Babies: 0 - 3 Months

Anyone decide not to breastfeed/gave it up?

LO never really caught on and latched properly. We have been supplementing with formula due to a NICU stay for jaundice and continued trouble with weight gain. I am still offering the breast at almost every feeding but he's just not getting it and its stressing us both out. Breastfeeding was one thing I really wanted to do, so of course it's not working out. Anyone have any advice on stopping or any previous experiences?

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Re: Anyone decide not to breastfeed/gave it up?

  • We ended up switching to formula recently. DS latched great, fed great, ect in the beginning. However, within days it started getting to be very stressful and I wasn't happy at all. DS also lost 10% of his birth weight in the hospital. When we went for his appointment on Friday he was still the same weight at discharge. So doc had us supplement. Once we gave him a bottle he was a different baby, so we switched. We are all so much happier now.
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  • Talk to an LC...she should be able to help with latch issues. Also, if you just want the health benefits breast milk, try pumping. It's a pain, but worth it if that's what you want for your child. Don't give up if you really want to breast feed... The first two-three weeks are the worst, but it's gets easier! All that being said, don't let anyone make you feel bad if you choose to formula feed, it's also a perfectly healthy choice. For what it's worth, my son gets both :)
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  • We went through almost this exact struggle. I also wanted to breastfeed and that was the only thing I was worried about before having my son. We struggled for about 2 weeks with feeding and weight gain. We used a nipple shield, supplemented with a syringe while still on the breast, etc. You name it we probably tried it. I cried at every feeding until I realized time was slipping away and I was not happy. My baby was not gaining weight and felt like a complete failure. After one extremely hard hour long feeding attempt I decided to bottle feed. I exclusively pump and do have to supplement with formula because I know my supply is not what it could be if I nursed. This is what is best for me and my baby. It was hard giving up breastfeeding and having to supplement with formula but I know that some breast milk is better than none at all. Pumping is a huge commitment and is time consuming but again, I know it works the best for us. Not too much advice in this post but I just wanted to share my story with you. Good luck in whatever you decide!
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  • imageNana_Osaki06:
    We ended up switching to formula recently. DS latched great, fed great, ect in the beginning. However, within days it started getting to be very stressful and I wasn't happy at all. DS also lost 10% of his birth weight in the hospital. When we went for his appointment on Friday he was still the same weight at discharge. So doc had us supplement. Once we gave him a bottle he was a different baby, so we switched. We are all so much happier now.

    This was similar to my attempts with LO1. LO2 was FF from the beginning. This LO I started breastfeeding, but the nurses suggested FFing to help clear out jaundice, that first bottle made everyone so happy I folded.

    if its something you really want to do, talk to a lactation specialist and try to work through it. I've heard with time it gets easier, like everything else. For me, it wasn't a good fit, but I did give it a try... Twice... And I don't feel an less of a mother for it. GL! 

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  • I bf for the first 3 weeks then switched to formula. Its easier to switch gradually. I read to take away 1 feeding for a few days then take another etc and keep doing that until your done. I did it a little faster. I fully stopped bf in about a week. I did have some engorgement but it went away in a couple of days. I used ice packs and some Advil and a tight sports bra.

    There was a website that I found that had amazing info on bf. you might find some answers there that can really help you continue to bf.
    llli.org they have forums there and you can get a lot of advice.

    It was a hard decision for me to stop bf and I cried when I gave my LO a bottle. But I know formula is not hurting her. My ds was only fed formula and he is a thriving 6yo.

    BF is 100 a personal decision and everyone has their own reasons to try it or not and to quit or continue. Good luck!
  • We were also in the NICU and had to supliment while in there. Once we got home, we struggled with BFing.  I would feed for and hour and a half, suffer with a cranky baby for an hour before she passed out exhausted, only to have to struggle with her to wake up to feed again half an hour later.  (We were told to feed on a 3 hour schedule to help DD gain weight.)  Then came the day when we had no wet diapers, which set off alarm bells.  So we switched to a bottle real fast and had a totally happy, content baby.  I saw a LC and we tried but nothing worked.  It was too hard on baby and we both were stressed out.  So I EP, but maybe once or twice a week I try BFing, just to try help my milk supply grow with her because a pump doesn't do as good job as your LO.
  • imagemrsnala:
    LO never really caught on and latched properly. We have been supplementing with formula due to a NICU stay for jaundice and continued trouble with weight gain. I am still offering the breast at almost every feeding but he's just not getting it and its stressing us both out. Breastfeeding was one thing I really wanted to do, so of course it's not working out. Anyone have any advice on stopping or any previous experiences?

    This is my son exactly.  I exclusively pumped for 4 weeks, but I was put on broad spectrum antibiotics for a kidney infection, and while pumping and dumping, my supply just tanked.  I think it was because I was so discouraged having to pump and dump even though after the first 24 hours I was on a nursing safe antibiotic (amoxicillin).  And I was incredibly frustrated that the problem wasn't a supply issue (was getting 6-10 oz every time I pumped every 2-4 hours, varied because of time issues with DS sleeping/not sleeping haha).  I tried fenugreek and it made me horribly sick, just horribly horribly ill.  So, I decided to supplement with formula until I dried up.  I was too hard on myself and it didn't help at all.  Stop when you're ready, and don't be afraid to supplement with formula and continue to offer the breast (first), the most important thing is that LO is getting the nutrition they need!  

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  • I just keep reminding myself that it *should* get easier once she's through the 3 week growth spurt until the 3 month spurt. Today she's been at the breast for 3.5 hours straight and while it's driving me a little crazy because it's pretty hard to multitask that way [and I love multitasking] but I'm just going to keep trying. I'm not 100% sure I'll make it 6 months if it doesn't get easier at some point because since delivering her it's gotten harder and more painful so we have some issues but I'm not sure what/how to fix them.
  • I wanted so badly to breastfeed, no matter what people told me about how hard it would be. I strictly nursed for 3 weeks, then had a small breakdown due to the complete lack of sleep.  He had latching issues, also, and I was so stressed just to get him eating.  We started supplementing with formula bc I wasn't producing enough to pump bottles for dad to give and I just needed a break from it.  Unfortunately my supply dwindled even more and I eventually had to completely wean him.  I was heartbroken at first bc I was so determined to do it, however I had many supportive people telling me that I gave him the colostrum that is so important, I tried my best and it just wasn't right for us, which made me feel a bit better about the decision.  I'm hoping with my next baby I will be better prepared for the challenge of bf and can stick with it longer, but if not, it's just fine, baby will be perfectly healthy with formula and you are less stressed!  And I just slowly weaned, nursed less and less each day for maybe 5 days or so and it just slowly dried up, I had no issues with engorgement or discomfort at all, and baby didn't seem to care what he was fed as long as he was eating! :)  Whatever decision you make is completely up to you and don't let anyone make you feel bad, do what's right for you and baby!
  • Like you, I wanted to breastfeed but had issues. LO wouldn't latch. Even with the lactation consultant's help she wouldn't latch. When she did manage to latch she would start to gag. meanwhile, she would cry for food. I finally gave up and gave her some formula. Thankfully, I saved the free formula samples. I now FF. If you can, enlist the help of a lactation consultant. They may be able to help you.  
  • I also really wanted to BF with DS.  We was born a healthy weight and in the hospital breastfed within the first hour he was born - I was ecstatic and confident we'd be good to go.  However, that was the last time he truly breastfed.  In the hospital, I saw two different lactation consultants, went to a BF class and for the next three weeks continued to see a lactation consultant.  I tried every method possible, from a nipple shield to the assistance used for infants in the NICU and nothing worked (DS was also not in the NICU).  He was so happy when having a bottle (at first 100% breastmilk, then slowly weaned to all formula as I just couldn't pump enough) that it was awful watching him scream at lactation consults...and I mean an absolute shrieking noise, it's the only time I've ever heard him cry like that when he's hungry and just couldn't figure out how to latch.  It took a little while to come to terms with him not breastfeeding, but we're a MUCH happier family, I'm less stressed, DH is happier not having to hear everything and be helpless and DS just loves his bottles.  

    One thing I would note is that we started him on the ready to feed formula NOT powder.  After a couple of weeks we switched to a sample powder and it made him extremely gassy, fussy and uncomfortable.  I know that it's supposed to be the same chemically, but DS was not the same on powder...every baby is different!  

     Good luck, I hope you find what works best for you and your family! 

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