March 2012 Moms

BFing

I've been nursing since LO was born Friday. His latch was great and my milk came in. Then we experienced nipple confusion from pumping and feeding from a bottle and the pacifiers. I decided to switch to formula because I see how happy and content he.is after a feeding. So now what do I do about my milk filled breasts????

Re: BFing

  • Pump it and still feed it to him? If you're worried that's not going to satisfy him like formula does then just mix it in with the formula. 
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  • My LO had a problem BFing (she didn't want to suck) so now I am pumping whatever I can - which is only about 10-20 mL - and we supplement with formula. The nurses at the hospital explained that even if it's just a little bit of breastmilk, they will still reap some benefits from it. 

    If you want your milk to dry up, I think the key is keeping your breasts wrapped up tight. A friend of mine is FFing and the nurses told her to keep on a really tight sports bra at all times to help the milk dry up.  

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    Norah Elizabeth - 3.19.12
  • Do you want to dry them out quickly or wean gradually?

    If it were me, I'd pump every 4-5 hours today (sleep tonight though), then go to 6-7 hours tomorrow, and spread them out.  Weaning gradually, and giving your son a little more BM along the way. 

    If you want it gone quickly, put cabbage leaves on them, use ice to relieve engorgement pain, and take some sudafed to dry them out. 

    GL!

  • imageHeavnzangel850:
    Pump it and still feed it to him? If you're worried that's not going to satisfy him like formula does then just mix it in with the formula. 

    I was told formula breaks down breast milk so you should offer the breast milk first, then offer the formula in separate bottles.  If you're up for pumping for a bit, I think that's a great idea too! GL

  • Thanks for the advice! I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet- cold turkey or pump still. I didn't want to use formula so I still haven't come to terms with it.
  • I wore a tight sports bra for about a week even when I slept.  The milk dried up and only about three days were actually painful.  I have heard people say to also use cabbage leaves to relieve the pain but I didn't need to.
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  • imageWifey1012:
    Thanks for the advice! I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet- cold turkey or pump still. I didn't want to use formula so I still haven't come to terms with it.

    If you don't want to use formula, then don't! Have you seen an LC? They could probably get you back on track with BFing since it's only been a few days.

     

    S- March 09 E- Feb 12 L- May 15


  • If you don't plan to bf or pump then just bind yourself and let it dissipate.  It'll go away. Take advil for swelling and engorgement pain and live through it.
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  • imagediana.filipi:
    If you don't plan to bf or pump then just bind yourself and let it dissipate.  It'll go away. Take advil for swelling and engorgement pain and live through it.
    Advil? I still have Percocets from my c-section!! Lol
  • imageWifey1012:
    Thanks for the advice! I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet- cold turkey or pump still. I didn't want to use formula so I still haven't come to terms with it.

    With DS I had a hard time with this.  I wound up pumping for 11+ mos.  I found a way to make it work...  the biggest thing that helped me is a hands free pumping bra.  We did supplement with formula, but I felt like the BM was really good for him, so I got him as much as I could. 

  • I pumped until last week (LO was 5 weeks) and I gradually backed off going 4 hours to 6 hours to 8 and finally 12.  I still have a little milk but it's drying out and I have not felt any engorgement pain.  

  • As far as I know, there is no evidence that mixing formula and breast milk is detrimental to the molecular structure of either. The issues that need to be considered (which are actually directly connected to one another) are not saving unused portions of bottles you've mixed if baby doesn't eat it all (as breast milk should not be at room temp for more than an hour, and formula should not be reheated after initial use) and not wasting precious breast milk. As long as you can avoid all that, you should have no trouble supplementing if you wish to continue pumping. Also, AllNurses has a thread on this that contains info from both RNs and NICU nurses. https://allnurses.com/nicu-nursing-neonatal/mixing-breast-milk-568801-page2.html
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  • L0L0L0L0 member
    I don't think I would give up on BF just because the baby likes bottles. Breastmilk is easier for babies to digest than formula and has lots of other health advantages. Once your milk has dried up you can't go back, but you can always switch to formula later once you're really sure that you don't want to BF.
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