Dropping a Pump and Formula Supplement- Advice
AllieAGame
member
Hi gang! I feel like a stranger lately- after TB did their redesign that apparently didn't stick, I wasn't able to access the page for a while (total user error, ha!).
So, I've finally decided that I'm tired of being chained to my pump (we are EPing), and I'm going to drop my middle-of-the-day pumps. I still want to pump 2-3 times in the morning (MOTN, first thing in the AM and around noon), but then take out the 2 daytime pumps and not pump again until DH is home and can take care of Little Snuffles around 6. Then I'll do another pump before bed. That would take me from 7 sessions a day to 5. Any advice or tips on what to expect? Any chance I'll be able to keep my supply up?
I imagine I'll also have to start supplementing with formula. I was going to try the half BM/half formula bottles and see how that goes. Question is: Snuffles only takes about 3.5 oz each feed, but the minimum mixing equation on the formula is for 2 oz. I know I can't just mix up 4 oz and save it, right? You have to use it within an hour? Though some people say they mix up a pitcher for the day. How does that work out?
Also, what kind of water do you all use for bottles? Do you boil it first? Use bottled? We live in Germany and in this area they pride themselves on their really top quality tap water, so I feel like it's as safe as anything in the States. Also, what temperature of water do you use?
Re: Dropping a Pump and Formula Supplement- Advice
LO has been supplemented with formula since the beginning, and we don't mix it with BM. I just feed him formula bottles when I don't have enough for a BM bottle yet. I make a full 4 or 6 oz bottle depending on LO's appetitite, and just accept the fact that some is wasted. We don't make up any ahead of time.
We have pretty amazing tap water here, but because our pipes suck, we mix all our formula with room temperature water from a Brita pitcher. When we're visiting family, though, I just use tap water.
Good luck!
We typically use refrigerated breast milk, then add 3 oz of warm/hot tap water and mix in a scoop and a half of formula. I really wish they would just provide a scoop big enough to make one oz instead of two, but we eyeball the half scoop and it seems to be fine. I'm pretty sure daycare does the same thing so I figure its pretty typical.
Since the breast milk is cold, the tap water makes the whole thing a temp that LO will take.
Hope this helps! Sorry... no advice re supply; we've had to supplement since the beginning. We do mixed bottles except for one all formula bottle before bed.
Eta... I also dropped my MOTN feed, since LO started STTN. I typically pump 4x a day... early am, late am/early afternoon, late afternoon and before bed. I'm not consistent with time.
Oh gosh, I'm such a spaz! Sorry if I've ignored your question- it was not intentional. I started calling her Snuffles because she makes little "snuffling" noises all the time. More so in her first month, but she still does it from time to time. You know the sound, not quite a wimper, not quite a grunt. Just a little snuffle. So now Husband and I call her Snuff or Snuffles or Little Snuffler or anything along those lines.
It is my ultimate goal to rewrite the lyrics of Rick Ross's "Hustlin" to "Everyday she's snufflin'" and post a video on YouTube. We'll see if it ever happens. So far I've got "Everyday she's snufflin...except for when she's sucklin'...can't wait until she's chucklin'. It's a work in progress.
Ha, ohhhhhh, that makes sense! I was so curious!