“There is no shame in formula feeding.”

Our #ripemama, Kate shares her breastfeeding experience.

Breastfeeding is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. We didn’t get off to a great start, and it was difficult to get face-to-face support at the time due to COVID restrictions.

Lucie struggled to put the weight back on that she lost after birth, and I struggled to express for her, so I ended up topping up with formula. Topping up soon turned into mix feeding, which was the only way I think I was able to stretch out our breastfeeding journey for 4-5 months. By the end, I just felt like it was too consuming; physically and mentally. I had to work through some conflicting feelings about stopping breastfeeding, even though I was so ready to stop.

It’s strange, because I strongly believe that there is no shame in formula feeding, or mixed feeding for whatever the reason is – but I still struggled to give myself the permission to exclusively formula feed when the time came. I quickly realised it was best for both of us when Lucie fed really well from the bottle, and I felt happier and regained the energy I needed to really enjoy being a mum.