Formula Feeding

Renee1105

Hi there,
Is anyone here formula feeding from the start?
We could use this thread as a check-in as well as a place to ask BTDT moms some questions.

Renee1105

We will be formula feeding from the start due to a plethora of reasons, mainly it was not good for my mental health with DD.

For moms who formula fed from the start,

1. What formula did you use?

2. Did you bring your own formula to the hospital?

christac1010

I'll be formula feeding. I had a breast reduction at 19 that removed/severed the majority of my glands and ducts. When I spoke with my OB (who I've been with since I was 13), he did some testing/investigating and said it may not be impossible but I likely wouldn't be able to produce enough milk, if I could produce milk at all. I'll definitely be following this thread for information!

sldp123

I probably will be. I did from the start with my son, but I planned to try to BF this time. But having twins has really thrown a wrench into things, and while I know it's obviously possible, the thought of learning to BF for the first time with two newborns is extremely overwhelming. 

With my son, I used Enfamil, and I did not bring formula to the hospital. They provided Enfamil so that's how I decided what to use. I was very lucky that he never had any allergies or sensitivities. 

Renee1105

I used Earth's Best with DD and it was expensive but I wanted organic. Now they're under some scrutiny over possibly not truly being organic.

I'm seriously considering buying Holle from Germany or Hipp from the UK. Has anyone had experience with these formulas?

katesmama0706

We did both FF and BF with DD from the start just for convenience. We used Similac advance but switched to Similac Sensitive when the advanced seemed to constipate her. I plan on doing the same this time around 

sagoon

I hope to BF this time if possible, but we FF our son when he was a baby for a variety of reasons.  We used Similac.  He had no issues with it and wolfed it down and thrived.  We did not bring it to the hospital with us - they provided formula (sample sizes).  Just make sure you collect all the free samples and formula checks you can get your hands on.  Formula is expensive.

emilyn2012

Formula is expensive, I'm going to try and BF this time but ff dd from 3 weeks on, we used enfamil, I think the standard yellow can one. We used sensitive got a whole but she had huge poops with it 

ElleMF728

I'll combo feed until I dry up but I've always had problems with supply so I imagine he will be mostly FF pretty quickly. We use email gentlease but then switch over to the generic brand once the really gassy period is over.

ElleMF728

Added: I totally plan to bring some to the hospital. I hate the guilt trips but I also know that I will need a bottle before we leave.

mommy2ane

We used Similac Advanced for the first couple weeks along with breast milk. He did well on it and he had no issues. Our hospital actually provided it for us, which is why we ended up using it. If there's a specific brand you decide to use, check with your hospital to see if they provide it. If not, then I'd bring it with me. 

KarliQ88

I'm so happy someone started this! I was so afraid i would get so judged if i said i was strictly formula feeding. 
I just met up with my best friend who has 2 kids. She breast fes her first for a month and got so frustrated she gave up and formula fed. Her 2nd was strictly formula. She gave me pointers and told me not to feel bad. She was like "that bonding stuff is crap! I bonded with my 2nd just as much as my first if not,more because i wasn't so stressed."
I dont have an excuse like medical reasons ither than i just don't want to do it. 
My other good friend is a lactation consultant at a diffferent hospital than I'm going to. She like freaked when i told her. My sister also gave me a very judgmental stare. 

katesmama0706

@KarliQ88 girl, ignore the haters! That drives me absolutely crazy. As long as your baby is being fed that is all that matters. I mean, you can always expect some side eye from LCs because it's their job to be all "WOO HOO BREAST FEEDING" but from your sister? Blah. Breast feeding isn't for everyone and I wish that people would just accept that and move on rather than judging moms who formula feed.

haleylove0908

I tried BF with my daughter, it didn't go well and I could never produce enough to feed her so we had to supplement, then eventually do formula full time. We're going straight with formula this time. We use Gerber Goodstart Gentle. It's what her doctors and the hospital recommended. We didn't bring our own though, because the nurses told us that even if we brought our own, we would be charged for it

BiJiHaCa17

I plan to FF from the start with this one. I tried with my other two but never could get a good latch and was too stressed out so after a few days we switched. We used similac advance for both and that's what we plan on using for #3. Will have to check with the hospital but pretty sure they supply the 1oz premade bottles.

adorebella

Breast is NOT best for us for a whole host of reasons and we'll be 100% formula from the start this time. We used similac advance with our son with no issues. That's what our hospital has so won't be bringing any but that's a really good thing I never would have thought of otherwise!

KarliQ88

katesmama0706 said:

@KarliQ88 girl, ignore the haters! That drives me absolutely crazy. As long as your baby is being fed that is all that matters. I mean, you can always expect some side eye from LCs because it's their job to be all "WOO HOO BREAST FEEDING" but from your sister? Blah. Breast feeding isn't for everyone and I wish that people would just accept that and move on rather than judging moms who formula feed.

Right? Thank you! I do need to just remind myself that i am feeding my baby and that is all that matters. 
Funniest part is my sister was formula fed and i was breastfed and she is judging me?? She turned out just fine. 

kashock-2

Check with your OB/midwives to see if you hospital is designated (or working towards) "baby friendly". I would bring my own formula if it is, I feel like you get more push back from them and personally I wouldn't want to deal with it, I'm emotional enough already and I don't think they give it away as freely. 

ThePax89

What @KAShock said. On my hospital tour, they noted that it was a breastfeeding hospital. They do not give out formula samples. 

scgirl6113

ThePax89 said:

What @KAShock said. On my hospital tour, they noted that it was a breastfeeding hospital. They do not give out formula samples. 

Wow, it really rubs me the wrong way that a hospital would not give out formula samples. 

SarahMNAOB35

Tried to BF with my first but it didn't work for a number of reasons. We used Similac (the light blue one, can't remember exactly what it is called) and that's our plan this time around. Our hospital sent us home with samples which were a life saver when breastfeeding wasn't working. 

Renee1105

KAShock said:

Check with your OB/midwives to see if you hospital is designated (or working towards) "baby friendly". I would bring my own formula if it is, I feel like you get more push back from them and personally I wouldn't want to deal with it, I'm emotional enough already and I don't think they give it away as freely. 

I'll be delivering this baby at the same hospital as DD. They are considered "baby friendly" but after I produced nothing for DD they gave me formula. I'm just not sure I want to use the type they have. 

adorebella

ThePax89 said:

What @KAShock said. On my hospital tour, they noted that it was a breastfeeding hospital. They do not give out formula samples. 

This is crazy to me. Totally cray. 

ThePax89

Yeah, I'm calling BS on this policy. I can't imagine that they let you leave without some. I think it just isn't given away like the rest of the stuff. 

emy730

I absolutely hated BFing with DD, but I might try again with #2. However, I'm pretty sure we're going to formula feed.

Teach123

I could never get my supply going with DS, and we had to supplement from the beginning. He was super tiny, and he could not afford to lose any weight. I kept trying to nurse then supplement for about 3 weeks. I had to be put on antibiotics for infection at that point, and I just didn't feel comfortable continuing to try to breast feed while on the strong medication. I was also exhausted, sick and he was getting so little from me anyway it just didn't seem worth it.

We used Nutramigen (sp?) with DS from the beginning. Super expensive. It's what our pediatrician recommended though. We switched to the generic store brand after the first few months. 

I may try to breastfeed this one again, but it will only be for a few weeks if I do. I can't do the whole pumping at work thing. Just too stressful for me, and as a teacher I have kids all day. I can't imagine I'd be able to stay on a pumping schedule that would keep my supply up. 

mudderbear

I have zero desire to breast feed this baby, with dd we flew to Ontario when she was 3.5 months and for some reason my boobs just quit, it was such a relief! So this time round I'm just saying f it, ain't nobody need the stress of bfing...especially with a 3 year old running around.
We originally had dd on good start cuz of all the coupons I got, then I realized how effing expensive that shit was, so switched her to Walmart brands concentrated formula...so cheap and she loved it...like packing on the pounds 

ElleMF728

From what I understand you can get formula at "baby friendly" hospitals but they tend to make you jump through hoops to get some.  Typically, someone will come in and do the whole breast is best thing first. "Are you aware of the benefits of BFing...let me go over them for you", "Just one bottle can ruin your BFing relationship" "Are you sure you want to do this?".   I dislike having to deal with that in the midst of sleep deprivation and baby blues.  It's worth it to me just to bring my own. 

Knottie1443924966

ThePax89 said:

What @KAShock said. On my hospital tour, they noted that it was a breastfeeding hospital. They do not give out formula samples. 

How many weeks along does a hospital tour usually happen?

sldp123

@Knottie1443924966 my hospital offers tours weekly and you just register for one whenever you want. I would just check with your hospital to see how often they do them, and I would say maybe around 25-30 weeks would be a good time frame? Curious to see what others think.

Edit because I just looked at their schedule and they actually offer 1-2 tours every week.

Renee1105

Knottie1443924966 said:

ThePax89 said:

What @KAShock said. On my hospital tour, they noted that it was a breastfeeding hospital. They do not give out formula samples. 

How many weeks along does a hospital tour usually happen?

I was wondering this as well. I totally don't remember anything from my previous pregnancy. 

klw1986

My daughter was given a bottle before I had a chance to see her after my c-section. I tried pumping and breastfeeding, but it didn't work out for me. We used Similac Advance first, then switched to Similac for Spit Up (she had reflux), then switched to Similac Sensitive. My hospital was pro breastfeeding, but they supported us in bottle feeding too. And they gave us around 3-4 days worth of the premade bottles to take home.

MandiB07

I didn't produce enough milk last time and my daughter had bad reflux/GERD so we put her on Enfamil AR.  It was the only formula that worked for her, but it caused constipation issues (which is to be expected in any AR formula). I plan to use Similac this time around though.   

katesmama0706

Re hospital tours: I actually forgot to sign up for a tour last time but "got one" when I went in for false labor at 37 weeks. My guess is towards the end of your third trimester would be best but really it's not like they'll let you get lost if you don't get around to it. If you're touring more than one to decide where to deliver I'd say maybe go closer to the end of your second so you have some time to decide and register.

mommy2ane

Re hospital tours: I actually ended up being a part of my birthing class's hospital tour, which was at 36 weeks. It's not a big deal if you don't end up taking a tour, unless you're trying to decide between hospitals. My doc only delivers at one so there was no choice that needed to be made. 

Salliejabl

I formula fed my daughter from the start due to some medications I take as well as I travel for work.  I have no regrets that I didn't BF as my sister struggled with my nephew when he was born and my mom had issues as well.  There is already enough stress becoming a parent that I didn't want to add more to my plate.  We started with Similac and then switched to Enfamil and ended back on Similac Sensitive.  Later discovered my daughter had GERD.  When she was stabilized on her GERD medicine, we were eventually able to switch her to the Sam's Club version of Similac which saved us quite a bit of money especially after the coupons stopped coming.

My hospital also provided us with the formula while we stayed there.  They gave us what we needed while we were there.

katiebartton

I plan on doing both.  I had blood transfusions last time from severe hemorrhaging and it really messed with my milk - I had the quantity not quality and my kid lost so much weight that I'll be supplementing from the get go. 

I will probably bring those 2oz premixed bottles with.  I really liked similac sensitive so will probably try that since my DS had lactose issues 

MandiB07

What bottles are you all going with?

scgirl6113

MandiB07 said:

What bottles are you all going with?

This is something that really varies from baby to baby! We bought all Dr Browns and then my first hated them! We were able to use them with my second but I would recommend getting a few in different styles to see which your baby will like best and then buying a bunch. 

katesmama0706

@MandiB07 It definitely varies from baby to baby. We also went with Dr Browns at the beginning but all the parts are a lot of work so once I felt like she wasn't sucking so much air I switched to some 97 cent Parents Choice bottles. They're honestly my favorite bottles I've ever come across (and I nannied for 10 years prior to having a baby). We have a handful of Medela and Evenflo ones that came with my pump that work fine. You'll likely get a handful of sample bottles if you register which is nice because you can wait to stock up on a bunch only to find out your particular baby hates them. 

ceclarlinetlo

I am planning to try BF but I'm not going be upset if I have to supplement switch to formula (my mom never built up a supply with all of my siblings or me so I wouldn't be surprised, and I already struggle with anxiety so I'm not going to force it if baby doesn't nurse well and the stress of it makes me spiral) and I actually came across a sampler pack I am thinking about to get to try out multiple before committing to one style. (I want to crunch the numbers to see if this would save money or not) 

https://www.amazon.com/First-Foods-Starter-Variety-Comotomo/dp/B00RR2DT1G