Breast Feeding was not for me

I know this will come as a big shock to everyone, BUT yes, I tried breast feeding. I know, I was always saying Never Ever will I even try it. So OK I saw that little face and I caved! Once the lactation lady showed us what to do it was easy, no problems. Then of course the lack of sleep set in, my nipples cracked and all and I thought I was finally getting over all that. I went and bought a pump, I actually liked that cause daddy could help out then. BUT I had breastfed all day and I was going to pump a bottle or two for daddy for the night time feeding and my milk was PINK!! It was bloody! Scared the shit out of me! And he had eaten this all day. And my boob, hurt so bad!! They just felt like they were on fire, the inside the nipples were fine. IDK what the hell it was. Anyway, I didn't feed him that and saved it, the next morning you could see the blood coagulated in the bottom of the bottle. Then it seemed like overnight my milk supply went way down and it just wasnt satifying him. He ate for over an hour on Friday night, then 1 hour later was starving!! After a day of this, and the major pain in my breast I decided this is just not for us. I enjoyed it, and actually the things I thought would bother me the most about breastfeeding really didn't.
He actually seems to like the formula much better. Seems to satify him so I guess he is a formula baby now. I feel like I failed, I just don't see how people do it, IT was so hard for me. Well he got it for the first 2 weeks, got the most important stuff. Good luck to all you new mommies going thru this, my hat's off to you!!
BTW he was gaining weight, at his 2 week he weighed 6 lbs, he weighed 5lb3oz when we left the hospital.

i tried and couldnt make it work 2 times so dont feel bad... im just gonna bottle feed this time and save myself the extra stress...

OMG i cringed in pain thinking about this!!!

I pumped for the first 2 months of my sons life, my milk supply was decreasing and finally i was given the OK to bf him directly... i only do it 2-3 times a day, but like you... even after an hour of bfing him, he still seems hungry so i make a baba for him.

eh, it happens.

I tried so hard to bf my first but he was what they called a 'lazy sucker'. I was nearly out of my mind trying to pump for him when I finally gave up and went to formula. I felt like a failure for soooooo long but one day I finally realized- it doesn't matter how he got nourished, it matters that he did get nourished. And he is now a very healthy and happy and well-adjusted little 4 1/2 y/o guy so obviously he missed nothing by not being breastfed.

This time around, I will attempt bf-ing but if it doesn't work out right away I am going to formula with no regrets.  

It was not for me either. When I was inthe hospital she had no problem latching on and the lactation consultant was impressed. Then I got home and it suddenly wasn't so easy anymore. I was exhausted from lack of sleep. My nipples were so sore and when she would latch on it felt like her gums were razor blades. I was in tears one night. Then I could not get her to latch on correctly at all anymore. More milk went down my side then in her mouth and she was never getting full. I tried for a week and no improvements. I was worried she wasn't eating enough (even with me pumping) so I starting mixing in formula. She has done so much better. She sleeps longer and I can now moniter how much she eats to make sure she's eating enough. Breastfeeding was too much work for me and even when I pumped I could barely get 2oz in a bottle. I am going back to work in a few weeks (she'll be 6 weeks old) so it will probaly work out for the best. If I was going to be a stay at home mom I probaly would have put more of an effort into it and called the consultant again for more advice. But with her being in daycare, the formula feedings will be easier on all. But I know what you mean, I felt like a failure too. When I told my husband I was going to stop breastfeeding I was in tears. But now I see it is for the better. Plus... I was a formula baby as well as my husband. We turned out fine. We have no allergies and are not sickly people. So I know she'll be fine too.

Quoting Joseph & Ben's Mommy!!:“ I know this will come as a big shock to everyone, BUT yes, I tried breast feeding. I know, I was always ... [snip!] ... my hat's off to you!! BTW he was gaining weight, at his 2 week he weighed 6 lbs, he weighed 5lb3oz when we left the hospital.”

Atleast you tried!   There is nothing wrong with feeding a baby formula!

Well its not for some people it wasnt for me either i just couldnt make enough and having 2 kids that are 2 and 4 it was to exhausting to take care of them and pump all hours of the day. Some ppl can make it work some cant all you can say is that you tried and what he did get was great and it was a good start.

Quoting Joseph & Ben's Mommy!!:“ I know this will come as a big shock to everyone, BUT yes, I tried breast feeding. I know, I was always ... [snip!] ... my hat's off to you!! BTW he was gaining weight, at his 2 week he weighed 6 lbs, he weighed 5lb3oz when we left the hospital.”

I tried too with my son.. it didnt work with us either.. he wouldnt latch on right, he took the tip of my nipple and from that it would cause sores and cuts and i too bled.. formula works for us.. and my son is healthy.. hes 6 months old and 20 lbs.. so you have to do what works for you and your son..
i beat myself up STILL sometimes that i couldnt BF but..hey.. it didnt work for us... and thats okay.. thats what i gotta keep remidning myself..
And when I did pump, I wouldnt get much, I litereally had to squeeze my boobs to get more and that shit hurt.. =(

It happens, don't feel like a failure. I know the thought of him nursing with your breasts bleeding is icky but it really didn't hurt him. Also sometime around 10 days old they experience a growth spurt so it's very possible that he was just having a growth spurt...when my dd was 10 days exactly is when she hit hers....and yeah she did nurse for ever! lol I bf for 13 months and have every intention of bf my next as well but I don't judge or look down on or think of anyone as a 'failure' just because they don't make it as a breastfeeder. You tried, it's ok that it didn't work out.

I tried to but he didn't like it and neither did I. LoL

At least you tried, that's all that matters.

Quoting Joseph & Ben's Mommy!!:“ I know this will come as a big shock to everyone, BUT yes, I tried breast feeding. I know, I was always ... [snip!] ... my hat's off to you!! BTW he was gaining weight, at his 2 week he weighed 6 lbs, he weighed 5lb3oz when we left the hospital.”

He went through a growth spurt, that's why you felt like you weren't producing enough. They hit their first one around 2-3 weeks. Your supply doesn't even fully come in til about 4-6 weeks PP. You should have stuck it out. But then again I don;t know since the milk was pink with blood, did you call your doctor? You might have a yeast infection in your breast. If your baby had thrush when he was born, then he could have been transfering it to you when he fed.

Quoting Kahla [Kiley's Mommy]:“ He went through a growth spurt, that's why you felt like you weren't producing enough. They hit their ... [snip!] ... infection in your breast. If your baby had thrush when he was born, then he could have been transfering it to you when he fed.”

Actually it's not uncommon for your breasts to bleed a little bit if/when they become cracked...my dd spit up and there was blood in it when she was less than a week old...I about flipped out...but it was from my cracked boobs...I never had any infections.

Quoting Kahla [Kiley's Mommy]:“ He went through a growth spurt, that's why you felt like you weren't producing enough. They hit their ... [snip!] ... infection in your breast. If your baby had thrush when he was born, then he could have been transfering it to you when he fed.”

Oh yes he has!! He was eating 2 oz per feeding, on both breast milk and then formula, well today he is taking almost 4oz!!
I talked to the lactation lady, she said I should be making about 19-30 oz per day, I was not, I was only able to make at the most about 16-18 oz per day, I just wasn't making enough. It would take me a 1/2 hour to get 2 oz. and that was usually all I could get at a sitting.

Quoting Trilla:“ Actually it's not uncommon for your breasts to bleed a little bit if/when they become cracked...my dd ... [snip!] ... in it when she was less than a week old...I about flipped out...but it was from my cracked boobs...I never had any infections.”

Wow, I guess I just got lucky.