Choosing to bottle feed

[BumbleBee120]

So after trying to breastfeed/express for about a week or so and not enjoying it/being exhausted/baby blues etc. I made the decision to bottle feed! Baby loved the bottle and took to it straightaway with no problems! My mental state changed completely and feeding has been more enjoyable without the pressure and has been shared with other family members too, but I can't help but feel like a failure! Sounds silly but everytime the subject of feeding comes up or I hear the words "breastfeeding" or "bottle" I instantly start doubting my decision. I appreciate it sounds over the top as my baby loves being bottle fed but I can't help feeling like I took the easy way out. Please can I hear from some other mamas who decided to bottle feed to help reassure me and help me feel a bit more confident 💗

You're not a failure. Doing what's best for you and baby. X

I have 3 DC and chose to bottle feed my last DC. It was the right decision for me as yours is for you.

I tried as well and for varies reasons had to bottle feed honestly now I'm glad I did, by the time she was 5/6 weeks old I was so sleep deprived I genuinely thought I would lose my mind. I can't imagine trying to breastfeed on top of that definitely think I would of went off the deep end

I know it feels incredibly important right now but trust me as baby gets older it won't even be a blip on your radar!! I breastfed mine for a very long time and was judged for that too 😂 women can't really win. Be kind to yourself early motherhood is bloody hard. You absolutely cannot tell the bf kids from the bottle fed kids, dont let anyone give you any shit - yours, a "weird" extended breastfeeding mum!xxx

Do what's best for you both! Don't worry for a moment about it. If baby and you are thriving, crack on.

In my postnatal group, people did all sorts which was a great eye-opener. There was the whole range from flooded with milk and EBF to no milk, mastitis and 100% formula. All babies thrived and met up again in yr7

DD1 was fed on a mixture of both formula and breastmilk. DD2 was EBF and never could manage to get her tongue around a bottle.

the guilt may hit your feels now but it soon fades. My little one is 3 years now and by 5 days old I’d switched to bottles. We had a 2 hr session with a breast feeding specialist as she wasn’t latching & lost over 10% birth weight. As soon as I left the session I gave baby a bottle in the car park, burst in to tears and never went back to breast feeding. A really difficult choice to make but totally necessary for my mental health and ensuring baby was actually getting fed. A fed baby is a fed baby no matter which way you go about it. You have done an amazing job and made such a good decision for you and your baby. The failure feeling will subside. Best of luck ♥️

I am applauding you. Good for you for being a good mum and getting your baby FED, which is all you need to do.

I bottle-fed my twins and didn't pursue breastfeeding because it was clear very early on that the lack of sleep and pain were taking a huge toll on my mental health. Right decision. My mum didn't breastfeed me because she " didn't like the idea of it "🤣 ; also right decision. She was a great mum and we have a great relationship, always have. Don't give it any more thought.

You made a strong, loving choice that’s best for both you and your baby. A happy, healthy mama is just as important as a well-fed baby.
@geometry dash lite

I chose to bottle feed without even trying to breast feed. I don't think it's anything to do with taking the easy way out more like what works best for each family but even if it is 'taking the easy way out' why wouldn't you? Do you raise, slaughter and butcher your own cows? No. Do you grow, harvest and mill wheat for flour then bake it into bread? No (well maybe sometimes do the baking bit).

Life is hard enough don't make it harder.

Not a failure at all. I didn’t even try BF for the simple reason I didn’t want to. Bottle fed from the off and never looked back or regret my decision at all. It worked for us as a family and I was happy. Both kids are very very healthy and rarely ever ill.

Did you seek any help with your breastfeeding issues? Are you really a failure, or did you just not have very much help and support? (If you were already pumping in the first week it sounds like you had some issues, which possibly could’ve been resolved if you’d had some help)

Why do you doubt your decision? If you are really feeling like this have a chat with an infant feeding volunteer. It may not be too late to go back to combi-feeding or exclusive breastfeeding, if you’re still not 100% happy with your choice. Find a local breastfeeding organisation and give them a call.

You really haven’t taken the easy way out, washing, sterilising and making up formula safely is a lot more work than breastfeeding.

@MarvellousMonsters her baby is almost 1 so pretty sure it's too late to go back to BF.

What's this nonsense about not enjoying it anyway? What exactly makes a sane woman think breastfeeding a newborn will be or should be enjoyable? I blame social media for telling us newborns are cute and sleepy and motherhood is a piece of cake.

@PBJelly321

”So after trying to breastfeed/express for about a week or so and not enjoying it/being exhausted/baby blues etc. I made the decision to bottle feed! Baby loved the bottle and took to it straightaway with no problems! My mental state changed completely and feeding has been more enjoyable without the pressure and has been shared with other family members too, but I can't help but feel like a failure! Sounds silly but everytime the subject of feeding comes up or I hear the words "breastfeeding" or "bottle" I instantly start doubting my decision. I appreciate it sounds over the top as my baby loves being bottle fed but I can't help feeling like I took the easy way out. Please can I hear from some other mamas who decided to bottle feed to help reassure me and help me feel a bit more confident 💗”

where does it say baby is almost one??

You're absolutely right to lessen the stress on you and baby. Nothing wrong with being bottle fed.
Don't give it another thought. Happy baby, happy Mum.

It’s a very old thread

@MarvellousMonsters the date of the post is November 2024.

Oh for fucks sake, how did I miss that?!