Hate breastfeeding

[Beng4l]

Im first time mum and i never knew breastfeeding would be so hard my son is 5 months. Apart from some good points overall i hate it and i cant wait to stop, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!! :(. Feel like im going mad sometimes and my spouse thinks im weak to wanting to stop. Dont care what he thinks a man would never understand a womens hardship but i know i cant talk to him about it.

I have tried formula but he is allergic to cows milk, goats milk and even the hypoallergy formula, soy formula i dont want to give because its not good for babies. And now because of the formula he no longer takes expressed milk from the bottle. I cant even go out with and leave him at home even for an hour now.

My mum warned me breastfed babies are fussy BUT GHEEEZ AND PEEEZ!!! He dont even drink water from bottle i have to use syringe. They say start weaning at 6 months but fuck that some babies are just hungry and need to eat. I am feeding him twice a day and nursing whenever he wants yet still weight has dropped, im.just confussed. I mean what to do with this baby.

Im going to go docs for my last formula option the amino acid formula but giving him that is going to be nightmare too. Its soo stressful and on top of that his eczema comes and goes.

They say babies grow fast and time goes quick. I dont know who come up with that joke, time is going slooooow, i feel everyday.

Anyone going though the same or similar?

Breastfeeding is definitly hard...I'm breastfeeding my 15month old and it got easier about 4months in so maybe you'll turn a corner soon
If not then I really hope this next formula works for you.
Just that your not supposed to give a breastfed baby water until 6 months plus nor food unless doctor has advised for medical reasons.
A friend of mine went through all the formulas with hard from the start. 3 kids, all had allergies, was a nightmare. But once the right formula was established they gained weight and life started to get easier. Her 3rd is currently 2months old and thankfully doing well.
The difficulties will feel a world away once you've got on top of this

Yeah, babies shouldn't get water untill 6 months, it takes up valuable space for milk and they need the calories.

But yes you are right, breastfeeding is shit sometimes. I have an almost 10 month old and find it very tying.

That does sound tough OP, but your baby doesn't need food and water yet, just milk, food isn't as nutritious as the milk for him at this age but he's filling up on it hence losing weight. It does sound like you need a break, it's definitely worth trying the amino formula. I breastfed for 2 years and I know how tough it is having very little time to yourself, but your DH could at least take him out for a half hour/hour long walk to give you some much needed alone time.

For getting him to take expressed milk might be worth looking into cup feeding, there’s quite a few options or trying another bottle type. Rather than waste loads of money can you borrow types from friends to see what he will take?

Breast fed babies don’t need water except with food, and even then they don’t need much at all. Perhaps reconsider syringing him water until he’s eating more, and offer a cup.

Weaning earlier than 6 months isn’t recommended by the NHS unless advised by a Paediatrician but since you’ve already started perhaps you could just scale it back?

The weight loss could be due to the amount of food rather than milk intake, as babies still rely on mostly milk until 1 year. The guidance is to offer milk before food also, so my baby still takes all the same milk feeds as she did prior to weaning. But babies can stagnate weight gain if they have colds, teething can cause issues and lots of other medical reasons too. Personally I’d drop a meal and ensure the milk feeds were increased.

I’m sorry you feel so fed up with breastfeeding and the formula you’ve tried hasn’t worked. See if the doc can get you another suitable prescription to try with baby. Breastfeeding isn’t all breezy for everyone, I know for some it seems to be. I still find it challenging especially during the kicking, pulling and clawing at me. I want my body back too, but due to babies weight issues I’m trying to keep going as long as I can. Depending on why you’re unhappy with it all would tailor my response, but can you go see a peer support group or La Leche? It might help support you as there’s a few out there.

Food is best introduced sometime between 4 and six months, never before 17 weeks and not later than 6 months. There has been lots and lots of studies showing the benefits of introducing allergens before 6 months, and others showing the benefits of introducing food before 6 months to breastfed babies because they need to be eating proper food by 6 months, not tasting a spoonful of carrot purée once a day.

The UK is one of the few western countries who recommend 6 months, the OPs baby is 5 months, if he’s not spitting the food out he’s probably ready to eat.

Also, studies showing gastro problems linked with early weaning all focused on pre-4-month weaning, which is why the advice is never before 6 months.

OP have you tried expressed milk from a cup? The only other thing I’d suggest is once a day at the same feed time (once the new formula is tried and tested) just go out and leave your husband to offer a bottle. If he doesn’t take it he doesn’t take it, but hopefully by making it part of his daily routine he might get used to it.

You’ve done well to get to 5 months - I’m feeding my 7 month old and she’s the only one of the 3 I’ve managed to feed past 2 weeks. It’s up to you when you stop, nothing to do with anyone else

I’m interested in the studies @kungfupanda67 as I introduced food around 5 months 1-2weeks. I personally thought that @Beng4l just might like to scale the meals down to one a day to see if that’s what is affecting weight, since it did for us.

And la Leche / breastfeeding support should be equally able to help support stopping breastfeeding.

Thank you for you comments. I can try breastmilk in a cup but i can only get 2- 3 ounces, 4 if im lucky. And i introduced food because baby weight was dropping with breastmilk and he could not take formula. Water i give few sips with food, to be honest i know loads of parents who gave water to their kids before 6 months and they are perfectly healthy. @MrsGrannyWeatherwax where where can i join la lache support team.

If you google la Leche you can usually see where your nearest group is, but you can also call the breastfeeding support network national number.

For me, la Leche groups are too far away so I went to the council run support groups. Your HV should be able to advise if you have local groups