Back to breast?... some help please!

Hello to all the lovely mums out there!
I need some help... I am feeling very bad about putting my baby on formula. He is only two weeks old, but after badly cracked nipples and some very painfull thrush I put him on formula last week. I was expressing and alternating him between breast milk and formula bottles - until three days ago when I stopped expressing altogether. Now I am wondering if I gave up too soon and if I should try breastfeeding again? Has anyone gone through the re-lactation process and returned their baby to the breast after formula? It is so hard to justify formula feeding when breast milk is promoted so much - and I am feeling like a failure. This is my first baby and I just want to be a good mum. Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Please excuse the lengthy message!
Bridget

Can I just ad... I suffer from depression, and the whole breastfeeding issue was making me tense, teary and feeling like I couldn't cope with my beautiful boy. I did not make the decision to go to formula lightly and am not sure I will be able to cope if I go back to breast - if it is even possible. I stopped medication as soon as I fell pregnant and am trying to avoid going back on pills with post-natal depression. I just hope that noone thinks I took the 'easy option' of formula feeding without a good reason.
Bridget

Bridget,
Don't feel so bad, bottle feeding does not make a bad mother. You obviously had difficulties and did what you had to do to get through. Like the others say, the ABA may be able to help if you wish to try going back to breast. If you have true depression talk to your doctor as someone else said, there are effective medications you can safely take while b/f, I did and if anything my 2nd was a happier baby LOL. Mum needs to feel OK if baby is to feel OK, it's so important for yours AND baby's wellbeing. In the long run if that means bottle feeding, then so be it and if it means taking medication for depression there's no harm in that either!
Do what feels righ for you guys and enjoy your little bloke.
x

Hi Bridget,

Firstly, stop beating yourself up! Have you heard of the first rule of any house "If Mum's happy, we're all happy"? Well, clearly breastfeeding is not making you happy. I don't know you, but I have a bit of experience with depression myself and I think the best thing for you to do is to keep bub on the formula and go back onto your medication. You will be happier, you won't be stressing over getting the breastfeeding thing working properly, bub will be well fed and there will be one less stress in your life. Yes, you can successfully return to breastfeeding. But if you're suffering through it already, why not make your life easier and stick with the formula. I now we are all made to feel that if we're not breastfeeding our bubs that we are failures as mothers. I breastfed my first up to 3 1/2 months, then put her on formula because I couldn't supply her with enough milk. She had stopped putting on weight. And guess what? The same thing happened with my second at about the same time. Both my bubs were partly breastfed, but mostly formula fed and they haven't grown two heads yet!

And you are obviously a good mum because you care enough to worry about whether you're doing the right thing for him by putting him on formula.

Please tell me you have stopped kicking yourself over this.

Cheers
Kate

Hi bridget. I had my little boy on the 11th of july this year. his my first. I got really stressed out in the hospital due to breastfeeding, a unsettled bub due to not getting enough and the midwifes telling me different things. I was giving my poor baby a dummy to stop him crying when he was hungry in the hospital. It was also painful to feed him due to him not attaching properly and him being attached and shaking his head OUCH!!! I went home from hospital on day 3 instead of day 4 like recommended. I tryed breastfeeding him that night to see if it could get better now that i was home and ended up ringing my mum at 3am in the morning to get some formula. I had really sore nipples and breast and I had to put up with a crying baby until 6am till a shop opened. I could luckily give him one more tiny breast feed to settle him a bit until my mum came with the formula. I felt bad at 1st about not breastfeeding but after he had most of the day on formula and i saw he was happy and sleeping I think it was the best thing i have ever done. He is healthy still except a small cold, and he also put on 80grams in one day (the 1st morning on formula) which was lucky as the midwifes were concern about his 290gram weight loss in hospital and i had to go back the 4th day (when he was 3 days old) and get his check over. He was weight when he was 5 days old (dressed weight so not sure what he put on) and then weighted again 13 days later and he put on 620grams. DONT FEEL BAD ABOUT FORMULA FEEDING BECAUSE YOUR BABY BEING HAPPY AND PUTTING ON WEIGHT IS MORE IMPORTANT THEN WHAT STUPID PEOPLE THINK ABOUT BREASTFEEDING AND PRESSURING EVERYONE TO BREASTFEED. I am more happier now, and so is my little man. Any chance you might be a young mum?? I'm only 18 myself. When i have another baby i will be formula feeding from day one!!!