Dumb question: Supplementing

ProfessorPedals825

Well looks like I'm dealing with another round of mastitis... I'm EPing and now that I'm back at work I just can't pump often enough. So my question is, when you decided to start supplementing with formula, did you just make the switch? Or do I have to call the Pedi? I have decent freezer stash but I thought I could start supplementing one bottle a day so there's less pressure to pump all the time. What do you ladies think?

Gknauff79

Sorry to hear about the mastitis. When I started supplementing, I just tried it, didn't call the pedi or anything. It seems to work fine for us.

BTW I don't know how you have been able to EP for 3 months. I just started last week when I returned to work and its tough. My nips hurt something crazy. Hats off to you my friend!

ProfessorPedals825

Thanks! She was too small to latch at first and she just never really took to nursing after that. I was able to get in the occasional session of comfort nursing, but that was it. I'm hoping to keep pumping as much as possible but at least with supplementing I'll know there's always an alternative if I don't pump enough for the day.

MickeyM04

We didn't supplement per se but when we started weaning from BM and onto formula, we started adding formula slowly, like half a bottle of formula a day, then one bottle of formula a day, then one and a half bottles, etc. even though I had tons of BM in the freezer, because then I could prolong how long DS was getting at least some BM.  So I could have kept him EBF probably for like a couple weeks if I used my freezer milk instead of formula but instead I kept him partially BF for like almost 2 months by just VERY slowly adding formula and leaving what was in the freezer alone. 

I don't think you have to call.  Any ped will tell you it's a personal choice whether to BF or FF so I don't think you need like "permission" or the green light or anything like that.  I like your idea of supplementing one bottle a day to take the pressure off of pumping all the time.  Plus you'll have that freezer stash handy as well without having to use all it up to pump less and then worrying that you have no freezer stash.  You sound like you have a really good plan.