It’s accepted far and wide that ‘breast is best’, but what’s the appropriate course of action to take when you physically can’t make it work? You just move on to the next alternative, of course.
This is what Australian mum and blogger Jules Coffey had to do when breastfeeding just wouldn’t work for her – but she admits the stigma attached to formula-feeding made her feel like ‘a failure’.
Now, she wants to reiterate that there is absolutely nothing wrong with formula-feeding, and the important thing is making sure your baby is full and healthy.
In a candid post posted to her Instagram page, Jules shared a photo of baby Emmi drinking from a bottle. She went on to say that while she has always ascribed to the concept that ‘breast is best’, this wasn’t the case for her or her baby.
“What about when your baby is losing weight, you have no milk, your baby is up all through the night starving? Is it still best? When your baby is dehydrated and you have absolutely nothing left to give?” she wrote.
Like many other mums in her situation, Jules felt terrible over not being able to nurse. However, she was left in anguish over what to do – because the opinions of others had left the impression that ‘formula is the devil’.
After eight months of struggling, visiting specialists and failing to get Emmi to ‘take the boob’, Jules figured she had no other option but to formula-feed.
Despite feeling as though she had ‘failed as a mother’, Jules was amazed and relieved to find that Emmi took to the bottle totally naturally. Her baby was now full and nourished, and feeding was no longer an issue.
Now, Jules is keen to spread her story and break any lingering taboos surrounding formula-feeding.
“Everyone needs to be happy with their own choices…until you have hit rock bottom and your baby isn’t thriving, then you have no idea,” she added.
