Pros of weaning to formula.... Help!

numbersgirl08 · November 2013

I've EBF since N was born. I've mentioned before that I struggle with plugged ducts. The last 10 weeks have been hell. I've had 30+ plugs. I've done ALL I can to prevent - switched bras, cut out dairy except skim milk, cut out red meat, cut out anything else with saturated fat, taken more than one kind of lecithin supplement, had a lactation consultant check her latch, got her tongue tie clipped, wake up twice at night to pump, bought expensive wool nursing pads. Pretty much, if someone has ever said it helped them, I've done it. Nothing has worked. So I'm thinking about throwing in the towel. But it super depresses me. So, as encouragement, can all of you formula feeders tell me what you like most about formula feeding? This is not any kind of debate about which is best, I'm just trying to pump myself up by thinking of all the positives. Because every time I look at something about how to wean, it starts by talking about how its really better to breastfeed, and I just want to throw something at whoever wrote it. I already feel like a failure. I need some encouragement instead.

Anyways, what are the pros? What should I look forward to? What do you like best?

BLT20051 · November 2013

I BF and then switched to EP due to work and latch issues. We switched to FF at 4 months.
Pros:
I don't have to worry about nursing friendly clothes
DH can help feed day or night
Each night I wash the bottles, fill them with water and let them sit at room temp so all I do is add formula and go. No warming, no mixing and matching to get a full amount. Easy.
I can fill up a bottle from any water fountain if I'm in a pinch.
My boobs don't randomly leak.
I can have more than a couple drinks and not worry about wasting BM.
I can eat whatever I want and not worry about how it affects LO.

* I reserve the right to add more*

SilverEF · November 2013

We have been EFF since mister was 3 weeks old. It's great that anyone can feed him. It gives me a chance to get a break. I can feed him basically anywhere he gets hungry without worrying about who is around and covering up. IMO the only bad thing is the cost.

kari.sandall · November 2013

Pros:
-husband helps feed babies
-no clogged ducts
-no leaking boobs
-my boobs don't hurt anymore
-no stress about not producing enough

Cons
-formula smells
-it's expensive

jennOK · November 2013

I wasn't producing hardly any milk, so we switched to formula at three weeks. I don't have to pump at work or ever. H can feed LO during the night without me having to wake up. It's easier to leave him with others to spend a few hours on my own. My boobs belong to me again. I'm sure their are others.

JessicaKS · November 2013

I BF and FF. My favorite thing about formula is never worrying we will be out and she will get hungry. I can just whip out a bottle and formula anywhere.

Least favorite part is cleaning those damn bottles!

I like BFing but I am tired of thinking about my supply. If the milk was free flowing (but not too free flowing) and I never got engorged for letting too much time pass, this whole thing would be so much easier.

hjk5000 · November 2013

Everyone else summed it up. My supply dried up after 6 months BF DS1, and although I really missed how easy night time feedings were when I was BFing, at that point I didn't really miss anything else.

It think the most important thing is for you to be comfortable and happy!

mikeANDjen448 · November 2013

I do both. We are actually weaning her now. I bf MOTN and mornings. I pump at 10 and 2. She gets 1/2 1/2 bottles during the day when I'm at work. I'm slowing getting rid if the 2pm pump. What I've noticed about the evenings after work is how much easier it is to have anyone feed her. Be it DH or my mom or mil if they are over. Good luck!!

Achae · November 2013

What pp said, plus you've already given LO bm so antibodies blah blah is a great benefit, you've already achieved that percentile! I hope that makes sense.
Seconding your boobs and nipples are your own. My husband jokes to LO that she can't tear them up because a year from now they're his again :9

And think of non painful showers and being able to sleep in any position for any amount of time...

numbersgirl08 · November 2013

@BLT20051 You weaned at about the same time I am thinking - 4 months. What was your experience like? How did you do it? How long did it take? I figure I should go slowly, given my plugged duct issue. Any suggestions?

BLT20051 · November 2013

numbersgirl08 said:

@BLT20051 You weaned at about the same time I am thinking - 4 months. What was your experience like? How did you do it? How long did it take? I figure I should go slowly, given my plugged duct issue. Any suggestions?

I didn't have any duct issues but I weaned myself from pumping. I cut down a session every two days or so. It took about two weeks to dry up totally. I never really got engorged but I'd have some random leakage when I least expected it. @MeghanKG said she took sudafed and benadryl to help dry up her supply and it only took her a week. I'd start with your night sessions if you can. Cut one night session. Then the other. I really only pumped when I felt super full instead of sticking to my schedule, if that makes sense.

Rogue Lily · November 2013

I BF'd my first to 9 months & but have FF'd this baby since he was 4 weeks old. There are some things I've missed about nursing, but as a whole, formula feeding is pretty great. There's already some great commentary above - but if I had to sum up the best/worst part about FFing vs BF these would be mine:

best: being able to really, truly enjoy my baby vs. feeling primarily like a food source. When he's crying due to hunger I just solve it with a bottle vs. getting all emotionally/hormonally worked up. I absolutely LOVE being around my baby this time - I cannot get enough of him. With my daughter, I loved her very much (obviously) but our true cuddle time was so much less because when she was done nursing I needed a break physically.

Worst: not being able to nurse him after shots. It's the one time I miss comfort nursing.

GingerBabyTX · November 2013

You are SUCH A FREAKIN ROCKSTAR for trying so many things and suffering through all those plugged ducts! Take a moment and realize how amazing you are and how hard you worked and put your body through so much.

No really, take a moment.

Now take another.

The thing I love about formula feeding is that my husband and my parents get to feed Z. It really is still a bonding experience, IMO. I can still look in his eyes, kiss his head, stroke his face, etc. while he eats. I also will say DITTO to all the PP...making bottles ahead of time, no more leaky boobs, sleeping on my stomach again, sharing feedings.

Cons are definitely expense and smell. I loved the sweet smell of breast milk (weird, I know)! But the expense will go down soon as we approach trying solids, too.

WHATEVER you decide, do it with confidence. Hugs, mama.

skio · November 2013

I just want to echo that you deserve so much praise for working so hard. And that you have to be kind to yourself! You can not take care of your family properly if you're not taking care of yourself, first. Whatever decision you make, know that it's okay and that it's the right one for you.

Now, out of pure curiosity because I have had mega struggles myself, what problems are the plugged ducts causing you? Pain? Supply issues? Infections?

I had five mastitis infections in my first 3 months of BFing this time. Pretty sure I have clogs almost all the time, but I suck at finding them and clearing them. I was at my wits' end after the fifth time and came close to switching then, because the mastitis was like being hit by a truck every time. On the couch with a high fever for 2-3 days, headache, aches, chills. Hubs had to take off work a couple times. It was just ridiculous. Not to mention being pumped full of antibiotics over and over, which I was passing to baby. And two of the times, it was an apparently antibiotic-resistant bacteria and I was on double antibiotics that hurt baby's tummy. I cringe thinking back to how much she cried and how miserable I made her.

Anyway, I'll share what has been working for me, but feel free to skip if you're sick of hearing about remedies. I take 4 lecithin pills/day (4800mg) and two evening primrose oils a day (2000mg). I only sleep on my back, wear loose-fitting stretchy bras with no wires, use coconut oil on my nipples and only cotton nursing pads. I saw an ultrasound therapist to help clear out any backed up milk once. I stopped pumping altogether - you DO NOT want to cue your body to produce milk when baby is not eating. I nurse football-hold at least once a day on each side, and I take a hot shower every day (preferably between 4 and 8pm when milk production is lowest) during which I hand express milk from all sides.

Have you talked to your doc about treating for yeast? I read that there can often be yeast in the ducts causing clogs, and that kind of yeast infection won't have any noticeable symptoms.

I think my problem is fatty milk and an oversupply. I have worked hard to cut my supply and I think that's why I've been avoiding infections for the last month. If I find my supply going up or getting very engorged again, I take an antihistamine before bed two nights in a row and it helps to dry me up a bit.

I hope you find what works best for you! Lots of luck with your troubleshooting and/or decision. And hugs.

JessicaKS · November 2013

Another pro for formula feeding:

When I BF, I spend tr whole time on the bump, Facebook, Pinterest, etc on my iPhone.

When I feed her a bottle of formula, I need both my hands and I actually spend the time interacting with LO because I can't play with my phone. Yet people always talk about the intense bonding that BFing provides. For me I feel more of a connection when I feed her a bottle because I can't focus on other things.

numbersgirl08 · November 2013

skio said:

I just want to echo that you deserve so much praise for working so hard. And that you have to be kind to yourself! You can not take care of your family properly if you're not taking care of yourself, first. Whatever decision you make, know that it's okay and that it's the right one for you. Now, out of pure curiosity because I have had mega struggles myself, what problems are the plugged ducts causing you? Pain? Supply issues? Infections? I had five mastitis infections in my first 3 months of BFing this time. Pretty sure I have clogs almost all the time, but I suck at finding them and clearing them. I was at my wits' end after the fifth time and came close to switching then, because the mastitis was like being hit by a truck every time. On the couch with a high fever for 2-3 days, headache, aches, chills. Hubs had to take off work a couple times. It was just ridiculous. Not to mention being pumped full of antibiotics over and over, which I was passing to baby. And two of the times, it was an apparently antibiotic-resistant bacteria and I was on double antibiotics that hurt baby's tummy. I cringe thinking back to how much she cried and how miserable I made her. Anyway, I'll share what has been working for me, but feel free to skip if you're sick of hearing about remedies. I take 4 lecithin pills/day (4800mg) and two evening primrose oils a day (2000mg). I only sleep on my back, wear loose-fitting stretchy bras with no wires, use coconut oil on my nipples and only cotton nursing pads. I saw an ultrasound therapist to help clear out any backed up milk once. I stopped pumping altogether - you DO NOT want to cue your body to produce milk when baby is not eating. I nurse football-hold at least once a day on each side, and I take a hot shower every day (preferably between 4 and 8pm when milk production is lowest) during which I hand express milk from all sides. Have you talked to your doc about treating for yeast? I read that there can often be yeast in the ducts causing clogs, and that kind of yeast infection won't have any noticeable symptoms. I think my problem is fatty milk and an oversupply. I have worked hard to cut my supply and I think that's why I've been avoiding infections for the last month. If I find my supply going up or getting very engorged again, I take an antihistamine before bed two nights in a row and it helps to dry me up a bit. I hope you find what works best for you! Lots of luck with your troubleshooting and/or decision. And hugs.

Thanks! It's nice to know I'm not alone. I haven't gotten mastitis yet (I think - if I have, it's been a mild version) but the plugs HURT. If I catch them really early and can get them out quickly then they don't hurt, but it only takes 2 or 3 feedings before they start to get massive and hurt bad - so not even a full day they'll go from "hmm... that feels like it could be a plug starting" to "omg my boob is a huge rock and hurts so much". I've gotten really good at telling when they're coming on and then I'll get right on doing everything I can to get rid of them. I think that's the only reason I've avoided mastitis.

And it sucks when I have one because then she's not getting as much milk as she wants so she fights nursing. So, since it feels like I have a plug more often than not, she's fighting me more often than not. Those few days when I'm not plugged are amazing.

I'm doing pretty much the same things you are. I was taking 4 1200 mg lecithin supplements and they weren't really doing anything, but then someone told me that the granules work better so I switched to those. I've cut out almost ALL saturated fat from my diet. I've done the oil on the nipple but that didn't do much except make me smell like oil - I kept getting them so I stopped. I'm wearing wool nursing pads because I was told that those help best. Just goes to show you that even all of the information out there says different things! I was sleeping through the night but kept waking up with plugs so that's when I started pumping at night. I had a lactation consultant tell me to pump at night and another one tell me not to. So I just did that for a week but I hated it and it didn't seem to help so last night I didn't pump at all after she went to bed. I hand expressed some before going to bed myself, and woke up super engorged so I hand expressed some more, but I didn't have a plug this morning (we'll see how the rest of the day goes...) I'd love it if my body would regulate its supply.

We have a nanny share with a baby about a month older than N, and the nanny commented the other day that my breastmilk is thicker than the other mom's. And I was like, well, that's not surprising. I really think that my breastmilk is just fattier. I've never really had an oversupply but my body doesn't really like to regulate itself. She had been sleeping through the night for over a month and I was still waking up really full, almost engorged, in the mornings. Maybe I should consider taking an antihistamine before going to bed?

I go back and forth on weaning. It's just such a HARD, emotional, decision to make.

Bubs06 · November 2013

I mostly lurk, but just wanted to add a note here. I'm still breastfeeding DD3 , but I did transition my older to kids to formula. DD1 at 8 months and DD2 at 4 months.

Both girls had a terrible time pooping when we switched. I recommend transitioning slowly if you can. Use mostly BM at first and gradually increase the amount of formula. It will give their digestive system a chance to adjust.

If your LO gets constipated you can add Karo syrup to the bottles and it works great. It was a life saver for us.

That part of the transition to FF was difficult for us, but eventually they got past it and it was really easy.

Good luck!

(edited for formatting)

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