February 2016 Moms

What are your Feeding Plans?

I saw a thread on this somewhere on TB and thought it might be good to share here.

What are your plans for feeding? I know things can change, but as of now, are you FF, BF, exclusively or both?
I think it would be good to share opinions on both sides of the spectrum.

PLEASE- no judgement about anybody's decision! Disagreements are okay- but keep it classy!

Ps- I will be creating a thread every other week or so for everyone to share their ideas/thoughts/opinions on a subject!
«13

Re: What are your Feeding Plans?

  • Zepplin1218Zepplin1218 member
    edited September 2015
    We're planning on BF primarily and then after a little while having DH give LO bottles of pumped milk at night so that they can bond too. I've read a lot about baby bonding with whomever they get the milk from and its really important to us that H gets some of that special bonding time too. (And it allows me to go to bed earlier)

    ETA: I have no idea how long I plan to BF - probably as long as baby wants and it doesn't feel weird.
    We also are hoping to try and make our own baby food instead of buying like @Kimbarbour08 - I like the thought of knowing exactly what is going into LOs food.
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  • I went back to work when my son was 8 weeks, we nursed exclusively while I was on leave but he was a GOOD eater like ate so much I couldn't keep up or my baby sitter was overfeeding him (which I think was part of the reason) so we had to supplement with formula until he was 8 months, by then my supply was diminishing even further so I just gave up.

    I definitely will be breastfeeding again with this LO and plan to attend the BF class before and after baby is born weekly to make sure we are 100% comfortable this time around, I'm hoping to work PT from home so that way I can nurse longer this time around with less difficulty and plan on leaving work at lunch time to feed the baby myself since our baby sitter is only about 10 mins from my office. I am also planning on asking my boss if I can just bring baby to work with me (worst he can say is no, right?) 

    I just plan to try my damn hardest this time to nurse as long as possible!
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  • I breastfed my first until about 1 year old - I stopped pumping about a week before his 1st bday and we nursed at night for a couple of weeks past his bday. I went into it with no expectations that I would go a full year. I kept telling myself 3 more months and was happy that I got to a year. 
    I hope to do the same for this one. Hopefully I can nurse her and pump while at work and get through a year. 

    food wise, with my first, we started on puree and soft solids at around 5-6 months. I fed him combination of store bought pouches and home made puree. Hopefully with my second, I will still have the time and the energy to make purees at home. I thought it was great because he ate everything. He loved kale, beets, spinach, rutabaga... But that sort of enthusiasm for food did not translate into solids and now he's picky about his food. 
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  • I am going to breastfeed.  I just weaned my first (13 mos) a week and a half ago.  It was a lot more difficult than I had imagined, especially with working.  I am lucky that I have my own office with a door to shut, but even then I had challenges making time, getting enough milk, having people interrupt.  For a long time, I even set an alarm in the middle of the night to pump an extra session.  I'm very glad that I made it to the one year mark, and it definitely saved us a lot of money (and I lost a lot of weight!).  Next time around, I might consider supplementing with formula a little though, since I was so stressed about pumping enough milk all the time.  
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  • We'll do whatever works best. Assuming I don't have another oversupply we'll start off breastfeeding again but I am not going to hold myself to any standard. My girls were much happier babies when we switched to formula which made for a much happier mommy :) we'll begin baby led weaning at 6 months but probably won't be doing solids every day until closer to 9 months. We'll begin almond milk at 1yr.
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  • I haven't completely decided yet. My mom had issues with BF me, and she just couldn't get enough milk in, so I was FF. I have heard that it is and also isn't genetic?? So I'm kind of lost.

    I saw the Baby Bullet while flipping through BRU book- I've been interested in making my own baby food when the time comes, so this will definitely be going on the registry!
  • Breastfeeding exclusively for us! As long as we can. :) I made it 22 months with DS, so I'm hoping to be able to do the same for future kids. At 6 or 7 months, we do baby-led weaning (I highly recommend this!) and we'll probably do some homemade yogurt/puree pouches as well. 

    Really want to do baby led weaning this time around. Any good resources you suggest with info to help me out?
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  • kris10mackris10mac member
    edited September 2015
    With my first I breastfed until about 6 months. I was pumping at work and had to supplement with formula because supply couldn't keep up. I got a new position at work when DD was 6 months and pumping was going to be a problem during training. So we let it go.

    This time around I'm working from home. Hoping to make things work a little longer with BF this time around. I would also love to not have to supplement with formula so soon. Any good tips from you ladies on helping supply?


    Edit because damn autocorrect
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  • I haven't completely decided yet. My mom had issues with BF me, and she just couldn't get enough milk in, so I was FF. I have heard that it is and also isn't genetic?? So I'm kind of lost. I saw the Baby Bullet while flipping through BRU book- I've been interested in making my own baby food when the time comes, so this will definitely be going on the registry!
    I don't believe milk production has anything to do with genetics, I could be wrong though? My mother FF'd me, nursed my middle sister just fine, and did a bit with my youngest sister. 
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  • @ashcody2 I didn't THINK so, but there is always that "well THEY say...." person lol.
  • Breastfeeding. I would like to pump so my husband can give her a bottle and bond like PP said. Do you start pumping immediately or wait a few weeks?

    If it doesn't work out I'm not opposed to FF. And planning on homemade food.
  • I haven't completely decided yet. My mom had issues with BF me, and she just couldn't get enough milk in, so I was FF. I have heard that it is and also isn't genetic?? So I'm kind of lost. I saw the Baby Bullet while flipping through BRU book- I've been interested in making my own baby food when the time comes, so this will definitely be going on the registry!
    @dragonfly321  I don't really know if it is genetic or not, but I wanted to tell you not to get discouraged.  I was FF because my mom couldn't get enough milk either and back then (late 70s/ early 80s) breastfeeding wasn't as highly promoted as now. But I wanted to let you know that even though my supply definitely started tanking in the later months (like 8-9 months pp), I had a really good supply in the beginning and between pumping and nursing, I was able to breastfeed mine for a year. so you may have a great supply even thought your mom didn't. 

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  • @kris10mac, I took fenugreek for a little bit to boost supply.  They say oats and brewer's yeast work well too.  I also found it helps if you pump both sides at the same time, or pump one side while baby nurses the other.  Some people recommend filming a video of your baby crying to encourage let down when you're at work.  I actually tried that, but it didn't work for me.  
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  • @Monkeybutt80 thank you so much for that!! I guess the .... Desire? Is lacking. I've heard so many amazing stories on both sides of the spectrum, it's nice to continue to hear what's worked and what hasn't.
    Either way, I won't feel guilty- I know hardcore BF advocates love to flame FF'ers, but I think as long as baby's getting fed, that's the most important thing.
  • I am hoping to exclusively breastfeed while on maternity leave and then give pumped milk during the day at daycare and breastfeed when I'm home with the baby at night. It is my goal to avoid formula, but we did end up needing to supplement with some formula with my son when he was young. In that case, I'd likely use similar but may consider a more natural brand. I didn't like the ingredients list in enfamil.
    I made my sons baby purées and I plan to do the same with my daughter except when we are traveling.
  • I plan on bfing. Hope it goes well and I'm able to do it for atleast 6months. A few of my friends had a hard time so that makes me nervous. I plan on taking a class and having a consultant so hopefully all works out. If not, I wont let myself feel bad for having to FF.
  • kris10mac said:
    Breastfeeding exclusively for us! As long as we can. :) I made it 22 months with DS, so I'm hoping to be able to do the same for future kids. At 6 or 7 months, we do baby-led weaning (I highly recommend this!) and we'll probably do some homemade yogurt/puree pouches as well. 
    Really want to do baby led weaning this time around. Any good resources you suggest with info to help me out?
    Oooh yes kris10mac! I read this book and loved it. So helpful.

    The Kindle version is $10.

    https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Led-Weaning-Essential-Introducing-Foods-/dp/161519021X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443461486&sr=1-1&keywords=baby+led+weaning
    Married 8.5.12
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  • I definitely want to BF, or at least try my hardest.  I'm planning to take at least one class with H on it.  I don't know how long though, hopefully at least a year.  We'll just have to see how it goes...

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  • I plan on FF. BF didn't work out with my first and I had to use formula after a week. With my second I EBF for 6 months and honestly it was miserable for both of us. Baby was so much happier once we switched to formula and so was mama.

    As far as starting solids I will do baby led weaning again. I buy purees and pouches for my husband and other family members when I am at work or not home. My H has a lot of anxiety about the kids choking and refuses to give them real food when they are that little if I am not there.

    MMC Aug 2010
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    DS2 July 2013
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  • @dragonfly321  re: Baby food making


    You don't really need a special baby puree making gadget. All you need is a steamer (one of those things that go into a large pot to suspend your food above boiling water) and a good blender (ninja did the trick for me) and a couple of ice cube trays.  the baby bullet or similar gadgets, even though they sound convenient, can only make a little bit at a time which would require you to make them very often to feed your child.
    Instead, I would spend a sunday every two weeks and roast or steam all my fruits and veggies for purees, then use the blender and freeze them in ice cube trays without mixing them. When it came time to eat, I would pop out two or more of various different cubes and melt them together to create different mixes each meal. So for example. any given week, I may have a tray of frozen pear purees, spinach, beets and carrots. I would give him pear + carrot in the morning, and then spinach + carrots at night. 
    When he got a bit older, in addition to freezing them in ice cubes, I would make a couple of infantino pouches with different flavors mixed and freeze them for easy on the go food. 
    With this system, are you able to freeze any fruits/veggies? This sounds SO much simpler than my idea of pureeing every meal. I assume you steam/roasted the food to get it softer? Or does it all need to be cooked before freezing? What about bananas? Sorry for the questions, this really does sound like an awesome plan and I want to get educated!
  • kris10mac said:
    Breastfeeding exclusively for us! As long as we can. :) I made it 22 months with DS, so I'm hoping to be able to do the same for future kids. At 6 or 7 months, we do baby-led weaning (I highly recommend this!) and we'll probably do some homemade yogurt/puree pouches as well. 
    Really want to do baby led weaning this time around. Any good resources you suggest with info to help me out?
    Oooh yes kris10mac! I read this book and loved it. So helpful.

    The Kindle version is $10.

    https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Led-Weaning-Essential-Introducing-Foods-/dp/161519021X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443461486&sr=1-1&keywords=baby+led+weaning
    @kris10mac I think one of the biggest challenges with baby led weaning is recognizing the difference between your child gagging (natural and will happen with baby led weaning or any introduction of solids) and choking. With a young baby, it's hard not to panic when you think your child may be choking when he/she is just gagging in the course of learning to eat solids (this was the difficult part for me at least, and led to doing combination of solids and purees at the same time instead of baby led weaning, like I initially wanted to) 
    You can look for baby led weaning gagging videos on youtube that will show you how to differentiate between gagging and choking. 

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  • With my first we had to supplement very little but still nursed him for 14 months. With #2 didn't need any supplementing and nursed until she was 15 months. With #3 again no supplementing and nursed for 21 months. I've dealt with cracking with all of them, unexplainable bleeding milk duct for a month or so with my first and mastitis for a month with my last. I'm anticipating cracking again this time because that's what I seem to do no matter what. I'll pump at work or gonna be away from baby overnight, ect but otherwise it's that much easier for me to feed directly than to bottle feed when I'm around baby anyway. Plus I really like being able to relax and bond with baby in that way as well!
  • kris10mac said:
    Breastfeeding exclusively for us! As long as we can. :) I made it 22 months with DS, so I'm hoping to be able to do the same for future kids. At 6 or 7 months, we do baby-led weaning (I highly recommend this!) and we'll probably do some homemade yogurt/puree pouches as well. 
    Really want to do baby led weaning this time around. Any good resources you suggest with info to help me out?
    Oooh yes kris10mac! I read this book and loved it. So helpful.

    The Kindle version is $10.

    https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Led-Weaning-Essential-Introducing-Foods-/dp/161519021X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443461486&sr=1-1&keywords=baby+led+weaning
    @kris10mac I think one of the biggest challenges with baby led weaning is recognizing the difference between your child gagging (natural and will happen with baby led weaning or any introduction of solids) and choking. With a young baby, it's hard not to panic when you think your child may be choking when he/she is just gagging in the course of learning to eat solids (this was the difficult part for me at least, and led to doing combination of solids and purees at the same time instead of baby led weaning, like I initially wanted to) 
    You can look for baby led weaning gagging videos on youtube that will show you how to differentiate between gagging and choking. 

    Yes, this! ^

    My mom hates that we do it because she always thought C was choking. But one advantage of BLW is that at that early age, a baby's gag reflex is located closer to the front of their mouth, so if they are given solid foods to manipulate, they get the chance to learn chewing/bite regulation while that gag reflex is still safely up front and it's easy to spit too much food out. One downside of spoonfeeding purees is that they learn how to navigate solids later, after that gag reflex has moved to the back of the tongue, increasing their chances of actually choking. 

    This is explained in the book in greater detail. 
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  • @monkeybutt80 That is such a great point about BLW! My H is very uncomfortable with BLW because he doesn't understand that gagging is normal and doesn't necessarily mean baby is choking.

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  • I'll probably try and do the same thing I did with DD. I nursed her for 15 months. I added cows milk a couple days after her first birthday and only nursed in the morning and at night from month 13 through 15. My last nursing session with DD was exactly 7 months before my due date with this LO. :) I pumped at work from month 3 through 13. Around 7-8 months, I got a bad cold/virus and my milk supply suffered. Luckily I had some milk stored in the freezer, or I probably would have had to supplement. After nursing for that long, and then knowing how it feels to be able to just give my DD cows milk or have DH feed her, I'm going to try not putting SO much pressure on myself to ONLY breastfeed. It was such an amazing bonding experience but not the end of the world if it doesn't work out as nicely the second time around.
    Married: 2012 --- BFP: 2013 - Little Miss arrived: 2014 --- BFP #2: 2015 - EDD: 2/2016 (Team Green)
  • @dragonfly321  re: Baby food making

    You don't really need a special baby puree making gadget. All you need is a steamer (one of those things that go into a large pot to suspend your food above boiling water) and a good blender (ninja did the trick for me) and a couple of ice cube trays.  the baby bullet or similar gadgets, even though they sound convenient, can only make a little bit at a time which would require you to make them very often to feed your child.
    Instead, I would spend a sunday every two weeks and roast or steam all my fruits and veggies for purees, then use the blender and freeze them in ice cube trays without mixing them. When it came time to eat, I would pop out two or more of various different cubes and melt them together to create different mixes each meal. So for example. any given week, I may have a tray of frozen pear purees, spinach, beets and carrots. I would give him pear + carrot in the morning, and then spinach + carrots at night. 
    When he got a bit older, in addition to freezing them in ice cubes, I would make a couple of infantino pouches with different flavors mixed and freeze them for easy on the go food. 
    With this system, are you able to freeze any fruits/veggies? This sounds SO much simpler than my idea of pureeing every meal. I assume you steam/roasted the food to get it softer? Or does it all need to be cooked before freezing? What about bananas? Sorry for the questions, this really does sound like an awesome plan and I want to get educated!
    Yes, I would steam or roast the food to get it softer and I would blend it in the blender (sometimes you may need a bit of liquid - I would use the liquid it was steamed in or just water - some use breastmilk, but because I was freezing and thawing, I didn't want to risk spoiling the food if he didn't eat it right away and I had to put it back in the fridge). then you freeze the puree in ice cubes.
    basically every other sunday I would go to the store and pick out whatever looked fresh and make purees. you can do this with any hard veggies, fruits or even leafy stuff like kale, spinach and etc. certain super juicy fruits like pineapples, I would skip the cooking if it was really juicy, but sometimes I would roast it a little bit just to bring out more sweetness and make it even easier to puree. 
    Bananas and avocados, I never cooked them because they were so soft I could just fork mash them, or just give to him in a large chunk (like baby led weaning style - mango slices were good for this too). Anything I could fork mash, I would just mash it right before giving it to him (I have also done this with very soft ripe peach). but harder fruits and veggies like apples and carrots, I always cooked them to get them fork tender before pureeing them in the blender. 
    When the baby is ready to eat, you just pop a couple of cubes out, and either microwave them to thaw, or leave them out early to melt. with infantino pouches, I would also freeze them and take it with us frozen so that it would thaw in time for a meal or snack, or many times, I have asked for a cup of hot water at the restaurant and stick the pouch in it for a couple of minutes to thaw/ warm up. 


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  • First time round BF was really really hard. We tried everything in the book and I saw BF coaches etc and was eventually told it wasn't going to happen. At that point I was pumping exclusively because he wouldn't latch and then my milk dried up, I was drinking the teas, eating the cookies etc and nothing. I think putting so much pressure on myself contributed too. My son is now 2 and perfectly happy and "normal" despite being formula fed from about 2 months onwards.
    This time round I want to do it for as long as possible but I also am not going to beat myself up about it like last time.
  • FTM so I only know what I am getting into from research and my mommy friends, but I plan to EBF, with pumping after I have to return to work. My mom said her milk never came in for either of her kids but I hope that won't be the case for me. I plan to do the classes and meet-ups, along with books, to get as much help as I can. I am in favor of BFing past a year if I can do it; my mom is already giving me push back on it so we will see if my supply and resolve hold up.

    SO wouldn't let me register for a BabyBullet or the like; we registered for an immersion blender to make Baby's purees with. Plus SO gets a new kitchen gadget that I didn't see a reason for before becoming pregnant. Win-win
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  • I have the baby bullet.  I used it.  I still use it to make smoothies for me or to chop up ginger, etc. :) It has a permanent spot on our shelf, lol.  
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  • My initial plan is to exclusively BF for as long as I can and introduce baby-led weaning as he gets older. I also want H to bottle feed him with breast milk to help with bonding (he works sooo much, I don't want him to feel left out, especially if I don't go back to work).

     

    If I go back to work, I plan to pump there and build a supply I guess. I don't really know a lot about it in all honesty.

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  • I would like to BF as long as possible. I'll be going back to work after 3 months and have a bit of anxiety about that as I have heard that supply starts to decrease with only pumping during the day. The daycare we plan to use is less than 5 minutes from my office and allow daytime visits so I will be able to BF on my lunch breaks, but for some reason I am still nervous about losing supply. We'll see how it goes, I won't hesitate to supplement with formula if needed. I just wish I wasn't so anxious about pumping at work. 

    Has anyone had much success with continuing BFing after returning to work?
  • AchaeAchae member
    edited September 2015
    Ebf hopefully. I did ebf with my first and luckily had enough supply I was able to continue it for 1.5 years or so. I'm not adverse to formula but it is a cost I would like to avoid if possible. I'm not looking forward to pumping again. I'm not sure how I kept it up for a year in a locker room! My boss asked me where I'd like to pump this time around and I'm going to try in one of our taped interview rooms and just block the cameras with black construction paper just in case. It will be far more convenient and less stressful than the locker room sitting on a bench and having people walk in and out.

    Eta: food wise we did baby-led and she didn't show an interest in food until after 6 months. I made my own purees with the blender and froze different kinds in spare ice cube trays. Then just pop one out into a mini tupperware and we were set! I didn't do any "blends" mainly vegetables.
  • I plan on EBF and baby led weaning. I would like this one to take a bottle of pumped milk if needed.
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  • hlmdeck said:
    I would like to BF as long as possible. I'll be going back to work after 3 months and have a bit of anxiety about that as I have heard that supply starts to decrease with only pumping during the day. The daycare we plan to use is less than 5 minutes from my office and allow daytime visits so I will be able to BF on my lunch breaks, but for some reason I am still nervous about losing supply. We'll see how it goes, I won't hesitate to supplement with formula if needed. I just wish I wasn't so anxious about pumping at work. 

    Has anyone had much success with continuing BFing after returning to work?
    I've never heard that - I only ever pumped once after the morning feed for a couple of week and then when I returned to work after 8 weeks (and will do the same for this LO) and did not have any supply issues. I fed on demand (well pretty much any time baby wouldn't stop crying I offered the boob lol) and luckily for me I responded well to the pump. As baby grows older your supply will lessen just because baby takes in less/is more efficient at eating.
  • I plan on pretty much doing the same thing we did with DS- EBF for as long as baby wants (DS self weaned at around 14ish months) and introduction to solids at about 6-7 months. DS didn't really start eating solids until about 7-8 months but we offered them starting 6. I won't purée but will just pick things baby can eat like avocado. Breastfeeding was super hard last time but I'm hoping it will be easier this time since I'm trying to avoid a section and this is my second. If it doesn't work though, I'm not going to stress and will do what we need.

    For those who are saying that you are afraid because your moms could not, back then there was an absence of information available that could have helped them. There are a lot of things you can do to interfere with breastfeeding so education is important and we have lots more resources than our parents. There are even "Baby Friendly" certified hospitals now that educate nurses and other staff on development of strong nursing relationships. It's a lot different now so don't let your mothers experience discourage you.

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