So honest.
I had the most straightforward time when it came to breastfeeding my daughter. Now don’t get me wrong, I had chapped nipples and my tops were soaked through constantly but my milk came in really well.
The same could not be said when I breastfed my son. I had the most stressful time and my milk was basically non-existent. After weeks of trying, I turned to formula.
I really did feel like some mums judged me every time I took out a bottle at the park or a playgroup so I can see why someone in the public eye like Stacey would not want to announce she was bottle feeding her baby.
Yesterday Stacey shared an incredibly honest post about how she was finally ready to stop hiding the fact that she was no longer breastfeeding and as a mum who struggled a can completely relate.
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Sorry for the essay… So Lots of people have been asking me if I’m still breast feeding. It’s taken me a bit of time to feel okay about saying no. I stopped a couple of months ago & I really struggled to come to terms with it & actually say it out loud. Breastfeeding never happened for me the way that I imagined. I did my best to try & master it, but it wasn’t to be. On day 5 we ended up back in hospital because of weight loss & I ended up pumping in between feeds to make sure he put it back on so we could be discharged, then I continued this at home until he reached his birthweight. I then tried to switch to exclusive breastfeeding but whenever I did he lost weight again & It would break my heart to think that my own want to breastfeed was not helping my baby grow so I mix fed. As he got bigger his demand for milk got higher & my boobs couldn’t keep up the supply. By the time I did two full days back at work without him on the boob or pumping my milk dried up & before I knew it my breastfeeding journey was over. I felt sad for quite some time, every time he rooted my gut ached. I felt like I’d failed & that I’d lost the chance to have that special time & bond with Rex. I felt like everyone else was going to feed him & I’d loose my baby. I felt like I should have done more to master it in the first 24 hours & I should have done more research & asked for help. But as time has gone on, I’ve realised the truth. The truth is, I did my absolute best. Every baby is different. I’m so lucky I have a few wonderful breastfeeding memories & some women don’t get that chance?. I have an extremely special bond with Rex, one that would be there wether I breastfed or not, he grew in my tummy and we’ve known each other for a long time (we go way back?) I love bottle feeding, it’s nice to share the feeding with Joe & our family sometimes too, they’re not stealing him away, just helping & bonding too. Doing things differently wouldn’t mean my journey would have been any different. He was a small, tired little pickle & he struggled to feed. But the most important thing is he was fed bottle/breast it doesn’t matter. Mamas u really are incredible. ?
A post shared by Stacey Solomon (@staceysolomon) on Oct 20, 2019 at 11:07am PDT
The mum of three explained that after a difficult experience with breastfeeding she was now bottle feeding her youngest son Rex;
“So Lots of people have been asking me if I’m still breast feeding. It’s taken me a bit of time to feel okay about saying no.
I stopped a couple of months ago & I really struggled to come to terms with it & actually say it out loud.
Breastfeeding never happened for me the way that I imagined. I did my best to try & master it, but it wasn’t to be.”
Stacey went on to say that she felt like a failure because she wasn’t able to successfully breastfeed;
“I felt like I’d failed & that I’d lost the chance to have that special time & bond with Rex.
I felt like everyone else was going to feed him & I’d loose my baby.
I felt like I should have done more to master it in the first 24 hours & I should have done more research & asked for help.
But as time has gone on, I’ve realised the truth. The truth is, I did my absolute best.”
Everyone has their own unique breastfeeding story and the most important thing for all new mums is to get as much support and information as possible.
