[lucky 2]

Hello ,

This pinned thread is intended to be a safe space for members to share their experiences and feelings when breast feeding hasn't worked for whatever reason.

This could be an ongoing thread in this forum or moved to the EB Buddy Group area?
Perhaps we could see how it goes and take it from there.

It isn't intended for this thread to be a venue for divisive debates on breast feeding or formula feeding and it will be moderated if needed to keep the peace.

Please post in the forum itself if you wish to seek support with breast feeding problems, concerns and questions.

Feel free to contact me via the PM System if you have any queries or feedback.

Kind Regards,

lucky 2
Moderator of the Breast feeding forum

https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/whe...doesnt-work-out
The link above is to the ABA website and addresses the topic of "when breast feeding doesn't work out".

This post has been edited by lucky 2: 11/03/2012, 07:57 PM

[Liadan]

Thank you. I think this is a much needed space.

If I remember, I'll share my story some time tomorrow, when I'm more awake.

[Guest_- beach_baby -_*]

What a great idea and very much needed.

I took me a very long time to get over note being able to breastfeed. The guilt and the jelousy I felt went on for months.

I think a buddy group is a great idea.

[mypigeonpair01]

Imam also one who beat myself up for ages over not being able to BF DS or DD. DS I comp fed after it took my milk ages to come in & he was dehydrated and listless. We went home comping & first time parents and knowing so little with little BF support we lasted about 3 weeks
With DD, it was easier but her reflux, refusal and constant screaming I just couldn't manage to keep going. I often wondered if I might have persisted if her reflux could have been less severe. I'd love for DH to agree to another baby as I feel far more knowledgeable now and I also have EB to refer to! Hell will probably freeze over though

Using phone so please excuse typo's

[duckasorus]

Mind if I join?

Dd was born by emergency csection after a long labour.
From day one I had nothing but issues first from the drugs and her being sleepy (we tried everything to not have a csection) when she first latched on it was pure pain and then screaming from her. She ended up with formula top up after trying for what felt like ages with multiple mideys.
I managed the first week with no more top ups and pumping to get milk up.
After a week of bleeding and razors I got some shields and started expressing so I could have a break I was able to get enough to not need formula.
At six weeks I got my stitches out and a infection was found and antibiotics was needed.
Four doses later my milk was nearly all gone, we switched to formula permantly.
The relief and guilt I felt at the same time was horrible, I was then diagnosed with pnd.

Anyways that my short version. :-)

[Guest_Padmé Amidala_*]

What a fantastic idea.

(will come back and read/post my story with DD1 later... I 'BF' her but not as long or successfully as I'd have liked - does that count?)

This post has been edited by Padmé Amidala: 27/12/2011, 11:36 AM

[lucky 2]

What a fantastic idea.

(will come back and read/post my story with DD1 later... I 'BF' her but not as long or successfully as I'd have liked - does that count?)

I don't see why not Padme, make use of this space how ever you wish, it is for you to have an opportunity to safely talk about disappointing or perhaps even traumatic breastfeeding related experiences.
Let's just see what becomes of it and reassess as we go along.

Regards,

lucky 2

[~A Poetic Winter...]

Great idea.

I stopped BFing at about 3 weeks with DS for a whole host of reasons. Once we left hospital his latch was not good (mild tongue tie) at he would pull on and off a lot and fuss about it stressed me so much. I had plenty of milk but I was overwhelmed with the stress of trying to get him to latch on properly and stay on, it was painful, how long I was meant to feed him, sides, I had to have him in a damn football hold, everything was just such an unknown. I was also overwhelmed by the responsibility of me being the only one able to feed him and it scared me.

I started to comp feed him thinking I wasn't doing a good job ( I wasn't) and that made the fussiness on the breast worse until I conceded defeat. I also did not enjoy BFing him at all despite me being very pro BFing.

I'm expecting my second baby in May and hope we do better this time.

This post has been edited by twoformee: 27/12/2011, 12:59 PM

[Liadan]

Sharing my BF story.

DD was born shortly before midnight on 15/10/10. While in hospital she was latching well, it took me a little while to figure out a good position to hold her in (ended up using the football hold). We were released from hospital on the morning of Monday the 18th. We had a good day/night that night.

Tuesday was another good day, followed by a horror of a night, DD wouldn't settle, I was exhausted and spent much of the night feeding her. Unfortunately in my exhausted state, I wasn't ensuring that she was attached properly. I woke up Wednesday morning with my left nipple VERY damaged.

DD was weighed, and had good weight gain in the two days that we were at home. Due to my damaged nipples, and being unable to offer her the boob for comfort, we offered her a dummy, which she took. I remember sitting there, trying to feed her. Her screaming, wanting to be fed, me in tears, knowing how much it was going to hurt. It would take me a good 15 minutes to psych myself up enough to let her latch. It's like... deliberately standing on a nail, stabbing yourself in the foot. After the initial attachment, it was fine.

After a couple of days the pain was more bearable. And we were back to breastfeeding well, at least, I thought we were.

The CHN's weren't happy with her weight gain. It was minimal, and she was slowly dropping in the chart centiles for her weight. Her length and HC growth was fine.

I tried pumping, but was getting very little, I was taking fenugreek, which helped initially. Christmas was fast approaching, and I had decided to see my doctor shortly after Christmas to get a script for motilium.

We had a CHN visit on Christmas eve, DD had lost 50g in a week, I was starting to see some signs that she was getting dehydrated, even though I was feeding her frequently. Christmas Eve she had her first top up of formula, she was 10 weeks old.

We pushed on with breastfeeding, I would offer her the breast before each formula top up, this lasted for another few months, and then she started refusing the breast. By the time she was 6 months old, she would refuse the breast unless she had just woken, and was still drowsy. Our last feed was shortly after she turned 7 months. She was refusing the breast, even immediately after waking.

I still miss breastfeeding, I still, at times, feel like a failure.

[RubyTuesday76]

Fantastic idea for a BG! I will def share my story very soon!