Formula question, sorry I am blowing up the board today!

ashk7

So I am on my final run with pumping and almost through my frozen stash. I probably have a good month of frozen left, but want to start introducing formula so it's hopefully an easy transition. I called pedi today and he said I was cleared to use any formula. I am sooo confused! I don't even know where to start! I did use the rest of the neosure I had to give her like 2 oz bottles to see how she did and so it wouldn't go to waste. I know it may be a trial and error issue to see how dd does. She is almost 8 months, incase you can't see siggy, also on solids, so at this point could she still get spitty and gassy from formula? So my first question is what formula do you use or would you suggest I start with?

Also I have been weening myself off pumping and now that my supply is low I am FREAKING out to say the least! DD never took to BFing we tried and tried, I even gave it one last go before making the decision to stop pumping. LC says I have issues with my let down so it takes a while to get going and dd does not have the patience, especially now that she has has bottles for so long. With dd getting older I just can not keep up with the pumping schedule needed daily to keep my supply up. I am dealing with the guilt the most. I feel like I have failed and now that we are heading into cold and flu season she needs my milk to stay as healthy as possible and I am shorting her. I know rationally that is not the truth but it's still hard. I feel like once again this is something we were shorted because of her premature birth. If she was able to BF from the beginning she would of been used to working a little harder at first to get my milk. So my second question is how did/if you work through those emotions? Any encouragement is welcome!

ashk7

Thank you for the responses ladies! I am on day two of no pumping, and I must admit it is a little easier than I thought. I was only doing once a day as it was, so I decided rather than analyze the pro's and con's and try to get my supply back up only to lose it again because I just don't have the time in a day to maintain it, I just had to stop. So here's to our next chapter! It will be weird not bringing a pump everywhere with me, its been my second child for almost 8 months!

Linds1027

My DD is on Similac Alimentum. I tried like hell for her first month to BF her, but in the end my supply had completely gone and she was exclusively on formula. We went through the ringer with finding the right formula. Every one we tried constipated her and gave her horrible gas. It was a nightmare. The pedi originally wanted her on Enfacare for the extra calories, but that was the worst of them all. Once we got her on Alimentum she was a totally different baby! I dealt with a lot of guilt for not being able to bf like I had planned. I finally had to stop beating myself up, and keep reminding myself that both her and I tried so hard, but in the end my baby is getting fed, she is gaining weight and growing, and healthy as could be! it took me a while to get there, but I did. You will too.