mutter mutter mutter

[misdee]

why am i reading this section?

am feeling so disheartened and low after reading stuff today.

[goes to hide under rock]

Get out from under rock
Have cup of tea
Read threads you never touch - gardening, cookery, whatever it is you don't normally read
Realise many many people do lots of things lots of different ways
Avoid all B&B feeding threads forever.
Go look at your kids and smile.

Aw Annabel, lovely post.

for Misdee

AnnabelCaramel that is loevely I will remember that when I am fed up - great advice

thanks.

i am pro-breastfeeding. but also ff my dd's. but its all getting me down. have avoided this section for ages, but now i am pregnant again i am obviously reading it again and with hormones etc i am just feeling a bit 'battered'.

Breast feeding pressure can be quite hard to bear can't it. I almost resolved that i wasn't even going to try to b/f dd2 because I couldn't cope with all of the disappointment if it did not work and now I have combination fed for nearly 7 months and I am really proud of the fact that she has had some breast milk - do whatever works for you, be pressured by no-one and even if you manage a week, you will have given your baby some of the best milk at the best time.

Don't be battered, hormones or not just remember how great it is going to be to hold another lovely new baby. Feeding is only one part of motherhood. Very best of luck x

i breastfed dd3 for 2years. i know i can do it, thats not really the issue (sorry, lovely post btw).

what i am getting depressed about is the fact i am meant to be 'feeling guilty for making people who ff feel guilty' by extended breastfeeding.

i dont feel guilty for breastfeeding when others cant. i know i was fortunate especially after a rocky start with dd3 in scbu, but we got through it and managed two years with a few cartons on ff when dh was in ITU fighting for his life.

I am hoping to not use formula at all this time, am looking at expressing colustrum for little one if i get gestional diabetes again, and will stick my heels in even further this time if need be.

but i dont want to be seen as being smug if i do manage #4 to never have a drop of ff. i want to be proud of the fact i breastfeed, and i currently dont feel i am able to be.

be proud - you have every right - as long as you dont try to make people fell guilty you have every right to be proud of the great start you have given your children

but from past experience, i know people try and justify to my face, whilst feeding baby, why they DIDN'T breastfeed, and in turns that makes me feel guilty just by sitting there feeding baby.

i actually want to run back to the porter at harefield who used to coo when i fed dd3 and commented on how lovely it was to see an older baby being bf. she was lovely (and used to give me ice creams as well)

[darn these hormones]

Blimey - feeling guilty for being able to bf! That's a new one for me (I'm ff but not by choice). Is there anything around motherhood that doesn't make someone feel guilty? It's nuts!

Just be glad that you can do it - those who ff might be a bit jealous but surely wish you well!?!

Ah, don't be daft Misdee.
We all do our best with the info. and support that is made available to us.
Some people sadly have less than others.

How did Peter's rehab. session go?

rehab went well. he had an assessment on monday which involoved him sitting/standing repeatadly for 2mins and all tuesday he was moaning about aching. today he says he isnt as sore and has discussed his new exercise programme as well.

i have booking in appt in the morning, so suddenly this pregnancy seems real.

hormones are evil things....but so is guilt!!!!

I reckon that the injection they give to help you give birth to the placenta isn't anything at all to do with placenta.....

it is a big dose of 'mother guilt'!

a happy healthy baby is what you are aiming for, and I know that sounds trite, it is so true.

you will do your aim as you are determined, forget feeling guilty ((as if you ever could)....try tho....you have many people here supporting you!!!!

noooooo!
i thought that injection was the memory killer. the one which explained my now permanent scatterbrained state.

missdee, i think some of it is people justfying themselves to themselves, whilst using you as a sounding board. (or should that be bored!)

go back to bf in front of the porter and try for another free icecream.

she now gives the ice creams stright to dd3

Hi Misdee,

I understand what you are saying. I have a bit of both kinds of guilt. I have such a problem with nipples (flat and non-existent) that my baby was unable to breastfeed properly (my supply went down and he wasn't putting on weight, he couldn't latch on without a nipple shield either), which upset me so much. However, he did get exclusively breastmilk for 6 months as I expressed and fed him in a bottle during that time. I would actually feel guilt at not carrying on beyond 6 months (despite it taking up hours and hours of my day in expressing and washing-up). I also felt guilt when talking to people who were bottlefeeding because I almost felt like by doing what I did I was saying that what they were doing wasn't good enough for my ds. I realise now that we each have our point where if bfing isn't working we might turn to formula. For some, it is the first few days when we are feeling very tired and unsupported, and often people are forced onto formula because they haven't had the right support, baby is crying and midwife says they must have a bottle now. For me, I already had been expressing for some time and was prepared to go to great lengths but then the house was a state for most of those 6 months as I never had time to do anything but express and look after the baby (and wash bottles, flanges, valves etc). Everyone is different and it is fantastic if you can breastfeed easily but some people have such problems that they reach a point where they realise they cannot do it. I don't think you need to feel guilty about those people not being able to bf (but at the same time we shouldn't make them feel guilty either as we all have our reasons and motherhood is so full of guilt anyway!).