All about MILK thread

Re: All about MILK thread

• footdrbritt member

  July 2022

  Breastfeeding over here with pumping (which I loathe by the way) when I go back to work. 

  
  

  In the past I’ve been an overproducer so I will probably donate some as well in light of the formula shortage. 

  
  

  I’ve tried a Plethora of pumps: my favorites are Spectra S2 and willow for work. The old Medela PISA was great but I’m iffy on the new one. I liked the Medela Sonata as well but not as much as the spectra 

  
  

  Best Advice: fed is best. That’s it—it doesn’t matter how they’re fed (breast, bottle, formula, SNS, feeding tube), the goal is they’re fed. Breastfeeding is hard, it does not always come naturally. Supplementing does not equal failure

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• willrunforcookies member

  July 2022

  What do you think you want to do in terms of feeding your baby? -planning on breast feeding, then pumping when back at work

  
  

  How are you going to prepare yourself to feed your baby? Have the pump cleaned before baby comes, and all nursing gear set as well. 

  
  

  What’s one piece of advice you would give a new mom when it comes to feeding a newborn that you wish you had known with your first (if you’re a second time mama) 

  Feeding your baby is the priority, not how you feed them.  Research pumps, but if you hate one another might work better for you.  Even if you plan on nursing, have formula on hand. Figure out how your pump works before it's urgent.  Babies can be picky AF about bottles, don't get cocky and buy 12 that are the same before baby comes.  Sorry that's more than one. 

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• daffodil_shoe member

  July 2022

  What do you think you want to do in terms of feeding your baby? Since this baby is not mine, IPs and I agreed that I will pump for them and ship the frozen milk. There’s no specific end date, just whenever one of us says “done.” Bonus for me, it’s extra money every week.

  
  

  How are you going to prepare yourself to feed your baby? Getting a new pump that I can wear in my bra. I hate being tethered to a wall outlet.

  
  

  What’s one piece of advice you would give a new mom when it comes to feeding a newborn that you wish you had known with your first?
  As someone who has fed two babies by breastfeeding, pumping, and formula feeding, and also as someone who works in L&D, I have lots!
  
  It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, you can use both breast milk and formula.
  
  Babies are more effective at drawing out milk than pumps. Whatever you pump out, your baby is getting more if they are at the breast.
  
  Your body makes milk specifically for what your baby needs, especially if they are at breast (vs pumping). 

  
  

  It’s okay to be done breastfeeding and/or pumping and want to switch to formula. Your mental health is important too.

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• anniez85 member

  July 2022

  Thanks for talking about this! It’s been a struggle for me to sort out what I want to do. While I understand breast feeding and pumping have advantages I know many people who have struggled to the point of breakdown in order to do this and it takes a lot of time and dedication. I feel like it will be a third trimester thinking item for me but right now leaning towards formula. I want the flexibility to be able to leave the house for the day and not worry about pumping as well as enabling my spouse to participate in feeding so I can rest and be better for our family, especially in the first couple of months. We will see how it goes! 

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• nuggetsmomma21 member

  July 2022

  What do you think you want to do in terms of feeding your baby? 

  Probably pumping. I may breastfeed and pump but I really don’t want to be the only person who can feed baby. I think breast milk is important so I will try to exclusively do that but I’m not opposed to supplementing with formula as I have medical conditions that predispose me to low supply. Plus once I return to work I’ll have to exclusively pump so we can share the night time feedings so I’m not completely exhausted at work. 

  
  

  How are you going to prepare yourself to feed your baby? 

  
  

  Not sure but I feel a little prepared because I’m a former Labor and postpartum nurse and I was trained in the baby friendly breastfeeding program so I’ve helped tons of women breastfeed and learn to pump. I am a first time mom though so I’m sure there will be some struggles. 

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• miracleshappen04 member

  July 2022 edited July 2022

  What do you think you want to do in terms of feeding your baby? BF + pumping (I didn’t succeed with pumping before so let’s see). With my first, I had to supplement with formula after 5-6 months; hoping to avoid that this time since I’ve learned a bit more.

  
  

  How are you going to prepare yourself to feed your baby? Will learn more now! Will also make sure to drink enough this time, have enough food and sleep (ha!), take supplements, nurse every few hours, etc. It really works well when co-sleeping.

  
  

  What’s one piece of advice you would give a new mom when it comes to feeding a newborn that you wish you had known with your first?
  
  Don’t give up in the first month and don’t stress yourself too much. Get support from a lactation consultant or experienced friend. It’s the tough, but gets sooooo much easier. I was able to BF for 19 months before my son self-weaned. Hoping to do the same this time, and rely less on formula supplementation (which def reduced my supply). And if that doesn’t work, thank God we live in a time of formulas! Best of luck, ladies!

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• 42lemons member

  July 2022

  tryingktogku said:

  Thought I would start this thread early to get the convo going about feeding your baby for the first 6 months of life prior to solids! 

  
  

  What do you think you want to do in terms of feeding your baby? 

  
  

  How are you going to prepare yourself to feed your baby? 

  
  

  What’s one piece of advice you would give a new mom when it comes to feeding a newborn that you wish you had known with your first (if you’re a second time mama) 
  
  Any questions? 

  I'll be pumping, and likely supplementing with formula, but I'm going to try to actually pump on a schedule this time to limit how much we need to supplement.  (With my daughter, I had to exclusively pump for a variety of reasons until she was older.  She's still nursing now, but it took us about 6 months before I could actually get her to nurse rather than taking a bottle).  Based on how my boobs work, I expect to be doing the same this time around. 
  
  I'm planning on prepping bottles, and hopefully start pumping a little before my induction date to grow a tiny stash before Bean gets here. But I'm also going to acquire several nipple shields before hand, and pack them in my hospital bag to try them out immediately.  
  
  My one piece of advice: breastfeeding is a partnership.  It takes your biology to work correctly for your baby, and for your baby to not be a lazy nurser.  At the end of the day, as long as the baby is fed and growing, it really doesn't matter how that milk and/or formula got to them. 

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