breastfeeding..

Ryan&Kristin062009

How long did you breastfeed?

I started pumping a couple hours after Castle was born and the NICU nurses would give him my milk through his feeding tube. Once he was able we started breastfeeding, and then he also got my milk through a bottle once he was able to take it.

Shortly after though he developed a dairy allergy and was put on special formula (allumentum), and I was instructed to not eat dairy. After that he seemed to do much better.

Since stopping my dairy intake i've noticed my milk supply has decreased significantly which really sucks, so I've only been making enough for 1 bottle a day (out of the 8 he gets). Thursday night he was extremely fussy feeding out of the breastmilk bottle, spitting up and crying. I then gave him a bottle of formula and he took it right away.... I asked his pediatrician on Friday and she said he probably prefers the taste of the formula since he has it much more and had so much of it for his hospital stay...

I guess I'm just getting discouraged. I know how important breastmilk is but it just seems like it just isn't meant to be yet I feel guilty for stopping.. the pediatrician mentioned trying putting a little bit of breastmilk in each bottle but like I said my supply is so low.. i feel like it's not worth it. Not sure what to do here and if I should feel guilty or not...

ladybugbella24

HUGS!!! I know how you feel. My LO stop gaining weight on my milk so I had to stop (2 months of EP) and switched to formula.  I think I cried for 3 days straight from the guilt.  Even though I felt terrible, it was a relief to know that the formula was packing on the pounds. I was told to keep pumping and use the milk to use once LO started cereals, but it was just too much. 

You mentioned giving him one bottle of breastmilk, can you try mixing it with formula?

Hang in there!!!

 

lemen99

I'm sorry. It's such a tough decision.  

FWIW I've done this twice, and I have 2 completely different experiences to share with you. 

DS1, 26 weeker, I EPed for 15 months.  I also had to go dairy-free. My "strategy" was just to drop a pump every time I felt like I was going to quit completely.  I didn't stress about it, did what I could, and it worked out, even if I hated every minute of it. 

DS2, 35 weeker, I gave up BF/EP after 2 weeks.  He wasn't gaining on just nursing, and I couldn't keep up with pumping too.  I didn't have it in me this time.  I was really stressed out, sad, and so I quit. DH and I decided it was in our family's best interest that Elliott be a formula fed baby.  I had a hard time making the decision, but once we did, I didn't look back and I didn't really feel guilty.  Just tell yourself when you make the decision one or another, you are making the best decision at that point in time, and so you need to trust yourself going forward.  We think that happy parents are more important than breastmilk.

The situations were totally different, but my point is, both of my kids are fine.  Every bit of milk you have provided is amazing, and if you can keep going, that's awesome.  But you will be happier if you stop pumping, and less stressed, your LO will sense that too. 

Hugs!

Natalie_may

I stopped when the babies cam home.  They would latch but were so impatient they would pull away and scream after the first 5 minutes for a bottle.  Pumping was so time consuming at that point, it was like having a third child and my supply halved during one particularly horrid week in the NICU so I wasn't fully feeding both.  I stopped, and cried about it, but it was the right decision to make for me and my family.  The boys are thriving on formula and I feel like a happier, better adjusted mommy.

Ryan&Kristin062009

Thanks ladies. I did end up stopping BFing/pumping and am feeling a little better about the decision, especially after speaking with friends/family. DS got the colostrum which is most important and I'm glad he was able to get the breastmilk for the first month. He is doing great on the formula and gaining well so I try to focus on that! 

I am hoping with our next I will be able to be pregnant longer and start BFing from day 1!