Why do some people feel that they must breastfeed at any cost?

[Moomin8]

I’ve got plenty of experience of both types of feeding - I breastfed two of my children until 2 years. They were great feeders - I had no problems.

My other two children for various reasons ended up having formula. One was 3 weeks early, severely jaundiced and my milk was slower to come in than it should. I didn’t want her going into hospital for uv therapy. The other couldn’t feed well and was eventually diagnosed with dyspraxia, later. She would get tired and not take enough bm.

Now, I see this lady on Instagram who has a 6 week old baby who weighs only 7 pounds and he was born at term weighing 6 pounds. He clearly is not thriving. Every time I see a picture of him I cringe. And his mother is about my age (40) and this is baby #6 for her.

I would be the first to say that breast IS best. But only if the child is thriving surely?

How can a baby make the necessary brain development in those early weeks if they aren’t picking up weight?

I know that society makes women feel like formula is evil. But sometimes I think it’s better than breastfeeding when the baby isn’t thriving.

Are there any updates on the baby OP?

You need a new hobby. To claim not to care how other mothers feed their babies and be this obsessed by the life of a woman you don’t even know isn’t healthy.

Yes maybe I do need a hobby. Though in current lockdown is not really possible. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed. More that I'm concerned that many people seem to feel it's fine to walk on by from a situation that is plainly wrong.

At the end of the day though there isn't anything I can do about it.

@Wolfgirrl the baby is 10 weeks old and still weighs 7 lbs.

It's such an emotive subject. I tried to bf my first but it didn't work out, I tried again with my second (shes 4 months old now), and managed two weeks. She was 7lb2 born and was down to 6lb 6, getting weighed every few days, she couldn't latch without shields. I had loads of help from experienced friends and family (mil is ex nurse and midwife). I had a c section and lost quite a bit of blood and could have done with an extra unit but I was on the cusp so they didn't; I didn't find out till later that I was quite severely anaemic. I also got a virus the week after so was pretty poorly, and for these reasons it didn't work out, I was expressing and supplementing with formula but she kept losing, and I made the decision to stop. She is thriving now and I don't regret it. I sometimes wish I could have carried on but it wasn't to be, and I couldn't bear the thought of her losing weight and being hungry.

@Moomin8 does she post weight updates?

I didn't breastfeed due to a variety of issues, my son was jaundiced, in NICU, had a tongue tie, still wouldn't latch and my MH was so bad I was advised to stop by midwife once we were home. However, in hospital, after a traumatic birth, I was unable to feed him and a midwife glared and raised her voice at my husband when he asked about formula. I have written a complaint to the hospital about that.