Post by ilikedonuts on Sept 15, 2014 13:55:20 GMT -5
I want to add that I had my husband on high alert in the hospital to stop any LCs or anyone that might come in my room. Not a single one tried though because it was noted in my chart to not even bother and my hospital had gone "baby friendly" after I had DD1 but before I had DD2. When I talked to my OB about it while pregnant he was like "You need to do what is best for you. You need to be happy in order to be the best mom for your baby. Formula is not something to be ashamed of."
I bfed dd till a year and it was the best and also the worst. I loved it but it caused me soooo much anxiety over every part of it. I plan to bf dd2 but also I will plan to supplement so hopefully my anxiety and stress doesn't get the best of me.
Similar here, except I BFed longer. I had SO much anxiety being his sole source of nutrition and not having my body be my own for over 2 years.
I plan to introduce formula bottles early on with #2 so there's less pressure on me. If I need to take meds, or be gone for the day, baby girl will be used to formula and bottles. When I'm with her, we can bf on demand.
I'm selfish and love the benefits from BFing so I will still be doing it (hello teenage boy metabolism and reasons to hide in another room with the baby while with extended family!) Plus the positives for me outweigh the negatives still (although I recognize that's my personal situation).
I bfed dd till a year and it was the best and also the worst. I loved it but it caused me soooo much anxiety over every part of it. I plan to bf dd2 but also I will plan to supplement so hopefully my anxiety and stress doesn't get the best of me.
OMG your almost there! <<just noticed your ticker>>
I was very "whatever" about bf vs ff. I promised DH to give bf a try, and I managed to combo feed for about 4 weeks before starting to wean. I don't regret trying and I don't regret quitting. DS never latched (he had torticollis which I think was the main reason), so I had to EP and I hated it. I got mastitis right around 4 weeks and I think it was pushing me into PPD territory.
That being said, I'll try it again with this LO but I won't be upset if it doesn't work out for whatever reason.
Post by Monica Geller on Sept 15, 2014 17:54:35 GMT -5
I'm glad you asked this! I've never had a strong desire to BF. It doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I know there are benefits, and my sister & SIL have both made me feel like I have to at least try it. I don't know what I'll end up doing. I'm lucky that because of my due date, I'll get a longer mat leave than I normally would (spring & summer)so at least I'll have a chance to figure something out before going back to school.
My plan is to try to BF (mostly for cost savings). If it's too stressful, I have no issues going to formula. I have 12 weeks mat leave, so a good chunk of time to figure it out, but honestly, since DH is going to SAH, I think formula might just be easier for all of us when I go back to work.
I know how you feel, I felt the same way. My mom and sister both BFed. I was BFed, but my mom started giving me formula around 4-5 months and I was weaned by 10ish months. After my c-section, I decided to try BFing and while it was hard like you described, I did find it got easier and now it is a piece of cake. So don't necessarily listen to people who say you baby will not STTN and you will have no life. My sister's daughter was EBF and STTN at 8 weeks. My son has also always been a good sleeper. I pump and give bottles while he is at day care and when I want a night out. I always had a good supply so I only need to pump 2x per day for 15-20 mins. Also, like brie said you can do both if you want too. There is no wrong answer, good luck!
Post by spankswife on Sept 15, 2014 19:01:52 GMT -5
I tried to BF DD but I never had any milk. I tried supplementing at 2 weeks, and went full formula by 3 weeks. It was insanity, she was starving (no weight gain/not enough wet diapers), I was bleeding and crying. The cons out weighed the pros.
I'm thinking about saving myself the trouble and going straight to FF and just enjoying my new born.
As an aside, which could totally be a coincidence, all of the FF babies we knew at the time were sick way less often then the BF babies. I think DD got sick once from flying, but other than that she wasn't ever sick til she was 2.5. Could be a coincidence, but I don't hold much to the sick part of it.
My OB said you have to do what's best for your family, happy mom = happy baby (and she breastfed her kids).
I'm planning on giving BFing a shot, but I will drop it in a red hot minute if it isn't working out and will feel precisely ZERO guilt about it. There is too much pressure on women to breastfeed nowadays. I hate it. You get zero prizes for BFing your kid vs. FFing your kid. Did you feed your kid? Yes? YOU SUCCESFULLY PARENTED THAT DAY.
Rant over. Sorry, this topic just always gets my hackles up :-)
This is exactly how I feel. I'll give a shot but hey, if it's not for me I'm not going to push it. I have to confess that the main reason I want to BF is because I don't want the extra expense of formula but I see working and BF being a PITA that I don't want either. I'm totally educated on the health benefits, so I'll try for that reason, too, but I don't buy for a second that FF babies are not as healthy.
with C, i went into it planning to BF, mostly because of the social pressure. i felt like i should BF, but also couldn't really reconcile in my head how i would nurse or pump once i went back to work. it just wasn't something i prioritized.
i absolutely understand the benefits of BF-ing, but more than that it seems to be en vouge (just like FF-ing was popular when lots of us were born). anywhoo, she never latched, i got frustrated that i was doing it wrong, then she started losing weight, then i got stressed that i wasn't producing, and it just turned in to one crazy cycle. i gave up the ghost when she was 5 days old and the pedi wanted us to supplement anyway. i was much, much happier after that.
i still don't think my milk every came in, because i never had any engourgement or leakage or anything.
my 4 year old is in the 90+ percentile for both height and weight. i remember being so grateful to hear our pedi, my mom, and my mil underscore that feeding my kid mattered more than how my kid was fed. the pedi even said that, with most kids, by age 5, he can't tell who was BF and who was FF.
i'm going straight to FF with this baby. one, because it's what i know. two, because we have all the stuff.
My BFF had her baby in July. She BF for a good 3 weeks and by 4 weeks was switching to FF. It was much less stressful for her - especially because she went back to work at 6 weeks and didn't want to have to worry about pumping.
There is no right or wrong answer. Do whatever is right for you and baby. There is always an inbetween if you want to try to BF just for the beginning.
I really don't want to breast feed and the only reason I am considering doing it is guilt. My friends who did not BF seemed to be back to themselves and so much more awake and happy and in love with the newborn stage than my friends who BF. They left the house more, they got more done, they worried less (because they could easily tell how much the kid was eating), the transition back to work was easier, etc. I also am a shy person and do not want to NIP if I can avoid it, even though I have no problems whatsoever with anyone else doing it. And I get touched out very quickly and need my own space, so I think FFing and being able to trade off with H would be very helpful for that.
But then I worry that I am putting my kid at risk because of all the health benefits. But I wonder how strongly correlated those are because BF babies don't seem to stay any healthier than FF ones.
Anyone else thinking about FFing?
I think breastfeeding would be a lot harder if you weren't totally sold on the idea. It's not difficult for everyone, but it is a lot of effort. I can see getting really resentful if it's something you felt pressured into doing.
However, even with all the challenges I really do love it. I haven't let it lock me inside my house and have been getting out and about since she was a week old. I don't mind NIP, but I am able to time it lots of times to do it in the car.
I BF for DD's first 3 days, tried formula from a bottle (was supplementing via syringe in the hospital) when we got home, and she refused to latch ever since. So, FF it is, since I didn't respond to the pump at all, not one drop of colostrum or milk. The day DD was born involved expressing colostrum onto my pinky then having DD suck that. After a half hour of that every 2 hours, I asked for alternate means of assistance. The second and third days involved a nipple everter (a pump like device) and shield. Setting up took help from DH and usually a nurse. I know at some point it is possible we would have weaned from the shield, but a LC said it was not likely. Once I fell holding the baby and the neonatologist said it was clear the baby's only problem was she wasn't getting enough food, I was horrified that I was essentially starving her. I did have one nurse comment on the inside of the shield - it was dry - after feeding 20 minutes per side, but thought maybe DD was efficient at getting out every last morsel. I'm surprised I lasted as long as I did since I wasn't enthusiastic about bfing anyway until I actually started! 2 weeks later, she is 100% formula fed, back to (and beyond) her birth weight, and absolutely perfect. I am glad I tried, even if it didn't work, and I know she got some of the benefits of the colostrum vs not trying at all.
Post by hokiegirl82 on Sept 17, 2014 8:38:21 GMT -5
Let me tell you about my BF/FF story. DS has been FF since day one, and I'm so glad we made the decision to FF. My entire pregnancy I said I wanted to give BF a really good try, but wasn't afraid to FF if needed. But in my gut the whole time, I just felt like I really didn't want to BF because it made me uncomfortable, but I kept telling myself to at least try it. When I gave birth, I immediately tried to BF, but he wouldn't latch. We tried again once we were moved to a post-partum room with the help of a lactation consultant, and he latched for a second, but it was still difficult and we said we could try again later. Not 4 hours after giving birth, I broke down sobbing because I said deep down I really didn't want to BF and I was feeling so much pressure, and I just didn't want to do it. I felt so guilty because I had been telling myself, H and other people that I would try BF, but I knew deep down that I just couldn't do it. So we decided to FF right then and there, with the support of the lactation consultant, and it changed everything. Having the stress of BF taken off of me was HUGE in my mental and emotional recovery. I have PPD and my OB said she was happy to hear I decided to FF because she was worried about what the added stress of trying to BF would do to my already fragile mental/emotional state.
FF hasn't been super easy because DS has reflux and it took us about 5 weeks to find a formula that worked for him (similac alimentum), but since then he's been doing great, and I'm so so so happy we decided to FF (although I hate paying 30 bucks for one can of formula). H can help with any feedings, and not having to worry about pumping at work (which was something else stressing me out big time) is such a weight off my shoulders.
I guess the moral of this is, try BF if you want, but don't force yourself to just to satisfy others, and know that FF babies can be just as happy and healthy as FF babies. It was probably the best decision I've made in many years to FF and I'm so at peace with it.