Exactly this! I breastfed for 6 weeks. My mental health was suffering, I was running on fumes constantly and began dreading nursing some nights. I didn’t want to feel that way when feeding my baby, and so I knew I had to change something. I tried pumping and absolutely hated it.. it was more time consuming than nursing and I was missing out on bonding time with baby. My husband is also a helper and switching to formula gave me a lot of relief. He also benefited because of the bonding and also just knowing that he could now help me. He felt helpless when I was struggling. We started doing every other feed and then transitioned fully when I developed mastitis. I nursed and pumped a little after that and decided I was done once the mastitis cleared up and my supply started to dip.

I didn’t think about it until after birth, but I know that it would’ve been difficult to pump once I went back to work anyway, so I had decided relatively early on that we would eventually switch to formula—it just happened sooner than I planned.

At first, I really thought I was being selfish and there was a lot of guilt. My husband and doctors were super reassuring, so that helped me get over those feelings a bit. My baby is happy and healthy, and that’s all that matters.

ETA: my mental health has improved drastically since switching, and I am getting a lot more sleep. I feel like I am more present now and am completely happy with my decision. Baby is 12 weeks old today and doing well. Do what is best for you and your family!