breastfeeding.. is it normal?

[lisa&alex]

for me to hate and to feel guilty about giving formula..i feel as if its.. laed with sugar or something and its really bad for him.. he hs only had it 3 times so all in all he has only had about 10oz i just feel guilty for not totally bfing him or giving him my milk...

 

[Rosieroo]

I used to feel awful about starting DS on a formula feed before bed when he got to about 6/7 months if I hadn't pumped enough for an expressed milk feed, I've started feeling better about it recently when I realised how few babies are still getting breastmilk at his age!

You're doing a great job, don't put yourself down. Guilt is a useless emotion Just feel proud that your baby is getting breastmilk and you're trying your hardest with the breastfeeding

 

[lauramumof2]

why feel the guilt. The main thing is that he gets fed. Okay, so it cannot be 100% breastmilk but formula isnt going to make him ill. Your just having yourself a big worry for nothing

 

[Princess_Puddles]

I wouldn't feel guilty hun, I'm sure he's happy!! I used to feel guilty about giving my son 100% formula but after a while I realized my Son was happy and it wasn't hurting him.

 

[trixipaws]

i first gave melissa formula at just under 6 months. i felt a tiny bit guilty at first, especially as i taste test everything i give her and my milk is nice and formula is rank but when i saw how much she enjoyed it (perhaps even just as much as breastmilk?!) i felt fine about it. and when my boyf got to give her milk for the first time a few weeks later and saw them bonding in a way only i had with her until that point- i felt guilty about not giving her formula sooner!

 

[budge]

for me to hate and to feel guilty about giving formula..i feel as if its.. laed with sugar or something and its really bad for him.. he hs only had it 3 times so all in all he has only had about 10oz i just feel guilty for not totally bfing him or giving him my milk...

i felt this way with all of mine which is wht they were all axclusivelt BF. No formula no express nothing but boobie. Ridiculous maybe but each to their own. how you feel should never be deemed as abnormal. Go with how you feel and what you think is right and you won't go far wrong.

 

[beanie]

I felt like this too.I really struggled with breastfeeding at first and topped up with formula. I felt that everytime she was given formula that I was failing, not because I have any negative feelings towards formula but because I felt like I couldn't provide for my child like I should be able to. I think part of it for me was because at the hospital they made me feel really bad asking for formula and wouldn't let me feed her, and I just felt like I was failing her. Even at home I couldn't feed her, OH would and I resented him at times. I managed to exclusively breastfeed at 2 months, and remember being so proud that it was marked in my red book she was exclusively breastfed. I really want to exclusively breastfeed this one at first now I am more wiser about breastfeeding.

 

[leckershell]

I felt like this too.I really struggled with breastfeeding at first and topped up with formula. I felt that everytime she was given formula that I was failing, not because I have any negative feelings towards formula but because I felt like I couldn't provide for my child like I should be able to.

I felt awful when we gave Ryan formula - the look on his face with a bottle, I mean he took the bottle fine but he looked sort of sad that it wasn't booby milk. Or maybe that was just me thinking he looked sad.

When I started giving him a bottle at 6pm as the routine (just before christmas) on top of a breastfeed, I felt like I should be able to provide for him no matter how hungry he was, so I felt like a bit of a failure. But I soon realised well, he's happy, he's getting fed, so it doesn't matter. And I get a bit of kip!

I was always really open minded about it all and if I had failed at breastfeeding I wouldn't have been all that gutted at formula feeding, I mean loads of people do it. But now I've turned into a bit of a breastfeeding nut so I try and stay neutral when I reply to things, but I'm often biting my tongue

Well done anyhow chick, you're not a failure, you're doing what works best for you and Edward and nobody can say that's the wrong thing to do.

 

[lisa&alex]

got my period this morning.. mayb thats y im feeling irratic

 

[maybebaby]

Austin had his first formula feed at 6 months and I felt so guilty! I had been struggling expressing for about 6 weeks and it had got to the point that I'm be crying whilst pumping every evening. OH gently suggested that maybe we tried one bottle of formula which worked so well. I felt guilty for about a week but it was such a relief not to have to express that I never looked back.

So I'd say it's completely normal, especially if you're hormonal too.

 

[Squiglet]

Lil miss has had 30mls of formula the past two nights...so as to give her a rest.. because of my antibiotics shes had a really unsettled stomach, thrown up every feed.... fed constantly, not slept all day (her lil eyes all puffy and red ), shes just screamed and cried and the "piggy juice" (so called cos she makes little grunting noises when she woolfs it down)...gives lil miss at least 2 hours of constant sleep.

I feel guilty too..but before I give her the formula I always bf her first so my milk is what she gets most of. lil miss will eat anything though and even after the formula yesterday she demanded more boob...

 

[Xena]

I felt guilty when Lydia went from breastmilk to formula at 3 months. For ages I tried squeezing as much as I could of breastmilk into her formula bottle, just so I could feel better that she was getting some breastmilk. After a while though I was literally only able to squeeze out 2 drops so it became stupid, so I stopped doing it.

I did get over the guilt though and realised it wasn't such a dreadful thing that she was on formula.

With Alex, he has never had formula. I'm hoping he never has to. I'm sure I'd go through the guilt thing again though - if I think about the idea of him having formula I automatically feel a barrier going up in my mind, as though it would be a terrible thing. Stupid though because logically I know I'm being silly.

 

[Ali K]

I'm going through the same thing! Will bit me last week and then my nipple got an infection so I'm pumping as he's going no where near it until it's healed properly!!! I've used all my stored milk and ran out last Monday! I had to feed him formula and hated the idea! (He's 8 and 1/2 months old and has been exclusively BF).

Anyway, he gulped down 8oz without blinking and I then felt upset that he didn't seem to notice the difference!!!!