A customer recently shared her breast and bottle feeding experience with us.
“I was unable to breast feed long term and stopped much to my disappointment after 6 long exhausting weeks.
My baby was 9lbs, two weeks late, very hungry and sucky and would feed for one to three hours at a time then scream uncontrollably for hours when I took her off and then only sleeping one or two hours in a 24 hour period.
She rarely pood and when she did its wasn’t the usual yellow with cottage cheese bits baby poo. Her stomach was so distended with gas that she screamed and doubled up in pain when she passed wind.
All the while she was dropping weight was totally over tired, grey in colour with big blue ring round her mouth.
After a lot of discussion my GP told me I only had fore milk the sugary stuff that gives them energy and was producing only tiny quantities of hind milk the rich creamy stuff that makes them put on weight and feel sleepy etc. So her stomach was like a brewery and it was basically like living on a diet of caffeine which is why she didn’t sleep.
I was so tired from feeding for such long stints, having no sleep that the thought of food made me feel sick all of which created a vicious cycle affecting my milk quality, production and let down.
On top of which after two weeks she was put in a hip brace which made feeding logistically difficult and left big welts on my breasts where it dug in. My GP advised to switch to formula.
I was devastated but relieved there was a reason and a solution. Her whole mood, sleep and weight changed within a week and I have never looked back.
She is now a healthy 9.8kg 7 month old crawling and walking around my living room furniture.
I truly hope to breastfeed again if we are blessed with more children.
My advice to anyone with feeding problems, keep talking to person after person until you find a solution that sits well with your family. “
From Emily
I really want to thank Emily for sharing this story with us. Its a refreshing change that someone came outright and told Emily to switch to formula, but it sounds like the right decision in this case. I take my ‘hat off’ to this mother for trying her best for a long time, and I’m pleased to read her baby is now healthy again. Emily has summed it up perfectly that you must find a solution that sits well with your family. Mother and baby need to be healthy!!
