I posted a message yesterday about contacting Clare Byam-Cook but it was suggested that she may do more harm than good so I'm going to post the whole problem here in the hope someone can help!
I've been struggling to feed my baby since birth as he fusses a lot, crying and pulling away from the breast - well now it's evolved into a full blown nursing strike (he is only 11 weeks old). He is completely refusing to feed from me at all and I am so stressed about it I'm close to giving up bf altogether.
He hasn't bf since yesterday morning, I've been giving him bottles since then (I tried cup feeding but it just wasn't practical). I'm expressing as much as I can to keep up my supply and feeding it to him but I've had to give some formula too as I can't express enough to keep him happy. So I desperately need to get him bf again before my milk supply reduces too much.
I have managed to get him to latch on a couple of times but it's as though once he realises what he's done he spits my breast out in disgust!
I am absolutely devastated as I am very committed to breastfeeding and really don't feel ready to stop. It's made all the worse as my DD went on nursing strike when she was 13 months and I never got her back to the breast again. What am I doing that makes my children hate breastfeeding so much?
I've been so upset and crying over the last 2 days my poor DH wants me to just stop torturing myself and move over to FF. Part of me thinks he is right as feeding Toby has been an uphill struggle from the very start and it is taking over my life at the moment, my poor DD is not getting enough attention from me and keeps seeing me cry which can't be good for her.
I've spoken to the NCT & LLL, I've been to countless bf clinics and taken Toby to the Drs to be checked over for thrush etc but no one has been able to help.
I feel so rejected by my baby at the moment, I feel like he hates me!
Love Shelley
x