Breastfeeding

Should I buy formula incase...

I am planning to bf but should I have formula for when I come home from hosp. Incase my milk hasn't come in yet, etc?  What brand?
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Re: Should I buy formula incase...

  • Nope. Your milk might not come in before you leave the hospital, and that's NORMAL. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Baby's tummy is the size of a marble the first few days.

    This is Breastfeeding 101 type stuff, I'd suggest you go to kellymom.com and start some research on newborn feeding and breastfeeding in general.

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  • We got free formula from our pediatrician, in the mail, and as a "gift" at the hospital. I never used it (donated it to a local charity), and I wouldn't recommend it if you think it would tempt you to throw in the towel on a bad day. But if you feel like you HAVE to have some in case of emergency, you'll probably get some for free.

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  • WhitWedWhitWed member
    The best advice I got was to be as serious as possible about sticking it out.  A friend told me that she was tempted so many times to give in, shed many tears, had to conquer various issues, but was determined that this is what she wanted for her baby and was so thankful she didn't have a back-up to fall back on.  So my suggestion would be to not buy formula.  Obviously I don't think there's any shame in formula feeding, but my point is more to giving breastfeeding your best shot possible without distractions that might make it easy to give up.  Good luck!
  • Just sign up with enfamil, similac, good start, etc, and you'll get enough free samples.
  • No. there is no need to have formula on hand.
  • We had gotten free formula from the companies by clicking there free sample things we didn't use any of the powder and passed it on but the ready made stuff came in handy during the first month for crazy cluster feeds where he was getting angry at my books for running empty after the 25th feed in 3 hours and would latch anymore because of being upset so husband gave a bottle he didn't like the stuff and would only take it when he was actually hungry and not comforting otherwise he would spit it outand refuse it. It was nice to have around for those times until my milk came in after he had some bottle and calmed he would be offered breast again if he got angry he went back.

    But like pp said do your research know what to expect I researched many latch videos unfilled I found what worked they way they taught me in the hospital was not good for us we used the lay baby on your chest bra less and let him find your nipple and latch he would bouce around rooting find nipple if he wasn't on right he would let go etc.

    We had some rough times the first couple weeks but by the third month we were breastfeeding pros and normality seemed to come back into our lives so stick it out I always tell people if u ride it to month three it just gets easier
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  • There's nothing wrong with having a little formula on hand just in case. If you sign up with Enfamil and Similac, as PP said they'll send free samples and that's more than enough. Also, my hospital gave us some free premixed 2 oz. ready to feed bottles, just ask.

    I ended up supplementing until my milk came in at the hospital, both with DS two years ago and with DD born 2 weeks ago. They both were losing too much weight. Once my milk came in I exclusively breast fed DS for 10 months. I plan to EBF DD for a year.

    Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for supplementing with a little formula if you need to. Just don't use the formula as a crutch when BF gets a little difficult. Getting your LO fed is the most important thing!
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  • IMO it's not necessary to have on-hand JIC unless you live someplace that's very rural/remote, otherwise most people can get formula within 10-20mins from their local pharmacy or grocery store. Your baby won't starve to death in the time it takes to run to the store, kwim?

    Nevermind that formula companies will send you some free, even if you don't sign up (ugh). And a lot of hospitals still send every mom home with formula (ugh again).

    I never needed it, and milk normally doesn't come in until 2-5days after birth so it's very likely you will go home before it comes in. That alone does NOT mean you need to supplement with formula.  The "risk" of having it around is that it is very easy to quickly derail your breastfeeding if you supplement with formula. While there are cases when formula is necessary, many women think they need to supplement because they don't know what normal course of breastfeeding is like. So, instead of buying formula, I'd invest that money in a breastfeeding class and spend time researching local LCs to have a good one ready to call, JIC.



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  • With my first, I did supplement the first few days. He was a big baby and no matter how often/long he nursed he was hungry. For my sanity, he would get about 4oz for one feeding at night. The third day or so after my milk came in, I quit giving the formula. No guilt at all.

    This time my milk came in faster but there have been days when I almost gave her a bottle. My boobs have taken a serious beating trying to get her back to birth weight and the pain almost made me crack. Thankfully we are on the upswing and healing, finally.

    In the end, I think you would be OK not buying it, but I wouldn't feel guilty for using it. BFing is hard but your sanity is most important, IMO.
  • imagekreeper611:
    With my first, I did supplement the first few days. He was a big baby and no matter how often/long he nursed he was hungry. For my sanity, he would get about 4oz for one feeding at night. The third day or so after my milk came in, I quit giving the formula.

    I am only saying this for the education of other moms and NOT to say you did anything wrong.

    On day one of life, your baby's stomach is the size of a marble. By day three, it is the size of a ping pong ball. It is not meant to hold 4 oz of milk or formula. Newborns are supposed to want to nurse non stop in the beginning. It's how they let your body know that you're going to need a lot of milk. Wanting to nurse continually is not a sign that your baby needs formula because they're not getting enough milk. By day 10, a newborn's stomach is the size of a large chicken egg and is only designed to hold about 2.5 ounces.

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  • No. I agree with pp that said you might want to read up on bfing some more.  Here's a good start.

    https://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html

    https://kellymom.com/category/ages/newborn/bf-basics/

     

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  • Your baby doesn't need formula before your milk comes in. They are getting everything they need from the colostrum you are producing. If they are nursing all the time, they are telling your body to make milk! This is a good thing and how it should go down in the beginning. My baby was nursing all the time before my milk came in, and continued to after my milk came in on day 4. He actually GAINED a whole bunch of weight the first week, which is rare. So obviously, he was not needing more than what my body was making! There wouldn't be any humans on the planet if our bodies couldn't feed babies; try to remember that!

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  • imagegreeneyed_bride:

    imagekreeper611:
    With my first, I did supplement the first few days. He was a big baby and no matter how often/long he nursed he was hungry. For my sanity, he would get about 4oz for one feeding at night. The third day or so after my milk came in, I quit giving the formula.

    I am only saying this for the education of other moms and NOT to say you did anything wrong.

    On day one of life, your baby's stomach is the size of a marble. By day three, it is the size of a ping pong ball. It is not meant to hold 4 oz of milk or formula. Newborns are supposed to want to nurse non stop in the beginning. It's how they let your body know that you're going to need a lot of milk. Wanting to nurse continually is not a sign that your baby needs formula because they're not getting enough milk. By day 10, a newborn's stomach is the size of a large chicken egg and is only designed to hold about 2.5 ounces.

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    This! Your baby doesn't need formula. Bf is all supply and demand. The more your baby nurses the better because he's telling your body to produce more milk. Supplementing with formula could result in over feeding and stretching baby's stomach, which means baby won't be satisfied with the amount mommy makes alone. My milk didn't come in until the end of day 5, but the colostrum I was producing was enough to nourish baby. You definitely need to read about breastfeeding and/ or take a prenatal class that discusses it. You need to know the basics so you don't hurt your supply. For instance, most babies lose weight after they're born up to 10 percent of their body weight and that's normal. It doesn't mean you're not producing enough milk. If your baby loses more than 10 percent, then you need to work with a lactation consultant to improve lo latch. You only need to supplement if both the doctor and lactation consultant recommend it. Otherwise, steer clear of formula.
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  • this post actually makes me sad, I wish I had read it when my LO was born 12 days ago.  LO was losing a lot of weight and my milk hadn't come in yet, so the pedi said to give an ounce of formula after every feeding.  Now it's a habit.  After I feed if she is still hungry she gets a bottle.  I am NOT happy about this, but DH loves it since he gets to feed her.  I honestly thought I had a low supply, now I know I was wrong.   I get so happy when I nurse and she doesn't want the formula, but that rarely happens now. :(

     So I agree with PP, don't use it because it can become a crutch 

  • No.  My milk didn't come for 5 days, this was no problem with the doctors we saw.  I still did not need formula.  Had I done that I would have messed up supply/demand and might have risked our entire BF relationship.  Hasn't even had a bottle now.  Let the baby nurse as much as they want.  There is a huge spurt around 5-6 weeks.  Get ready for this.  It doesn't mean they need formula.  It is a normal part of nursing.  

    I do know of one person who had formula in their house while BF and they "tried" it just a few times and it ruined their ability to BF in a slippery slope ending with being formula fed mostly.  After I heard that story shortly after my baby was born I removed the free samples that were sitting in my cabinet so I couldn't use them as a crutch in a moment of weakness.  For some reason at the hospital even the breastfeeding mom free gift came with a huge can of forumla.  

  • imagegradbeth:

    this post actually makes me sad, I wish I had read it when my LO was born 12 days ago.  LO was losing a lot of weight and my milk hadn't come in yet, so the pedi said to give an ounce of formula after every feeding.  Now it's a habit.  After I feed if she is still hungry she gets a bottle.  I am NOT happy about this, but DH loves it since he gets to feed her.  I honestly thought I had a low supply, now I know I was wrong.   I get so happy when I nurse and she doesn't want the formula, but that rarely happens now. :(

     So I agree with PP, don't use it because it can become a crutch 

    You can wean her off of it still!  I weaned kid #1 off of supplements.  Just offer the breast longer and then a little less in the bottle each time until you have done away with the bottle.  And DH can help in a million other ways, so don't let that be something holding you back if you want to quit supplementing.  You can also do breast compressions while she's eating to help her get a little more milk from each breast.

     

     

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