There are some people that believe that nursing is the ONLY way to feed your
baby healthfully. That’s just not true, and if you decide to supplement your
baby’s diet with formula while you’re getting this nursing thing down, that’s
really okay. Don’t let them make you believe that if you give your baby a
bottle a time or two a day she’ll never nurse again. It’s just not true. Babies
are much more resiliant than that.
If nursing is slow in coming, then by all means use that free formula that
they gave you in the hospital. A full baby is much happier than a hungry one,
and it’ll give you more time to figure out what you’re doing.
If you have a baby with special needs or prematurity, you may have more
difficulty and may not be successful. That’s okay too - don’t beat yourself up
about it. If you are determined, you can still pump milk for your child to have
through a feeding tube or bottle. And if you decide that dealing with a sick or
special needs child is more than enough, thank you, to deal with, then do not
let a single person make you feel guilty for giving your baby formula.
Get Some Support
If you really can’t get the baby to latch on, it’s time to get a lactation
consultant to help you out. Call the hospital where you had the baby and ask
for a phone number. And don’t feel like a failure because you need help. I
practically lived in my lactation consultant’s office while my son was in the
NICU (he was a preemie). She had women coming and going at all hours of the day
and night, and she really had seen it all. If you had a normal delivery with a
healthy baby, just know that whatever your problem is, yours is not some
special, unsolvable case.
You can also look online and find a La Leche League member to call for help.
These are women who’ve been there, and often really can give you some good
advice for your particular situation.