What is your experience?

saraboo22

I wanted to EBF but had supply issues from the beginning. The hospital supplemented my LO with formula within 24 hours of his birth and I had to supplement basically from then on. I was completely devistated (and still am) that my plan to EBF did not work out. I ended up EP'ing (since 2 weeks pp because of latching problems) until recently because I was down to just one bottle a day of bm.. It just seemed like a horrible spiral of doing all the wrong things and now my DS is completely on formula. EP'ing was VERY difficult and would like to avoid doing that with the next one.

Did you have a different bf'ing experience the second time around than the first? I want to try again but do not want to make all the same mistakes again. Do I have hope for my next baby (whenever that may be) to EBF?

TIA

juniper19

The first time we supplemented a lot of bottles of formula and I nursed on a schedule and when we got to about 5.5 months we had serious supply problems - dd failed to gain weight.  By 6 months I weaned.

The second time I didn't let ds have one bottle and I nursed on demand 24/7.  I was determined to avoid the same problems that I had the first time.  But at 6 months - the same supply problems - ds failed to gain weight.  So even though I did everything "right" I still had the same trouble the first time.  I contacted a LC immediately and we were able to bring up my supply using medication.  But I have to admit it was a bit of a relief to know that it wasn't my fault the first time, because I really spent a lot of time beating myself up.

Maybe it is your "fault" that the BFing didn't work out.  But maybe you could have done everything like you are "supposed" to and it would have played out the same way.  Don't be hard on yourself.  And with the next one, get a LC lined up beforehand so that you can be prepared with help in case you hit the same problems again.