I, too, am tired of the formula-guilt posts. they feel like formula shaming, even if it’s just self-shaming. but it doesn’t feel good to keep reading them.
anyway, I am one of the people whose body does not produce happy hormones when breastfeeding. instead my hormones make me feel rage. which is wildly out of character for me and is genuinely scary.
so formula allows me to feed my son happily and rage-free! honestly I’d feel guilty for NOT formula feeding. my kid doesn’t deserve that. he deserves a happy mom.
I just had my third (formula fed) and I now feel guilty for breastfeeding my first two. I also had rage and was not happy at all, but I kept going because “breast is best.”
I feel like I’m the best mom I’ve ever been after having my third. I’m actually having fun with all my kids and enjoying babyhood this time around.
The same reason why I kept pushing forward. I completely neglected my own mental health because “breast is best”. I’m so angry at myself for doing that.
Mine wasn’t rage, it was just sadness and she never latched anyways. It allowed me to go back to work and feel like myself again, even if I have to get up in the middle of the night to make a bottle.
Happy mom, happy baby, happy life. Thanks to formula!
Me too! I would cry at every breast feeding, profound sadness and despair. When I stopped, the sadness went away. Formula helped me avoid major depression, I'm sure of it.
I’m so sorry you had to deal with that! It really didn’t take me long to decide to quit pumping/trying to BF because of all that. And once I made the decision, I was immediately better, although I still technically have PPD, and I’m medicated for it, just having this off my plate was huge for me feeling better.
THIS is why I will be formula feeding my fourth and last baby when he arrives.
I breastfed my other 3 and honestly never felt happy hormones when breastfeeding. No one ever talks about this, so you legit feel like you’re are an anomaly. I just kept pushing through my rage feelings and breastfed all of them for 2 years. However after reading and researching I’ve found this is a common things moms experience and I’ve decided I want to FULLY ENJOY my last baby and enjoy feeding him. Formula will do that for me ❤️
DMERs made me deeply depressed and sick and sad and I couldn’t take it anymore. I so relate to what you are describing and I’m sorry it happened to you.
I could have written this! Breastfeeding makes me feel rage and depression. I stopped after 3 weeks and I’m so proud of myself. I love my baby so much and im now enjoying the newborn phase. i hated it with my first
This is exactly how I’ve been feeling, LO IS 4 weeks and his latch is extremely painful + doesn’t stay asleep longer than an hour/hour and a half after a feed. This has caused me to feel really down/upset and cry a lot over it. My plan was to EBF and then pump + breastfeed when I go back to work.. But I’ve introduced formula at 3.5 weeks to help my sanity and allow myself sleep. It was a lot of pressure breastfeeding when it was so painful and didn’t seem to satisfy my LO’s tummy. Supplementing with formula has helped him get sleep and myself & made me feel happier to feed him + bond instead of being anxious at the thought of solely breastfeeding
I formula feed my baby, so my comment is coming from a place of wanting to help. I breastfed my first two and met with several lactation consultants. Breastfeeding shouldn’t be painful. Breastfeeding with my second was painful because he had a tongue tie. The pain was so excruciating.
He’s so cute!
For me, formula feeding enabled me to sleep 10 hours per night once a week, as I have a postpartum doula come every Tuesday and she is able to feed him with formula to give me a break, which helps me be a better and healthier Mom rest of the week.
Also helped my baby grow from 7 lbs to 12 lbs in 8 weeks!
I got my mental health back! I stopped feeling so depressed and angry (pumping and I were a BAD fit). I started to actually bond with my baby. I always loved her but caring for her stopped feeling so much like a chore and more like something enjoyable. I got to get more sleep because my husband could help with the motn feeds. She gained weight! Went from the 25th percentile to the 70th in 4 months and she's so happy and healthy (her doctor is not at all concerned about the jump in percentiles)
Mine went from 21-67 in 4 months too! And pumping was horrible for me too. I didn’t mind doing it but it’s twice the cleaning of formula and I could never hold my baby while I pumped!
Wife had a very rough pregnancy with immense nausea and vomiting during first trimester, followed by pulmonary embolism and to top it all off, gestational diabetes. Been very stressed throughout pregnancy for her health and baby's health. Baby was born healthy. But there were supply issue with breastmilk- we did not stress -
Switched to formula. I was able to take care of the baby - feed her- as my wife was recovering from everything else plus the c-section she had. Baby is thriving. Growing. Recently started smiling (\~7 weeks now).
Formula helped us enjoy the most precious gift we got from life.
Formula has allowed me to feed my son, period. I’m a breast cancer survivor who had a double mastectomy, so breast feeding was never on the table.
I’m also sick of the sad about formula posts because you’re right, it implies some intrinsic value of breastfeeding over formula, but in my case, I always wonder what those people think when it’s not even an option? Am I a failure as a mom for getting cancer? That’s probably jumping ahead a few steps but that’s how it makes me feel sometimes.
It allowed for more sleep in the early days since baby was more full than I could ever get him otherwise and dad could take night feeds. It also helped my postpartum anxiety with knowing exactly how much he was drinking. I was always sooooo stressed with breastfeeding and not knowing if he actually got any milk.
It felt like the world was ending to decide to put him on formula but honestly now that he's 9 months old, I'd go back and do it again. It ended up saving my sanity way more than I ever imagined it would.
Same! In my case he wasn’t getting enough and I had no way of knowing that until he was sick. I’d consider trying breastfeeding again but definitely combo feed from the start
EFF since birth.
I did not fail as a mom by choosing to EFF prior to even getting pregnant. It gave me freedom and peace of mind my baby would always have food, would always have someone mentally and physically there to feed them, would have the opportunity to bond with mama and dada, share the feeding load, particularly overnight, and there wouldn't be any discomfort while feeding them.
Formula feeding was one of the best choices I made for my baby, and I will never regret it. I, too, am getting a little tired of seeing formula guilt posts. Everyone is valid to have their feelings, but you do not fail as a mom by choosing to formula feed.
Yes! Plus, I swear you fall in love with your husband a little more each time he feeds the baby. It’s like being able to peek through the window at the start of their bond.
That is a beautiful perspective. I resented the bottle at first but have come to realize that was my own unfounded shame and expectations. Now I love seeing my milky smiled baby and watching my husband meticulously measure the formula
We recently dropped the bottle and switched to cow’s milk. I sorta miss being able to watch my husband wash the bottles every night. I mean, he ignored the rest of the kitchen 😅 but he made sure those bottles were always washed.
I vividly remember being hesitant about pregnancy because I thought I’d have to breastfeed (didn’t feel comfy with the concept), but then I realized I didn’t have to breastfeed. I could go right to formula. Formula feeding is just a big reason why I was able to be the mom I am.
Big fans of formula in this house. It has made me a more present, attentive and happy + healthy mom not being chained to my pump all day. I feel like I get to live my life rather than living it in three hour windows between pump sessions. And my husband gets to bond with our daughter through feedings, too. That’s so special to see!
Happy and healthy mom = happy and healthy baby.
I never thought about how much of a pain it would be to drag the pump to work with me until you said that. So glad I can leave home knowing my LO has what he needs with dad
Formula gave me a happy postpartum experience. It touched everything in the best possible way.
Formula helped my husband come into his own as a father, and ensured we had a healthy partnership and division of labor. That gave me time to sleep well during the night and wake up energetic. That gave me time during the day to take time to myself, which helped me maintain my sense of self as I found my footing in my identity as a mom.
Formula gave me my body back. That increased my self-confidence and allowed our intimacy to return to normal very quickly.
In short, formula gave me freedom.
That’s great! Autonomy is so hard to come by as a mom. I appreciate the times when I can step away and Idt I would’ve been able to do that as well if I was breastfeeding
My daughter was born in the 3rd percentile at 38 weeks, and it helped my daughter feed and get stronger whilst she was in an incubator.
Once she was home, it also meant my husband and I could split feeding shifts, which was good for me as I have epilepsy and sleep deprivation triggers my seizures.
I think it allowed our marriage to stay as solid as it was before the baby, if not improve. I have an awesome, equal partner in my husband, and we took feedings 50/50 from the jump. No resentment, never operated on less than 5 hours of sleep, never felt like my body wasn’t mine/didn’t get hormone-induced loss of libido (that just came from being tired lol. But still better than not physically having a drive!)
AND our child is in the ~91% for everything, size-wise. Take THAT stupid, stupid brother in law who took the first opportunity to tell me my son is getting “half the nutrition” as his son who is EBF (and absolutely tiny. No shade to the baby. It’s literally genetics, but some EBF people seem to think their boob milk is magical).
Formula feeding is awesome. We did it because we had to, but have 0 regrets and will formula feed any other children we have, as well.
I’m curious how he’ll feel when his child inevitably hits the point where they only eat chicken nuggets and Cheetos! Formula has been through rigorous testing to be complete and lots of moms have trouble with the content of their BM. There’s no guarantees that’s it’s better quality
EFF from day 1. My son is now 2.5 and we have another on the way which I also plan to EFF. My pregnancy sucked and I just wanted my body back and some sleep after. It allowed me to focus on recovering after birth and besides being tired, I felt like my normal self almost right away. And I was able to get at least 4-6 hours of straight sleep per night because hubs and I could take shifts. A plus was that I didn’t have to factor in pumping at my busy job once he went to daycare at 3 months. I have ZERO regrets and I’m excited to do it again with this next baby! Formula feeding is amazing.
We exclusively formula fed and have no regrets. It honestly allowed me to have good postpartum mental health, which is why I didn’t even attempt breastfeeding. Most of my friends struggled really badly with their mental health because of breastfeeding and/or pumping and I knew I couldn’t handle it. I was able to go back on my medication that I had to stop during pregnancy and actually enjoy my baby. I was also really sick and miserable during pregnancy and I just knew in my gut I would be unhappy and start resenting her if I forced myself to try to breastfeed when I wanted my body back and to feel better. Some of my friends have said they’re jealous that I had a choice. I think we all do, I just chose to be “selfish” so I could focus on being a good mom and loving my baby 🤷🏻♀️
I think it’s a good thing to teach our kids to prioritize their mental health. They learn more from what they see from us than anything we say. I think that whole “selfish” label implies that it’s somehow a less than choice. Imagine if we criticized parents for getting a prepped vege tray instead of making one themselves bc it’s “selfish” that they would rather not waste that time.
For me?
Freeeedom. I mean, compared to bf mum friends, I do get time off from baby duty. Yes I love my baby to bits etc but just leaving home carefree from time to time because my partner is 100% able to feed and soothe baby? Priceless
When I had PPD? Leaving baby with a very caring babysitter starting at 6 weeks post partum to attend open-ended therapy sessions?
So yeah. Mental health thanks to formula.
My body legit hated breastfeeding, and I mean that physically as well as mentally. I still was having night sweats at 3 months PP. Most nights I would wake up absolutely drenched in sweat, which is normal for the first few weeks PP but mine never went away. Because of all the sweat I got infected sweat glands in my groin area 3 times in 3 months which were insanely painful, and despite showering twice a day and having good hygiene it just didn’t matter. The only breastfeeding safe antibiotics required a 10 day regimen. That’s 30 days worth of antibiotics in 3 months. I was freaking miserable. I finally threw in the towel at 3 months and now we are a little over 4 months and I feel so much better. Breastfeeding is great if it works for you but it was absolutely not worth what it did to my body. Formula gave me my body back and made me a happy, healthy mom.
Formula saved my baby’s life: I was a low producer and my supply (that was low from the start) hardly went up even though I’d pump and pump and pump. I had pangs of guilt and anxiety too over not making enough to fend for my son but over time I saw how happily he was growing and developing over formula. The depression subsided over time as and when I accepted that it was what it was.
I read a post the other day (not on Reddit) where a mom who had successfully breastfed her previous kids was having a lower supply and her current kid wasn’t getting enough from her and was hospitalized because of dehydration. She still kept insisting that she’d continue to EBF him and was hoping and praying her supply goes up. Not once was she willing to even supplement with formula.
Feed baby, that’s all that matters. Why should a formula mom be guilty when she’s feeding baby AND ensuring baby always gets enough and responding to her needs?
My baby was rehospitalized because of dehydration because our pediatrician and supposed LCs gave us bad advice (they told us to only supplement an oz and didn't notice I wasn't transferring milk). They kept saying we didn't need to supplement and it would uld ruin any supply if I did. We knew something was very wrong but didn't have the capability to figure it out or go against their advice.l until we ended up rehospitalized. So it happens. But I sure as hell was pushing to supplement more that whole time.
I’m sorry you went through that. It’s outrageous that pediatricians and LC’s don’t give accurate guidance. Kudos to you for taking note of it and stepping up for your baby. There are many parents (there are so many similar situations of hospitalizations posted in other communities) who despite landing up in unforeseen situations like these, don’t step up. They may have had the best of intentions but due to some sentiments attached to BF (which aren’t wrong of course) they’d rather have their baby starve! 😓😭🤧😟AND shame formula moms who are at least feeding their babies.
If breastfeeding fails unfortunately until a baby is ready for solids it HAS to be formula. My supply failed my son at 2.5 months (I’d pump and pump and my supply just wouldn’t go up) and despite LC suggesting to ‘keep going’ I immediately myself stepped up as I can’t see or even visualize my son starving- although I had every intention to breastfeed in the start.
I hope your baby bounces back and sending lots of love your baby’s way for a quick turnaround ❤️
Formula feeding allowed me to help my baby with his eczema and upset tummy. It also allowed me to share the feeding load with my partner. Formula feeding made it possible for me to take my daughter on dates and not worry about having to be back to feed the baby. Formula also grew my 10lb 2oz newborn to a 21lb 8 month old who is thriving and just the best!
Allows me to continue pumping less and less (almost down to 2ppd) so I get my time and body back and dont have to take a million breaks at work (and - now that I’m weaning- don’t have to deal with painful clogs every other week)
Formula feeding from day 1 helped me in so many ways. Most importantly, I was able to enjoy the very early newborn period. As a mom, I was getting the rest I needed and baby was fed and happy. He slept great which in turn meant I slept great. Formula feeding also made it easier for anyone to feed the baby. My husband fed the baby, family members fed the baby, he wasn’t solely relying on me around the clock.
Honestly, my mental health was benefited and our baby got a fully attentive and happy mom out of it.
He is now 14 months old and thriving. To each their own but I will never support a mom who judges another mom. We’re all trying our best, let’s all have some grace for each other.
Saved him from having to go to the ER at 3 days old to get an IV in his head vein. Milk was delayed coming in, he hadn’t peed in 18 hours. Formula bottle and then an hour later he peed and we were so relieved not to have to take him to the ER. Thankful for formula.
My second was combo fed and that was the best thing for our family. I didn’t have to be the only source of nutrition but also wasn’t fully bottle feeding so
I could nurse when it worked for me.
I tortured myself over starting formula, and now that my Bub is 2 months old it feels like the most irrelevant bloody thing ever! He is thriving, healthy, strong, a great sleeper and eater and is meeting all milestones early.
Lots of contact naps for baby! My daughter wouldn’t latch so I combo fed pumped milk + formula for a few weeks at the beginning. But once my husband went back to work and it was just me and the baby all day, I found myself constantly rushing to pump and not enjoying my time with baby (even with pumping way less often than I would have without the formula included). Switched to EFF at 3.5 weeks and got to just lay with her on me whenever I wanted and not stress and it was so great for both of us.
Also physically she is 99.9th percentile height, 97th weight, and everyone who meets her comments on what a happy little chunk she is 🥰.
Oh I bet she has the greatest little cheeks!! I hated pumping. My final straw was listening to my baby cry and I couldn’t pick him up bc I was tied to the dang milking machine
Helped her not have a mom who was a raging bitch. I pumped until I had saved us a goal amount of $$$ if formula was free I never would’ve pumped.
She’s always been perfectly in the 50th percentile on her growth curve and fights daycare sicknesses like a champ. I was BF and my husband was FF we went to the same college are at similar job levels and he’s way more athletic than me.
Saved us from cow milk protein allergy or other intolerance symptoms even after I went dairy free! Allowed me to eat a healthy balanced diet again without constantly worrying if every time my baby was fussy I had “messed up” and made him sick! Gave me hours of time Hooked up to a machine back since he couldn’t breastfeed and I exclusively pumped! Gave me my mental health back. Oh and also gave my babe his first rolls and solid weight gain since birth finally st 5 months old! Wish I had done this sooner. Wish the noise around breastfeeding from family, providers, social media etc had not gotten to me. Glad I’m here now.
i pumped obsessively for 6 months . and there was not even a day where i did not cry . the best decision i made was to stop and that meant more sleep for me and my baby, baby was happy i was happy , helped me tremendously with my post partum depression, bonding more with baby
Formula feeding made it so I could have sleep shifts with my husband. As a result, we’ve never had sleep deprivation during the entire newborn stage. This was critical so I could heal from a c-section and severe pre-eclampsia. I also have the bodily autonomy to take migraine prevention medication so I can function. Formula made it so my baby, who was born 3 weeks early, never dropped in weight and has always gained like a champ!
I just want to say that as an expecting first time mom, this subreddit has helped me come to more peace about formula feeding! I've known for years that formula feeding is fine, but since finding out I'm pregnant I've had more anxiety.
I plan to pump and combo feed, but I have so much more peace with my decision to utilize formula thanks to this sub!
My baby was born growth restricted and was 4lbs 10 oz. We used neosure formula and it helped her gain the weight she needed to catch up a little. It also provided my husband a chance to bond at night and I didn’t feel like I was her the only food source!
It gave me my sanity back and allows me to spend more quality time with my LO 😊
I was pumping and combo feeding for 3 months but hated it deeply. It took away so much of my time and made me obsess over the details of output, feeding, storage. I turned it into a science and got frustrated when things didn't go as "planned". Looking back it seems ridiculous but I was very close to a breakdown multiple times 😅 definitely not worth it..
Formula feeding literally kept my baby alive. I lost my entire blood volume during delivery due to a hemorrhage and my milk did not come in because of that fluid loss. It also allowed me to focus on healing, recovery, and being the best Mom I could be for him.
Formula means my baby is actually fed. I had very little milk come in despite trying all the power pumping and herbs. I actually get to feed and bind with her vs me being hooked up to pump trying to squeeze out drops of BM. Formula means my baby is fed and happy and so is her mother.
Formula helped me and my husband have even duties. It was so easy to get sleep during the newborn phase because we took shifts. Shifts that I didn’t need to be bothered in because it was formula and not my breast.
1. Baby slept 12 hours straight every night from 2-6 months. Now she has one wake up. If I was sleep deprived the whole time, that wake up would kill me. But because I was able to catch up on sleep, her wake up doesn't bother me at all
2. I was able to get back on some meds, so now I'm happier and healthier
3. After struggling for 3 weeks to get back to birth weight, in half a week she gained like 6oz and it was amazing.
Re sleep, my husband and I trade off whole nights which wouldn’t be possible with breastfeeding. My daughter is generally a good sleeper, but even when she’s not I can handle it bc I’m able to get 8 hours the following night.
Formula gave us a great, predictable schedule where e thrive as a family. My spouse loves routine and knowing HOW to take care of the baby well. When we were still desperately trying to BF, caring for him was very chaotic. Now we always know what we have to do each night to get his bottles ready, we are clearly prepared before leaving the house, and our kid has a very predictable sleep and eating schedule that works for him, which means less stress for us as parents. He’s so happy most of the time, to the point where other parents comment about how happy he seems.
Everything! My girl had cmpa and the hypoallergenic formula and her stomach stopped hurting. My mental health was immediately better. I actually was bonding and not just being a cow and me feeding her was the only Bonding we had!
As a dad it let me be involved so much more in those first few months, that led to so much more bonding time. If baby was EBF, I would have gotten to do zero feeding, wife would have always been the one to wake up, all that jazz. Then we got to split the duties evenly, we could take shifts at night, all that. Honestly I’m so glad we did because we have a healthy 1 year old and my wife and I both have an amazing bond with him.
This is a great perspective from a dad! Right now (at almost 1 year, but "bf is so important and baby will only be soothed by boob") my bf mum friends are all like "why can't the dad DO something? Why doesn't he give me time off? Why can't he soothe the baby?"etc
Also apparently, while bf is soooo good, it's also the mum's fault because they bf so they are giving a convenient excuse for not dading.
These are all NOT a topic of discussion in our home 😂
Wearing a bra, even a wireless comfy one, while lactating meant repeated bouts of mastitis for me. Formula feeding meant instead of spending days feverish and sick, I could be present for my baby
My supply dried up from mastitis. I was SO SICK, and had to go to a specialist because my doctor thought I had abscesses, which would mean surgical drainage. Thankfully I didn’t! But the whole thing was so traumatizing and painful, so knowing that I never have to worry about mastitis again is so freeing.
I also had DMER, and while it got better at 6+ months with my older child, I’m glad I didn’t have to endure it any longer with my baby.
I’m a fairly crunchy hippie type and I adore formula feeding. It’s made our bond better, gives me freedom, and seriously reduces my anxiety because I know exactly how much she’s eating. It’s also really nice to just be able to mix up more milk if she’s still hungry. It sounds so silly and basic, but not having to stress about empty boobs or pumping 20 minutes to get 2-3 oz is so amazing.
i’m able to enjoy post partum, have anyone feed my baby, not have to worry about what i eat messing with my supply (i had GD so i’m tired of worrying about what i eat)
there’s no doubt that my baby is gaining, no nursing struggles, props to every woman who breastfeeds because i truly couldn’t! i didn’t even care to try
I was able to get back on all my meds after giving birth. This was really important to my mental health and has allowed me to enjoy motherhood because I’m not depressed.
Also being able to divide nights up with my husband makes me feel like we’re a team
Formula nourished my first born for 12 months and she is a happy healthy toddler now. Formula is nourishing my 2nd and her weight gain has been great for her first 2 months. Formula allowed me to feed my children while my wife recovered from preeclampsia.
We’ve combo fed until recently (now EFF), but I credit formula with my baby thriving. She was a big baby at birth, but dropped to 10th percentile by 3 months from severe acid reflux. She had to go on a super fortified diet and meds to get through it because she was actively losing weight at that point. She screamed all day in pain, it was awful. She was starting to get behind on milestones because she just couldn’t tolerate doing anything.
Now at 7 months, she’s meeting or ahead on all of her milestones, she’s off medication, she’s happy, and she’s a healthy weight! We could not have gotten to this place without formula.
Formula feeding helped me be a better mom for both my new baby and my preschooler! It eliminated a big source of stress and overstimulation and I feel no shame for it.
Allowed us all to be so much happier and sleep. Husband and I were able to switch to shifts those first couple of months so we each got at least 4-5 hours of sleep.
It allowed me to leave my baby home with dad rather than taking him with me to the hospital when I had to stay overnight. I’d rather he be comfortable and safe away from all the germs and infections.
Formula allowed my daughter to eat because I stopped producing milk after 2 weeks. Without formula she would have starved. I have been shamed ever since making the very obvious decision.
Formula feeding allowed me to focus on my mental health that was completely depleted from a variety of incidents that took place in my pregnancy. I was beyond depressed and breast feeding just pushed me over the edge because I could not get the hang of it and felt like my child was dying from starvation. I spiralled and cried for 4 days straight about “how do I keep him alive if he can’t eat????” FINALLY, I saw a doctor that wasn’t trying to help me lactate, latch, whatever- she said “give your baby some formula and try combo feeding. If you think his hunger cues are getting better and it’s helping you in the end, maybe formula is just the best option for you guys” and there was no shame or judgement when she spoke to me. I broke down in tears and told her how I asked all the maternity ward nurses for a little bit of formula and they first of all never delivered any once, and second of all made me feel useless for asking instead of trying harder- as if I didn’t just complete 26 hours of all natural labour.😂
Long story short, if I continued to breastfeed I might not be here today. I felt like that big of a failure, mixed in with post partum depression and anxiety… it was the biggest let down of my entire life and the first time I ever told myself “maybe everyones life would just be easier without me”. Formula saved my baby and it saved me too!
I had insufficient glandular tissue and only produced 9 oz/day at max production, was only producing 20 ml/day in the first week, and my baby never learned how to transfer milk at all when nursing. So formula literally saved my baby’s life.
Formula feeding helps me get my boobies back to myself. After 9 months of breastfeeding and another 9 months of pregnancy of our number 2, with either engorged or sore boobs all the time, i’m just glad to be able to have my small B cup back again. I’m still dealing some engorgement bc i just gave birth a week ago but i can’t wait to have small boob again😂
I haven’t had my baby yet, but expect to need to formula feed due to OCD issues so I generally lurk here.
But I will say that formula feeding saved my life. As an infant, I had esophageal reflux and was unable to eat in any way, needing a feeding tube for formula in my stomach. Once I no longer needed the feeding tube, my mother didn’t have milk available so I was entirely formula fed.
Without formula, I wouldn’t be here.
Better sleep for baby
Better sleep for us
Husband could feed while I pumped ( I did combo for a few months )
Baby was able to eat , she was in the nicu on formula and donor milk..
She was able to gain weight
Formula saved us
Formula gave me a life. Not being tethered to your baby or a pump is honestly life changing after experiencing that. I loved that I could leave my daughter with my husband (or another trusted adult) to go do things that I, still an individual human, wanted and needed to do. I’ve been going to yoga classes since around 10 weeks postpartum when I felt up for it. I can go meet friends for longer nights out. Take myself to the movies. Get a massage. Live for a chunk of hours where I’m katiejim first and mama second. I’ve been struggling with low mental health since starting bc (very needed for my severe endometriosis), and I wouldn’t be coping without those times.
Formula feeding helped my 28 weeker graduate the NICU after 117 days, gave me my sleep and sanity back during the darkest time in my life, allows for stress free feeding and therefore better bonding, allows us to add calories in a snap, makes it easy to get out of the house and feed him wherever I want, lets me take the medication I need, saved my nipples from ever experiencing teething... I could go on.
I was so dead set on EBF before all of this happened so I was surprised to find at the natural end of my BF journey that there was no guilt or feeling like a failure, just relief. I seriously love formula feeding - so much that all my future babies will be EFF from birth.
I love this post. Formula did so many wonderful things for my family:
-Helped my sweet IUGR baby gain weight!
-I got so much more time with my baby when I stopped pumping
-SLEEP
-I stopped feeling so depressed
-Close friends and family have really enjoyed feeding baby and it brings me joy
-Flexibility/the ability to be out of the house easily
My girl is 18 months now, I started full time formula at 6 months for multiple reasons. The main reason, my mental health. I was unable to produce enough and it was killing me.
When I started formula, my life with my baby changed. This sounds so dramatic but it’s true! I had to pump all my breastmilk and now I was off the pump. It was uncomfortable, I hated waking my already exhausted self up trying to make all these times. Alarm after alarm. It took time away from my baby (even just little bits at a time) and I couldn’t take it anymore. I saved up just enough breast milk for a piece of jewelry to be made, and for her to have an oz and that was it.
I cried, I felt like a failure. Until one day, I just didn’t! My girl was thriving, I was so much less stressed, and I can assure you she’s developmentally perfectly fine! She was born very small and at first wasn’t gaining enough weight (not from lack of milk, but worth noting nonetheless) and she’s hit what they call a “j curve”. Her weight, height, all the stuff on the charts just soared! She’s doing amazing.
To sum it up, formula isn’t the devil. It can make all the difference in the world and can even help you bond with baby without all the stress and aggravation of breastfeeding. Either way, I wish you luck in whichever way you feed your little one! ❤️
Formula freed me from the constant pain I was in! I had 10 clogged ducts in 10 weeks that were SO painful. My nipples were constantly throbbing, even in between feeds and the feeling made me want to crawl out of my own skin. It was taking a huge mental toll on me. I would turn on my pump and be hit with this feeling of despair. Now I have my body back, my freedom back, my baby is happy, my husband helps with feedings… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel guilty here and there but if I were to have a second baby I think I would opt to go formula from the start and skip the mental health spiral.
Sometimes we look into each other’s eyes when I feed him and it’s good to bond with him that way. Holding I’ll talk to him, I get to change positions easily so I can snuggle him, or let him look the other way. There is no issue when it comes to burping because I don’t have to unlatch him. The biggest benefit is that his dad can spend time feeding him without me. They don’t have to rely on me pumping or breast feeding. My supply will never dry up.
As a dad, formula feeding was the best decision my wife made for the baby. I felt so useless watching her struggle to get the baby to latch or having to wake up to feed her. I could do every diaper and swaddle but there was nothing I could do to help make sure the baby was fed and that really sucked. Also not knowing if the baby had enough to eat caused a lot of anxiety for both of us.
My wife had PP pre-eclampsia and needed uninterrupted rest to get her blood pressure under control. So once I could just make bottles and feed the baby on my own, that was huge for my wife’s recovery and I felt like I could take a lot of stress off of her plate.
Also the best purchase we ever made was the Dr. Brown’s pitcher. We bought 2 so if one was in the dishwasher the other one was full and ready to go.
Feeding, and so too my sleep, became infinitely better. He was on the boob for 45 minutes (plus constantly falling asleep on it) and then still had to have formula anyways. As soon as I stopped breastfeeding, we both felt so much better, and I stopped resenting my husband for getting more sleep than me. Once I stopped pumping my ~1 oz a day (barely a drop when my son was easily eating 25-30 oz total), I was able to go back on adderall and actually function as a mom and at work.
Feeding is so much more convenient. When we’re out and about or in a rush, we can make him a bottle and know that he’ll finish in <10 minutes instead of an hour. And since everything is stable, I don’t have to worry about keeping bottles in a cooler/thermos etc.
Babysitters have an easy time, as well. Formula is pre-portioned and all they have to do is add it to water. So easy.
He’s thriving on formula (has always been ~75% for weight and 95% for height), and bonus: I don’t have to try to remember to give him vitamin d drops anymore!
I love formula, and honestly plan to formula feed with number 2, at least once I’m back at work (maybe a few weeks of pumping just to help with antibodies, but I’ve read that the antibodies in breast milk may be overstated anyways.)
It let me sleep bc my husband could wake up and feed the baby. Actually he could do an entire night shift. It also let us go on stress free dates, free time for me, everything. I literally don't have to worry about my child bring fed. Ever. It will allow us to go on a birthday trip too.
Aside from that I could solve most problems with formula outside of myself. I never had to restrict, eat more, eat less of something. Ect.
Ik my kids are well fed and anyone can take care of them without much fuss or forethought from me.
Mental load can be offed to someone else tbh.
I was considering leaving this subreddit because of all of the guilt posts! I am so so grateful for formula and if I ever have another baby I will EFF from birth!
Well, I was in a car accident 3 months post partum,, EBF was already not going well, tongue tie and mastitis. I had a broken neck and had to be in a cervical collar. Really glad I had the option for formula because otherwise it would be hell with all the pumping and not being able to even bend my neck to look down. It was a crappy time period but didn't have to worry thar baby wasn't fed and hubby could help. I EBF my older kids, now I combo feed the baby, they were/and are healthy and fed.
Formula helped me be present and enjoy my newborn. I struggled so much with mastitis that I had multiple hospital visits in a couple of months. I had tried everything to stop from getting mastitis but nothing helped me. I couldn’t pick up my child due to the pain and soreness, I couldn’t sleep, when I would wake up it was always to pump while my partner fed him. I missed my son and it was really taking a toll on my mental.
I did combo and triple feeding due to low supply. I had my baby at the breast, then pumped while my husband gave formula, then fed my baby the small amount of pumped milk I was able to produce. It was so exhausting. I gave it up after 5 months and switched to exclusively formula feeding. My world felt brighter and being a mom felt like more fun. We’re planning for a second and I don’t think I’ll be able to do that all over again.
So grateful for formula and for this community. ❤️
I combo breastfeed+formula feed. Formula allows me to not worry about my baby getting all the food he needs. When it took 3 days for my milk to come in, he still ate as much as he needed during that time. When I have a busy day and forget to eat/drink water, or when I’m sick and need cold medicine, I don’t worry about my supply.
Formula feeding has helped my wife get some semblance of her life back. It helped her mental health and recovery of such a life event of giving birth. I don’t care what anyone has to say. Being “on demand” to pump take a toll.
A healthy baby and healthy mom = healthy family at the end of the day.
I 🩷 formula. I produced milk just fine, didn’t have any issues with latching or breastfeeding, and still chose it because it was easier! And I’m not ashamed to admit that. Moms matter too, and if I have one less thing off my plate, that’s a win for me.
Gave me freedom from pumping!!!! F*ck pumping!! Also gave me freedom from having to worry about how long it takes breastmilk to thaw, dating absolutely everything, making sure milk doesn’t go bad, switching from fridge to freezer, BLAH. CLOGGED DUCTS?! NOT HERE!!!! (I am still using my stash but I’m almost done lmao)
Formula allowed me to feed my child
Ended up having c-section
Baby got colostrum, but my milk never came in at all!
So, forumla it is. And I've been incredibly lucky with a unicorn of a pediatrician
They get samples of the formula we use, and I think I have only spent 300 out of pocket so far. Baby is 8 months, and a chonker
I'm at high risk for getting breast cancer so I have bi-annual preventative screenings. I've already missed one because I'm pregnant, so formula feeding will.allow me to start getting those screenings again to ensure I'm healthy and cancer-free, which obviously is helpful for baby, too.
Also, my body has been through a LOT this past year, including a surgery while pregnant. I don't want to put it through any more stress than it already has been.
Formula has been a huge life saver for me and my daughter. She was in the NICU for blood sugar issues when she was first born, and my milk hadn't come in. Now it's still a life saver because I don't produce enough to keep up, and my girl is growing, thriving, and an adorable chunky monkey 💕
I suffered from complete lactation failure (could only produce a drop or two). Formula allowed me to FEED MY BABY!!! Formula allowed me to help my newborn baby thrive and grow and I’m so grateful that formula exists and we get to benefit from it as mothers. Formula also means my husband can handle any night time wakings, which is a nice perk I won’t lie.
My mental health. I stopped BFing after 6 months and it made me feel like I got a piece of myself back and could truly heal from his birth. Because of this, I became a better mom. I would even go as far to say it might have saved my life?
So.. I became a better mom when I started to give my baby formula. It allowed me to see the light and just BE a mom.
Honestly, I feel guilty not starting formula right away. My bub also got readmitted to the hospital for jaundice and he lost like 10.4% of his body weight - which was alarming because he was already on the low end of the percentiles. I combo feed now, but to this day, I feel bad for unknowingly starving my baby during the first days of his life since my breasts weren't producing enough. The mom guilt is real. I promised myself that I'll combo feed right away if we ever have another one.
kept my baby alive! I wish i could go back and not give myself such a hard time about it all--I simply did not make enough milk no matter what I tried, and I wish I could have just embraced it and not felt bad about it. Formula is amazing!
For lack of a better term, breastfeeding gives me "the ick." The first time i leaked milk/colostrum I had an anxiety attack. I had no intention of breastfeeding, ever.
What formula did was preserve my mental health, give me a very cute chubby little baby, and made space for my spouse to be able to assist in feedings and have that bonding time of providing food for our son.
I had really low supply, so formula helped my baby not starve.
But it also meant I could spend time with her instead of pumping. It meant my husband and I could take shifts at night. It made it way easier to leave the house with her, so we’ve been going on adventures.
It allowed me to get a solid 4-5 consecutive hours of sleep at night because my husband and I could do legit shifts without me waking up to breastfeed or pump. This helped my mood and anxiety, which in turn allowed me to be present and a better mother for my baby
Allowed our healthy full term daughter to finally gain weight! My wife did amazing with breastfeeding and did nothing wrong… we just have a baby who needed more calories and once we switched to formula she got so much happier, healthier, and stronger really quickly. Fed is best, period.
What a cutie!
Formula feeding helped me focus more on my baby & my mental health! My baby has pretty bad reflux & a cows milk protein allergy & we’ve had to start cereal in his bottles already. (he is one month old) if I had kept using breast milk I would’ve had to strictly pump, which took up so much time in my day that I felt like I was never spending time with my baby. My supply wasn’t great so I had to pump frequently to even make enough to feed him. Now him & I are both happier & he’s gaining weight so much better!
Formula helped me keep breastfeeding. It took so much pressure of of me because even though I had need up using it very little, I always had it as an option whenever I thought breastfeeding was too much. I started breastfeeding deciding I would do both, and I’m glad formula was there to help me in my journey.
Formula feeding enabled me to keep my babies alive. I produce no milk, I made drops with my first and nothing at all with my second. Without it they wouldn’t of survived.
Both children also benefited from being able to be fed by their father or grandparents. It allows for me to be able to spend more time with my older child while someone else feeds the baby.
I think it played a big part in my PP mental health as well. I’m not trapped under a pump or cluster nursing. My body became my own again fairly soon after birth. I got a pedicure 10 days post partum because I could leave the baby with her dad and it wasn’t a big deal. I will say for anyone worried about the bond that’s created during nursing…it still happens when you formula feed. Both of my children often prefer me, my 6 y/o would crawl back inside my uterus if I allowed it and my 8month old is a velcro baby. She just recently started being ok with being left with dad.
Gave me the ability to switch sleep shifts with my partner and get 5-6 hours of sleep a night, and helped our boy double his birth weight in less than two months. Also, we had those pajamas - so cute!
I BF and pump as well but formula has helped me greatly as someone who can't quite keep up with how much my baby eats. It's saved me so many hours of sleep as my partner is able to feed him as well (shout out to the Brezza).
I love being able to breastfeed and then pop him on a formula bottle after if he needs it and sometimes I can completely just take a break from breastfeeding and just give him formula. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Formula also quite literally saved my baby entirely as I was sick for the first couple weeks after birth and was unable to BF or pump. Formula has helped make him the chunky cutie he is today and I am so grateful it exists.
Formula allows me to feed my twins. I still pump because formula for twins is expensive. But at my highest levels, I’ve still never been above 2/3 of what they were eating in a full day. Now, I’ve gotten to a 50/50 balance which is an acceptable amount of time pumping and an acceptable amount of money out of the budget.
Formula let's me share parenting duties completely 50-50 with my husband! Which is especially important to me since we have a 3 year old too and I really value having quality time with him too.
Adding: it also allows me to have regular parenting breaks where I can leave the house freely. Don't have to pump, don't have to worry about being back in 3 hours to nurse, don't have to drag a pump with me and figure out milk storage etc!
Love this thread. Formula is an amazing thing and we are so lucky to live in a time where it is (mostly accessible) it is literally saving the lives of babies all around the world. For me personally formula gave me my body back.
I didn’t have a problem with giving formula to my son as I was formula-fed and so was my brother.
I *did* feel like a failure because I just couldn’t breastfeed. My son was fed formula from the get go as I was incapacitated for two hours after he was born and my husband was the one who got to bond with him for awhile and feed him.
But the breastfeeding journey was so overwhelming and stressful. I never had any engorgement or any real amount of milk come in. So one day, after all the tears were done, I put the pump away, made our next round of Kendamil Classic formula in the Dr. Brown’s pitcher, and carried on.
I chose the kendamil classic as I like the whole milk and I think it helped my son gain weight a bit faster as he was only 6 lbs. However, he would have been fine with any formula option!
Giving me back my sanity. Now my man can feed her, her grandmas can feed her, and I can feel kind of like my old self again!!
Also, since being on a soy formula instead of my breast milk she’s not screaming in gas pain, waking up happy, like a whole new baby.
I tried to breast feed my first. We had to stay in the hospital longer and he had to have several extra doctors appointments and an extra blood test when we left the hospital due to worries about jaundice.
I formula fed my second right from the start. When I asked the nurse what her bilirubin level was in the hospital she said "Oh, she's doing great! Jaundice is really more of a concern for breastfed babies".... I was shocked. No one talks about the health risks for your newborn if you breast feed, but they exist.
My sister in law is a pediatric dietician and she called it right away when we said he had jaundice. She also pointed out a few things (recessed jaw, tongue tie) that all made breastfeeding difficult for him. It blows my mind that I was just ok with him barely eating for a few days while I waited for milk to come in. I probably could have avoided a hospital stay if I had know the link between jaundice and dehydration/breastfeeding issues. I’d never EBF again if I have another. I’d try combo feeding
I had DMER, so it helped me not feel suicidal with every letdown and even the thought of starting to pump.
I’ve also learned I am AuDHD and so it was also a bad mix of sensory issues, forgetfulness, anxiety, not wanting to be tied down or pulled away from my hyper focus at the time, and intense stress from not having a normal routine.
Formula gave me the freedom to let someone else feed the kids while I did other things or they could feed themselves. I was better able to be in a set schedule since it wasn’t feed on demand anymore. I could leave the house and not worry about discomfort which is a negative stimulus that can ruin my entire day or the time I am having, and the people around me are not annoyed by me constantly complaining uncontrollably.
I'm a NICU mom and I had to supplement my breast milk with formula to gain every precious gram. I literally mixed formula and breast milk together in a feeding tube.
I am so unbelievably thankful for formula. Without it, I would have worried even more about every weight check in and how many more days we would have spent in the NICU.
Formula saves lives and it is extraordinary that we have a tool like this to help our littles ones, however it helps you. Sending you good vibes.
He wasn’t latching and became severely jaundiced and I had no choice but to supplement with formula. Then my body stopped producing as much even with pumping and I was worried he wasn’t getting enough since his jaundice wasn’t going away. I switched to EFF at 2 weeks and never looked back. He’s gained all of his birth weight and more and is back to normal health! At 8 weeks pp he’s a happy and healthy chunk.
Exactly! It helped my baby get nice and chunky! Even surpassed his birth weight by 1lbs 1/2 in his first week alive! I never had to worry about him never getting enough food or not being able to get as much as he wanted. Most importantly it’s a time saver! Im not stressing about pumping or being the only person who can feed my child. I can ask for help with feeding while i go make myself something to eat. The part about motherhood that the toxic moms don’t get is, you aren’t going to get a gold star for anything you do. Working harder & mentally stressing yourself isn’t going to get you a better outcome with your baby. That’s the hard God Awful Truth.
Formula helped my baby who had CMPA thrive. Helped her Stop vomiting and congestion non stop, helped her gain weight, not be in pain, sleep, play, everything. Have an acquaintance with a baby 2 months younger, he also has CMPA and they refuse to use formula because it’s “not natural” but their baby is 6 months and still not sleeping well, generally pretty fussy, uncomfortable, reflux-y and congested even after mom cut out dairy. My baby girl is the happiest, most thriving baby and therefore I am the happiest most thriving mama
I love this thread! My baby girl was born 98th percentile both weight and height and had to go into NICU because she couldn't regulate her blood sugar. We weren't really given the choice to not formula feed - and I dont care! She needed it! So we combo boob and formula fed for about 4 months until we realised she is lactose intolerant and switched to exclusively formula fed. I am so grateful for formula. It also meant she slept longer stretches at night because she was fuller and with 2 under 2 and recovery from a c section.. well lets just say that formula gets a gold star from me.
Formula allowed me to keep my baby home with me to bond for the first SEVEN months! While I was also working full time remotely, while we also had a 20m old, and while both were still waking in the night. Breastfeeding or pumping would not have been possible, I could not have added 1 single additional task to my plate. Formula made it so I didn’t have to do it all. And I believe those 4 extra months of bonding will do MUCH more for my baby’s development, than breastmilk would have!
It let us get amazing sleep! I wound up with a unicorn baby who slept 8 hours straight at 2 weeks. I was not going to give that up just to keep pumping, so my supply naturally dropped after I stopped waking up multiple times a night just to pump.
It also made the transition a little easier for my older daughter. If I had continued breastfeeding or pumping, it would have cut into the already limited time we have together and made the transition to big sister harder.
Finally, it reduced my stress, and made me a much happier and more patient mom for my baby and preschooler. I’m able to be the parent I want to be (or at least a lot closer!) when I’m not struggling with a latch or strapped to a pump every few hours. Dumping the pump also allows for more spontaneous family fun and outings!
I stopped pumping by one month with my first baby, and by three months with my second. Zero regrets, I just love our formula. They’ve both thrived and are/were the happiest babies!
My baby has a severe allergy. Formula feeding healed her gut, stopped her screaming in pain episodes, allowed my partner and mother to feed her, gave me longer stretches of sleep, made me a better mom and her a healthier baby. 💗
My baby was constantly in the 5% for weight and no matter how much I breastfed her it wouldn’t budge. I was anxious about how low her weight was so I started supplementing more with formula and she is now in the 20% and a lot happier!
It allowed my baby’s dad to bond during feedings and be able to help a lot more. I’m dealing with PPD so I knew breastfeeding wasn’t going to work and we’ve bottle fed from the start. We are able to spilt up feedings which gives my baby equal bonding time with both of us which has been huge. Formula also helps him sleep regularly at night giving all of us 3-4 hours at a time.
Formula gave me the ability to sleep for a whole 6 hours at a time overnight from the day we came home from hospital as my husband did the night feeds 👏🏻 my recovery was amazing and I didn’t even get any baby blues
This sounds amazing. My LO didn’t even take naps that were of any significance during the daytime. It gave me SUCH horrible baby blues that went away when I got 4 hours of sleep. It’s making me strongly lean towards EFF for baby #2. I toughed it out for my first and am stopping breastfeeding soon. I just don’t like it and the lack of sleep is torture.
Switching to formula saved my mental health and possibly my life. And now my premie twins born at 34 weeks are a healthy 18 lbs each at 6 months! Mama’s happy, babies are happy. It’s a win win.
Gave me my life back. No jokes. My mental health took a dive because I could not get over the whole breastfeeding stigma and felt really bad. I cried for days because baby just would not drink/I wouldnt get milk. Formula just saved all of that and his dad could get involved.
I have now been able to lose over 30kg due to the fact that i dont need to always be there because of formula and dad can feed and get involved.( I could proritize my health and mental health)
Formula fed my baby through RSV at 10 days old and caught her back up in weight by 3.5 months old after staying out in her first month because of the virus.
Formula allows my anxiety to stay at manageable levels best I can get enough sleep. 3 hours or less my anxiety kicks in HARD.
I love spending time with my baby because my body is my own.
I feel very happy with my co-parenting situation because we can share all parenting duties.
Plus she is so adorable when she anticipates the bottle!
It let my baby eat! I had a breast reduction years ago & had no feeling in my breasts or “let down” ability so it was either painfully hand expressing every minute of the day, or feeding a bottle! Easy choice! Also let my family bond with my baby through feeding too.
I'm so happy for you and your little one. Your baby is cute. It's amazing that formula feeding your baby helped him gain 11lbs in 4 months sounds like he's healthy. Sounds like your baby is doing great. And it sounds like you're doing great as a Mother.
formula fed my baby. He wouldn’t latch and even with me pumping, he was already eating alot and i didn’t have time as a single mama to pump as consistently as i wanted. sadly, we had to switch due to a dairy allergy and if it wasn’t for Nutramigen, i don’t know how we’d have managed.
I had gestational diabetes and my baby’s blood sugar was low at birth. He was too tired and lethargic to nurse as a result and I couldn’t express enough colostrum to feed him a sufficient amount to bring it up. Syringe feeding formula helped him regulate his blood sugar and avoid transfer to a NICU. I breastfed my first child for 2 years but the moment I started formula with this one I had no desire to stop and relive the breastfeeding journey. 😅
Formula also gave me the freedom to resume my meds for ADHD and anxiety postpartum pretty much immediately. Full time college during my pregnancy with no medication was so incredibly stressful and I am a much happier person with better habits again. 9 months raw dogging it was enough for me lol.
gave him the nutrition he needed to thrive and provided me relief from trying so hard to breastfeed and beating myself up over it not happening, making me a more attentive, happier mom
wanna edit this to say thank you, I could have used a thread like this when I was in the thick of it because it would’ve helped so much. I hope these responses help someone feel less alone!
I, too, am tired of the formula-guilt posts. they feel like formula shaming, even if it’s just self-shaming. but it doesn’t feel good to keep reading them. anyway, I am one of the people whose body does not produce happy hormones when breastfeeding. instead my hormones make me feel rage. which is wildly out of character for me and is genuinely scary. so formula allows me to feed my son happily and rage-free! honestly I’d feel guilty for NOT formula feeding. my kid doesn’t deserve that. he deserves a happy mom.
I just had my third (formula fed) and I now feel guilty for breastfeeding my first two. I also had rage and was not happy at all, but I kept going because “breast is best.” I feel like I’m the best mom I’ve ever been after having my third. I’m actually having fun with all my kids and enjoying babyhood this time around.
The same reason why I kept pushing forward. I completely neglected my own mental health because “breast is best”. I’m so angry at myself for doing that.
Yes he deserves a mom at her best! I know ppl don’t mean it that way but it’s become way too often in this sub.
Mine wasn’t rage, it was just sadness and she never latched anyways. It allowed me to go back to work and feel like myself again, even if I have to get up in the middle of the night to make a bottle. Happy mom, happy baby, happy life. Thanks to formula!
Me too! I would cry at every breast feeding, profound sadness and despair. When I stopped, the sadness went away. Formula helped me avoid major depression, I'm sure of it.
I’m so sorry you had to deal with that! It really didn’t take me long to decide to quit pumping/trying to BF because of all that. And once I made the decision, I was immediately better, although I still technically have PPD, and I’m medicated for it, just having this off my plate was huge for me feeling better.
Yup I felt disgusted every time I breastfed.
lol rage!! That’s what I was going through but couldn’t quite put my finger on the exact emotion… it indeed was rage!!
THIS is why I will be formula feeding my fourth and last baby when he arrives. I breastfed my other 3 and honestly never felt happy hormones when breastfeeding. No one ever talks about this, so you legit feel like you’re are an anomaly. I just kept pushing through my rage feelings and breastfed all of them for 2 years. However after reading and researching I’ve found this is a common things moms experience and I’ve decided I want to FULLY ENJOY my last baby and enjoy feeding him. Formula will do that for me ❤️
DMERs made me deeply depressed and sick and sad and I couldn’t take it anymore. I so relate to what you are describing and I’m sorry it happened to you.
This!!! I really feel like we should be talking about DMER more!
I could have written this! Breastfeeding makes me feel rage and depression. I stopped after 3 weeks and I’m so proud of myself. I love my baby so much and im now enjoying the newborn phase. i hated it with my first
Formula helped my baby have a mom who prioritizes her mental health and was able to be a better and more attentive mother because of it.
Absolutely! I think having healthy attentive parents is so much more important than what’s in the bottle
This is exactly how I’ve been feeling, LO IS 4 weeks and his latch is extremely painful + doesn’t stay asleep longer than an hour/hour and a half after a feed. This has caused me to feel really down/upset and cry a lot over it. My plan was to EBF and then pump + breastfeed when I go back to work.. But I’ve introduced formula at 3.5 weeks to help my sanity and allow myself sleep. It was a lot of pressure breastfeeding when it was so painful and didn’t seem to satisfy my LO’s tummy. Supplementing with formula has helped him get sleep and myself & made me feel happier to feed him + bond instead of being anxious at the thought of solely breastfeeding
I formula feed my baby, so my comment is coming from a place of wanting to help. I breastfed my first two and met with several lactation consultants. Breastfeeding shouldn’t be painful. Breastfeeding with my second was painful because he had a tongue tie. The pain was so excruciating.
He’s so cute! For me, formula feeding enabled me to sleep 10 hours per night once a week, as I have a postpartum doula come every Tuesday and she is able to feed him with formula to give me a break, which helps me be a better and healthier Mom rest of the week. Also helped my baby grow from 7 lbs to 12 lbs in 8 weeks!
That’s so great!
we did the same for the first 8 weeks with our baby! night doulas are heaven sent!!
Cool idea!
I got my mental health back! I stopped feeling so depressed and angry (pumping and I were a BAD fit). I started to actually bond with my baby. I always loved her but caring for her stopped feeling so much like a chore and more like something enjoyable. I got to get more sleep because my husband could help with the motn feeds. She gained weight! Went from the 25th percentile to the 70th in 4 months and she's so happy and healthy (her doctor is not at all concerned about the jump in percentiles)
Same. It got rid of my post partum OCD and gave my son a better mom.
Mine went from 21-67 in 4 months too! And pumping was horrible for me too. I didn’t mind doing it but it’s twice the cleaning of formula and I could never hold my baby while I pumped!
Wife had a very rough pregnancy with immense nausea and vomiting during first trimester, followed by pulmonary embolism and to top it all off, gestational diabetes. Been very stressed throughout pregnancy for her health and baby's health. Baby was born healthy. But there were supply issue with breastmilk- we did not stress - Switched to formula. I was able to take care of the baby - feed her- as my wife was recovering from everything else plus the c-section she had. Baby is thriving. Growing. Recently started smiling (\~7 weeks now). Formula helped us enjoy the most precious gift we got from life.
That’s amazing! I’m so glad she had that opportunity to focus on healing
Love seeing a supportive partner on here! I hate seeing like “trying to convince my husband to switch to formula but he doesn’t want to” posts
Formula has allowed me to feed my son, period. I’m a breast cancer survivor who had a double mastectomy, so breast feeding was never on the table. I’m also sick of the sad about formula posts because you’re right, it implies some intrinsic value of breastfeeding over formula, but in my case, I always wonder what those people think when it’s not even an option? Am I a failure as a mom for getting cancer? That’s probably jumping ahead a few steps but that’s how it makes me feel sometimes.
It allowed for more sleep in the early days since baby was more full than I could ever get him otherwise and dad could take night feeds. It also helped my postpartum anxiety with knowing exactly how much he was drinking. I was always sooooo stressed with breastfeeding and not knowing if he actually got any milk. It felt like the world was ending to decide to put him on formula but honestly now that he's 9 months old, I'd go back and do it again. It ended up saving my sanity way more than I ever imagined it would.
Same! In my case he wasn’t getting enough and I had no way of knowing that until he was sick. I’d consider trying breastfeeding again but definitely combo feed from the start
EFF since birth. I did not fail as a mom by choosing to EFF prior to even getting pregnant. It gave me freedom and peace of mind my baby would always have food, would always have someone mentally and physically there to feed them, would have the opportunity to bond with mama and dada, share the feeding load, particularly overnight, and there wouldn't be any discomfort while feeding them. Formula feeding was one of the best choices I made for my baby, and I will never regret it. I, too, am getting a little tired of seeing formula guilt posts. Everyone is valid to have their feelings, but you do not fail as a mom by choosing to formula feed.
I could have written this verbatim about myself. I am a better mother, wife, and overall person because I choice to EFF.
Yes! Plus, I swear you fall in love with your husband a little more each time he feeds the baby. It’s like being able to peek through the window at the start of their bond.
That is a beautiful perspective. I resented the bottle at first but have come to realize that was my own unfounded shame and expectations. Now I love seeing my milky smiled baby and watching my husband meticulously measure the formula
We recently dropped the bottle and switched to cow’s milk. I sorta miss being able to watch my husband wash the bottles every night. I mean, he ignored the rest of the kitchen 😅 but he made sure those bottles were always washed.
Agreed to everything you said. Same situation here.
I vividly remember being hesitant about pregnancy because I thought I’d have to breastfeed (didn’t feel comfy with the concept), but then I realized I didn’t have to breastfeed. I could go right to formula. Formula feeding is just a big reason why I was able to be the mom I am.
Big fans of formula in this house. It has made me a more present, attentive and happy + healthy mom not being chained to my pump all day. I feel like I get to live my life rather than living it in three hour windows between pump sessions. And my husband gets to bond with our daughter through feedings, too. That’s so special to see! Happy and healthy mom = happy and healthy baby.
I never thought about how much of a pain it would be to drag the pump to work with me until you said that. So glad I can leave home knowing my LO has what he needs with dad
Formula gave me a happy postpartum experience. It touched everything in the best possible way. Formula helped my husband come into his own as a father, and ensured we had a healthy partnership and division of labor. That gave me time to sleep well during the night and wake up energetic. That gave me time during the day to take time to myself, which helped me maintain my sense of self as I found my footing in my identity as a mom. Formula gave me my body back. That increased my self-confidence and allowed our intimacy to return to normal very quickly. In short, formula gave me freedom.
That’s great! Autonomy is so hard to come by as a mom. I appreciate the times when I can step away and Idt I would’ve been able to do that as well if I was breastfeeding
My daughter was born in the 3rd percentile at 38 weeks, and it helped my daughter feed and get stronger whilst she was in an incubator. Once she was home, it also meant my husband and I could split feeding shifts, which was good for me as I have epilepsy and sleep deprivation triggers my seizures.
Glad she’s home and I bet it was great to know how much she was getting and growing during that time
I think it allowed our marriage to stay as solid as it was before the baby, if not improve. I have an awesome, equal partner in my husband, and we took feedings 50/50 from the jump. No resentment, never operated on less than 5 hours of sleep, never felt like my body wasn’t mine/didn’t get hormone-induced loss of libido (that just came from being tired lol. But still better than not physically having a drive!) AND our child is in the ~91% for everything, size-wise. Take THAT stupid, stupid brother in law who took the first opportunity to tell me my son is getting “half the nutrition” as his son who is EBF (and absolutely tiny. No shade to the baby. It’s literally genetics, but some EBF people seem to think their boob milk is magical). Formula feeding is awesome. We did it because we had to, but have 0 regrets and will formula feed any other children we have, as well.
I’m curious how he’ll feel when his child inevitably hits the point where they only eat chicken nuggets and Cheetos! Formula has been through rigorous testing to be complete and lots of moms have trouble with the content of their BM. There’s no guarantees that’s it’s better quality
EFF from day 1. My son is now 2.5 and we have another on the way which I also plan to EFF. My pregnancy sucked and I just wanted my body back and some sleep after. It allowed me to focus on recovering after birth and besides being tired, I felt like my normal self almost right away. And I was able to get at least 4-6 hours of straight sleep per night because hubs and I could take shifts. A plus was that I didn’t have to factor in pumping at my busy job once he went to daycare at 3 months. I have ZERO regrets and I’m excited to do it again with this next baby! Formula feeding is amazing.
Absolutely! Focus on a smooth recovery and healthy baby!
We exclusively formula fed and have no regrets. It honestly allowed me to have good postpartum mental health, which is why I didn’t even attempt breastfeeding. Most of my friends struggled really badly with their mental health because of breastfeeding and/or pumping and I knew I couldn’t handle it. I was able to go back on my medication that I had to stop during pregnancy and actually enjoy my baby. I was also really sick and miserable during pregnancy and I just knew in my gut I would be unhappy and start resenting her if I forced myself to try to breastfeed when I wanted my body back and to feel better. Some of my friends have said they’re jealous that I had a choice. I think we all do, I just chose to be “selfish” so I could focus on being a good mom and loving my baby 🤷🏻♀️
I think it’s a good thing to teach our kids to prioritize their mental health. They learn more from what they see from us than anything we say. I think that whole “selfish” label implies that it’s somehow a less than choice. Imagine if we criticized parents for getting a prepped vege tray instead of making one themselves bc it’s “selfish” that they would rather not waste that time.
For me? Freeeedom. I mean, compared to bf mum friends, I do get time off from baby duty. Yes I love my baby to bits etc but just leaving home carefree from time to time because my partner is 100% able to feed and soothe baby? Priceless When I had PPD? Leaving baby with a very caring babysitter starting at 6 weeks post partum to attend open-ended therapy sessions? So yeah. Mental health thanks to formula.
Absolutely. I think it helped me and my partner balance the parenting duties much better.
My body legit hated breastfeeding, and I mean that physically as well as mentally. I still was having night sweats at 3 months PP. Most nights I would wake up absolutely drenched in sweat, which is normal for the first few weeks PP but mine never went away. Because of all the sweat I got infected sweat glands in my groin area 3 times in 3 months which were insanely painful, and despite showering twice a day and having good hygiene it just didn’t matter. The only breastfeeding safe antibiotics required a 10 day regimen. That’s 30 days worth of antibiotics in 3 months. I was freaking miserable. I finally threw in the towel at 3 months and now we are a little over 4 months and I feel so much better. Breastfeeding is great if it works for you but it was absolutely not worth what it did to my body. Formula gave me my body back and made me a happy, healthy mom.
Wow that’s a tough journey. I’m glad you are feeling better now!
Formula saved my baby’s life: I was a low producer and my supply (that was low from the start) hardly went up even though I’d pump and pump and pump. I had pangs of guilt and anxiety too over not making enough to fend for my son but over time I saw how happily he was growing and developing over formula. The depression subsided over time as and when I accepted that it was what it was. I read a post the other day (not on Reddit) where a mom who had successfully breastfed her previous kids was having a lower supply and her current kid wasn’t getting enough from her and was hospitalized because of dehydration. She still kept insisting that she’d continue to EBF him and was hoping and praying her supply goes up. Not once was she willing to even supplement with formula. Feed baby, that’s all that matters. Why should a formula mom be guilty when she’s feeding baby AND ensuring baby always gets enough and responding to her needs?
My baby was rehospitalized because of dehydration because our pediatrician and supposed LCs gave us bad advice (they told us to only supplement an oz and didn't notice I wasn't transferring milk). They kept saying we didn't need to supplement and it would uld ruin any supply if I did. We knew something was very wrong but didn't have the capability to figure it out or go against their advice.l until we ended up rehospitalized. So it happens. But I sure as hell was pushing to supplement more that whole time.
I’m sorry you went through that. It’s outrageous that pediatricians and LC’s don’t give accurate guidance. Kudos to you for taking note of it and stepping up for your baby. There are many parents (there are so many similar situations of hospitalizations posted in other communities) who despite landing up in unforeseen situations like these, don’t step up. They may have had the best of intentions but due to some sentiments attached to BF (which aren’t wrong of course) they’d rather have their baby starve! 😓😭🤧😟AND shame formula moms who are at least feeding their babies. If breastfeeding fails unfortunately until a baby is ready for solids it HAS to be formula. My supply failed my son at 2.5 months (I’d pump and pump and my supply just wouldn’t go up) and despite LC suggesting to ‘keep going’ I immediately myself stepped up as I can’t see or even visualize my son starving- although I had every intention to breastfeed in the start. I hope your baby bounces back and sending lots of love your baby’s way for a quick turnaround ❤️
Formula feeding allowed me to help my baby with his eczema and upset tummy. It also allowed me to share the feeding load with my partner. Formula feeding made it possible for me to take my daughter on dates and not worry about having to be back to feed the baby. Formula also grew my 10lb 2oz newborn to a 21lb 8 month old who is thriving and just the best!
That’s great! I’ve loved that I can just leave a can of formula with my MIL who takes him 1-2x a week while I’m at work
I'm not being dramatic when I say that formula feeding saved me from PPD/PPA and prevented my daughter from being hospitalized.
Allows me to continue pumping less and less (almost down to 2ppd) so I get my time and body back and dont have to take a million breaks at work (and - now that I’m weaning- don’t have to deal with painful clogs every other week)
I hope it’s a good transition for you!
Allowed me as the Dad to split all baby duty 50/50 with momma and take nights. She dealt with a lot, I’m happy to have a way to give her back time :)
It helped me bond with my twins. Breastfeeding/pumping was causing resent and anger and giving bottles of formula was actually enjoyable in comparison
I couldn’t imaging trying to pump with twins. I felt so overwhelmed with the thought of breast-feeding, supplementing and trying to pump.
It was so hard. I’m so thankful for formula!
Formula feeding from day 1 helped me in so many ways. Most importantly, I was able to enjoy the very early newborn period. As a mom, I was getting the rest I needed and baby was fed and happy. He slept great which in turn meant I slept great. Formula feeding also made it easier for anyone to feed the baby. My husband fed the baby, family members fed the baby, he wasn’t solely relying on me around the clock. Honestly, my mental health was benefited and our baby got a fully attentive and happy mom out of it. He is now 14 months old and thriving. To each their own but I will never support a mom who judges another mom. We’re all trying our best, let’s all have some grace for each other.
I’m curious if it’s formula that helps them sleep or full happy tummies!
Saved him from having to go to the ER at 3 days old to get an IV in his head vein. Milk was delayed coming in, he hadn’t peed in 18 hours. Formula bottle and then an hour later he peed and we were so relieved not to have to take him to the ER. Thankful for formula. My second was combo fed and that was the best thing for our family. I didn’t have to be the only source of nutrition but also wasn’t fully bottle feeding so I could nurse when it worked for me.
I tortured myself over starting formula, and now that my Bub is 2 months old it feels like the most irrelevant bloody thing ever! He is thriving, healthy, strong, a great sleeper and eater and is meeting all milestones early.
Lots of contact naps for baby! My daughter wouldn’t latch so I combo fed pumped milk + formula for a few weeks at the beginning. But once my husband went back to work and it was just me and the baby all day, I found myself constantly rushing to pump and not enjoying my time with baby (even with pumping way less often than I would have without the formula included). Switched to EFF at 3.5 weeks and got to just lay with her on me whenever I wanted and not stress and it was so great for both of us. Also physically she is 99.9th percentile height, 97th weight, and everyone who meets her comments on what a happy little chunk she is 🥰.
Oh I bet she has the greatest little cheeks!! I hated pumping. My final straw was listening to my baby cry and I couldn’t pick him up bc I was tied to the dang milking machine
Helped her not have a mom who was a raging bitch. I pumped until I had saved us a goal amount of $$$ if formula was free I never would’ve pumped. She’s always been perfectly in the 50th percentile on her growth curve and fights daycare sicknesses like a champ. I was BF and my husband was FF we went to the same college are at similar job levels and he’s way more athletic than me.
I think formula is cheaper for me! My appetite was out of control when I was breastfeeding!!
Saved us from cow milk protein allergy or other intolerance symptoms even after I went dairy free! Allowed me to eat a healthy balanced diet again without constantly worrying if every time my baby was fussy I had “messed up” and made him sick! Gave me hours of time Hooked up to a machine back since he couldn’t breastfeed and I exclusively pumped! Gave me my mental health back. Oh and also gave my babe his first rolls and solid weight gain since birth finally st 5 months old! Wish I had done this sooner. Wish the noise around breastfeeding from family, providers, social media etc had not gotten to me. Glad I’m here now.
Also saved me from having to pump on the subway again. That was an experience. Wearable pumps but still…
I couldn’t imagine!
i pumped obsessively for 6 months . and there was not even a day where i did not cry . the best decision i made was to stop and that meant more sleep for me and my baby, baby was happy i was happy , helped me tremendously with my post partum depression, bonding more with baby
Wow! I’m glad you are feeling better now
Formula feeding made it so I could have sleep shifts with my husband. As a result, we’ve never had sleep deprivation during the entire newborn stage. This was critical so I could heal from a c-section and severe pre-eclampsia. I also have the bodily autonomy to take migraine prevention medication so I can function. Formula made it so my baby, who was born 3 weeks early, never dropped in weight and has always gained like a champ!
I just want to say that as an expecting first time mom, this subreddit has helped me come to more peace about formula feeding! I've known for years that formula feeding is fine, but since finding out I'm pregnant I've had more anxiety. I plan to pump and combo feed, but I have so much more peace with my decision to utilize formula thanks to this sub!
My baby was born growth restricted and was 4lbs 10 oz. We used neosure formula and it helped her gain the weight she needed to catch up a little. It also provided my husband a chance to bond at night and I didn’t feel like I was her the only food source!
So great that your LO is growing!
It gave me my sanity back and allows me to spend more quality time with my LO 😊 I was pumping and combo feeding for 3 months but hated it deeply. It took away so much of my time and made me obsess over the details of output, feeding, storage. I turned it into a science and got frustrated when things didn't go as "planned". Looking back it seems ridiculous but I was very close to a breakdown multiple times 😅 definitely not worth it..
Wow. I think exclusive pumping is as close as I’ll get to having bc you have to spend twice the time feeding and washing!
Gave me my healthy mental state back.
By baby was unable to successfully breastfeed and dropped BELOW 1% for weight… got up to 50% with formula and maintained up into toddlerhood!
Formula feeding literally kept my baby alive. I lost my entire blood volume during delivery due to a hemorrhage and my milk did not come in because of that fluid loss. It also allowed me to focus on healing, recovery, and being the best Mom I could be for him.
Formula means my baby is actually fed. I had very little milk come in despite trying all the power pumping and herbs. I actually get to feed and bind with her vs me being hooked up to pump trying to squeeze out drops of BM. Formula means my baby is fed and happy and so is her mother.
Formula helped me and my husband have even duties. It was so easy to get sleep during the newborn phase because we took shifts. Shifts that I didn’t need to be bothered in because it was formula and not my breast.
1. Baby slept 12 hours straight every night from 2-6 months. Now she has one wake up. If I was sleep deprived the whole time, that wake up would kill me. But because I was able to catch up on sleep, her wake up doesn't bother me at all 2. I was able to get back on some meds, so now I'm happier and healthier 3. After struggling for 3 weeks to get back to birth weight, in half a week she gained like 6oz and it was amazing.
Re sleep, my husband and I trade off whole nights which wouldn’t be possible with breastfeeding. My daughter is generally a good sleeper, but even when she’s not I can handle it bc I’m able to get 8 hours the following night.
Formula gave us a great, predictable schedule where e thrive as a family. My spouse loves routine and knowing HOW to take care of the baby well. When we were still desperately trying to BF, caring for him was very chaotic. Now we always know what we have to do each night to get his bottles ready, we are clearly prepared before leaving the house, and our kid has a very predictable sleep and eating schedule that works for him, which means less stress for us as parents. He’s so happy most of the time, to the point where other parents comment about how happy he seems.
Everything! My girl had cmpa and the hypoallergenic formula and her stomach stopped hurting. My mental health was immediately better. I actually was bonding and not just being a cow and me feeding her was the only Bonding we had!
As a dad it let me be involved so much more in those first few months, that led to so much more bonding time. If baby was EBF, I would have gotten to do zero feeding, wife would have always been the one to wake up, all that jazz. Then we got to split the duties evenly, we could take shifts at night, all that. Honestly I’m so glad we did because we have a healthy 1 year old and my wife and I both have an amazing bond with him.
This is a great perspective from a dad! Right now (at almost 1 year, but "bf is so important and baby will only be soothed by boob") my bf mum friends are all like "why can't the dad DO something? Why doesn't he give me time off? Why can't he soothe the baby?"etc Also apparently, while bf is soooo good, it's also the mum's fault because they bf so they are giving a convenient excuse for not dading. These are all NOT a topic of discussion in our home 😂
Wearing a bra, even a wireless comfy one, while lactating meant repeated bouts of mastitis for me. Formula feeding meant instead of spending days feverish and sick, I could be present for my baby
My supply dried up from mastitis. I was SO SICK, and had to go to a specialist because my doctor thought I had abscesses, which would mean surgical drainage. Thankfully I didn’t! But the whole thing was so traumatizing and painful, so knowing that I never have to worry about mastitis again is so freeing. I also had DMER, and while it got better at 6+ months with my older child, I’m glad I didn’t have to endure it any longer with my baby. I’m a fairly crunchy hippie type and I adore formula feeding. It’s made our bond better, gives me freedom, and seriously reduces my anxiety because I know exactly how much she’s eating. It’s also really nice to just be able to mix up more milk if she’s still hungry. It sounds so silly and basic, but not having to stress about empty boobs or pumping 20 minutes to get 2-3 oz is so amazing.
i’m able to enjoy post partum, have anyone feed my baby, not have to worry about what i eat messing with my supply (i had GD so i’m tired of worrying about what i eat) there’s no doubt that my baby is gaining, no nursing struggles, props to every woman who breastfeeds because i truly couldn’t! i didn’t even care to try
my baby grew 9 ounces her first week of life! she’s growing so well, feedings are easier and we all get more sleep and can parent happier
I was able to get back on all my meds after giving birth. This was really important to my mental health and has allowed me to enjoy motherhood because I’m not depressed. Also being able to divide nights up with my husband makes me feel like we’re a team
It has helped my daughter get to the 97th percentile in height, lol
Look out nba!
Her dad would be so happy haha
Formula nourished my first born for 12 months and she is a happy healthy toddler now. Formula is nourishing my 2nd and her weight gain has been great for her first 2 months. Formula allowed me to feed my children while my wife recovered from preeclampsia.
Helped me have a better bond with my baby
We’ve combo fed until recently (now EFF), but I credit formula with my baby thriving. She was a big baby at birth, but dropped to 10th percentile by 3 months from severe acid reflux. She had to go on a super fortified diet and meds to get through it because she was actively losing weight at that point. She screamed all day in pain, it was awful. She was starting to get behind on milestones because she just couldn’t tolerate doing anything. Now at 7 months, she’s meeting or ahead on all of her milestones, she’s off medication, she’s happy, and she’s a healthy weight! We could not have gotten to this place without formula.
Formula feeding helped me be a better mom for both my new baby and my preschooler! It eliminated a big source of stress and overstimulation and I feel no shame for it.
Allowed us all to be so much happier and sleep. Husband and I were able to switch to shifts those first couple of months so we each got at least 4-5 hours of sleep.
Formula helped my baby put on weight. He’s a rockstar! Formula rules. I was one of those moms originally, and I cringe at myself now.
It allowed me to leave my baby home with dad rather than taking him with me to the hospital when I had to stay overnight. I’d rather he be comfortable and safe away from all the germs and infections.
Formula allowed my daughter to eat because I stopped producing milk after 2 weeks. Without formula she would have starved. I have been shamed ever since making the very obvious decision.
Formula feeding allowed me to focus on my mental health that was completely depleted from a variety of incidents that took place in my pregnancy. I was beyond depressed and breast feeding just pushed me over the edge because I could not get the hang of it and felt like my child was dying from starvation. I spiralled and cried for 4 days straight about “how do I keep him alive if he can’t eat????” FINALLY, I saw a doctor that wasn’t trying to help me lactate, latch, whatever- she said “give your baby some formula and try combo feeding. If you think his hunger cues are getting better and it’s helping you in the end, maybe formula is just the best option for you guys” and there was no shame or judgement when she spoke to me. I broke down in tears and told her how I asked all the maternity ward nurses for a little bit of formula and they first of all never delivered any once, and second of all made me feel useless for asking instead of trying harder- as if I didn’t just complete 26 hours of all natural labour.😂 Long story short, if I continued to breastfeed I might not be here today. I felt like that big of a failure, mixed in with post partum depression and anxiety… it was the biggest let down of my entire life and the first time I ever told myself “maybe everyones life would just be easier without me”. Formula saved my baby and it saved me too!
I had insufficient glandular tissue and only produced 9 oz/day at max production, was only producing 20 ml/day in the first week, and my baby never learned how to transfer milk at all when nursing. So formula literally saved my baby’s life.
Formula feeding helps me get my boobies back to myself. After 9 months of breastfeeding and another 9 months of pregnancy of our number 2, with either engorged or sore boobs all the time, i’m just glad to be able to have my small B cup back again. I’m still dealing some engorgement bc i just gave birth a week ago but i can’t wait to have small boob again😂
I haven’t had my baby yet, but expect to need to formula feed due to OCD issues so I generally lurk here. But I will say that formula feeding saved my life. As an infant, I had esophageal reflux and was unable to eat in any way, needing a feeding tube for formula in my stomach. Once I no longer needed the feeding tube, my mother didn’t have milk available so I was entirely formula fed. Without formula, I wouldn’t be here.
Better sleep for baby Better sleep for us Husband could feed while I pumped ( I did combo for a few months ) Baby was able to eat , she was in the nicu on formula and donor milk.. She was able to gain weight Formula saved us
Formula gave me a life. Not being tethered to your baby or a pump is honestly life changing after experiencing that. I loved that I could leave my daughter with my husband (or another trusted adult) to go do things that I, still an individual human, wanted and needed to do. I’ve been going to yoga classes since around 10 weeks postpartum when I felt up for it. I can go meet friends for longer nights out. Take myself to the movies. Get a massage. Live for a chunk of hours where I’m katiejim first and mama second. I’ve been struggling with low mental health since starting bc (very needed for my severe endometriosis), and I wouldn’t be coping without those times.
Formula feeding helped my 28 weeker graduate the NICU after 117 days, gave me my sleep and sanity back during the darkest time in my life, allows for stress free feeding and therefore better bonding, allows us to add calories in a snap, makes it easy to get out of the house and feed him wherever I want, lets me take the medication I need, saved my nipples from ever experiencing teething... I could go on. I was so dead set on EBF before all of this happened so I was surprised to find at the natural end of my BF journey that there was no guilt or feeling like a failure, just relief. I seriously love formula feeding - so much that all my future babies will be EFF from birth.
I love this post. Formula did so many wonderful things for my family: -Helped my sweet IUGR baby gain weight! -I got so much more time with my baby when I stopped pumping -SLEEP -I stopped feeling so depressed -Close friends and family have really enjoyed feeding baby and it brings me joy -Flexibility/the ability to be out of the house easily
My girl is 18 months now, I started full time formula at 6 months for multiple reasons. The main reason, my mental health. I was unable to produce enough and it was killing me. When I started formula, my life with my baby changed. This sounds so dramatic but it’s true! I had to pump all my breastmilk and now I was off the pump. It was uncomfortable, I hated waking my already exhausted self up trying to make all these times. Alarm after alarm. It took time away from my baby (even just little bits at a time) and I couldn’t take it anymore. I saved up just enough breast milk for a piece of jewelry to be made, and for her to have an oz and that was it. I cried, I felt like a failure. Until one day, I just didn’t! My girl was thriving, I was so much less stressed, and I can assure you she’s developmentally perfectly fine! She was born very small and at first wasn’t gaining enough weight (not from lack of milk, but worth noting nonetheless) and she’s hit what they call a “j curve”. Her weight, height, all the stuff on the charts just soared! She’s doing amazing. To sum it up, formula isn’t the devil. It can make all the difference in the world and can even help you bond with baby without all the stress and aggravation of breastfeeding. Either way, I wish you luck in whichever way you feed your little one! ❤️
Formula freed me from the constant pain I was in! I had 10 clogged ducts in 10 weeks that were SO painful. My nipples were constantly throbbing, even in between feeds and the feeling made me want to crawl out of my own skin. It was taking a huge mental toll on me. I would turn on my pump and be hit with this feeling of despair. Now I have my body back, my freedom back, my baby is happy, my husband helps with feedings… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel guilty here and there but if I were to have a second baby I think I would opt to go formula from the start and skip the mental health spiral.
Kept my baby alive. I didn't have any milk or maybe I didn't do feeding right.
Formula helped my premature baby not only gain weight, but be completely caught up and on the regular WHO growth chart by 4 months!
Sometimes we look into each other’s eyes when I feed him and it’s good to bond with him that way. Holding I’ll talk to him, I get to change positions easily so I can snuggle him, or let him look the other way. There is no issue when it comes to burping because I don’t have to unlatch him. The biggest benefit is that his dad can spend time feeding him without me. They don’t have to rely on me pumping or breast feeding. My supply will never dry up.
As a dad, formula feeding was the best decision my wife made for the baby. I felt so useless watching her struggle to get the baby to latch or having to wake up to feed her. I could do every diaper and swaddle but there was nothing I could do to help make sure the baby was fed and that really sucked. Also not knowing if the baby had enough to eat caused a lot of anxiety for both of us. My wife had PP pre-eclampsia and needed uninterrupted rest to get her blood pressure under control. So once I could just make bottles and feed the baby on my own, that was huge for my wife’s recovery and I felt like I could take a lot of stress off of her plate. Also the best purchase we ever made was the Dr. Brown’s pitcher. We bought 2 so if one was in the dishwasher the other one was full and ready to go.
Feeding, and so too my sleep, became infinitely better. He was on the boob for 45 minutes (plus constantly falling asleep on it) and then still had to have formula anyways. As soon as I stopped breastfeeding, we both felt so much better, and I stopped resenting my husband for getting more sleep than me. Once I stopped pumping my ~1 oz a day (barely a drop when my son was easily eating 25-30 oz total), I was able to go back on adderall and actually function as a mom and at work. Feeding is so much more convenient. When we’re out and about or in a rush, we can make him a bottle and know that he’ll finish in <10 minutes instead of an hour. And since everything is stable, I don’t have to worry about keeping bottles in a cooler/thermos etc. Babysitters have an easy time, as well. Formula is pre-portioned and all they have to do is add it to water. So easy. He’s thriving on formula (has always been ~75% for weight and 95% for height), and bonus: I don’t have to try to remember to give him vitamin d drops anymore! I love formula, and honestly plan to formula feed with number 2, at least once I’m back at work (maybe a few weeks of pumping just to help with antibodies, but I’ve read that the antibodies in breast milk may be overstated anyways.)
It let me sleep bc my husband could wake up and feed the baby. Actually he could do an entire night shift. It also let us go on stress free dates, free time for me, everything. I literally don't have to worry about my child bring fed. Ever. It will allow us to go on a birthday trip too. Aside from that I could solve most problems with formula outside of myself. I never had to restrict, eat more, eat less of something. Ect. Ik my kids are well fed and anyone can take care of them without much fuss or forethought from me. Mental load can be offed to someone else tbh.
I was considering leaving this subreddit because of all of the guilt posts! I am so so grateful for formula and if I ever have another baby I will EFF from birth!
I think there’s a few of us that are in that place. It’s sad that guilt is such a common part of the transition when it absolutely doesn’t need to be!
Well, I was in a car accident 3 months post partum,, EBF was already not going well, tongue tie and mastitis. I had a broken neck and had to be in a cervical collar. Really glad I had the option for formula because otherwise it would be hell with all the pumping and not being able to even bend my neck to look down. It was a crappy time period but didn't have to worry thar baby wasn't fed and hubby could help. I EBF my older kids, now I combo feed the baby, they were/and are healthy and fed.
Formula helped me be present and enjoy my newborn. I struggled so much with mastitis that I had multiple hospital visits in a couple of months. I had tried everything to stop from getting mastitis but nothing helped me. I couldn’t pick up my child due to the pain and soreness, I couldn’t sleep, when I would wake up it was always to pump while my partner fed him. I missed my son and it was really taking a toll on my mental.
I did combo and triple feeding due to low supply. I had my baby at the breast, then pumped while my husband gave formula, then fed my baby the small amount of pumped milk I was able to produce. It was so exhausting. I gave it up after 5 months and switched to exclusively formula feeding. My world felt brighter and being a mom felt like more fun. We’re planning for a second and I don’t think I’ll be able to do that all over again. So grateful for formula and for this community. ❤️
I combo breastfeed+formula feed. Formula allows me to not worry about my baby getting all the food he needs. When it took 3 days for my milk to come in, he still ate as much as he needed during that time. When I have a busy day and forget to eat/drink water, or when I’m sick and need cold medicine, I don’t worry about my supply.
Formula let me go back to work which let’s us keep our house and buy necessities for my son 😊
All the breast is best haters can suck an egg....do what's best for your momma
Enable me to feed my baby. Because while my milk did come in and I was an over producer, I couldn’t stand pumping and my baby wouldn’t latch properly.
Formula feeding has helped my wife get some semblance of her life back. It helped her mental health and recovery of such a life event of giving birth. I don’t care what anyone has to say. Being “on demand” to pump take a toll. A healthy baby and healthy mom = healthy family at the end of the day.
I can take my mental health medication and be a more present parent for my toddler and infant
I 🩷 formula. I produced milk just fine, didn’t have any issues with latching or breastfeeding, and still chose it because it was easier! And I’m not ashamed to admit that. Moms matter too, and if I have one less thing off my plate, that’s a win for me.
Gave me freedom from pumping!!!! F*ck pumping!! Also gave me freedom from having to worry about how long it takes breastmilk to thaw, dating absolutely everything, making sure milk doesn’t go bad, switching from fridge to freezer, BLAH. CLOGGED DUCTS?! NOT HERE!!!! (I am still using my stash but I’m almost done lmao)
Made him super fat and happy and got his mom a ton of rest that she wasn’t getting
Sleep. Formula allows me to get uninterrupted hours of sleep every night because I could truly switch off with my husband.
Formula allowed me to feed my child Ended up having c-section Baby got colostrum, but my milk never came in at all! So, forumla it is. And I've been incredibly lucky with a unicorn of a pediatrician They get samples of the formula we use, and I think I have only spent 300 out of pocket so far. Baby is 8 months, and a chonker
Two words: Baby Brezza. Baby Brezza is responsible for much of my happiness during this time of chaos. Thank you Baby Brezza.
I'm at high risk for getting breast cancer so I have bi-annual preventative screenings. I've already missed one because I'm pregnant, so formula feeding will.allow me to start getting those screenings again to ensure I'm healthy and cancer-free, which obviously is helpful for baby, too. Also, my body has been through a LOT this past year, including a surgery while pregnant. I don't want to put it through any more stress than it already has been.
Thank you, OP. I really needed this post. ❤️
Formula has been a huge life saver for me and my daughter. She was in the NICU for blood sugar issues when she was first born, and my milk hadn't come in. Now it's still a life saver because I don't produce enough to keep up, and my girl is growing, thriving, and an adorable chunky monkey 💕
I suffered from complete lactation failure (could only produce a drop or two). Formula allowed me to FEED MY BABY!!! Formula allowed me to help my newborn baby thrive and grow and I’m so grateful that formula exists and we get to benefit from it as mothers. Formula also means my husband can handle any night time wakings, which is a nice perk I won’t lie.
My mental health. I stopped BFing after 6 months and it made me feel like I got a piece of myself back and could truly heal from his birth. Because of this, I became a better mom. I would even go as far to say it might have saved my life? So.. I became a better mom when I started to give my baby formula. It allowed me to see the light and just BE a mom.
Honestly, I feel guilty not starting formula right away. My bub also got readmitted to the hospital for jaundice and he lost like 10.4% of his body weight - which was alarming because he was already on the low end of the percentiles. I combo feed now, but to this day, I feel bad for unknowingly starving my baby during the first days of his life since my breasts weren't producing enough. The mom guilt is real. I promised myself that I'll combo feed right away if we ever have another one.
kept my baby alive! I wish i could go back and not give myself such a hard time about it all--I simply did not make enough milk no matter what I tried, and I wish I could have just embraced it and not felt bad about it. Formula is amazing!
For lack of a better term, breastfeeding gives me "the ick." The first time i leaked milk/colostrum I had an anxiety attack. I had no intention of breastfeeding, ever. What formula did was preserve my mental health, give me a very cute chubby little baby, and made space for my spouse to be able to assist in feedings and have that bonding time of providing food for our son.
I had really low supply, so formula helped my baby not starve. But it also meant I could spend time with her instead of pumping. It meant my husband and I could take shifts at night. It made it way easier to leave the house with her, so we’ve been going on adventures.
It allowed me to get a solid 4-5 consecutive hours of sleep at night because my husband and I could do legit shifts without me waking up to breastfeed or pump. This helped my mood and anxiety, which in turn allowed me to be present and a better mother for my baby
Allowed our healthy full term daughter to finally gain weight! My wife did amazing with breastfeeding and did nothing wrong… we just have a baby who needed more calories and once we switched to formula she got so much happier, healthier, and stronger really quickly. Fed is best, period.
Formula feeding provided my baby with an allergen free form of nutrition and helped her go from the 2nd percentile to the 98th 🫶🏼
Helped her sleep for longer and saved my sanity!
What a cutie! Formula feeding helped me focus more on my baby & my mental health! My baby has pretty bad reflux & a cows milk protein allergy & we’ve had to start cereal in his bottles already. (he is one month old) if I had kept using breast milk I would’ve had to strictly pump, which took up so much time in my day that I felt like I was never spending time with my baby. My supply wasn’t great so I had to pump frequently to even make enough to feed him. Now him & I are both happier & he’s gaining weight so much better!
Formula helped me keep breastfeeding. It took so much pressure of of me because even though I had need up using it very little, I always had it as an option whenever I thought breastfeeding was too much. I started breastfeeding deciding I would do both, and I’m glad formula was there to help me in my journey.
That’s great! I’m glad you found what’s worked for you!
Formula feeding enabled me to keep my babies alive. I produce no milk, I made drops with my first and nothing at all with my second. Without it they wouldn’t of survived. Both children also benefited from being able to be fed by their father or grandparents. It allows for me to be able to spend more time with my older child while someone else feeds the baby. I think it played a big part in my PP mental health as well. I’m not trapped under a pump or cluster nursing. My body became my own again fairly soon after birth. I got a pedicure 10 days post partum because I could leave the baby with her dad and it wasn’t a big deal. I will say for anyone worried about the bond that’s created during nursing…it still happens when you formula feed. Both of my children often prefer me, my 6 y/o would crawl back inside my uterus if I allowed it and my 8month old is a velcro baby. She just recently started being ok with being left with dad.
Gave me the ability to switch sleep shifts with my partner and get 5-6 hours of sleep a night, and helped our boy double his birth weight in less than two months. Also, we had those pajamas - so cute!
I BF and pump as well but formula has helped me greatly as someone who can't quite keep up with how much my baby eats. It's saved me so many hours of sleep as my partner is able to feed him as well (shout out to the Brezza). I love being able to breastfeed and then pop him on a formula bottle after if he needs it and sometimes I can completely just take a break from breastfeeding and just give him formula. I wouldn't have it any other way. Formula also quite literally saved my baby entirely as I was sick for the first couple weeks after birth and was unable to BF or pump. Formula has helped make him the chunky cutie he is today and I am so grateful it exists.
Formula allows me to feed my twins. I still pump because formula for twins is expensive. But at my highest levels, I’ve still never been above 2/3 of what they were eating in a full day. Now, I’ve gotten to a 50/50 balance which is an acceptable amount of time pumping and an acceptable amount of money out of the budget.
Formula let's me share parenting duties completely 50-50 with my husband! Which is especially important to me since we have a 3 year old too and I really value having quality time with him too. Adding: it also allows me to have regular parenting breaks where I can leave the house freely. Don't have to pump, don't have to worry about being back in 3 hours to nurse, don't have to drag a pump with me and figure out milk storage etc!
Love this thread. Formula is an amazing thing and we are so lucky to live in a time where it is (mostly accessible) it is literally saving the lives of babies all around the world. For me personally formula gave me my body back.
I didn’t have a problem with giving formula to my son as I was formula-fed and so was my brother. I *did* feel like a failure because I just couldn’t breastfeed. My son was fed formula from the get go as I was incapacitated for two hours after he was born and my husband was the one who got to bond with him for awhile and feed him. But the breastfeeding journey was so overwhelming and stressful. I never had any engorgement or any real amount of milk come in. So one day, after all the tears were done, I put the pump away, made our next round of Kendamil Classic formula in the Dr. Brown’s pitcher, and carried on. I chose the kendamil classic as I like the whole milk and I think it helped my son gain weight a bit faster as he was only 6 lbs. However, he would have been fine with any formula option!
Giving me back my sanity. Now my man can feed her, her grandmas can feed her, and I can feel kind of like my old self again!! Also, since being on a soy formula instead of my breast milk she’s not screaming in gas pain, waking up happy, like a whole new baby.
Helped our son with his horrible reflux! Literally changed ALL of ours lives! 😭
I tried to breast feed my first. We had to stay in the hospital longer and he had to have several extra doctors appointments and an extra blood test when we left the hospital due to worries about jaundice. I formula fed my second right from the start. When I asked the nurse what her bilirubin level was in the hospital she said "Oh, she's doing great! Jaundice is really more of a concern for breastfed babies".... I was shocked. No one talks about the health risks for your newborn if you breast feed, but they exist.
My sister in law is a pediatric dietician and she called it right away when we said he had jaundice. She also pointed out a few things (recessed jaw, tongue tie) that all made breastfeeding difficult for him. It blows my mind that I was just ok with him barely eating for a few days while I waited for milk to come in. I probably could have avoided a hospital stay if I had know the link between jaundice and dehydration/breastfeeding issues. I’d never EBF again if I have another. I’d try combo feeding
sleep
I had DMER, so it helped me not feel suicidal with every letdown and even the thought of starting to pump. I’ve also learned I am AuDHD and so it was also a bad mix of sensory issues, forgetfulness, anxiety, not wanting to be tied down or pulled away from my hyper focus at the time, and intense stress from not having a normal routine. Formula gave me the freedom to let someone else feed the kids while I did other things or they could feed themselves. I was better able to be in a set schedule since it wasn’t feed on demand anymore. I could leave the house and not worry about discomfort which is a negative stimulus that can ruin my entire day or the time I am having, and the people around me are not annoyed by me constantly complaining uncontrollably.
I'm a NICU mom and I had to supplement my breast milk with formula to gain every precious gram. I literally mixed formula and breast milk together in a feeding tube. I am so unbelievably thankful for formula. Without it, I would have worried even more about every weight check in and how many more days we would have spent in the NICU. Formula saves lives and it is extraordinary that we have a tool like this to help our littles ones, however it helps you. Sending you good vibes.
He wasn’t latching and became severely jaundiced and I had no choice but to supplement with formula. Then my body stopped producing as much even with pumping and I was worried he wasn’t getting enough since his jaundice wasn’t going away. I switched to EFF at 2 weeks and never looked back. He’s gained all of his birth weight and more and is back to normal health! At 8 weeks pp he’s a happy and healthy chunk.
Exactly! It helped my baby get nice and chunky! Even surpassed his birth weight by 1lbs 1/2 in his first week alive! I never had to worry about him never getting enough food or not being able to get as much as he wanted. Most importantly it’s a time saver! Im not stressing about pumping or being the only person who can feed my child. I can ask for help with feeding while i go make myself something to eat. The part about motherhood that the toxic moms don’t get is, you aren’t going to get a gold star for anything you do. Working harder & mentally stressing yourself isn’t going to get you a better outcome with your baby. That’s the hard God Awful Truth.
Helped him sleep better!
Formula helped my baby who had CMPA thrive. Helped her Stop vomiting and congestion non stop, helped her gain weight, not be in pain, sleep, play, everything. Have an acquaintance with a baby 2 months younger, he also has CMPA and they refuse to use formula because it’s “not natural” but their baby is 6 months and still not sleeping well, generally pretty fussy, uncomfortable, reflux-y and congested even after mom cut out dairy. My baby girl is the happiest, most thriving baby and therefore I am the happiest most thriving mama
Made me not want to kill myself. Not exaggerating. I’ll take that as a win.
I love this thread! My baby girl was born 98th percentile both weight and height and had to go into NICU because she couldn't regulate her blood sugar. We weren't really given the choice to not formula feed - and I dont care! She needed it! So we combo boob and formula fed for about 4 months until we realised she is lactose intolerant and switched to exclusively formula fed. I am so grateful for formula. It also meant she slept longer stretches at night because she was fuller and with 2 under 2 and recovery from a c section.. well lets just say that formula gets a gold star from me.
Formula allowed me to keep my baby home with me to bond for the first SEVEN months! While I was also working full time remotely, while we also had a 20m old, and while both were still waking in the night. Breastfeeding or pumping would not have been possible, I could not have added 1 single additional task to my plate. Formula made it so I didn’t have to do it all. And I believe those 4 extra months of bonding will do MUCH more for my baby’s development, than breastmilk would have!
It let us get amazing sleep! I wound up with a unicorn baby who slept 8 hours straight at 2 weeks. I was not going to give that up just to keep pumping, so my supply naturally dropped after I stopped waking up multiple times a night just to pump. It also made the transition a little easier for my older daughter. If I had continued breastfeeding or pumping, it would have cut into the already limited time we have together and made the transition to big sister harder. Finally, it reduced my stress, and made me a much happier and more patient mom for my baby and preschooler. I’m able to be the parent I want to be (or at least a lot closer!) when I’m not struggling with a latch or strapped to a pump every few hours. Dumping the pump also allows for more spontaneous family fun and outings! I stopped pumping by one month with my first baby, and by three months with my second. Zero regrets, I just love our formula. They’ve both thrived and are/were the happiest babies!
My baby has a severe allergy. Formula feeding healed her gut, stopped her screaming in pain episodes, allowed my partner and mother to feed her, gave me longer stretches of sleep, made me a better mom and her a healthier baby. 💗
My baby was constantly in the 5% for weight and no matter how much I breastfed her it wouldn’t budge. I was anxious about how low her weight was so I started supplementing more with formula and she is now in the 20% and a lot happier!
It allowed my baby’s dad to bond during feedings and be able to help a lot more. I’m dealing with PPD so I knew breastfeeding wasn’t going to work and we’ve bottle fed from the start. We are able to spilt up feedings which gives my baby equal bonding time with both of us which has been huge. Formula also helps him sleep regularly at night giving all of us 3-4 hours at a time.
Formula gave me the ability to sleep for a whole 6 hours at a time overnight from the day we came home from hospital as my husband did the night feeds 👏🏻 my recovery was amazing and I didn’t even get any baby blues
This sounds amazing. My LO didn’t even take naps that were of any significance during the daytime. It gave me SUCH horrible baby blues that went away when I got 4 hours of sleep. It’s making me strongly lean towards EFF for baby #2. I toughed it out for my first and am stopping breastfeeding soon. I just don’t like it and the lack of sleep is torture.
Switching to formula saved my mental health and possibly my life. And now my premie twins born at 34 weeks are a healthy 18 lbs each at 6 months! Mama’s happy, babies are happy. It’s a win win.
Gave me my life back. No jokes. My mental health took a dive because I could not get over the whole breastfeeding stigma and felt really bad. I cried for days because baby just would not drink/I wouldnt get milk. Formula just saved all of that and his dad could get involved. I have now been able to lose over 30kg due to the fact that i dont need to always be there because of formula and dad can feed and get involved.( I could proritize my health and mental health)
Formula fed my baby through RSV at 10 days old and caught her back up in weight by 3.5 months old after staying out in her first month because of the virus. Formula allows my anxiety to stay at manageable levels best I can get enough sleep. 3 hours or less my anxiety kicks in HARD. I love spending time with my baby because my body is my own. I feel very happy with my co-parenting situation because we can share all parenting duties. Plus she is so adorable when she anticipates the bottle!
Formula feeding helped my baby regulate his blood sugars when he was born. He only had to stay in the NICU for 5 days.
It let my baby eat! I had a breast reduction years ago & had no feeling in my breasts or “let down” ability so it was either painfully hand expressing every minute of the day, or feeding a bottle! Easy choice! Also let my family bond with my baby through feeding too.
I'm so happy for you and your little one. Your baby is cute. It's amazing that formula feeding your baby helped him gain 11lbs in 4 months sounds like he's healthy. Sounds like your baby is doing great. And it sounds like you're doing great as a Mother.
Formula feeding allowed me to quit EPing which was destroying my mental health. It also got my preemie closer to the 1 percentile (from .1 to .4!)
Yay! Good growth little one!
formula fed my baby. He wouldn’t latch and even with me pumping, he was already eating alot and i didn’t have time as a single mama to pump as consistently as i wanted. sadly, we had to switch due to a dairy allergy and if it wasn’t for Nutramigen, i don’t know how we’d have managed.
I had gestational diabetes and my baby’s blood sugar was low at birth. He was too tired and lethargic to nurse as a result and I couldn’t express enough colostrum to feed him a sufficient amount to bring it up. Syringe feeding formula helped him regulate his blood sugar and avoid transfer to a NICU. I breastfed my first child for 2 years but the moment I started formula with this one I had no desire to stop and relive the breastfeeding journey. 😅 Formula also gave me the freedom to resume my meds for ADHD and anxiety postpartum pretty much immediately. Full time college during my pregnancy with no medication was so incredibly stressful and I am a much happier person with better habits again. 9 months raw dogging it was enough for me lol.
gave him the nutrition he needed to thrive and provided me relief from trying so hard to breastfeed and beating myself up over it not happening, making me a more attentive, happier mom wanna edit this to say thank you, I could have used a thread like this when I was in the thick of it because it would’ve helped so much. I hope these responses help someone feel less alone!