I feel like a failure - breastfeeding
I gave birth to my rainbow baby at the end of January. The birth didn’t go the greatest. I ended up needing an episiotomy, forceps and a D&C following a retained placenta, which resulted in a haemorrhage. There was some residual trauma from the miscarriage, which was not only emotionally traumatic but physically as well. I was planning on breastfeeding but I guess the haemorrhage resulted in my iron levels dropping and I later learned that low iron affects your ability to produce milk. I was prescribed iron tablets (no blood transfusion, no iron transfusion). I went to two different lactation consultants after being discharged and both told me wildly different advice. The first just said keep doing what you’re doing while we wait for your iron levels to increase. The second, I need to be on a robust breastfeeding, pumping, supplementing with formula regime 8 times a day if I want to increase my milk supply.
I basically had a meltdown after I attempted the new plan (with the pump). It feels so impossible. Everyone keeps telling different things and I feel I’m behind the eight ball no matter what I do. I feel like a failure. I can’t do a basic thing: feed my baby.
Edit: thank you everyone for the kind words.