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June 2012 Moms
henrytviii
member
When is enough enough?
henrytviii
member
Getting thrush again, had it for the first 4 months and now at 7 months its back. So painful. A summer of thrush, so many episodes of mastitis that I can't count anymore, weekly clogged ducts, never able to pump enough at work, can't exercise beyond very lightly or clogged ducts set in, no swimming, no weightlifting or scrubbing the house, too painful to let my DH near me, still night nursing every 2 hours . . . but there are parts of BF that are hard to let go of, including the night nursing which lets me recconnect with LO after I work in the evenings and miss bedtime.
I know I could post this on the breastfeeding group but I am scared of the feedback I'd get. What would you do? Did anyone stop BF recently after making it this far? How did it go? Any one consider stopping and decide not to? Why am I having such a hard time deciding what to? I know there are many loving ways to feed your baby. I think it might be time to say enough but for some reason I am having a tough time making a decision and I am afraid I will have regrets.
I know this sounds whiny, thanks for listening. Any advice from both breastfeeding and formula feeding moms would be appreciated.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: When is enough enough?
Well done for getting this far breastfeeding especially with all you've been going through. I'm still breastfeeding my daughter so i can only imagine how hard this choice is for you.
If I was in your situation I would SLOWLY start weaning your little one in exchange for formula. be careful about trying to wean to fast or it will clog you more.
Best of luck to you
Im so sorry its back! I know painful and annoying that can be. I BF/Pumped for 3 months and for almost every one of those days I had mastitis. I couldn't put my hands over my head, hold my daughter or hug my husband. I stopped because I felt enough was enough.
You made 7 months! Thats is AMAZING! Any choice that is right for you is going to be the best choice to make.
Please don't hesitate to post on the Breastfeeding board. It is full of wonderfully supportive women who can offer advice and encouragement no matter what you decide. There is an LC, AmyG*, who posts on there as well and she might be able to offer help IF you want to continue breastfeeding but want to resolve some of the issues you're having.
No matter what you decide, do keep in mind that your health and happiness matter too, and a loving, happy mom means a happy, well-adjusted baby, no matter how he or she is fed. Good luck!
Married Bio * BFP Charts
If you're having doubts about stopping, maybe it's worth trying a few more things. I don't know your history, so I don't know if you've already tried these things, but here are some ideas:
Have you tried lecithin for the recurring plugged ducts? https://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/lecithin/
Coconut oil is also a natural anti-fungal and helped me clear up when the anti-fungal cream didn't work. I still use it if I feel even the slightest tingle or hint of an itch.
Whatever you decide, it should be what feels right for you and your family. If you don't feel right about stopping, try to figure out exactly why so you can deal with the specific emotions before making a decision about stopping. For example, if it's about connecting after work, see if there's another activity that can help you feel just as connected.
You've done a great job getting this far and however you choose to feed your LO going forward, you're a great mom.
Agreed! The BFing board is not judgey. You have been through a lot. No one would give you any grief if you decided to stop.
Thanks for the advice and support everyone. I really appreciate it. I don't know what I am going to do long term. I'm going to keep going for now while I think about my options unless things somehow get even worse. I am going to start to experiment with some night-time bottles and other things so I can get a better sense of what it would be like if I did stop. My DH did give my son some formula last week until the guise of making sure that he didn't have any sensitivities since our freezer supply is dwindling rapidly but I know it was actually to remove the EBF label and hopefully some of the pressure that I was associating with that. I am glad he did that, it did help. He has been incredibly supportive all along but at this point I can tell that my situation is taking a toll on him as he?s more of the SAH parent, though he?s very careful not to say it directly.
I agree that breastfeeding board is a great resource, sorry that I came across as negative. I know there is a lot of support and practical advice there. I think I was more afraid of all the advice to fix things that I would recieve when I really have tried so hard to correct the issues. I have a great lactation consultant I have been working with since the 2nd month and I?ve benefited from some drop in hours at my local birth center, so I am lucky to have the support I need. Unfortunately none of the typical suggestions/supplements etc are really working for me. Though without all the help I never would have made it this far so I know I am lucky in that respect. I had such an established case of ductal thrush that it took close to a month of Diflucan to finally clear it after everything else failed. I think all the other problems just stem from that. Current thrush is more mild so I am hopeful that I can stop it quickly. I notice I a lot people mentioning AF and supply issues here and on the BF board. My period returned within 5 weeks of giving birth, maybe that is yet another issue.
Thanks again to all of you that took the time to read this and comment. I'll figure it and eventually this will just be a blip on the long road of parenting ahead.
You've done awesome going 7 months! I hope you are at peace with whatever you decide to do.