I'm really anxious about bf

[blacktreaclecat]

Baby is arriving tomorrow at 36+3 by planned CS for placenta praevia. I've been on the ward for a week. I have done no antenatal classes as I ended up admitted for bleeding the weekend nct was booked for.
The ward I'm on is very very pro bf, signs everywhere. They don't seem to contemplate ff as a possibility.
I am willing to give bf a go but am very very anxious about it. I have a very low pain threshold and am not prepared to go through soreness, cracked nipples etc when there is a reasonable alternative available. I also feel that long term ff will be better for us as a family for many reasons including my anxiety issues. I don't feel guilty about this- I was ff as was DH. We are both fine! My mum chose not to bf- just didn't fancy it, she is the best mum ever!
My worry is that I feel very vulnerable on the ward and at the mercy of the mws. How do I ensure that I get support and help in a kind way even if after a day or two I want to stop bf? Are they likely to pressure me to continue? I'm feeling very anxious and emotional anyway. Baby is early, placenta praevia is scary, cs is a big op, and this is the end of a 3 year ttc road with 2 losses.
Please help!

Bumping this post for you, hopefully someone will be along soon.
Wishing you all the best, I just had DC4 via ELCS and it was a wonderful experience.

Please don't worry, do what is best for you and baby. I wasn't sure how BF would go for me, especially after the section and feeling so absolutely drained, it is going alright so far, but I wouldn't hesitate to introduce bottle if I felt i couldn't manage anymore, it's all personal choice.
You do what is right for you.
Concentrate on your big day tomorrow. You deserve it :)

Try not to worry about this, the opinion of the midwives in the hospital doesn't matter. You won't be in hosp forever so just do what you feel happy with.

By all means, if you want to try bfing then give it a go, even just the first feed will be a massive benefit to your baby. Best just to see how things go

OP, please be open minded and give bf a go. There was barely any pain for me although I expected all the cracked nipples, soreness, agony. I had the odd time when it hurt a little bit but nothing. Get lots of help with your latch - badger them.
The baby gets colostrum for the first few days and it's really important.
That said, if you have tried for a day or two and got all the help you need and you want to stop, then be clear and firm. Get people (DH, mum?) on your side. The HCPs should be encouraging and supporting you to bf as they know all the risks of formula, but not pressuring you if you have made your decision.
Good luck for tomorrow, hope you enjoy it :) In 48 hours you will have a tiny baby!

Sounds like you've already made up your mind to ff?!
So go for it. Tell the midwives you'll be ff. They have all the bottles ready made up there. Also you could ask one of the care assistants to give you a lesson in making up bottles (if you need ).

Be confident! Formula is fine and remember the midwives have seen it all. You won't be the first to have made this choice by any stretch.
It won't effect your bonding experience either. You can still do all the feeds if you want in the early days.

Best of luck for the C section.

While I disagree and think/ you should try bf with a view to switching if you need to, just wanted to pick up on this

"They have all the bottles ready made up there."
From what I have read on here, this varies from hospital to hospital. Some do, some don't. So please don't rely on this - if you plan to ff, find out beforehand, or take some in with you

Fair doos Stealth, didn't really know that for a fact.

I am prepared to give it a go because even a day or 2 or colostrum would be good for baby. Especially an early baby. Also if it is dead easy and painless fair enough I'll continue for a while.
But what I don't want is any pressure to continue if I've decided I don't like it. I'd feel happier if H was here 24/7 but visiting here is only 10-8 so 14 hours alone. Very vulnerable.

I didn't suffer any pain at all with breastfeeding, it isn't a given by any means so if that's what puts you off then see how it goes.

Also be aware that you may feel differently when your baby arrives - hormones and babies do funny things, you might really want to bf when you see baby (maybe not, but just don't make firm decisions right now).

The 'norm' in this country is to formula feed. So if you do give formula, you are in good company as that is what most people do. In my own experience, the midwives aren't massively interested in how you feed your baby - they just want the baby to feed (in whatever way) so that they can discharge you.

It actually sounds like you have a realistic attitude OP. I had placenta praevia too and all that time in hospital is a lot of time for worrying. Insist on help getting and checking the latch and arm yourself with lansinoh cream. And if you find it's not working be firm.
For what it's worth, I found the hardest bit was actually being solely responsible for feeding - I had no pain. But once I got the hang of it I found it easier and far more convenient than formula (ds was ff).