I promised myself from day one that this blog would be filled with nothing but honesty and a true representation of my experiences. I made myself this promise to ensure a realistic representation for myself and those dear friends looking to me for what to expect. That being said, Dominic and I have already faced an emotional struggle that I feel I should share. We are now exclusively formula feeding.....and VERY happy about it.
The background:
From the day I found out I was pregnant I vowed to make a valiant effort to breastfeed for at least the first 6 months. I had heard amazing stories from friends about how much they enjoyed breastfeeding....once they got through the hard part (the first few weeks). I read up on it and even signed up for a breastfeeding class at the hospital. I bought a pricey breast pump and all the accessories I would need to be successful.
How it went:
We started off well in the hospital. Dominic latched right on and the lactation consultants were optimistic that he would be a great feeder. Once we got home things got a little tougher, but I had expected that to be the case. We stuck it out...even with chapped, sore nipples and feedings happening every hour or so.
We went to his first couple of doctors appointments and found out that he was not gained weight, so the doctor said that I had to supplement with formula until he started gaining. I believe this was the beginning of the end.
I will never know why (the supplementing, his 5 hour sleep stretches at night) but my milk never completely came in. I tried feeding him from the breast and he never seemed satisfied. On one particular day I let him feed for 20 mins on each breast, then gave him 2 oz. of pumped breast milk and because he was still crying and looking for more to eat, gave him another 2 oz. of formula. At that point I realized that my milk supply was not meeting his demand. I tried exclusively pumping and was only getting about 5 oz. total per day.....barely enough to cover a feeding or two.
I read in multiple places not to quit breastfeeding on a bad day so I stuck it out that day and told myself that I would reevaluate the next morning. I hardly slept that night thinking about the pros and cons of quitting. I knew that breast milk was best, but I also knew that he and I were both miserable and I was not meeting his needs with breastfeeding alone. When I woke up the next morning I decided that it would be best for Dominic and me if we made the switch to formula.
Looking back, I believe that this was the best decision for both of us. He is so much happier now! He is much calmer and hardly cries at all. He sleeps better too...which is a plus for both of us. My husband can be much more involved now as well, which I know makes him happier. Letting him take a couple feedings a day not only gives me a break, but also gives them a chance to bond. And lastly (and selfishly) I can now enjoy a glass of wine here and there with out feeling guilty.
Choosing to switch to formula was a very emotional decision for me and one that I did not take lightly. My advice to anyone in this situation is to give the decision a lot of thought, but to make the choice that best meets your needs and the needs of your baby. It is a personal choice and you should not feel guilty if you choose to formula feed. There are plenty of successful, smart, thriving children and adults that were formula feed.
No comments:
Post a Comment