Switching from breast to bottle

In regards to breast/bottle feeding,  I have a story that might benefit mothers..... Stacey writes: “When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was adamant that my baby was going to be exclusively breastfed. I was open to the idea of bottles as long as it was only breastmilk in the bottle! From the second trimester onwards I was producing colostrum so I thought breastfeeding would be a breeze. However, once my daughter was born, I not only had no idea what to do with a baby, I had no idea how to feed her either. The nurses spent ages trying to help me, I tried all sorts of things, from nipple shields, breast pumping etc but after a week or so of trying to look after a newborn and constantly on the breastpump I was near exhaustion and developed mastitis, which required me to be hospitalized. After being released from the hospital I kept trying and trying to feed my baby myself but after another week or two I was back in hospital again. A lovely nurse told me that not being able to breastfeed was not the end of the world especially since I had tried so hard and that if I kept on trying my own health was going to suffer, let alone the health of my baby. In the end, you just need to have confidence that was is right for everyone else may not work for you, and stand tall when others judge you. I hope my story will show another side of the feeding debate. Of course breastfeeding is best for your baby but at the end of the day its up to you." You can read the full breast to bottle story here