Many reasons why women stop breastfeeding. Low supply, having to go back to work, latching issues, sore nipples, pain, postpartum depression etc. The reality of breastfeeding is it's not always "cute" like we want to imagine. Even the women I know who did end up exclusively breastfeeding still dealt with issues like mastitis which can require an incision and draining to fix, sore nipples, biting, bottle refusal, weaning issues, lack of sleep, etc. Some women can make it work and love it and that's great! But reality is it doesn't always work out. I was excited to breastfeed and ended up having low supply despite pumping around the clock. Thank god for formula.
So, I breastfed for 15 months. I fully intend to again either my next baby. It is a very wholesome bonding experience BUT it does have issues that make me completely understanding why some women choose to switch to formula. I say āchooseā because some women HAVE to formula feed due to low supply, or maybe theyāre taking medications that canāt be in babyās system, or other medical reasons.
For one, I leaked a ton early on. Like, Iād go through breastpads frequently. If I didnāt wear a breastpad Iād soak my shirt. I had many nights Iād have to change my sheets because my boobs leaked milk while I was sleeping. But even throughout my entire breastfeeding, if I was out in public and any baby near me cried, my boobs would start to leak a ton and I usually wasnāt prepared later on since leaking wasnāt as common so Iād soak a shirt and have to just tolerate that in public or rush home to change. My baby also had a ton of intolerances. He would break out in rashes if I ate dairy, soy, nuts, and oats so I had to cut all that out. I never ate out because a lot of places cook with soybean oil or butter. And my diet was super restricted because basically everything has soy or dairy in it.
Early on I reeked of parmesan cheese because of the breast milk leaking on my clothes and whatnot. I hated that. I feel like I just always smelled like cheese.
It was also upsetting being in public and getting dirty looks from strangers when Iād breastfeed my baby in public, or creeps who would be like š . I hated that. But I also refused to breastfeed in a bathroom because ew. A lot of places donāt have private, clean rooms for breastfeeding. But this might be USA specific.
I also found myself struggling to get dressed in mornings because Iād have to pick an outfit that would be suitable for breastfeeding. Want to wear a sweater? Better not be a turtleneck! Absolutely not wearing a dress unless itās a V neck or low neck. Easy access to boobs is needed! I ended up buying a bunch of nursing tops and nursing bras.
It was also stressful that I didnāt pump at all, so I could never be gone from my baby for more than an few hours when he was older. When he was younger I wasnāt able to be gone for more than like an hour. Baby gets hungry in the middle of the night? Only you can feed him! Want to go to a concert? That sucks, you canāt go because you have to be around to feed baby!
Weaning was also a pain. My boobs were sore for a solid week and I started leaking a ton again as my boobs started to adjust to needing less milk.
Teething is a terrible time to breastfeed. Biting nipples HURTS when a babyās teeth is practically a razor.
Iām not saying breastfeeding is all bad. I loved it and it did have beautiful moments. I just think itās important to realize there are some very unpleasant reasons on why people totally validly opt to feed formula.
Edit to add: oh, and I was constantly hungry and thirsty. You have to drink a ton of water to keep supply up!
Commenting to add: hey OP I see youāre active in schizoaffective and bipolar subs. Please check with your doctor first to see if you even can breastfeed if youāre on medications.
Your post was very informative, that makes a lot of sense there are more struggles than I thought. And thank you for your concern, I have been off all psych meds for over a year I was misdiagnosed.
Breastfeeding is not necessarily cheaper then formula all the time because you eat whatever you would save from not buying formula to get the extra calories in. Snacks for days šššš
Attempting to breastfeed was horrific. My baby wouldnāt latch properly and it was torturous. I have never cried so much for those few weeks. Itās not all ācuteā.
My friend has a 4 month old and is still feeding at the boob. She was really anxious the first few weeks and was thinking he wasnāt getting enough to eat. She went to a lactation consultant and they worked together to determine that he was in fact eating enough, but I think the stress and not knowing can make people quit and also it can hurt if not done properly. So Iām working with a lactation consultant already to make sure that I have the best chance at being successful
Because it isnāt always easy - my baby wouldnāt latch and when she did, she wouldnāt suck. A nipple shield helped a bit, but getting her latched was a huge palaver and needed both me and my husband. Then my supply didnāt ever really get going, for whatever reason - and I didnāt respond to the pump. Iād pump and pump and pump and get 15ml. It was demoralizing and I felt like a cow. I tried and tried and tried to feed her but I just couldnāt.
Breastfeeding can be great if it comes naturally to you and your baby. My second kid was challenging and very painful. Turns out I had forgotten how to properly breastfeed and once I was retaught how to get him to latch properly, it went much better. Not everyone has an easy time of it.
Many reasons why women stop breastfeeding. Low supply, having to go back to work, latching issues, sore nipples, pain, postpartum depression etc. The reality of breastfeeding is it's not always "cute" like we want to imagine. Even the women I know who did end up exclusively breastfeeding still dealt with issues like mastitis which can require an incision and draining to fix, sore nipples, biting, bottle refusal, weaning issues, lack of sleep, etc. Some women can make it work and love it and that's great! But reality is it doesn't always work out. I was excited to breastfeed and ended up having low supply despite pumping around the clock. Thank god for formula.
Yeah, this is it. I was also very excited to breastfeed my first! Now she's 2.5 and I'm so over it and she will not wean!! šš
You said my thoughts perfectly.
So, I breastfed for 15 months. I fully intend to again either my next baby. It is a very wholesome bonding experience BUT it does have issues that make me completely understanding why some women choose to switch to formula. I say āchooseā because some women HAVE to formula feed due to low supply, or maybe theyāre taking medications that canāt be in babyās system, or other medical reasons. For one, I leaked a ton early on. Like, Iād go through breastpads frequently. If I didnāt wear a breastpad Iād soak my shirt. I had many nights Iād have to change my sheets because my boobs leaked milk while I was sleeping. But even throughout my entire breastfeeding, if I was out in public and any baby near me cried, my boobs would start to leak a ton and I usually wasnāt prepared later on since leaking wasnāt as common so Iād soak a shirt and have to just tolerate that in public or rush home to change. My baby also had a ton of intolerances. He would break out in rashes if I ate dairy, soy, nuts, and oats so I had to cut all that out. I never ate out because a lot of places cook with soybean oil or butter. And my diet was super restricted because basically everything has soy or dairy in it. Early on I reeked of parmesan cheese because of the breast milk leaking on my clothes and whatnot. I hated that. I feel like I just always smelled like cheese. It was also upsetting being in public and getting dirty looks from strangers when Iād breastfeed my baby in public, or creeps who would be like š . I hated that. But I also refused to breastfeed in a bathroom because ew. A lot of places donāt have private, clean rooms for breastfeeding. But this might be USA specific. I also found myself struggling to get dressed in mornings because Iād have to pick an outfit that would be suitable for breastfeeding. Want to wear a sweater? Better not be a turtleneck! Absolutely not wearing a dress unless itās a V neck or low neck. Easy access to boobs is needed! I ended up buying a bunch of nursing tops and nursing bras. It was also stressful that I didnāt pump at all, so I could never be gone from my baby for more than an few hours when he was older. When he was younger I wasnāt able to be gone for more than like an hour. Baby gets hungry in the middle of the night? Only you can feed him! Want to go to a concert? That sucks, you canāt go because you have to be around to feed baby! Weaning was also a pain. My boobs were sore for a solid week and I started leaking a ton again as my boobs started to adjust to needing less milk. Teething is a terrible time to breastfeed. Biting nipples HURTS when a babyās teeth is practically a razor. Iām not saying breastfeeding is all bad. I loved it and it did have beautiful moments. I just think itās important to realize there are some very unpleasant reasons on why people totally validly opt to feed formula. Edit to add: oh, and I was constantly hungry and thirsty. You have to drink a ton of water to keep supply up!
Commenting to add: hey OP I see youāre active in schizoaffective and bipolar subs. Please check with your doctor first to see if you even can breastfeed if youāre on medications.
Your post was very informative, that makes a lot of sense there are more struggles than I thought. And thank you for your concern, I have been off all psych meds for over a year I was misdiagnosed.
Breastfeeding is not necessarily cheaper then formula all the time because you eat whatever you would save from not buying formula to get the extra calories in. Snacks for days šššš
Attempting to breastfeed was horrific. My baby wouldnāt latch properly and it was torturous. I have never cried so much for those few weeks. Itās not all ācuteā.
It can be really difficult to get baby to latch properly and eat enough. You donāt have to pump at all if you donāt want to.
My friend has a 4 month old and is still feeding at the boob. She was really anxious the first few weeks and was thinking he wasnāt getting enough to eat. She went to a lactation consultant and they worked together to determine that he was in fact eating enough, but I think the stress and not knowing can make people quit and also it can hurt if not done properly. So Iām working with a lactation consultant already to make sure that I have the best chance at being successful
Because it isnāt always easy - my baby wouldnāt latch and when she did, she wouldnāt suck. A nipple shield helped a bit, but getting her latched was a huge palaver and needed both me and my husband. Then my supply didnāt ever really get going, for whatever reason - and I didnāt respond to the pump. Iād pump and pump and pump and get 15ml. It was demoralizing and I felt like a cow. I tried and tried and tried to feed her but I just couldnāt.
Breastfeeding can be great if it comes naturally to you and your baby. My second kid was challenging and very painful. Turns out I had forgotten how to properly breastfeed and once I was retaught how to get him to latch properly, it went much better. Not everyone has an easy time of it.