2. What reaction did you notice?
Projectile vomiting 3 hous after feeding. vomiting up to 4 times and eventually bringing up bile and wretching. Lethargic baby. i sat up the whole night watching him sleep petrified he’d be sick in his sleep and choke.
I exclusively breastfeed and now bubba is 3 months old felt time was right to switch to formula. Used Aptamil as this was used in hopital to feed baby when 1st born and i was too poorly after c-section to breastfeed. After 1st bout of sickness which meant he brought up all breast milk all day we took him hosp and was told he had a viral infection. Tried Aptamil again x2 month later and thus the vomiting happened again, so obv something in the fomula. Want to try cow and gate but too scared to put my baby thu that again.

3. What course of action did you take?
nothing as yet – arguing with myself over trying a diff formula at the mo

4. Did things improve?
back exclusively on breast milk and 100% fine. no vomiting and baby happy and thriving.

I struggled every time I heard happy mum = happy baby because I was about as far from happy as it was possible to be. I felt like the worlds worst mother for not being happy that my baby was healthy, that I was somehow wrong for feeling destroyed by both my son’s birth and my failure to breastfeed.

Thank you again for writing this, it’s very comforting to know that someone else completely “gets” how I feel.

2. What reaction did you notice?
I’ve used this twice only, as I’m exclusively breastfeeding HOWEVER this was used in emergency. The first time my baby was only 3weeks old and seemed fine but 2hours later EVERYTHING was brought back up literally flying out of her mouth, out of her nose, so much so that she couldn’t breath. She was forcing up bile too she literally turned purple the poor thing, she was choking and wheezing and could not catch her breath…I thought at the time it was because the weather was so hot that maybe she had overheated! Very scared, but I never thought of the formula. Then two weeks ago, and a 6week old baby, I had to use the same stuff again and yet again the very same reaction but made worse because she had a little more this time. Watching your baby struggle for breath, projectile vomiting from all exits, I was so scared for her, then after all this she didn’t go for a poo for 3 days,the poor thing, and now I will not touch any formula at all. I’d mentioned this reaction to health visitor and doctor but they didn’t say anything.they weren’t bothered. To reject something so severely, tells me something must have been wrong…

3. What course of action did you take?
Stopped using completely

4. Did things improve?

Yes now I am strictly breastfeeding only. Especially as I got no help or reaction from the health professionals and now a 9weeks my little beauty is perfectly.

I breastfed both of mine for almost a year and I feel I have to excuse myself for having done it for so long. Both were big for their age and I felt that people thought I must be filling my breasts with liquid lard to get them so big!

I now work with pregnant women and whilst I do explain how to breastfeed I don’t say they ‘should’ breast feed but to be honest I wouldn’t be able to help them with formula feed questions.

It’s probably not OK to call formula feeders silly names because I suspect, rightly or wrongly, that they do feel some guilt and have built an argument against breastfeeding to defend themselves.

I do feel that NHS help is inadequate and in my case counter-productive. I have to that the NCT breastfeeding helpline for supporting me.

Generally it would be nice if women could stop knocking each other for their parenting choices.

@Franay, I never trash anyone for their feeding choice – it simply would never occur to me!

@Ruth – it’s the vacuousness of it that gets to me, I think, as much as what I’ve written above. Of course the concept of “happy mum = happy baby” is a nice one, but it can heap pressure onto women who aren’t feeling happy (especially as it is generally said to women who are pretty miserable at the time!). I just don’t think it’s kind or helpful to say it.