel better about having to give formula was the speed with which he recovered after he started having it... just keep going, the beginning is hard but every day it gets a little bit better :)

Please don't feel like you are failing your baby, you are doing the best you can and the first three days are really tough.
I had similar problems with my son and had a breast feeding consultant visit which was really helpful (there is generally a phone number in your discharge notes) she has more experience with latching on etc than the midwives and will also be able to give advise about engorgement.
I couldn't get used to expressing, but managed to hand express a small amount into a sterilised bottle top and get my son to drink it from that like a cup until we both worked out what to do.
Try not to get too stressed about it, make the most of the sun and put your baby in the sunlight during the day that will help with the jaundice.
My thoughts are with you, it gets easier, honestly.

Poor you If your breasts become uncomfortable a nice thing to do is to take a warm bath and just massage a little milk out under water. Just enough to relieve the pressure.

try not to kick yourself i was in the same situation with my fist child. mw said the baby picks up on your feelings too and then wont take to the milk either. to be honest i hated it too, i cant say i felt. a great bond doing it, in fact i was extremely down in the dumps so bf was the last thing i wanted to do.

i did feel like society was screaming at me " you're a bad mum because you couldn't breastfeed your own baby" but the. i thought there were so many other things i could do that maybe other mums couldn't none of us are perfect.

although i didnt want to i did express milk for a few months because i think natural milk would be good for the babys immune system, and nutrition. i think it lasted 3 months. the more you express, the more milk will come in. the less you express throughout the day the lower the yield. it also helps with reducing sore breasts. also the body can sense the artificial method of attaining the milk, so eventually you will dry out. having said that apparently some mums manage to express for a year, so says the mw.

so maybe give the expressing a go. i didnt get an electronic machine cost a lot. more. just got a basic manual device. if u so try it and dont mind it you may want to invest in an electromic device. my friend has one she says its a lot faster and u get to relax while the milking is done.....mooo she makes it sound like a dairy farm lol

Thank you so much everyone x I had seen the bf nurse but the midwife raised the point of my anxiety first and I had to admit she was right. My panic was terrible and I've been signed off work with anxiety before so know how easily I fall down that horrible slope. DH was very supportive too so I felt much better once I took the decision. I even got out of the house which was so refreshing I felt like I was enjoying my baby and had lots of cuddles while not crying.

You have been so nice in your responses (I was quite scared tbh) I have just had a bit cry xx

Aww don't worry, things will get better You have to make sure you are well and happy first and foremost because that means you are able to look after your lovely little one. Rest as much as you can and just enjoy this precious time. They grow so quick! Congrats by the way

Please don't feel guilty. I've also had issues with anxiety and depression in the past and seriously considered giving up BFing when it looked like breastfeeding sleep deprivation might be about trigger them again. Luckily DS is a vey good sleeper for his age and we just about pulled through, but I know I mightn't be that lucky a second time around. Be gentle with yourself and remember that there is so much more to motherhood than feeding.

PS If you start experiencing flu-like symptoms (ie alternately shivering and sweating) get to the doctor straight away for some anti-biotics as that means mastitis.