How to breastfeed while having postpartum depression?

Both of my children struggled to latch so I was forced to pump. I ended up only making it 3 months with each baby. You have to do what’s best for you and baby. The fact that you’ve done what you could to give your mini the best start you could is great, but there’s nothing wrong with making the transition if baby just doesn’t want to latch. Have you tried the silicone nipple shield? It helped me a lot for baby that would rather latch to a bottle.

My daughter didn’t have a good latch and I was pumping a lot. I then bought nipple shields which helped soooo much!!! & pumped a couple bottles throughout the day for night time.

There is nothing wrong with needing to switch to formula. You do what you think is best for yourself and your baby! :purple_heart:

Breastfed my daughter until 6 months, but when my son came around he was such a voracious eater in the hospital right away that my supply doubled what it had been with my daughter and I found myself pumping and nursing every hour on top of having a 2 year old around, after a month I decided I wanted my life back and swapped to formula. Do what works for you. Your baby will be just fine either way.

Get a nipple shield! My breasts were so engorged my nipples went almost flat.:joy: The nipple shield gives them more to latch on to & it also saves you from some of the pain when they get a little bigger/ stronger suction.

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It gets easier. The first 3 months seem like the hardest with nursing. I had PPD and PPA but continued breast feeding despite it. It was the most stressful and hardest thing to do in my life but I feel it was worth it, atleast for myself. You can always nurse some and supplement with formula. Definitely work with a lactation consultant. Even if you have to visit multiple times a week. I sure did!

I had so many problems breastfeeding. They thought she had a lactose interolance so had to go on a dairy free diet which cut my supply significantly and she wasn’t getting enough. I would only get an ounce or 2 when I did pump and I was feeding/pumping every hour and a half. There was no way I could go back to work and breastfeed with her having enough for the day because she was eating so much and I wasn’t producing. I did this the first month and a half until I had to get ready to go back to work. she was having so many gas and intestinal issues I finally switched her to formula that had special soothing benefits in it. best thing I ever did. now she is almost 9 months old and eating regular food along with bottles. you have to do what is best for you both. I didn’t want to give up either I loved the bond me and her had when I was feeding her but ultimately the best decision was to switch. best of luck

Do what’s best for you. And it’s obvious breastfeeding and pumping is not that. Formula is just as good for your baby. You’re not letting him down in any way by not giving him breast milk

Slow down some on the pumping so your body can adjust and just keep working with baby on getting him to lack good and it will happen. 2 out of 5 of my babies had trouble latching on and it took nearly 2 months for my youngest to get it but I didn’t pump every 2 hours so I didn’t over produce and I didn’t hit burn out, slow down and just keep working with baby at every feeding. When he starts to get frustrated give him a bottle you pumped but let him try to latch first and it will work

My daughter only latched twice before not latching again. I used a pump for about 3 days after getting home. Between the newborn, not sleeping, no help and pumping constantly to feed my chunky baby it was all just too much for me.
On the bright side, if you do decide to switch there are a lot of programs out there to help with the buying if formula!

Remeber breast feeding is supplu and demand, if you pump every 2 hours your body will produce for that demand. You could reduce your supply by slowly stretching those pumping sessions out so instead of every 2 hours pump at the 2 hour 15 mark for a couple days then the 2.5 hour mark and so on u til you train your body to supply a bit less. Unless you are not making enough for baby already this vould take some of the pressure off and extend your time to get baby latching properly.

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Youre not alone. My baby didnt have a good latch at first either took about 6 to 8 weeks of using a nipple shield before shengot thenhang of it but if its not the pump its the baby. Were 7months in Amd its still wearing on me some days. Hang in there!

Your not alone. Happen to me with both of mine. Pumped a couple months and couldnt do it anymore. Almost fell asleep while driving once that was my final straw. Scared the hell out of me. But I wasnt sleeping from pumping every 2 hours and cleaning pump ajd feeding and everything else. Id get 3 hrs broken up a night if I was lucky

There are groups on here! Just search for them! They help so much

My last baby was a cluster feeder. I was constantly feeding her, I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything and hardly slept at all. Finally I just started pumping exclusively and got on a every 2 hour schedule. I would still get up in the middle of the night (3 am) and pumped but it helped me mentally so much because I got some rest and my Husband could take a turn getting up to feed her a bottle. You have to do what is best for you, but I kept it up for 8 months and i am so happy I was able to do that for my baby. She’s 3 yrs old now and I’m still proud of all that hard work!

If you want to change to formula the go ahead hun. A fed baby is best, if it means bottle over breast! You need to be not sleep deprived to give your all to your baby and if your feeling like this now then please stop putting so much pressure on yourself to breast feed x

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If your mental health is struggling transition to a bottle. FED is best, and a happy well slept momma will do baby more good than breast milk

You are not…I couldn’t pump enough to feed her…I gave up

There are many benefits to breastfeeding HOWEVER most important thing is a happy mother. If it gets to a point of down right miserable formula isnt the worse thing ever.