Breast or Formula Milk? (Breast Feeding Pics Included in Post)

Immediately after giving birth and getting my daughter cleaned up, they gave her to me to work on latching. For me this was a very intimidating and embarrassing process because my baby was little, and my breasts are huge!!! Not to mention I had multiple people trying to help me all at once, which I fully appreciated the help. Nursing can be so many things. It can be painful, it can be uncomfortable, or just something a mother doesn’t want to do for various reasons. All are valid reasons to make whatever decision is best for you when it comes to breastfeeding. I personally really wanted to breastfeed so I had a lactation specialist from the hospital come to my room and assist me with techniques to make sure my baby was getting an adequate intake of food and that she was comfortable enough to feed. We had good success with nipple covers which look somewhat like bottle nipples except they are shaped at the base to fit over your nipples and pumping which seemed to get my daughter full and allow her comfort while feeding. Now breast feeding isn’t simple for all mom’s and it surely wasn’t for me. Even after leaving the hospital I continued going to a lactation nurse at the medical facility I did my prenatal and postnatal care where I was continuously coached on best practices and using the nipple shields.

To be honest I was overwhelmed. After watching movies and other people make it look so simple it frustrated me that I couldn’t just pop out a boob without it being a full job getting my breast out to feed my baby. After struggling so much in the hospital, I decided to pump mostly full time and breastfeed overnight that way we could both get comfortable and I could use the supplemental tools given to me to have a successful feeding session. This routine really seemed to work for Paisley and me. Also, I knew how much milk she was getting so I could closely monitor her especially since she was born at a low birth weight.

We did this all the way up till about the six months mark I’d say then my supply really started dwindling. This was due to not pumping like I should have been at my job and I really regret it. For me it was uncomfortable to pump at work. Although my job was supposed to have a mommy room set aside for employees who were pumping mother’s it became too common that I was pumping in a break room with the door locked or in someone’s office with the door locked. I was always scared that the person’s office I was in was going to unlock the door and see my boob being suctioned by the little machine and it became super awkward.

Not only did me going to work have a part in my decision to transition to formula but also, I wasn’t pumping enough. I got mastitis once and thrush once and neither was fun. The mastitis made my one breast feel like it was being zapped with a taser all day and all I could do was cry and get in the shower while my child was asleep and stay in there. The thrush wasn’t much better. They both hurt like hell if we’re being completely honest here and if you’ve breast fed by actual breast or pumping you know that your very limited to the medications you can take since everything seems to be able to pass through your milk to your child so you suffer so your child doesn’t have to unless it’s absolutely necessary to have the medication. Well for me unless it was something that I knew wasn’t going to have any affect on my child I opted for the more natural routes but I surely suffered during the process.

Formula?! I always said I wanted to breastfeed until it was time for regular milk and I never wanted to have to give my child formula. It made me feel like a failure and like I didn’t try my hardest although I knew in my heart I truly did. But I knew I had to do what was best for Paisley and that was making sure she was full and happy. For her the transition was weird after only drinking booby milk for approx. six months so I started off with half breast milk and half formula milk. I could tell that she knew this was something different, but she eventually transitioned completely. I used the brand Similac NeoSure which was a formula for premature babies. We supplemented using this formula in the hospital unless my milk came all the way down to get her over the weight needed to get discharged as well so I was comfortable with the selection. Eventually it just became routine and I didn’t feel so bad anymore.

The takeaway here…. There are lots of different ways to get things done. Unfortunately, although we may have a PLAN that doesn’t mean things will always go according to the plan. It’s okay to feel a little disappointed but don’t let it make you feel like any less of a mom or dad if you choose a different route, you're restricted from your intended route, or like myself if your plan just did not work out. You know what they say, if you want to make God laugh tell him what your plans are. As parents we do our best to do what’s best for our child(ren) and that’s all we can do.

So... tell me your story!!! Did you breast feed or bottle feed? Was this your intended route or did you have to change course due to other circumstances? How did it make you feel? Comment below then subscribe to get notifications for new post :)

   

When attempting to leave a comment if you are not signed into a google account the click the dropdown beside "Comment As: Google Account and it gives you the option to just type your Name/URL or anonymous and then comment or if you're on your mobile device click on google account and the drop down will pop up so that you can use Name/URL to comment. Thank you!