Feeding advice

[M1980]

Hi, my little one is now 6 weeks and during this time has struggled to latch on. We have been trying to get him to latch, then give a bottle with either expressed breast milk or formula. We eventually made progress with a nipple shield but the silicon seems to irritate his skin. I was delighted that managed to get him to feed naturally 3 days ago. He then fed on and off for the entire day but by night time I was in agony and couldnt bear it anymore. He has such a strong suckle and my breast and nipples were so sore. Tried the next morning but wouldnt latch then when eventually did I was in so much pain. Trying to find time to Express as much as I can but sometimes only getting about 100ml a day. Is it worth still doing this or should I stop completely and give formula only?? I feel terrible that i have failed and that when he started to feed naturally I couldnt bear it. Want the best for him and so wanted to do it but struggling sk much. Is such an emotional rollercoaster.

[pinkie93]

Don't feel terrible, you know you have really tried.

As for the milk situation, just 3 months of breast milk, even when taken alongside formula significantly reduces the risk of many illnesses for a little one. So I would recommend, if you're able, trying to continue providing some breast milk until baby is 3 months. That way you can feel completely confident that your baby will have benefitted significantly from your efforts. But if you physically can't, then don't beat yourself up about it and no one would blame you.

[Hidden]

Hey. I had really bad issues when breastfeeding my baby; cracked and bleeding nipples, really painful feeds, mastitis...I would cry most days. At 11 days old I gave my daughter some formula as I was in too much pain. I would always BF again, but sometimes needed a break to give my nipples a chance to heal. This isn't recommended but I had to for my sanity. I guess I was lucky that the breaks didn't affect my supply. Like you, my baby would latch well some days and not others, it was so frustrating. I hated feeding but I kept being told that it gets better so I perseverved and gave myself timescales such as getting to 6 weeks, 8 weeks etc. I had to see for myself if it really did get better and it did at 8 weeks. My little girl is nearly 5 months old and knows exactly what to do and feeding is quite enjoyable. I don't think i would have regretted swapping to formula because I know I would have been happy to be feeding without pain, but I'm so glad I carried on. I would recommend going to a breastfeeding support group for help with your baby's latch. Good luck x