Breast-feeding and formula feeding support

Breastfeeding stigma from family

Hi everyone, looking to share my recent experience to see if anyone has had the same/any advice to share. I’m based in the UK but grateful for any shared experiences.

I am EBF and my husband is helping with feeds using expressed milk and bottles overnight so I can get 4-5 hours of sleep. I have been getting more confident breastfeeding in public but have family members that are judgemental about women who BF in public (my mum and sisters didn’t breastfeed).

My baby is 8 weeks old and currently 13lb 10, health visitor is not concerned and had friends tell me how well I’m doing as she had a tongue tie which was snipped last week. When meeting my family for coffee today, I had to feed my daughter and take a cover up because they would make comments and make me feel more uncomfortable. They commented on the weight of my baby, said I should move her onto bottles to check how much she’s having, insinuating a problem with her weight, and tried to tell me how long to feed her for as “I don’t want to be feeding her until she’s 3”.

I did not confront them about this at the time because I would have got upset and embarrassed in a public place. As a first time new mum I question whether I’m doing the right thing and this has upset me. Sorry for the long message/rant.

in our community

Thinning hair

Has anyone found anything that genuinely helps hair getting thicker? I used to have the thickest hair, down to my bum. Then after I had my son it just won’t stop falling out. Even now, I’m nearly 15 months PP and every day clumps of hair are falling out, even when I’m sleeping and roll over strands of hair get wrapped around my neck or hands. My hair line is so thin you can just see scalp, and if it wasn’t for how long it is, I’d genuinely look bald. Really starting to worry and stress out about it.

Mounjaro help!

Hi mums, I'm thinking of using mounjaro and wanted to ask where people were getting theirs from? There's so many online pharmacys and intro offers etc. Im a bit lost. TIA xx

Breastfeeding 🤱

I’m exclusively breastfeeding and since birth my 8 week old is constantly feeding. She won’t settle unless she’s on me. She won’t take to a bottle for dad to feed her and she won’t take to a dummy. Is anyone else’s baba like this? Any advise would be appreciated! 🫶🏽

What do you do to help your kids decompress after school?

My 3 year old started last week and only wants to watch TV when she comes home. I’ve been letting her because it’s a big transition and she’s too tired out to do much else but I feel like she’s not getting much of a chance to calm down before bedtime!
Need some suggestions for a good after school routine ◡̈

Giving up breast feeding

I’m really struggling with how I feel about feeding at the moment and I’d really appreciate hearing from other mums who have been in a similar position. ❤️

My little girl is 10 weeks old and I’ve been breastfeeding alongside formula top-ups since she was three weeks old due to advice from the paediatricians about her low birth weight. I’ve worked really hard at breastfeeding — feeding her, pumping, trying to increase my supply and constantly worrying about whether she’s getting enough. It’s now been confirmed that I have a genuinely low milk supply. The healthcare professional thinks that I may simply have a lower milk-producing capacity, and that there isn’t really anything I could have done differently to change that.

Logically, I know that this is not my fault and that I haven’t failed my baby. But emotionally, I’m finding it really difficult. I’ve spent the last couple of days doing lots of crying and feeling like I’ve somehow failed at something that I desperately wanted to do for her.

I’ve been advised that I could continue breastfeeding and topping her up, but honestly I’m finding the whole feeding/pumping/top-up cycle really difficult and I’m not sure it’s sustainable for me long-term. Part of me thinks I might actually be happier and less stressed if I switched fully to formula.

But my anxiety is making that decision incredibly difficult. I keep having thoughts like “what if I stop breastfeeding and something bad happens to her?” and specifically worrying about SIDS. I know logically that formula-fed babies are safe and that there are lots of other things that reduce the risk of SIDS, but my anxiety keeps telling me that if I stop breastfeeding, I’m somehow putting her at risk.

I think I’m looking for reassurance from mums who have either had low supply, combination fed, or decided to stop breastfeeding earlier than they originally planned.

Did anyone else feel this huge amount of guilt when they stopped? Did switching to formula make feeding and your mental health easier? And if you breastfed for a few weeks/months and then stopped, did you find it easier to come to terms with?

I’m not looking for judgement either way — I just feel really lost at the moment and would love to hear some honest experiences from other mums who have been through it. ❤️

SIDS

Hey lovelies, just after some advice, I know that babies shouldn’t sleep on their tummy or on their side as it can cause SIDS but my two week old loves sleeping on her side no matter how many times we put her on her back she always rolls over and is happy laid like that…. Anyone else’s babies been like this and been okay? Constantly turning her over and I feel awful because she’s so comfy but the anxiety kills me but I feel like as long as I’m watching her she will be okay? What’s everyone’s thought on this?