Thought I’d provide another perspective here.. breastfeeding for us did not go very well. I had cracked bleeding nipples and a really painful episiotomy scar (my stitches came undone and it was basically an open wound down there). I was also on antibiotics for the scar, and lost all my appetite. Anyhoo.. all this took a toll on my milk supply and my poor baby was starving. We tried everything for 3 weeks, but LO was losing weight at an alarming rate and my supply was the same. Finally started supplementing with formula, and she has been thriving ever since.
Those first few weeks were the worst of my life.. instead of bonding with my baby, all I had was horrible guilt that I wasn’t making enough milk to sustain her. I was so keen on bf.. never thought it would be this hard. Right now I’m trying to bf as much as I can, but formula makes up a significant portion of her milk intake.
I’ve come to terms with it. Ultimately making sure your baby is happy and eating well is what matters. Just thought I’d put this out there.. I wish someone would have told me this when I was struggling.
Good luck Reha, hope you have an easy labor and a happy, healthy baby
And thank you for talking about the other side of things. We can only try and hope for the best…rest is not in our hands so there’s no point in feeling guilty over it.
I am not into the mom-shaming aspect of it that I’ve come across on a lot of websites…where anyone who doesn’t EBF is not doing enough for her baby.
I want to try…but if it doesn’t work out…I won’t be beating myself up over it. My sisters have supplemented with formula for some of the kids they are perfectly healthy Mashallah.
^^ Love that you're keeping an open mind. I'm sure things will work out great.
I have been at the receiving end of savagely pro-EBF moms and health professionals.. it got so bad that postnatal depression was starting to look very very real. They make you believe that formula feeding is akin to feeding your baby rat poison. Though I wish things had gone differently, I can honestly say that formula restored my baby's happiness and my own sanity.
Glad things worked out for you, that’s the most important part. You’ve nothing to feel guilty about - if it’s any consolation, I had no supply issues yet I topped up the babies’ feed with formula whenever needed. The baby is perfectly fine and super healthy but you’re right, in the middle of all the pro-BF mama’s out there, sometimes you do end up feeling a bit low for doing things differently, however it’s your kid and you shall always do whatever is best for the two of you, period.
Sorry I missed this earlier…I’ll find out the exact recipe and post it for you. Basically she makes it like a breakfast tarkari type dish. It tastes soooo good with roti/paratha or even plain old sandwich bread. We used to wait for days when she’d make it…
^^ Love that you're keeping an open mind. I'm sure things will work out great.
I have been at the receiving end of savagely pro-EBF moms and health professionals.. it got so bad that postnatal depression was starting to look very very real. They make you believe that formula feeding is akin to feeding your baby rat poison. Though I wish things had gone differently, I can honestly say that formula restored my baby's happiness and my own sanity.
sounds horrible!
i wasnt able to BF my first beyond 6 wks and empathize with the physical discomfort, guilt and frustration this can bring on.
My mom's rough tarkeeb...as she does it all with andaza:
She usually buys the white khush khaash you'll find at desi stores for this.
Soak your poppy seeds overnight.
The next day, drain them. In a blender add your poppy seeds, one green chili, a few almonds (optional), sabat kali mirch, laung, elaichi, half of an onion, adrak, laisan and blend until you cannot feel the seeds between your fingers.
In a pot, brown an onion, add the poppy seed mixture and add lal mirch, haldi and namak.
You want to keep frying until the water has evaporated.
This is what we used to eat in the winter growing up...I am sooo making some this weekend.
^ Just remember supply/demand is huge for milk. The more u nurse, the more milk u make as well.
I also think the fennel water helps a lot! Eat fresh methi... as that is meant to help a lot. What worked for me was oatmeal, fennel water, panjeeri and methi.
^ Just remember supply/demand is huge for milk. The more u nurse, the more milk u make as well.
I also think the fennel water helps a lot! Eat fresh methi... as that is meant to help a lot. What worked for me was oatmeal, fennel water, panjeeri and methi.
I'm at the stage where baby gets easily distracted by basically anything around the room and will unlatch himself several times during a feeding. It's frustrating :( A feeding that took us 10 mins takes us 30 mins or more now!
