How to start supplementing 7.5 month old (I can't pump enough)

Owl2011 · October 2011

After pumping for my usual 3 hours over the course of the day yesterday and being in tears last night because it hurt so much for my LO to BF (my nipples are raw beyond belief), I have admitted that I can't do it anymore. I love BF, but hate pumping (not that anyone loves pumping). I've been pumping to have bottles for LO at DC, but rarely am able to pump enough, so I've been digging into my little, tiny freezer stash and I'm now down to 20oz as my buffer. It takes me at least an hour to get 4 oz if I'm lucky (I look at pictures, videos, compress, switch horn sizes, stop/start, drink a ton of water, take fenugreek, etc.) and pumping is consuming my life. I want to BF when LO is with me, but either send formula or a combo of pumped milk/formula to DC (so keep pumping, but not 3+ hours a day and use what I get).

How do I do this? Do, I do half and half and mix formula and breastmilk? Do I send in one bottle of pumped milk and the rest formula? What formula is recommended for BF babies?

I'm really trying to not beat myself up about this, but I'm struggling. I'm trying my hardest, but I simply cannot pump enough and that kills me (I don't know why I have this guilt, and I wish I didn't). I'm a type-A person and it bothers me that I won't be meeting my goal (a total self-set goal, so who the freak cares) of EBF for a year.

Thank you!