
A couple years from now you will look back and wish you hadn't put yourself through so much pain and grief about this. I promise. Do what you feel is right and don't let what others say/do guilt you. |
I went through pretty much every painful ugly BF complication mentioned above. I wholly agree with the PPs who mentioned nipple shields. I was weeping and dripping blood when nursing my second son - nipple shields saved the day and I nurses him for a year. When my daughter was born and I again had mangled nipples, the nipple shield once again allowed me to continue nursing until my nipples toughened up and adjusted. I have nursed three kids now, and for each it was incredibly painful at the beginning. I think some of us just have especially sensitive nipples and it can take a while for that skin to get used to the "abuse" from nursing.
Good luck with your LC appointment, and good luck with whatever route you choose. |
23:18 here. Sometimes I really hate typing one handed on a tiny little phone. Above, "nurses" should be "nursed" - sorry. |
Not to hijack this post but a lot of the advice pertains to my situation as well. So if I want to quit bf, do I just stop bfing cold? How long does the milk take to dry up? Won't it be extremely uncomfortable not to release the pressure in the breasts? |
I just want to say that I had a relatively easy time of breastfeeding and I STILL didn't really like it. I stuck with it for 8 months (6 months with no supplementation) and honestly, it never really got better for me. It was never magical and I always felt semi-trapped and a bit resentful. I had a lot of guilt though, that's for sure. I felt like such a schmuck for having those feelings. Looking back, I think I was too hard on myself and I put my whole family through too much drama. Don't feel guilty OP and make the decision that's going to make you the best mom possible and keep your beautiful family as happy as possible. |
Oy -- I had all the same problems, so I'm sure you've figured out from the PPs that you're not alone, but I'll reiterate. One thing I appreciated hearing from an LC (most of their advice wasn't helpful to me) was that fair-skinned, redheaded people sometimes are more sensitive to this pain. Not sure if that pertains to you, obviously.
I managed to pump and bank a bunch of BM before I quit at 4 months or so, so that might be an option for you if you'll be returning to work. In retrospect, I should have quit sooner and enjoyed my daughter more. She had a combo of pumped, "fresh", and formula for her first 6 mos, then exclusively FF. She's now 14 mo, has been sick maybe twice despite being in daycare, and can read half the alphabet. Don't sweat the long-term "consequences." Really. |
I had the same type of pain with my second ... it was because his mouth was so small when he was born, and because he had a tongue-tie (which didn't affect his ability to nurse, but probably affected how painful it was for me). Bleeding nipples and the whole works. I had moments where I wanted to quit, but BF was too important to me because of the myriad increased health risks associated with formula feeding, both for the baby and for me. So I took a ton of ibuprofen and stuck it out. This is something that each individual has to weigh for herself. The first few weeks often SUCK (no pun intended!) but it does get better if you can hold out for a few more weeks. Supplementing is a vicious cycle -- you will never bring in a full supply if you supplement unless you wean off the supplements. But again, it's just about whether or not that is important to you.
I've always thought that the bonding aspect of breastfeeding is overstated, and I never experienced it as "magical." It was a health decision for me, pure and simple -- otherwise I wouldn't have pumped when I back to work so I didn't have to use formula. (I found pumping tedious and stressful.) For some, it is a financial decision; for one friend of mine, she chose to do it because for her it was "easier" and more convenient (not having a bunch of bottle paraphenalia to deal with -- she was SAH with her daughter). Evaluate based on your values and priorities and decide accordingly. |
My thoughts...
Breastfeeding sucks pretty much for EVERYBODY the first week or so (really for the first 3-4 weeks IMO). Go see a LC. Try to stick with it for a month. If it still sucks, then don't feel about about giving up. When people talk about how easy it is and great it is, we are almost all universally talking about BF once we've gotten a hang of it, when the baby is bigger. It then truly is easier and faster. But don't kill yourself trying to make it work if it won't. Good luck. |
BF didn't get better for me until about week 6, and wasn't pain-free until closer to weeks 8-10. What helped was: DS learning better how to suck, DS's mouth growing wider, and learning how better to position him on my breast. Only time can take care of the first 2 issues, so hang in there if you want to BF. ITA with 11:04 (PP).
That said, formula is definitely not the end of the world. |