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Motherhood
A Mothers’ Mental Health Is Worth More than Her Breastmilk
The benefits of formula can’t be ignored.
With the birth of our second daughter, I went into ‘breast is best’ auto-pilot.
It was not easy, but it was just what I thought I had to do. We suffered through crackled nipples, the inability to tend to my older daughter during feeds, and hours upon hours of cluster feeding in the evenings. We persevered until we could no longer ignore the idea that she might not be getting enough to eat, that I might not have enough supply to meet her demands.
Once I had a taste of the flexibility one simple bottle of formula offered, there was no looking back.
Initially, it was only one bottle of formula a day before bed. It was a small and simple swap to our daughter, but for me, it was monumental. For me, it was a relaxed and enjoyable bedtime, it was the removal of a huge physical and emotional stressor, it was freedom.
Once that overwhelming weight was off my shoulders (and breasts!) in the evening, I could finally breathe. In a sea where I had been drowning, I could finally come up for air.