Giving up on breastfeeding

Kelly
Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I planned on breastfeeding. I knew it would be difficult but as we have all been told "breast is best". But, ever since my baby was born, it has been a struggle. My baby was born three weeks early when I had to be induced due to high blood pressure. From the start, she never showed much interest in breastfeeding. In the hospital, she would latch on and fall asleep. I spent most of our breastfeeding time trying to re-latch her and/or wake her up. Finally, I talked to a nurse about it and we made the decision to supplement with formula. I met with a lactation consultant and followed her advice, but things stayed the same. When I got home from the hospital, I decided to exclusively pump and supplement. Another problem I was having was a low supply. I have tried various ways to increase supply (more water, fenugreek, lactation cookies) but at nearly three weeks postpartum, the best I can yield per pump session is 2-3 ounces. My husband and I are now taking about switching exclusively to formula. This makes me feel like a failure. But at the same time, it sounds like such a relief. I feel like right now, I am trying to force my body to do something it can't do. I think it might be good for my wellbeing to sleep instead of late night pump sessions and to no longer stress over increasing my output. Has anyone else experienced something similar? What approach did you take?

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