Too late to breastfeed?

[WoowooBear]

Hello, I'm not sure if this is a silly question. I have a 2 month old DS (my first child) I have never breastfed him and never attempted to. I feel like both my son and I have missed out , I even missed his first feed as Dp fed him while I was getting stitches in another room :( I just feel so guilty and regret not even trying to breastfeed, my partner was really against me breastfeeding (and still is but I hope to persuade him) anyway, is it possible to build up a milk supply even if it's only a small amount to go along with his formula feeds?

Apparently it is possible to re-lactate - here are a couple of links that explain it.

themilkmeg.com/relactating-and-building-your-breastmilk-supply-your-milk-can-flow-again/

kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/relactation/

It will be hard work for you but if you really want to try then I'd say give it a shot and seek as much support as you can get. Contact some of the BFing helplines for example.

I think it's a real shame that your partner is not supportive, especially to the extent you have described.

Hi I am so sorry you feel guilty, please don't. How we feed our children is just one small part of raising them and you sound like such a lovely mummy I am sure your son is not missing out on anything.

Honestly I think 2 months (while I think is theoretically possible) is too late and the time you would need to take for this would mean missing out on time doing all the lovely things that will benefit you both much more like skin to skin, cuddles and play. By far the thing I enjoyed most with my second (bf but difficult and stressful) was sharing a bath, letting him lie on my tummy and splash in the water, his giggles will stay with me forever.

I am not an expert and maybe someone else will have better advice but I would look to the future now and all the wonderful firsts and experiences yet to come. I promise you a few years from now when he takes his first steps, writes his name for the first time, reads his first word or scores his first goal this will not seem anywhere near so important.

Thank you for the replies
latium123 those links are really interesting thank you for that. My Dp I really is dead against me breastfeeding I don't know how I'd ever pursuade him to let me breastfeed DS or any future children :(
chilliMum thank you so much, that is a lovely reply. I look forward to all those things and the story of bath times with your son and his giggles staying with you forever has made me feel all mushy..I want to snuggle with my baby now :)

Chillimum makes a good point about enjoying other things to create closeness and a bond with your baby. I guess you will just have to weigh up how hard it would be to achieve BFing at this point with the time you'd want to spend doing other things.

Personally, I have found BFing one of the biggest challenges (only in the first few weeks) but also the most rewarding and beautiful thing I have ever done. And I have seen so many positive results for my baby and for me. You could maybe consider trying it in future for another baby if it doesn't work out for this one.

I do think you might need to try and resolve the issues your partner has with it, though. I found family support absolutely crucial in the early weeks with BFing.

As pp said relactation is possible, if you have the time, energy and support.

But you could nurse your baby at your breast, even if you don't have a full supply of milk. A lot of breastfeeding is for comfort not purely nutritionally.

As a one off or as a regular special cuddle, he is your baby and you can put him to your breasts for comfort just like you kiss and cuddle him.

Your baby is already getting his essential nutrients from his formula feeds, so any milk he took from you would be a bonus and another lovely way to bond.

I have dry nursed (with no milk) whilst I was pregnant and it is exactly the same experience, no easier and no harder.

I am sorry your partner is not supportive of your choice to breastfeed. Keep talking and hopefully he will listen to you.

Best luck and enjoy your DS....babies rock

That's a really nice idea I think that would be a lovely thing to do, DS would still be getting his nutrients from the formula but for comfort and closeness I think I would like to try dry nursing. Sadly I don't think I'll ever be able to convince DP to come round to the idea I've been trying to talk to him about this for a long time all through pregnancy and since DS birth but he shuts me down and won't discuss it, the words 'unnatural' and 'perverted' actually came out of his mouth :(

And I agree babies definitely rock :)

You sound very frustrated with your DH attitude. He certainly has a very strong negative reaction to breastfeeding.

His first comment of 'unnatural' is simply inaccurate, after all breast milk has been the only way to feed a baby until the relatively recent invention of formula.

'Perverted' is insulting to you and every mother he knows.

It might take a while for a DH to shift thinking from 'secondary sexual body part' to 'primary feeding source for our baby' but most mature men manage to do this.

Hopefully common sense and logic will prevail in time.