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Breastfeeding
CBrandt01
member
Breastfeeding, pumping, AND formula?
CBrandt01
member
Yeah, we're doing all three..
My plan was to breastfeed for at least a year. I had no idea how hard it was going to be!
The first few weeks were great. I was breastfeeding Bailey once every couple hours or so - mostly on demand, but waking her at the two-hour mark if I needed to. Before she was a week old, I got an awesome Medela on-the-go pump through my insurance and started using it whenever I could (or needed to - the engorgement was brutal!) so I could start stocking the freezer for when I went back to work.
Since being back at work, I try to pump once in the morning after Bailey's "breakfast", 1-3 times at work depending on the schedule that day, and once in the evening after she goes to bed and before I pass out on the couch, plus whenever I can on weekends (which, admittedly, is not much). Here's the thing: I HATE pumping. It's uncomfortable, it's restricting (so hard to take care of the house, Bailey, myself, or anything else while hooked to a machine), and it's discouraging. Even pumping five times during the day, usually I'll get between 8 and 12 ounces TOTAL. From the whole day! I used to be able to fill three five-ounce freezer bags in a day! Sometimes it doesn't seem worth it.. then I have to force myself to pump by repeating the mantra: "It's for Bailey. It's the best thing for Bailey." It's still hard. I feel like I'm not doing enough for my baby!
Because I haven't been able to pump much and my supply in the freezer quickly ran out, we started supplementing with formula. My husband is the one who gives it to her most, while I'm at work, and he thinks the taste bothers her a bit, and that it upsets her stomach and makes her gassy, which makes me really sad. But she drinks it, she's healthy, and I'm doing my best.. I still breastfeed her in the morning before work, when I get home, and on demand on weekends when I'm home. I just have to tell myself that she's healthy, she's gaining weight on track, and I gave her a damn good start. As a friend told me: some babies get formula from day one, so giving her breast milk exclusively for the first two months is better than not at all! (NOT to say that formula is necessarily a bad thing, I know it's as nutritious as breast milk, just missing the immune support - thus "breast is best".) And I know I'm incredibly lucky to be able to breastfeed at all! I just wish the choice about formula was really mine to make - not thrust on me with a dwindling milk supply.
Bailey is 16 weeks today and doing incredibly well, so I'm going to keep doing what I am and hope to be able to continue giving her breast milk until she's a year old like I originally planned. If I have to quit breastfeeding, if my milk dries up before then, so be it. We'll cross that bridge when (if) we get there!
Sorry for the long post - just wanted to share my experience. Anyone else with issues with low supply, pumping woes, or formula guilt?
(BTW I'm pumping while I type this lol - three ounces in 30 minutes! Yeesh..)
My plan was to breastfeed for at least a year. I had no idea how hard it was going to be!
The first few weeks were great. I was breastfeeding Bailey once every couple hours or so - mostly on demand, but waking her at the two-hour mark if I needed to. Before she was a week old, I got an awesome Medela on-the-go pump through my insurance and started using it whenever I could (or needed to - the engorgement was brutal!) so I could start stocking the freezer for when I went back to work.
Since being back at work, I try to pump once in the morning after Bailey's "breakfast", 1-3 times at work depending on the schedule that day, and once in the evening after she goes to bed and before I pass out on the couch, plus whenever I can on weekends (which, admittedly, is not much). Here's the thing: I HATE pumping. It's uncomfortable, it's restricting (so hard to take care of the house, Bailey, myself, or anything else while hooked to a machine), and it's discouraging. Even pumping five times during the day, usually I'll get between 8 and 12 ounces TOTAL. From the whole day! I used to be able to fill three five-ounce freezer bags in a day! Sometimes it doesn't seem worth it.. then I have to force myself to pump by repeating the mantra: "It's for Bailey. It's the best thing for Bailey." It's still hard. I feel like I'm not doing enough for my baby!
Because I haven't been able to pump much and my supply in the freezer quickly ran out, we started supplementing with formula. My husband is the one who gives it to her most, while I'm at work, and he thinks the taste bothers her a bit, and that it upsets her stomach and makes her gassy, which makes me really sad. But she drinks it, she's healthy, and I'm doing my best.. I still breastfeed her in the morning before work, when I get home, and on demand on weekends when I'm home. I just have to tell myself that she's healthy, she's gaining weight on track, and I gave her a damn good start. As a friend told me: some babies get formula from day one, so giving her breast milk exclusively for the first two months is better than not at all! (NOT to say that formula is necessarily a bad thing, I know it's as nutritious as breast milk, just missing the immune support - thus "breast is best".) And I know I'm incredibly lucky to be able to breastfeed at all! I just wish the choice about formula was really mine to make - not thrust on me with a dwindling milk supply.
Bailey is 16 weeks today and doing incredibly well, so I'm going to keep doing what I am and hope to be able to continue giving her breast milk until she's a year old like I originally planned. If I have to quit breastfeeding, if my milk dries up before then, so be it. We'll cross that bridge when (if) we get there!
Sorry for the long post - just wanted to share my experience. Anyone else with issues with low supply, pumping woes, or formula guilt?
(BTW I'm pumping while I type this lol - three ounces in 30 minutes! Yeesh..)
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Breastfeeding, pumping, AND formula?
I work at a doctors office and we don't always get breaks in the morning and/ or afternoon. On a normal day, I pump about 15 minutes on both breaks, then about 40 minutes on my lunch. I always pump both sides at once and baby only takes one side per feeding, but I'm sure you know it's not exactly easy to pump and feed at the same time
Thanks again :]
Blaine 19 weeks and is getting mixed bottles of about 4 oz of formula with 2.5 ounces of breast milk (I feel like mixing helps with gas and possible constipation from the formula)...he eats about every 3-4 hours (so about 5 bottles) but sleeps 7-10 hours at night...yay me! If I have a good pumping couple days he gets a surplus
Sounds to me like your doing great! Try not to be so hard on yourself, have a glass of wine and let your hair down a little
***(disclaimer before I get flames..LOL.... In no way am I suggesting to drink and give the baby milk with alcohol in it!)