With my first I so badly wanted to breastfeed, I didn’t have the proper help and I was quite traumatized after birth I didn’t have it mentally inside of me. We also decided that because if we do formula my partner can help more often. Then the formula shortage hit and I can’t tell you how absolutely bad my anxiety was and how often I’d cry over feeling I had failed my baby. Formula tends to receive a lot of backlash so do moms who use it.

Now pregnant with my second baby and I told myself I’d never do formula again after experiencing as much as I did but I continuously see just things that make me rethink it. My friend who had her first a week ago and is EBF doesn’t get much sleep, baby doesn’t want to leave her chest, she now co sleeps because that’s the only way baby will sleep, her partner can’t help. My partners cousin says how alone she felt. My other friend has a 2 year old who refuses anything but boob, he won’t sleep on his own bed, even if we’re out in public he does not care and pulls her boob straight out which really bothers her.

I’m just struggling, I’m scared. With my baby and formula feeding it didn’t seem as if she was THAT attached to me like the breastfed babies are and I was able to get 45 minutes-1hr of sleep when she was a newborn and it felt like a better routine. Whereas with breastfeeding it’s on call, partner can’t help, lose more sleep, I’m scared it’s going to hurt again because I had no idea what I was doing nor did I have that help. Please just words of encouragement or positive stories would be lovely 😔