Shall I give up breastfeeding?

Have you had him checked for tongue tie? My baby has posterior tongue tie so struggles with the nipple but was fine with the nipple shields as they are similar to bottle teats. May be why the latch was so shallow and it can be fixed. Don't be hard on yourself tho, you've done so well to get this far and your baby is still getting everything he needs which is the main thing. X

Your baby will still be breastmilk fed, I don't think you should feel bad for doing what's best, 4 hours for a feed is a long time and expressing will give you some time back as well so you can do things for yourself and/or with baby too!

Breastfeeding is so much harder than I ever realised! Whatever you decide, make sure you’re not hard on yourself. It doesn’t make you a quitter.. you have to do what’s best for YOU and baby. Sorry I don’t have anymore tips x

You have to do what is right for you and your mental health your baby is still breastfed even if its from a bottle and not direcetly from you, it seems like hes also using your breast as a form of comfort, like a booby dummy essentially. Fed is best however baby is fed. I made myself so unwell with guilt that I couldn't breastfeed my son due to his tongue and lip tie and cmpa, I cried and cried... this time round I tried again and my milk supply just wasn't enough to satisfy my daughter but I didn't let myself get to the point I did with my son. We are all doing the very best for our children, you can't pour from an empty cup x

Hey just to say I’m in a similar position and keep going back and forth with the idea of exclusive pumping due to latch issues and long feeds. I’ve gone from 1 bottle a day of expressed to 3/4 over the past 4 weeks. Today will be 5 bottles and to be honest I feel mentally so much better for it. I think exclusive pumping won’t be without its challenges but for me it may be the perfect middle ground. If you pump instead of nurse you’re still giving your baby the amazing benefits of breast milk. There’s lots of research that suggests even a small amount of breast milk is beneficial. I’m going to try and do at least 1 feed a day at the breast if I can in case it gets easier as he gets older and never know may go back to it but with more bottles I already feel a weight lifting so it may be something worth trying?

@Cat I was going to say that. I had this issue and my nipples almost fell off. All got much better after the cut. Takes a while for the baby to learn again, but worth it!

Nothing wrong with feeding with exclusively plumped breast milk 😊 In my opinion this is just as good as breastfeeding.

@Abi how often and how long are you pumping? I'm in a similar place and thinking of moving to just pumping.

@Gemma tbh I’ve pumped alot for the past few weeks to build a supply for bottles alongside nursing. I started with 20 minutes after most feeds. Now I mainly pump while he has the bottle and a couple of times after nursing to build additional bottles. I had to pump loads for one bottle at the start but persistence means I get more now. Also double pumping and using a wearable one made it alot easier! When I do the main pumps I try to do 30 mins for any extra but 20 mins works too

Giving expressed milk is still breastfeeding 🤗 there is more to parenting than how you feed and if moving to bottles helps your mental wellbeing then you will likely be a better parent for it. I had a difficult feeding journey with my first but looking back now, the way she was fed really is irrelevant and shouldn’t have caused me so much upset. Breastfeeding is most beneficial in the first days and weeks so whatever happens now, you’ve given your baby an incredible start! X

my babys only 2 weeks old & i hated breastfeeding the first week, it took so long and irritated me. once or twice i actually cried while doing it its exhausting. i got the 2 hand free electric breast pumps from amazon & now i just feed from the bottle it’s so much easier & quicker, shes fed in 5-10 minutes. its still breast milk & this works so much better for me physically & mentally! best thing i ever did, i pump so much too now my supply went up so quickly. at first i wanted to breast feed only too but mentally im so much better now

I am expressing and formula feeding through the night, at 7 weeks that only tends to be one wake up. I persevered with breastfeeding for weeks and only recently decided it was causing too much stress for me and my baby to keep trying (latch issues). Ngl I’m still upset that I can’t breastfeed, especially if I don’t have any more children and that experience, but I’m certainly not sat up crying on a night which is making the experience better as a whole, and my little boy is thriving which is the main thing! X

100% I feel you and am in a very similar situation but at 10 weeks now and only try breastfeeding once a day because the pain is soooooo bad.

I express and found that breastfeeding becomes easier once I started pumping. I still pump 90% of the time but also give boob if I want bonding. Don’t feel bad you’ve done great!

Do what feels right for you. If you pump u are still bf as such so don't be soo hard on yourself. I was similar and do bf expressed bottles and top up with formula as when I express I don't get loads off My lb is very happy and we can enjoy doing things together rather than just being stuck on a boob