Considering stopping breastfeeding

In my opinion fed is best. It doesn’t matter if it’s breast milk or formula, as long as your baby gets fed!!! I understand your point of view, but your baby will benefit more from a stress free mama, and if you think that stopping would lead you in that direction then do it without guilt ❤️ I am an EBF mama too, struggling as well in our breastfeeding journey, but so long as ky baby is healthy and happy then I would do whatever I think would be best for me and my baby, no matter what other people think..! Go with your gut 💕

I've been EBF my little boy until last week where we started to introduce a bottle of formula a day (if/when we had the opportunity) as I've been thinking the same. I've enjoyed breastfeeding him but it has been rather painful and draining at times. My only issue/concern is my little boy is used to getting fed pretty much instantly and when transitioning to more formula is going to have to wait for it to be done so will scream the house down 🙈 he doesn't take a dummy either so soothing might also be difficult but either way we've got this x

That sounds like a really hard and awful journey so far. You are so amazing for feeding through it and making it to 2 months. Any days/weeks being breastfed is beneficial. Though a happy mum is the most beneficial to baby so if it’s really impacting heavily then you need to make the best choice for you. You wouldn’t be letting down your baby. Having said that, you have just made it through the hardest months and with added hardness with the medical complications. I had a tough start to my first BF journey too. Every day in the beginning I thought how can I keep doing this. But ended up EBF for 13 months (and now again it’s tough but better second time round). Anyways my point is from 2/3 months it’s started to get better and by 4+ months it was so easy! It really did change. Babies feed so much quicker. Never any faff with bottles or making up formula. It’s not an easy decision and the right one is what’s best for you. You are already a superstar whatever the choice.

Its really personal Hun, you've done amazingly so far. I would say that after baby is 3 months old it gets MUCH easier to BF and it's the easiest feeding method at that point for most people ie you don't have to plan or sterilise etc. You don't even think about it, it becomes second nature (like driving). I feel like you've invested so much and might miss the pay-out if you stop completely now. That said if it's affecting your mental health or anything then maybe think about stopping, it's totally your choice

It sounds like you’ve had a really tough time and you should genuinely be proud of yourself for sticking it out this far. I understand why you would feel guilty, we all want the best for our little ones but truth be told, a happy mum = happy baby. How would you feel about sticking it out for another month or whatever you feel is best. Have a set date and up until then, BF your little one as well as express as much as you can. Then whenever you reach that date, you’ll hopefully have a good breastmilk reserve so you won’t worry about your baby not getting the same nutritional value of breast milk. Do what’s best for you, you’re doing great and no matter what you decide to do, your baby will be healthy and happy.

I have always formula fed my daughter and still feel a strong connection and closeness when feeding her 🩷 put yourself first! It’s more important that’s she has a happy healthy momma over breastmilk x

You've done an amazing job getting to 2 months! I found it so hard and only managed 2 weeks. I felt terrible, like I had really let my baby down, but now I very much believe fed is best. I am in a much better place now, and that is better for baby. And I love how when bottle feeding baby just stares lovingly into your eyes, really helps the bond! Health professionals are very pro breastfeeding, but I've found every one I've told I've stopped has been super supportive and helpful - not judgy at all! Could be worth giving the NCT feeding line a call? They can talk you through the different ways you can transition to formula so you've got all the info on possible routes to help you make a decision.

Your journey sounds very similar to mine with my first born - I also had mastitis and a nasty abscess - I’m sorry you went through it too :( I also felt horribly guilty for giving up as society puts so much pressure on breast feeding but I knew I needed to for the sake of my mental health. Whatever you decide to do just remember that a healthy and happy mummy is the main thing as that has a huge impact on your LO- breast milk is amazing but so is formula so she will be well fed whichever route you decide to take :)