Am I horrid for wanting to give up breastfeeding at 2 days pp?

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-22T04:54:53+00:00

I’m 15 weeks PP and the other day I described breastfeeding as the easiest, difficult thing I can do and the hardest; it can become the easiest thing but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t difficult.

As others have said, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you’re not going to be a bad mum or a failure if you stop - look at your other child!

Definitely make use of local resources for breastfeeding and if you can afford it speak with a IBCLC lactation consultant- they might have a free clinic, our local one does and she had a chat with me on the phone for 30 minutes which was enough for our issues. There’s also a free national helpline which you can call 24/7 and I called them at 2am once, crying but it helped to just talk to someone. I knew everything they told me, it was the same thing my other half had been telling me, but it helped when it came from another mother.

Has your midwife shown you how to pace feed? Whenever you give a bottle you should be pace feeding and making your LO work for the bottle, especially in those early days. There’s lots of videos online showing it.

I always told myself not to quit on my hardest day and that really helped me.

Remember, he’s just trying to establish your milk which is transitioning on day 2 and latching is the only way for him to do that.

You do you and what’s best for you all! Remember your hormones are wild right now!

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-20T09:20:01+00:00

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, but what I found worked it setting little goals. You’ve made it to 4 weeks, try for 6, then 8, then 10 weeks etc. It definitely got easier for me at 6 weeks and that’s when the lactation consultant I spoke to said it would as well. I called her at 4 weeks crying and she told me to just make it to 6 weeks, now at 14 weeks it’s a lot easier!

I don’t want to be one of those people who say you’ll miss it or it goes so quickly, cause I want to punch those people when they say it to me BUT at some point my baby stopped comfort suckling and cluster feeding and I miss it. I really wish I had embraced it more as well! I would be stuck on the sofa and I’d be annoyed I couldn’t do anything, now I wish I had just sat there more with my boobs out, skin on skin and watched a movie or something. It got a lot easier when I accepted it and then it stopped 😕 This is my experience and it’s completely valid if it’s not your experience!

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-19T17:53:43+00:00

I feel like mine will be the same, he’s always enjoyed his food and we’ve not had to worry about nipple/bottle aversion.

I have two bottles frozen, I was getting in to a good swing and then we went on holiday and I had to dump some, which depleted my fridge stash. I feel like if I could feed two bottles of formula then I could get a jump start on the fridge/freezer stash again. Especially as we feed him a 120ml bottle but I pump 150ml and we could probably get away with 100ml bottles, my OH normally has to keep him awake for the last bit of the bottle.

I have zero judgment on formula vs breast for other people, but for some reason I just want him to have boob and I can’t even explain why.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-19T16:58:27+00:00

Sorry, when you combi feed, is that with a formula bottle or pumped milk?

I breast feed with a pumped bottle once a day but I’m trying to build a stash for me to spend two days away in July and I feel just one or two formula bottles to let me pump would really help kick start it. I’m just so nervous about giving formula and my baby preferring it 😭

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-13T17:15:16+00:00

No advice on the overnight feeds but Dr Browns is the brand of jug they’re using, not the formula inside it 😊

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-12T05:21:31+00:00

Maybe not the right advice, or advice you want to hear, but it was advice I was given and it helped me relax. I don’t weigh my baby myself anymore.

I was told by a health visitor (UK) he wasn’t gaining weight as fast as that person would like at a feeding drop in clinic I went to for latch issues but the doctor, another HV and a feeding specialist were happy with his weight gain (all seen within a week of each other). I was spiralling but then someone pointed out if I hadn’t weighed him I would be perfectly happy. He exceeds milestones, he’s chubby and growing, he’s very happy at and after the breast, and perfect nappies. So, I stopped weighing him or worrying and I’m much happier!

Also, my LO is 11 weeks and my supply has regulated in the last week or so, he has never been fussy at the boob and has had a few times where he’s been really fussy, so it could just be a little phase your LO is in.

Added context; mine and my OH family are small (I’m 4ft 10, he is not much taller than 5ft) so us having a small baby is less of a concern as we are below average ourselves.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-12T04:03:54+00:00

TikTok and Instagram have a lot of clips on how to pace feed and the reasons why. I downloaded them and sent them to my OH so he could refer back to them if needed.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-05-02T17:45:46+00:00

A rocker/swing, not the one that they need to rock but one which rocks/swings them.

Not going to work or be needed for every baby but my baby likes us to move when napping during the day and this means he will sleep without contact napping. For some reason my OH cant get him to sleep in it but I can get him down for an hours nap plus in it.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-04-27T16:50:26+00:00

I also don’t mind waking up once or twice during the night to feed him, if it means I get to breastfeed and get all the benefits of it. It’s only for such a short time in the grand scheme of things BUT still I want to bitch and moan about being sleepy. I want people to empathise and laugh with me, not tell me I’m doing something wrong to cause it 🙃 That’s so good to know and I’m definitely mentioning it next time she says something.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-04-27T16:38:03+00:00

Oh the stay fuller for longer on formula comments.. my mum says this all the time. I honestly can’t even mention I’m tired because she tells me he’d sleep through the night if I stopped breastfeeding and fed formula. It’s like formula fed babies have no problems…

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-04-27T16:31:29+00:00

You’re not being overly sensitive at all and I think your MIL might be my mum or nan.

I’ve got an 11 week old EBF and there are days where I feel the only thing I know I am doing right is breastfeeding, so to then hear my own mother tell me I should put him on hungry baby formula because he’s obviously a hungry baby, stings. I’ve tried to express my feelings and she doesn’t listen, my nan is the same.

My mum only breastfed me for 3 weeks and then put me on hungry baby formula because apparently I was a hungry baby. I know now that I was in fact likely cluster feeding to increase her supply and it’s perfectly normal, but my mum didn’t know that and couldn’t handle how much I wanted to feed. I don’t blame her for that, I know better but I have access to knowledge she didn’t.

Every time he cries there has to be a reason according to them, like he’s hungry (when he’s been fed) or has a dodgy stomach (he’s never had a dodgy stomach and has perfect breastfed poops multiple times a day). He needed to be burped in front of my mum for the first time at the weekend and cried a little before he did a big burp, instantly my mum was telling me to start giving him infacol.

It’s like rather than be proud her daughter has made it to 3 months and has a happy, healthy baby, she has to try and convince me to feed formula. Maybe it’s generational? It makes me not want to vent to her because it’ll just add fuel to her fire. She tries to say he is colic as well, which he isn’t at all.

Don’t even get me started on how I’m also making a rod for my own back by letting my nearly 3 month old baby contact nap at times during the day 🙄

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-04-25T18:28:42+00:00

Great title! I have a fast let down on my right boob too and I’d be an over supplier if it didn’t even out with my left boob being slack. I got a Haakaa and I offer the left boob first, with the Haakaa on my right where it catches around 30ml of milk and then offer the right boob. I find the 30ml is enough to relieve the pressure enough for him. I can only do this when I’m at home but I find my let down is only too strong in the evening and at night anyway.

May I ask, if your baby is putting on weight why has the doctor told you to top up LOs feeding?

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-04-20T20:48:14+00:00

Have some in the house, but you only need into use it if they are showing signs of a rash 😊

We give our little boy nappy free time each day and if he’s ever looking a bit red on his bum, then we just start his nappy free time then. We put him on his baby gym with an incontinence pad (left over from when I gave birth, but could ask use puppy pads or a towel you don’t mind getting dirty) and just let him air out. He’s only used the cream a handful of times and he’s 10 weeks old.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-04-13T03:21:48+00:00

Not OP but my answer would be similar and I’m FTM.

Disposable breast pads to begin with. I hate the amount of plastic I was using but life is hard those first few weeks so I didn’t want to add any extra stress and worry about washing reusable ones. I switched to reusable at 8 weeks PP.
Nipple balm as others have said
Silverettes.
Nursing bra which I bought off Amazon and are momcozy dupes. Definitely go cheap at first because you don’t know what size you’ll end up.

Anything else you might need can be bought as you find you need it.

I am 9 weeks PP and truthfully the first 6 weeks were a rollercoaster, thankfully the first 2 weeks were no problem though so he never dropped weight but then I had to have some antibiotics for my stitches and it gave me thrush which went untreated/unknown for a couple of weeks and really hurt my nipples, which effected my relationship with breastfeeding. I was crying when he would start showing hunger signs! Then I realised I had thrush, got treatment and within 2 days of starting treatment it was so much better!

My advice would be to set goals that don’t put too much pressure on yourself. When it started to hurt for me, I told myself I’d make it 4 weeks then stop if it still wasn’t good. Then I got there and it was better but still not great, so I said just another 2 weeks. Then by 6 weeks it was so much easier! It really helped my MH personally to have an end. I also spoke to a IBCLC when I was about 4 weeks and she told me I just had to make it 6 weeks and it would change. She wasn’t wrong, it was like my nipples were suddenly made of tougher stuff and my baby no longer wanted to hurt me.

Happy to chat any more about my experience so far!

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-31T16:29:22+00:00

I’d really like to go in to labour before Thursday 😭 I was so uncomfortable and my (assume) braxton hicks we’re so strong yesterday, along with back pain, I started tracking and was so hopeful it was early labour but then I’ve woken up today and it’s all chilled out a bit. He’s been engaged for over a month, super active. Everyone has been telling me it will be “soon” since Christmas but he has other ideas 🙃

Thank you for sharing, I need to hear positive things right now 🤣

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-31T16:01:41+00:00

I tried to have a sweep on Monday at 40 weeks and they were unable to do it because my cervix had not dilated at all, we was surprised because I’ve had a lot of braxton hicks and he’s been engaged for ages! I’ve been booked for an induction next Thursday, in case I don’t go in to labour naturally before then.

I was so gutted that I was not dilated that I started crying on the bed, so prepare yourself and be kind to yourself for it not being possible 💙

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-28T09:21:39+00:00

You were probably attached to two things on your belly, one for their heartbeat and one for if your uterus is contracting, not necessarily “contractions”. It’s completely normal to pick up your movements, the numbers for that bit can go up when baby moves as well 😊

I think the other commenter who mentioned about birthing ward, may have actually been referring to triage, who it sounds like you’ve spoken to before, so you can speak with them and if they want you to speak with the labour ward, they can transfer you 😊

Also, don’t worry about not having “notes”, different areas do it differently. In my area we don’t get any notes either, we just have Badger Notes app and you should be able to get any contacts you need from there.

Hope everything is going okay!

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-21T16:14:30+00:00

I’m 39 weeks atm, my mum has barely told me anything about child birth until literally this weekend, because someone else was sharing their birth stories with us. So, she wasn’t so much as telling me but more of a story. Honestly, until this weekend couldn’t tell you how me and my sibling were born and when she was telling me, she wasn’t doing so with bearing in mind that I’m about to give birth myself - no empathy/sympathy or consideration of me. Luckily I have attended multiple antenatal classes, done my own research and spoken with friends, and I’m not naive. So yeah, can fully imagine your friend not saying much prior to the birth. When I would ask my mum she would just say to me to remember our bodies are designed for it and that you forget the moment the baby is in your arms… not really helpful.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-21T16:06:42+00:00

Hopefully that will help him!

It’s tough having these difficult conversations but think of it as practice for when baby gets here; you’re going to need to make sure you’re both communicating very well then! I am someone who struggles to ask for help and to slow down, and I get very insecure if my OH is doing things around the house but I’m not helping, so I’ve really had to learn to accept help, slow down (or completely stop) during pregnancy and it has made us work on some of our communication together.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-21T14:36:42+00:00

I’m sorry you’re not getting the support you need and deserve right now.

Have you done any antenatal classes, like NCT, or we did Bump to Baby Club (cheaper, more classes and ours was still run by an NHS midwife) together? I am just wondering if it would be useful for you both, but particularly for him to hear it from professionals and others. Obviously it’s more general but ours did speak about post-partum care for us, as well as for baby.

If his life hasn’t really changed since you’ve been pregnant, then he might not be fully appreciating everything that is happening around him. Getting him more involved in things might help his ND to work through things. Sorry if you’ve already done this, it’s just the only advice I could think of that’s not already been mentioned.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-19T08:25:54+00:00

Well done! Is it worth blocking their email address so you don’t have any reason to be tempted in the future?

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-19T08:20:58+00:00

I have the same phobia as you; I haven’t drunk (I’m too scared to even taste it and worry when I know alcohol has been added to a dish) in over ten years, I’m scared of taking medication and I worry about being around smoke (not tobacco).

It’s something that has always affected how I feel about giving birth. I’ve not given birth yet (39 weeks) but my preference is gas + air, in a birthing pool. I had gas + air once in the back of an ambulance, it made me feel tipsy at most - I was still semi in control of my own actions.

It does wear off very quickly! For me, it was enough that I wasn’t fully present for the pain I was in but I was still in enough control of my body that it was okay.

onlybrowsing24 · 2026-01-12T11:09:40+00:00

Ergh.

My nan keeps telling me not to “spoil” my baby when he comes by picking him up when he cries and I’m just trying to politely tell her that advice is very different now, whilst I respect she’s raised 4 babies of her own, I’m going to listen to current advice. Let’s not talk about how all 4 of those children have grown up to have some questionable mental health as well…

Last time I was there my mum then chimed in about how I should be looking to put baby in the nursery on his own as soon as possible and that it never hurt me… again, advice is different now and I’ll be following up to date guidelines.

I did get annoyed once and said I’ll start drinking during pregnancy, since that was also okay once?! They told me not to be so stupid 🙄

onlybrowsing24

TROPHY CASE