should I give up ?

knottiece4bae5e982b5679

feeling really depressed tonight... I wasn’t able to breast feed And had a huge delay in my milk supply coming in. but I’ve tried everything and my son just won’t latch. So I resulted in pumping and giving him what I can pump and topping him off with formula. At this point he’s a formula fed baby with a few feedings of Breast milk mainly for taste. my milk supply won’t come in still with just the pump. I’ve tried everything from supplements and vitamins, lactation cookies, peppermint, hot compress. I still can’t seem to pump more than 30ml from both sides total.. every few hours if that. It’s really exhausting and my sons only getting enough to taste and not to make a meal out of. Is this still worth trying? Is my 30ml making a difference or should I just save myself the heartache and try and accept that I am just one of those moms who couldn’t do it?  

jackie_dunny

They say "fed is best" because it's true. You are doing a great job taking care of your son. You can keep trying if you would like but if it is causing you heartache and stress, I would consider focusing on formula feeding. Happy mom, happy baby.

ohhranda

Your 30ml absolutely is a big help to him and his immune system. You could continue pumping and try latching again as he grows, maybe see a lactation consultant? But if it is causing you mental distress, please do not feel any guilt in switching to just formula. You need to do what is best for you and baby, and a happy healthy mom is important! 

meggyme

If you want to stick it out try to find an Lactation consultant or a La Leche League. Maybe try supplemental nursing to continue to latch while baby is getting formula. Ultimately your mental health is just as important as baby getting fed. Do what will let you feel like the best mom to your baby, whether that is breast feeding or formula feeding.

chopchop25

Oh man, I feel like I could have written this. Please do whatever is best for your particular circumstances - knowing that baby will be okay, whether formula or BM. I had to give up for mental health reasons after spending two months on a pump for eight hours a day just to make half of her daily intake (if I was lucky.) My doctor eventually encouraged me to do it, and reminded me that lactation consultants will help for as long as I want to continue to ask them for help, so that I needed to be the one to determine when ‘enough was enough.’ 

In a separate note, if baby does seem to have a latch issue, you may want to check with your doctor on a tongue or lip tie. Could easily be nothing, but could also simply be worth asking doc or ENT opinion.