Breastfeeding or formula feeding dilema

It never occurred to me that here in UK people make such a big fuss about breastfeeding. In Czech you just breastfeed and if it doesn't work for you, you have option to choose formula. Nobody will get you bad looks if you feed your baby with bottle in public. Maybe some other mum will start discussion with you as how much it cost for bottle feed and that she is sad that breastfeeding didn't work for her. End of discussion.

Breastfeeding is the standard and as a new mum on maternity leave you try to save money where you can. Formula feeding is expensive. Even more than here in UK.

I just thought that I will breastfeed for 6 months and then we will just start solids. Maybe will continue with morning or evening breastfeed until our baby say enough.

I was surprised how vocal even midwifes have been in hospital. Here comes the mother who breastfeed! Out of way! Really?
I guess that we have been lucky. Our baby boy started drinking from me even with umbilical cord attached and it was not easy labour. He was from the start very hungry baby. Maybe being born on
42 + 2 had something to do with it.

Anyway he started to do cluster feeding during nights. Literary 4-5 hours on the boob feeding. I was exhausted and I was pretty sure that nothing was actually coming out. Then I got a infection and had to be admitted back to hospital. Last thing what you want is screaming baby. He was hungry. So I send my poor husband to 24 hours Tesco to buy some ready made formula. He secretly took it to hospital. Sami couldn't stop drinking the stuff! He didn't care about some stupid nipple confusion. He was hungry and the formula was food.

I was hiding the formula in hospital and always offered him my boob first and then the bottle. After he slept for fist time for over 4 hours. In that moment I was on the drip with antibiotics and they were making me very "drunk". I was concern that they would have negative effect on baby but midwifes just told me to continue with breastfeeding.

Big mistake!
Boy was sick for about 2 weeks afterwards and developed severe reflux. I was still trying to breastfeed and the cluster feedings were so often that I had literary blisters on my nipples. In that time I wish I had stopped breastfeeding and just pumped and dumped. Every feeding was agony and was continuing to give my baby bad stomachache.

It shows you that going with "what your gut tells you" is the right decision, and put all that midwives and health visitors advices where is dark.

Sometimes formula IS the right choice.
Thanks the bottle I breastfed my baby until he was well over 5 months. For us combination feeding was the answer.