‘I want the bond I felt with my first child’: Paloma Faith reveals she ‘cries a lot’ over her struggle to breastfeed newborn daughter as she discusses postpartum journey in candid post

Paloma Faith has revealed she’s been struggling to breastfeed her newborn daughter, with the vexing challenge regularly bringing her to tears.

The singer, 39, last month welcomed her second child with partner Leyman Lahcine, with whom she also shares a four-year-old daughter.

And the Only Love Can Hurt Like This hitmaker took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal that she’s ‘mourning’ the ‘bond’ she felt through breastfeeding her first child, as she grapples with the fact that her youngest prefers to be bottle fed.

Struggle: Paloma Faith has revealed she’s been struggling to breastfeed her newborn daughter, with the complex challenge regularly bringing her to tears. Pictured in 2019

In a candid post entitled ‘Postpartum diary: Breast vs bottle’, the east London native shared a black-and-white shot of her offspring’s feet as she went into detail about the challenges she has faced over the past few months.

She wrote: ‘I breastfed my first child for 7 months exclusively. Through mastitis and engorgement and tongue tie and reflux.

‘This time I thought I don’t want to mentally go to that place again, so I thought I would give bottles of pumped milk at night and boobs in the day. That way, if I got PPD or needed a night off I could let someone else do it. 

‘Then my baby (this one) was diagnosed with tongue tie and we had it snipped. Then it grew back and I snipped it again. Now it’s gone, but she still gets frustrated at my breasts.

Candid: The star took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal that she’s ‘mourning’ the ‘bond’ she felt through breastfeeding her first child, with her youngest preferring to be bottle fed

‘I started to see that she would do one suck and expect milk like she gets with the bottle. After three sucks she would scream as if to say, “it’s not coming out!”. Then with her hunger she would cry and bang me.

‘After a while she learnt to feed but this behaviour would start after 15 mins, then 10, now 5 and I would pump milk and top her up with a bottle. Well, you can guess what predicament I find myself in.’

Sharing how the issue has affected her emotionally, she went on: ‘It very much feels like my baby has chosen bottle over boob herself. I cry a lot about it. I want the bond I felt with my first.

‘I tried myofunctional therapy to get her tongue going and it’s helping, but there is no quick fix. I am trying not to make it about me, but sometimes the self doubt creeps in.

‘Everyone says, “a happy baby is a fed baby” and you start thinking I should just go with what she wants. But, I hate pumping.

Bonding: Sharing how the issue has affected her emotionally, she said, ‘I cry a lot about it. I want the bond I felt with my first.’ Pictured in 2019

‘I have the medela symphony at home for speed, and the freestyle and the elvie pumps which slot right in your bra for walking around (convenient)…

‘And I am just going to spend the day trying to accept that if I don’t want to hear my baby protest and cry and hit my boobs for however many days, she has decided what I have to do.

‘I vowed I wouldn’t pump, I’m pumping. Next stop try the formula conveyor belt. But I’m just going to take a few days to allow myself to get my head round it and mourn a bit. I know in the long run we will find our happiness but some days it gets a bit sad.’

The star concluded: ‘Mums are amazing whether you breast feed, pump or formula, but every choice you make seems to have a sacrifice. Maybe that’s the lesson of parenthood?! #breastfeedingjourney #ivfjourney #postnatal #4thtrimester.’

Last week, Paloma gave fans another searingly honest insight into motherhood with a candid post. 

Growing family: The singer, 39, last month welcomed her second child with partner Leyman Lahcine, with whom she also shares a four-year-old daughter. Pictured together in 2018

The singer has been keeping fans in the loop with an unfiltered ‘postpartum diary’ since welcoming her second daughter.

And in her previous installment, Paloma shared an adorable snap of her baby’s hand as she revealed the pair are both suffering from yeast infection thrush.  

The mother-of-two wrote that it was ‘wonderful’ that her daughter has ‘started to open her eyes and really look’, but confessed it hadn’t been the easiest week for them. 

She penned: ‘It’s been a month! Obviously nothing is straight forward. We both have thrush (my nipples, her mouth), have been on Daktarin gel for her and Daktacort for me, plus Fluconodzole 50mg tablet (daily for a week now) and probiotics – and it feels like it’s just getting worse! 

‘WHERE IS THE MIRACLE CURE PLEASE?! I’m not very patient so all this ‘try this try that’ with newborns is very challenging for me. I like instant solutions!

Diary: The singer kept fans in the loop with an unfiltered ‘postpartum diary’ since welcoming her second daughter last month. Pictured in 2000

She continued: ‘Bubs is doing well and started to open her eyes and really look now, which is wonderful. Reflux still in full force and trying to learn some upright feeding positions now that she is bigger.

‘Don’t want to try the prescription meds, all the media about them is too scary. Had a day yesterday where all I wanted to do was cry.

‘I’m starting to get twitchy about being able to exercise but have to wait for the 6 week sign off….. TWO TO GO!

‘Finding it hard to be good with my eating and breastfeeding at the same time as it just makes you hungry!

‘Going to be speaking live on insta tomorrow with @gentle_births_and_beyond at 8.15pm GMT about tongue tie reflux and breastfeeding problems and anything else you want to ask us / her that is baby related! Tune in super mums!’

Honest: Last week, Paloma gave fans another searingly honest insight into motherhood with a candid post alongside a snap of her newborn’s hand

The post comes after the star spoke of her fears her career, which has lasted over a decade, could be coming to an end. 

She spoke candidly on her upcoming BBC Two documentary Paloma Faith: As I Am and said she felt like she ‘cheated death’ as she was still releasing music after having her first child in 2016.  

Paloma, who has ten Top 40 hits and ten million record sales, said record label bosses were ‘concerned’ about her wanting to have a second child, reports The Sun.

She said: ‘I did have a dinner (with them) and there were signs of concern when I mentioned that I’d like another child. 

‘I feel like I’ve cheated death in a way, in terms of the death of my career, with one. And I feel like maybe you can’t cheat death twice.’

The Only Love Can Hurt Like This songstress, who has a 12-year career, added: ‘It feels a little bit at the moment like it’s the end of an era for me.’ 

End of an era? Paloma fears her career which has lasted over a decade could be coming to an end following the birth of her second daughter 

In the documentary, she also opened up about her mental health and revealed she had suicidal thoughts and felt ‘mentally unstable’ due to jet lag.

Musician Paloma candidly confessed she tried to ‘unbolt the window’ in her hotel room after flying to Sydney to perform back in 2009.  

She said: ‘I’ve had really bad experiences coming to Australia. The first time I ever experienced jet lag, I got a bit disoriented and mentally unstable and had to cancel the tour. I contemplated suicide.’ 

Paloma returned Down Under in 2015 but was hospitalised with exhaustion, and tweeted: ‘I don’t think all the flying is very good for the body.’ 

She has spoken openly about her struggles with mental health, and will explore the subject in her new documentary, which was filmed in 2018. 

The star worked with director Jane Mingay over the course of a year on the film. 

Heart-wrenching: Paloma confessed she tried to ‘unbolt the window’ in her hotel room after flying to Sydney to perform back in 2009 (pictured during the tour)

Source: Read Full Article