I feel like a failure and I should just give up.
My baby is a month old. At 2 weeks she hadn’t gained her weight back and was visibly hungry after every feed. We were told to start supplementing with formula to help her gain weight. Now we are at a point where she needs 2 ounces of formula per feed to feel satiated.
I met with my doula today and she told me to do 20-45 minutes of active feeding — so put her down when she slows/falls asleep and only count the time that she’s on the breast. She still needs a top up after that time. These feeds are taking so long and I feel overwhelmed and defeated after them.
I feel like she isn’t getting anything meaningful from me when I nurse her. I feel like I ruined our chances at breastfeeding and I feel like an awful mother. I don’t know how to fix this. Is it worth continuing to try? Has anyone else experienced anything like this and bounced back?