A mum shares her emotionally loaded experience going from breast to bottle
Lily was born a whopping 10lbs 13 oz via an emergency c-section and from the get go she was one hungry girl.
I had next to no colostrum despite her furiously sucking away and using the pump in-between to stimulate my milk.Lily required formula top-ups even after my milk had come in.
I was the subject of disapproving looks even while still in hospital, but what could I do, let my child go hungry?
At home she would spend 20 minutes on each boob and STILL guzzle between 20 and 50ml after this.
I know that Breast is Best and I even purchased a Medela Swing before Lily was born, as I was heading back to work as a nurse after 3 months.
I was fully intending to breastfeed then using EBM once back at work, because it was all supposed to be easy(!)
It wasn’t until after the Christchurch earthquake that I realised the stress I was under from having to return to work full time so soon, and a natural disaster to boot, that my milk quality might not be good enough.
I agonised over the decision to give the boob the elbow in favour of the bottle, wondering if my child was going to grow horns, or if I was going to hell for choosing formula. But I did it, and I’m glad.
Lily is thriving, her reflux has improved and she is so much happier (and consequently so am I). I use Karricare Gold because I was told by the hospital it was the best, she seems to thoroughly enjoy it and I love that her Daddy can share in the awesome experience of feeding her too.
(pictured, medela bottles)
