What’s wrong with switching to formula?
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I think it's quite a personal thing for some women, and can be difficult to not feel like a failure. I suppose just as some women believe natural birth is best and they would never want a c section. It's all personal choice. And as above I'm pretty sure noone is actively starving their child
@Jenny I'm like that. I'd never shame how a woman feeds her baby as long as the baby is happy and healthy and I have no concern for neglect. But personally I don't feel like a woman if I don't BF. I express as well so my partner can help. I feel I am a woman, I have boobs for a reason. I'm currently going through severe mastitis for the last 2 weeks that I just got an abscess drained which was 120ml of puss. I still struggle to pump on one of my breast but my baby has gained 1ib 2oz within 2 weeks. Birth weight was 7ibs8 after passing her birth weight she was 7ibs11 and she was weighed yesterday at 8ibs13. On 1 boob! I'm 5 weeks PP and still haven't gave up
Before I had a baby I thought I didn't care that much about BF and id be happy to do formula but something hormonal has happened because I care so much! It's like a real sense of grief when I think about giving up. It is worth saying, though, that whenever I've talked to a health visitor or doctor about switching to formula they put a lot of pressure on to persevere with BF - so that's also a factor too.
The medical professionals in particular do put alot of judgement and pressure on Breastfeeding, which really added alot of stress to my experience as a new mum that I didn't need. The support of The Breastfeeding Network and the local Infant feeding team was so needed and helpful. NOT judgemental. Fed is best. I was a formula fed baby and I'm very healthy, hardly ever sick and a good head on my shoulders I think. My baby is currently breastfed but if Formula is needed, I have no issues with that. My journey - and it is very much a journey if you want to take it - was difficult and is starting to become easier after 6 weeks but there was alot of fear, stress and doubt over that time. People don't talk about that part.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong at all, baby being fed is the most important. I don’t understand why people switch for reasons such as they can give them more and therefore hopefully sleep better but each to their own. I’m EBF but my view before my little one was born was if we can’t or we struggle etc then she will have formula, I really don’t understand why some people are so against it I find it odd if I’m honest. But I also won’t be breastfeeding until my little one is 2+ years old either as I just find that weird at that age. I may express bottles a little longer past 6 months if I haven’t had enough by then but if I manage to stick to the first 6 months I’ll be happy
with inflation and cost of living I think formula isn’t an easy option for some people. It’s super stressful to bf but formula would have a dent in our weekly budget
Some breastfed babies won't take a bottle (I had this issue with my first, we tried every day for 5 months). And then some babies have the opposite problem where the baby prefers bottle feeding and then refuses to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is combined with lots of hormones as well and as you said is really hard work so people feel protective over it and don't want to ruin it which I totally understand. I don't think anyone would actively starve their child but it's not always as simple as just topping up with formula.