Help...STM, but is it possible to do half nursing/half bottle feeding b/c of PPD :(

Ardmhs83

So let me start by saying I know that breastfeeding doesn't have to be all or nothing.  I do have experience with nursing and feel pretty knowledgeable about it, but am looking for some advice.  I do attend LLL meetings and nursed my DS for 9 months.  However, I had severe PPD/PPA with my son that didn't smack me in the face until he was 7 months old.  It kind of triggered chronic anxiety in me still to this day.  I'm doing pretty well and only need my anxiety medication on occasion...it is VERY rare that I need it.  However, I do take another medication daily to help me, and it works! 

Fast forward to now...I'm almost 39 weeks pregnant with a little girl and I'm super passionate about breastfeeding and want to nurse her too.  I've already discussed my meds with a LC and looked things up through infant risk...I feel confident in nursing her if I still need my meds.  I take my medication at night b/c my biggest problem from my anxiety is insomnia, so not sleeping is a HUGE trigger for me...so adding a newborn is pretty scary, knowing she isn't going to sleep.  I'm aware of how important it is to nurse on demand and very often to establish a good milk supply, but if I start to feel I'm going off the deep end, how can I partly nurse?  I would never want to quit all together, but is their is a way for me to nurse during the day (taking a year off work...so this won't be a problem) and do some supplementation at night?  If I know I can take my meds....get a good solid 4-5 hours of sleep (while hubby does a bottle feeding) and wake to nurse from then on out...I'll feel golden.  

Has anyone else needed to do half and half from the beginning?  Did it totally screw your supply up?  I had oversupply with my son...I really felt like a cow ;-) lol  

sandy02

I would take it as it comes, though not nursing at night could hurt your supply as she would be getting a good portion of her needs during that time and your body wont know it, therefore producing less. overall.  If you feel like you need more of a break certain nights, if the baby need to eat and gets a bottle from your husband you should pump at that same time, so baby gets up to eat you husband does the feeding, changing, burping, rocking back to sleep, you sit up put the pump on, pump 10 minutes and go right back to sleep.  Have your husband store the milk/deal with the pump so your feet never even have to touch the floor.  So that way your body knows your baby is still "demanding" milk at that time and will continue to produce adequate amounts, but you are only up 10 minutes, then back down without risking your supply, or having to supplement with formula if you dont want too.

broads

I have had to pump/bottle feed and breast feed since day one. Was not how I had intended it to be but bc he was born tongue tied and then was jaundice it was what the pediatrician wanted. He is not yet 2 weeks yet I am waiting for that appt to hopefully not have to bottle feed after every breast feed. It has been very time consuming to do all three everytime. But to answer your question I have plenty of milk supply and actually produce way to much and have quite a stock in freezer already. I typically pump 5 oz every 2-3 hours. I wouldn't go more than 4 hours at night though until your supply is established that is what they have told me. Hope this helps. I struggled with it at first as well as there is not much literature or advice regarding doing both from the beginning but it had been working out so far, and he does still latch well which was a concern for me.