breastfeeding

Jennifer - posted on 07/20/2009

I am breastfeeding most of the time but I do give some formula maybe like 3 bottles a day because I feel as though I have not been able to catch up to his appetite since the NICU started him on formula.. When I pump I can usually get about 3 oz on each side but I seldomly do pump because I can barely find the time to honestly.. but I do absolutely LOVE breastfeeding!

Noel - posted on 07/20/2009

oh and as long as your baby is gaining weight they do not need formula...

Noel - posted on 07/20/2009

Absolutley... I think it is irresponsible for a woman who is able to breastfeed to choose not to

Dollie - posted on 07/20/2009

hello. kinda new here. i am breastfeeding my baby girl, and it makes me feel really good about myself.

Veronica - posted on 07/18/2009

I am breastfeeding. I pump sometimes when he gets off schedule. He then gets it in a bottle to get him back on schedule. He does really well going between the two though! But no formula in our house! Its nice not having to carry all that extra stuff around!

Charity - posted on 07/14/2009

I've only been pumping for 5 days and my average is like 3 oz. Once he's asleep for the night I try to pump sometime between that time frame because I seem to get engorged. But it seems like my supply has decreased a bit. Anybody using anything to increase there supply? I'm trying to build up my stock before going back to work and I've got a ways to go!

Becky - posted on 07/14/2009

breastfeedin is the best way 2 loose weight.. plus no bottles 2 mess about with.. dnt no y people dnt do it.. couldnt cope with my boobs fillin up n the pain from not emptyin them.

Diana - posted on 07/10/2009

I was exclusively pumping until this week. I just couldn't keep it up. Colin was born 7 1/2 weeks early, and was in the NICU for 5 weeks. He was tube feeding in the beginning, but I started pumping the day after he was born. Then when he finally got his eating reflexes together, the NICU docs wanted him to eat out of a bottle so that they could accurately measure how much he was eating. By the time they wrote the 'scrip for me to try breastfeeding, he just wouldn't latch. We even had a lactation nurse come to the NICU and try to help us a few times, but he wouldn't do it, and once we got home we tried many more times, but he was just too interested in the bottle. I'd been pumping for 15 minutes every 3 hours since the day after he was born, and the past 2 months with him home have been exhausting. I finally gave up the pump and decided it was better to get enough rest to be sane than to stress myself out about pumping. Each time he eats, Colin is now getting an ounce of breastmilk from the bags I stored up while he was in the hospital, and the rest is formula. I'm going to try to stretch out the breastmilk so that he can have it for as long as possible.

Stephanie - posted on 07/09/2009

Yep. It's going very well, thankfully.

Abbi - posted on 07/08/2009

I am about 90% but I pump and give her the bottle at night as we are both tired.

Cindy - posted on 07/08/2009

Ruth you know that there are places that you can get breast milk from to give your baby. I know it isn't the same as you nursing him but it is a great resource for the benefits of breastmilk. Don't beat yourself up over it though, so many people don't even try. Good luck with your baby and God Bless.

Marly - posted on 07/08/2009

I'm having a hard time getting my baby full from nursing, so I supplement formula. I tried to pump and could onlyn get half an oz out. I was just wondering how long do most of you pump? My son will get fussy after about 15 min of being latched on even with milk dripping, is it possible he just don't like it? is any one having this problem?

Ria - posted on 07/06/2009

I'm breastfeeding 100% of the time with people constantly trying to convince me to introduce formula. This is my third child and the first two were breastfed until they were two and a half years old. I haven't started pumping yet but when I pumped with my last child I would gt anywhere from 6 to 9 ozs within 20 to 30 mins. Therer are tes and herbal supplements to increase milk supply

Danielle - posted on 07/05/2009

Thanks for the tips ladies, i am going to try to get a different type of bottle and try again next week to see if Niven will be interested, don't like my chance though :)



Ruth don't be discouraged, you gave it your best shot, at least you know that there is a good back up with formula and you baby is still going to grow and be healthy

Samantha - posted on 07/05/2009

Quoting Danielle:

yes i am to 100%
just a question to the mums who are pumping, how much do you get each time, i tried to pump a bit so we could try the bottle (mind you though i did it in the evening and i only got 30mls or 1 oz.
but Niven is having a growth spurt so she is eating alot atm.
btw she wouldn't have a bar of the bottle lol

This is my 3rd child and I breastfeed 100% of the time.  I would say that the best way to get milk from pumping would be to pump after every feeding.  Another thing to do is pump between feedings.  If your baby feeds every two hours, then pump on the hour she doesn't eat.  You could always pump on the hour every hour that she is not feeding.  This will also keep your supply up.

Rebekah - posted on 07/05/2009

I think an 1oz is pretty typical at first. From my previous nursing experience, I found it very hard for a pump (even a good one) to pull out as much as my baby. To increase my milk supply this time around, I pump after every feeding. So currently I get between 2-3 oz extra after every feeding, but I've been pumping after almost every feeding from the beginning. I nurse on the Left, offer the Right, and then pump the Right... next feeding I start nursing on the Right, offer Left, and then pump the Left.

One word of advice about pumping: you need to pump between 3-5 minutes AFTER your milk has stopped coming if you want to maintain your milk supply. I tried exclusively pumping for my son when he was 6 months old, but after two weeks I had to supplement with formula and after 4 weeks my milk was basically gone.

Ruth - posted on 07/05/2009

You lucky mums. I wanted to breast feed and it all went a bit wrong, despite having lots of help and getting people to watch me feed. My son is now just formula fed. He's 6 weeks and I still have hang ups about it.

Danielle - posted on 07/03/2009

yes i am to 100%

just a question to the mums who are pumping, how much do you get each time, i tried to pump a bit so we could try the bottle (mind you though i did it in the evening and i only got 30mls or 1 oz.

but Niven is having a growth spurt so she is eating alot atm.

btw she wouldn't have a bar of the bottle lol

Brenda - posted on 07/03/2009

I am and having a great experience even with the small frustrations here and there. SOOO much easier than formula (did that with my older son). No mess, no fuss, and it is always the right temperature. My goal is to go until he self weans and to never use formula. So far so good, hasn't had a stitch of formula, and I'm building a little freezer stash from pumping.



If you ever have any problems or questions, kellymom.com is awesome. Put aside some of my fears.

Rebekah - posted on 07/02/2009

Yep. 100% of the time. I'm pumping a pretty healthy amount for back-up and to help my milk supply during growth spurts, but so far I haven't introduced a bottle yet.

Lisa - posted on 07/02/2009

90% of the time. He gets a bottle at night with formula so it goes faster and he stays asleep longer! Sometimes also the early morning feeding depending on how tired I am. It's good for them and it reduces your risk of breast cancer, so why not???

Stephanie - posted on 07/02/2009

I'm breastfeeding and loving it! It's soo much easier than formula feeding and my son is a pro at this and no complications with it. My goal is to breast feed his whole first year of life!

Shelly - posted on 07/02/2009

I am breastfeeding about 98% of the time, and I give him a bottle in the middle of the day, and also before he goes to sleep. He has such an appetite I feel like I can't keep up with his hunger!