I tried to nurse with my son and honestly I hated every minute of it. He wasn't very cooperative and I was supplimenting formula too since he was jaundis. After about a week, we gave up and switched to all formula and I felt liberated. This time, I have decided not to nurse at all. I just don't think it is for me. I am getting a lot of annoying comments from people about it though. I really think it should be a personal choice and people should just stay out of it. I am not arguing the breast milk is better. However, Wesley was formula feed since a week old and he is never sick. Even when he started preschool this Fall, I thought for sure he would start catching stuff, but nope. He has had one cold since he started school in September.

Hon, I'm sorry that nursing wasn't enjoyable for you. The first week of it wasn't all that great for me either! Maybe some people felt that you got all the bad parts and weren't able to enjoy the good and that's why they're encouraging you to try again, I don't know. I doubt if they're trying to irritate you. It's all probably offered with good intentions.

I think that something about pregnant women prompts people to offer unsolicited advice. If it's not about nursing, then it'll be about something else.

If you've checked out everything and that is your final decision then just smile and move on and don't worry too much about other people's opinions. They'll always have them! :)

Good luck with your pregnancy!

Julie...bottle vs. breast...what is best....what is best is what is all around best for YOU! I totally mimic your words, I HATED breastfeeding and supplemented from day one and switched to formula only with both boys after 1 week due to jaundice and not producing enough....and even if I had been able to produce enough....it was NOT a healthy thing emotionally for me! It totally stressed me and I hated every creepy second of it....
breastfeeding is a wonderful thing for babies and for many Moms and I congratulate anyone who is successful and happy doing it for themselves and their kiddos....but it is not the wisest choice for everyone. You have to do what is best for all of you! Just ignore those ignorant comments, I did....

Thanks for the encouraging words!

I can totally identify with your post. I had a very hard time nursing due to inverted nippples. I tried everything I could and I still had a hard time getting my boys to latch on without the shield. I did however manage to give mt 1st ds 3months of breastmilk and my 2nd 5 months. I pumped like crazy and also nursed as much as I could. It was very hard work but looking back also rewarding. I wouldn't change it, but I too feel that if I had another baby I would probably not breastfeed the next time?
Honestly you have to do what works for you. You need to be healthy emotionally and mentally too and happy about what your doing! I too was starting to get miserable, was exhausted from all the pumping and just wasn't enjoying it anymore. With 1st ds I had awful guilt over it, but with the 2nd I was able to let it go a little better.
I wish you all the best and also confidence in knowing you are doing the right thing.
Sounds like you have been given some nice encouragement from the other ladies too!

ok, first off...forgive me...mommy brain? I'm slow?
But when was the pg announcement? LOL Seriously. If it was a while ago and I never responded, I'm so sorry and a belated congratulations coming your way. If you had posted and I did respond, then I plead mommy brain, I had completely forgotten.

Anywho...

Sorry to hear you had a rough time nursing previously. As you know I am a huge bf advocate and want to encourage that as much as possible. But I understand some just have real difficulties with it..for whatever reasons (physical, emotional, etc.) and I am sorry to hear that.
I wish I could give you the desire. I wish I could make it all go smoothly for you.
But, I can't. So, I just give you best wishes and a 'good job' for doing what you feel is *the* best option for *you*. :)




*I hope this post was taken as the positive encouragement it was meant to be :) *

I've enjoyed nursing 3 out of 4 of my little ones. I'm sorry to hear that it was harder for you. Yup, the unsolicited advice gets old- really fast. Honestly I think it's common about lots of choices like breast vs. bottle, working vs. staying home, spanking vs. not, etc. You should have heard some of what I've had to listen to from others because we've decided to begin homeschooling! Bottom line is that you're the one who has to do the feeding and it's definitely your decision. Although I've found lots of benefits from b.f ing my girls I can honestly say that our one bottle fed babe did just fine. She was quite healthy and quite happy and still is (almost twelve years later). IMO, a content mom goes a long way towards a content baby!

With my DD I nursed her for the first two weeks (substituting formula occasionally) and I agree with you. I didn't feel comfortable nursing (even with a blanket) in public so it made it very difficult to go out. I found that I had people giving me unsolicited advise no matter what I did. If I nursed I was told that it was inconvenient since I worked outside the home and if I gave formula then I was told to nurse. In the end I had to tell one lady to just back off unless she wanted to wet-nurse FOR me! LOL!

I am right there with you. I tried nursing my third, who is now 3 weeks old. It was the most painful thing I have ever been through. There were difficulties with him latching on and I tried everything they showed me but nothing worked. My toes literally curled up in pain when he tried to nurse. It got so bad I had a panic attack in the middle of the night when he was 5 days old. My husband said that's it, he's going on the bottle. Our first two are healthy as horses and they were bottle feed. In my heart I did feel guilty for not being able to nurse. I felt it should have been natural but for me it wasn't. I prayed for God to help me and realizied ultimately my children's health is in God's hands. I can try to do all I can to make sure they are healthy but it's up to God and God is so big there is nothing He can't take care of.

I commend every woman who can breastfeed. It was a wonderful experience the few times it "worked" for us.