It's funny, when I had issues with Elijah, I rang the LC (on Pinky's advice) and one of the first things I said to the LC was, 'I am really worried about my supply, I think it's really low.' She said, 'What is it with you new mums and supply?!' LOL!
Some of us will have supply problems, but make sure you don't self diagnose it. Get a second opinion from an LC and make sure you have have that when you make changes - if you have to change to formula at least you will be at peace with it, because you knew you tried your best and you sought that help from a good source. The link I posted in the breastfeeding forum for the LC in Sydney contains a reference to LC's as part of the national association, so they need to obide by a code of ethics, and most of them are IBCLC.
I know we all see 'breast is best' stuff posted around the place, but in the discussion thread when this article was initially posted (in infant led feeding) the ABA was contacted about it and made some interesting comments, about their change in approach to the topic. It's like anything though, the messages have been so far ingrained and it's hard to break sayings and habits. Unfortunately though, I think lots of women who bottlefeed for health reasons have the hardest time dealing with it (as opposed to those who WANT to bottlefeed regardless) and they need support to de-brief and get answers. You can only do this with a professional and not other women on a website. So this is why I think it is so raw to deal with it here. There are lots of undealt with feelings, thoughts and emotions and we aren't qualified to deal with those. That's why there are still older women today with issues with their births and why as soon as you are pregnant or have a new baby, they are first to share their horror stories or share their 2c worth because they haven't had the opportunity to deal with it. Unfortunately #2 - while it sucks having it in your face, it is important that mums know that the best form of nutrients and food supply for babies is breastmilk, but perhaps instead of spending money on campaigns saying just that, they need to approach it a little differently. The way formula is marketed these days, some women do think that formula can be superior with all those vitamins and minerals in it, when they don't realise how rich breastmilk is already, plus the live stuff in it too, like white blood cells, antibodies etc. So It's a tough one. All I guess I can say is that if you have gone to formula and are having difficulty with how you feel, perhaps you could see someone who does post-natal de-briefing - some LC's do this, I know my teacher does...
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