That’s so very brave of you. Thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully it helps other mothers in that situation to not feel so bad. Breast is best, so they say, but the reality is, FOOD is best! It shouldn’t matter in which form it is delivered… It is food, and your baby is fed. Good for you!

Bottle feeding was never an option for me, I didn’t even consider it, and thankfully it was successful for me. The health nurse seemed a bit rude though, no wonder you walked out. I’m shocked she spoke to you like that

Good on you for standing your ground. It is your choice. Well done

the story is exellent

Wonderful story and good on you for standing your ground. Happy mum = happy bub. Advice is given but one must take in and act on what they feel is right.

It is such a sensitive topic, I could not do it with my first, my second and third ate well from the beginning, but we swapped after a few weeks as I was not coping… Luckily, I have never copped anything, but I hear other stories and I feel like punching whoever judges them, as they do not know. Great on you for sticking up to yourself – well done mummy!

Congratulations for standing up for yourself. I had a mini-meltdown in hospital as my milk came in late and despite multiple questions about Bubs dehydration, I was told that his weight was too low less than 24 hours before we were due to leave and it was implied that we would not necessarily be leaving unless he put on a certain amount. With my milk only starting to occur that day, I was told to express and they couldn’t understand why I had doubts about doing this. A considerate night nurse thankfully agreed to our request for some formula, and we were cleared to leave the following morning. I wish I had said something earlier and good on you for sticking to your guns.

My niece had a stand-up argument with her Maternal Nurse over a very similar issue. Yes, advice is good, but it’s also not what you say, but how you say it. Advice is often welcome, but when it’s said as a criticism, then you can hardly be blamed for getting upset. In my niece’s case, it turned out that the nurse had never had children, and had no personal experience of giving birth, breast-feeding, or the thousand other things that Mums have to do. She was giving her opinion, based on what she had been taught. You do what’s right for you and your child, and if other people don’t agree with it, it’s their problem and not yours.

I’m sure your have made the right decision for you and your baby. Others can be quick to judge. I couldn’t breast feed my babies due to medication I was on, yet funnily enough, was still judged for it. Mainly by other mothers in mother’s group. Didn’t last long there as a result. Ironically, same breastfeeding mums thought it was ok to start off mother’s group at 10 in the morning with champagne. Don’t mean to judge, but really!!! Champagne verus me feeding my babies formula. Anyway, happy to say, my kids are healthy, clever and well adjusted. Their mum is healthier too!

I went through a similar breast feeding thing and got fed up with the breast is best thing. I was told all about the developmental thing etc. My grandma turned around, seeing me drained trying my heart out to express and bottle feed with formula and said “You know what, what’s best for the mother, is what’s best for the baby.” At the end of the day I think what that message is all about is that a happy and healthy mother is best for baby. I jus wonder how many parents who adopted children, who are intellectually very bright would be happy with the statement made by that nurse. It’s terrible that people feel they should enforce their opinions upon others. Good on!

Unfortunately there are a lot of mums out there with a similar experience. You think you are in a place of support ad understanding, and you end up in tears and feeling judged for an off the cuff remark that they haven’t though twice about.

Good for you, I think it is so wrong to make new Mum’s feel guilty for not persevering with breast feeding especially when they have tried but their milk doesn’t come in. The positive side for them is at least they know how much formula their bub is getting & often they are more content in those first few months & thrive.

How do these people get to assume that they have the last word on everything? You had a good reason for your decision and are not required to explain anything to a person who does not pay your bills!

I’m glad you decided to do what you felt is right for you & your baby.

That is good to hear that you stopped feeling guilty! sometimes guilt can get the better of us and we shouldn’t let it…

I remember so well everyone giving me advise and then telling me i was doing this wrong and that wrong.
I think you just need to do what you think is best everyone learns by their own mistakes.

I hear you and can remember with my first all this as well so in the end I stopped going to the nurse and put my baby on the bottle and the next as well. I felt better and my kids were on track if not ahead in some things. I thought well i was adopted and I’m not dead or behind my peers so I felt better being able to see what my babies were drinking and when they were dummy sucking. I made the choice for me and my children just like every one else has the right to make decide what they feel is best for their children

I hated going to see the maternal nurse, it is all about following one rule and that is what they say. I too stopped breastfeeding with my second child after 4-5 weeks due to something that was out of my control. My gyno actually told me that the first 6 weeks is where they get all the goodness if want to breastfeed, and he is one of the top specialists in Melbourne, no pressure from him at all. I breast fed my first child for a long time and he was always sick, yet my youngest who was Healthy and never had a problem with weight. My sister is about to pop her 4th child any day now and she has no plans what so ever to Breastfeed as she only just got the other one off about 3 months ago and I am sure she will cop a mouthful as well as they cannot help themselves.