Breast. Bottle or both, What did you do and why?

Jennifer - posted on 01/21/2011

I had nurses that made me feel so guilty (I already had baby blues) and like a terrible mother because breast feeding wasn't working and she had lost a lot of weight after birth.
my family was very supportive of whatever I wanted to do....they really tried to encourage me as far as keeping my spirits up for breast feeding because it really was important to me....a good support system is key to whatever you decide formula or breast, you need someone to encourage you that whatever you decide is ok.

to enhance milk supply though taking the herbs blessed thisstle and fenugreek seed together made a HUGE difference for me...it is safe for the baby and works FAST and all natural.

Ashley - posted on 01/21/2011

I breast feed first and everything went great i was really lucky but my son had to be in the hospital for a month and they dident have a pump for me and i was with him all the time but i had to leave once in awhile and the nurses would bottle feed him he wasent on any kind of feeding schedule. But he was fine going back and forth eventually my milk started drying up so it was formula after that he dident care as long as he was fed lol.

Monique - posted on 01/21/2011

I think you do whats best for you, if you cant breastfeed don't get down on yourself its okay don't kill yourself trying!! I did both methods with my daughters and they are ext-streammmmlyyy smart children and beautiful. most importantly they gained weight on time and stayed healthy no matter what way I feed them!!

Stifler's - posted on 01/21/2011

I wish more people in my life breastfed and didn't just suggest formula every time I had an issue with breastfeeding.

Julianne - posted on 01/21/2011

auuu i wish i had this when she was under a year!!
I checked books and my doctor...awe well, i know about it for the next one.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 01/21/2011

There are BF growth charts. Some doctors just don't use them.
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gro...

Julianne - posted on 01/21/2011

My baby was always thin. They really do need a BF growth chart. I was so worried she was too small, then i realized shes way above average for height, and i felt better. Shes a tank now. Emma, it gets easy...after you go through hell!!

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 01/21/2011

Yes, I agree and it doesn't help that some doctors use formula charts for BF babies and then make moms feel like they're starving their kids.

Stifler's - posted on 01/21/2011

It's because so many people formula feed so they like to compare and how can you do that when you breastfeed and people are obsessed with babies growing and gaining tonnes of weight so by 3 weeks if your baby isn't fat people are all like OMG MAYBE YOU SHOULD SWITCH TO FORMULA. Same if they're feeding heaps apparently that is wrong and they should be going a few hours without a feed etc. They were all my problems anyway. I had delusions of what breastfeeding was going to be like: easy.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 01/21/2011

I think that's the biggest issue with breastfeeding. People are so obsessed with numbers. They want to know how much baby is eating when there's no need to know. And pumps are not a good indication of supply either. If baby is peeing, pooing and gaining and otherwise seems healthy then everything is fine. Stress does play a factor in breastfeeding. If we could eliminate the barriers causing stress then maybe more moms who want to breastfeed would be able to do it for as long as they choose to do it.

Julianne - posted on 01/21/2011

Yea i know, i almost started formula because i had a section so it took a week for my milk to come in, i was that stressed out, gabby was flipping for food. Then when it did come in i was so swollen gabby couldnt latch!! i had a hard time starting, im glad i stuck it out though. If i had one more issue though, i would have quit for sure...

Stifler's - posted on 01/21/2011

I think even if you do have enough milk you can feel like you don't or you can feel extremely discouraged from breastfeeding because you can't pump more than 10ML to see how much they're getting and you've never done the baby thing before so it's very stressful. It's unfair to say there's no medical reason blah blah blah. Stress is a very real factor in people not breastfeeding.

Julianne - posted on 01/21/2011

Yea stats are wrong 95% of the time..Hell 99% of the time people make them up on the spot..LMAO

Stifler's - posted on 01/21/2011

No ahahaha the one that's like I'TS BEEN PROVEN ONLY 2% OF WOMEN CAN'T BREASTFEED FOR MEDICAL REASONS. I don't believe I participated in any study where I gave out info on why I couldn't breastfeed.

Julianne - posted on 01/21/2011

Was that for what i said emma? lol

Stifler's - posted on 01/21/2011

Oh dear.

Jessica - posted on 01/21/2011

I breast feed my daughter for well only 45 days cuz i had to go back to work after that but i would recommend breast feeding to anyone because of the feeling that you get while your feeding them but if you cant breast feed your child thats ok too

Julianne - posted on 01/21/2011

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archi...





yes their is studies that say HFCS causes obesity......



go read every can of formula and see if it has it. Most likely does..

http://www.parenting.com/article/corn-sy...



yea women can't breastfeed, i didnt say anything against women who can't. Just large corporations who take advantage of that by adding fillers and crap to formula so they can make more money. All women who formula feed should push for better ingredients.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 01/21/2011

@ Julianne, my brother and I were both breastfed. My brother is 6'0 and 140 I'm 5'5 and 160. There's no study showing that it promotes obesity or has corn syrup. I'm reasonably sure that all Formula is Kosher including for Passover so it can't contain corn syrup.
Some people just can't breastfeed for numerous reasons, including work or school. A co worker of mine didn't do it because her daughter just didn't want to and she's fine.

Chantelle - posted on 01/21/2011

well im breast feeding my 5 mnth old and dnt see anything wrong with that hes content with my milk supply and is a good feeder :)

Julianne - posted on 01/21/2011

I picked the breast, because formula contains high fructose corn syrup, which promotes obesity. Plus breast milk its specifically tailored for a baby, no formula can compare to its nutrition.

Oh i can only feed from one breast, i had my nipple pierced and yes, it does mess breastfeeding up, the nipple was scar tissue so the baby wouldn't feed from it. She thrived from the one breast. Shes still feeding at 13 months from one side.

Christine - posted on 01/21/2011

I breast fed as long as I could, and I didn't have all the proper equipment or it probably would have lasted longer, I say... there's no reason NOT to TRY. Right? When I stopped breast feeding I still felt guilty because I thought I could have done more, but I did do what I could and I am happy with what I've done. Last but not least, Breast milk is FREE! How often do you get the BEST stuff for FREE??

Michelle - posted on 01/21/2011

oh and one last thing... it has also been proven that less than 2 % of women are actually unable to breastfeed thier baby due to medical reasons. It is worth if you are having trouble to speak to a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor for some advice. If anyone would like to know FACTS about formula/breastfeeding/breastmilk I will be happy to give it to you.

Michelle - posted on 01/21/2011

It is for the mother to make an informed choice about the way she wants to feed her baby...informed...which means knowing ALL the pros and cons of each option. I doubt that those who chose FF right from the start were that informed - how can you choose to feed you baby, the tiny precious life you created - a dead, bacteria filled, cow's milk, breastmilk subsititute???
From those who say ' I did it for my sanity' or ' I did it because it fit my lifestyle' well I think that is not putting your child first... did you choose to FF because of the benefits?? or the risks that it could impose on your baby's health and yours???

There is negative info about formula because it is inferior to breastmilk - no formula, not even the american ones contain everything as breastmilk does. Breastmilk contains all the hormones, growth factors, essentail fatty acids (which are vital for your health and formula can not provide), immunological and non specific factors which help your babys body begin the normal process of building cells that will one day release the hormones vital for human development...breastmilk is the only food your baby requires for the first 6 months of his/her life - nothing else. Milk does not come ine until the 3/4 day. A baby will lose up to 10% of its body weight in the first 3-4 days - this is the extra water (known as water retention) being expelled through urination after birth -this extra water was absorbed by baby in the womb.
Did you know that a newborns large intestine (colon) is sterile (clean) after birth - and within 3-4 hours starts filling with E.coli, streptoccoccus and chlostridium - without breastmilk the babys digestive system will be flooded with this bacteria - a newborns stomach is alkaline at birth - as hormones havent started being released yet, hydrochloric acid will not be secreted, therefore breastmilk is designed to acidize your baby's stomach and kill the bacteria. Formula will not do this. This is why babys who are exclusively formula fed are more likely to deveop gastroenteritis and become very ill from it...
It is also why alot of baby's suffer from intolerances...
Your breastmilk is designed specifically for your baby, and the babys digestive system is able to process without problems - unlike formula, which builds up and turns into curd and sits in your babys tummy for up to 48 hours - which is why formula fed babies may require extra water..and are more fussy/gassy/constipated.

I do think that those who choose to exclusively formula feed thier baby and those who are just topping up, need to know all the facts before giving it to their baby... there are a few websites you can visit - babyfriendly.org.uk, nct.org.uk, kellymom.com, breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk, www.nhs.uk etc etc...

I will point out that breastfeeding decreases the worlds health inequalities...if all women were to breastfeed, there would be less hospital admissions for all ages - it has been proven that there is a link between cancer and formula feeding, the same as osteoperosis. Children would be less likely to develop acute infections, and chronic allergies. There would be less pollution as formula feeding requires the production and refuse of burnable materials.
You do not breastfeed just for you and your baby, you breastfeed for your community and the wider population.

Fomula is a inferior substitute which will not provide your baby with everything he/she needs for the first 6 months of his/her life, and that is a fact, and it has been proven, even by formula companies.

Veronica - posted on 01/21/2011

From the moment i found out i was pregnant i knew i wanted to breastfeed. i got alot of negative feed back once i started telling people my choice to BF. Yes breastfeeding hurts and their is an art to it, it isnt easy but i stuck with it and didnt let myself give up when the hospital tried to give me formula to take home i didnt accept it because i felt like if i had it i might use it, I think im a lucky person my baby had no trouble latching on, he did favor my right side but i broke him of that, then he wasnt eating as much as my breast were producing so i started to become engorged so i started pumping then recently i got stressed out and it showed my milk was hardly coming in just enough to feed him i wasnt able to pump anything out at all but then i got my eating back on track and everything been fine since. My son is only 3 months old but i do plan on Exclusivly BF for at least a year maybe start him on solids around 9 months depending on his needs cause thats most important to me.

Rosie - posted on 01/21/2011

i tried breast with my first. i hated it. it was the most abnormal, hurtful, terrifying thing to me. i couldn't get him to latch correctly, he was screaming in hunger constantly, i was bleeding from my nipples, i felt like such a bad mother. i couldn't figure out why this so "natural" thing was so horrible for both of us.
after i tried to pump and that failed because it hurt to much and no milk was coming out, i gave up and felt like an utter failure. i finally realized that after i gave my son a bottle of formula, he was happy, i was happy, and all was right with the world.i could finally enjoy my son, instead of dreading trying to feed him.

it took a couple of years, but i finally figured out that the guilt i felt was unnecessary, and caused me to spiral into a major depression. i refused to go through that hell again with my second and third child. they were formula fed from the start. i have 3 beautiful healthy little boys.
i feel there is to much negative information out there about formula. if i hear inferior, or poison one more time i think i may pull my hair out. sure BF is a great way to feed your child, but you know what, so is formula. breastfeeding should be advertised for what it is-a great way to feed your child. formula should not get thrown under the bus at the same time.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/21/2011

I breastfed, I never knew that it was such a debated topic. I thought that if a mom and her baby were together that everyone would choose breastmilk.
I thought formula was just for adopted babies, and babies with extremely sick moms.
I had no idea how big an issue it is these days. I thought it was simple, like any other mammal. We make milk for our babies, so we feed them the milk.
Oh well, I was not well informed about it all but it all worked well.
I went back to work at 6 weeks but honestly never thought to give formula, I pumped milk and daddy fed bottles at home. I had a bunch of issues, flat nipple, engorgement, blocked ducts, mastitis twice, growth spurts, etc but formula never crossed my mind, I just found out how to fix the problem I had and worked through it slowly.
Now I'm pregnant with baby number two and still breast-feeding my son and I plan on feeding both together as well. It's just normal!
I feel like I'm a mammal, I make milk, it's for my babies so I feed them that.
I know if I were to get cancer, or tb, or something life threatening like that I might need to stop breastfeeding but I would work with eats on fetes to get donor milk for my baby.
Formula is a last resort cuz it's dead tissue, and I think babies need the living organisms from human milk.

Erin - posted on 01/21/2011

I did breastfeeding until my daughter was 4 months, but my body stopped producing milk, so I went to bottle! I will breastfeed to the best of my ability with my second due in july. If the mother has a mental or physical reason for not wanting to breastfeed (or bottle feed) then that is HER decision, not the worlds, in my opinion. I get the benefits of breastmilk story, I know its right, but what if the added stress of breastfeeding is what pushes some poor mother over the edge because society deemed her a horrible mother for not doing it. Do what is most comfortable, and if you are even a little bit curious about breastfeeding, give it a shot! at least you can say you tried your best.

Jennifer - posted on 01/21/2011

I struggled for 2 weeks to breastfeed my daughter (they kept me in the hospital for 5 days b/c she had lost too much weight) at first she wouldn't latch on, then for a few days she only took one breast but that was short lived.
Ultimately because I was so hellbent on her getting breast milk....I pumped milk for every single feeding for 3 1/2 months and I took herbs to increase my milk (safe for baby) i'll admit it was extremely restrictive and trying! I was pumping about every 2-3 hours all day long...so I was stuck at home for the better part of 3 months. For me though I just needed to do it...it was important to me to do that for her.
I will say that I did feel a lot of pressure from nurses, doctors,lactation consultant, reading material to not stop breast feeding...one doctor gave me a lecture about it when I brought her in for constipation! It is between you and your baby and everyone else should butt out!

Leanne - posted on 01/21/2011

I was lucky with my son in some ways, and not in others. I had to be induced (my son was 2 weeks late) and my milk took an extra day or two to come in because of this. My son lost 11.5 oz during the first 5 days despite nursing every 2 hours or less. One of my midwives was supportive, but my secondary one wasn't. She just kept saying I wasn't nursing enough! By the time my son was 2 weeks old I found myself nursing in the afternoons for over 4 hours straight. I was on the maximum amount of Fenugreek and something else (blessed thistle? don't remember) and was pumping after every feeding (I never pumped more than an oz). My son was latching just fine but by suppertime I felt like I had empty sacks instead of breasts. Then he started screaming most of the evening, despite all the calming techniques (car rides, baths, games, swaddling, etc). And I finally tried some formula we'd been given for free. That shut him up quick! He was just starving! We formula fed 2 2-oz bottles a day to supplement until he was 3 months old, then it was 2 4-oz bottles. During the first 4 months we discovered my son had horrible gas due to a sensitivity to onions (of all things!) and we had to switch formula 3 times due to constipation, plus he had a really bad bladder infection. By the time he was on solids, he got 2 8-oz bottles, but once he started eating lots of solids the bottles dropped. At 8 months he was exclusively breastfed and on solids. My son started weaning himself at 11 months (we started introducing a touch of whole milk in his cereals and such to get him used to it and he just loved it!). While I was a bit sad to stop nursing he never missed it and I think that's for the best. I was extremely fortunate that I had one midwife until 6 weeks post-partum that was understanding and helpful. Also, in Canada we have a full year of maternity leave so I didn't have to worry about pumping and working or going to formual.

I definitely liked having a couple bottles a day to supplement. I think that it in NO WAY reduced my supply any more than it already was. I think this is a huge myth. I also think that herbal supplements may help some people, but for others they don't do a thing.

With my next (TTC) I hope that I'm able to breastfeed 90% of the time as it was a wonderful bonding experience -mostly! And it's super cheap. But I really want to introduce a bottle as soon as I feel confident my bub has a good latch. I think that doing this will allow me to have some much needed breaks, as well as to let my husband help with night-feeding. I know tons of mothers that have done this and never had 'nipple confusion' perhaps we're all just lucky.

Basically, my advice is do what you can. Don't feel bad if you try and can't, feel good you tried! I think that it's worth trying to breastfeed, if only for the money you'd save. If you just feel awkward (but everything else is working), try for at least 2 months before giving up, I found after the 2 month mark I was much less awkward in public. As for those that have babies that don't cooperate, my midwife gave me good advice: "Breastfeeding is 90% the baby's job and 10% yours, no matter how hard you try, some babies just haven't read the manual!"

Good luck!

Mandy - posted on 01/21/2011

I breastfed my oldest for 13 months and my youngest for 6 months. With my oldest I had no difficulties with feeing him and with my youngest he had problems latching on so I didn't strictly breastfeed him he got the bottle too when I was sore that and then because when he did eat off of me he didn't get enough because he couldn't latch on right. At six months of age he had to go to formula because I became really sick that I had to be on medication where I couldn't breastfeed. And since then he has been on formula and I really don't notice any difference in thier health because one was breastfed full term and never got a bottle of formula and the other was bottle fed with formula. So I don't think formula feeding your baby is bad at all. Sometimes breastfeeding is just not right for everyone.

Nicole - posted on 01/21/2011

I agree the best thing is to be calm and don't stress about it. your baby needs to be healthy more then anything so whatever you have to do to get them to eat is what they need!! and about the BPA and Vaccenations...I agree I think your child is Born with autism, but I think there are some things that helps bring it out..I'm not saying it causes it...But also consuming BPA isn't healthy for anyone, but I'm not going to cut out canned foods and if I had to do formula again i would...

Mallory - posted on 01/21/2011

My little boy was breastfed for the first 2 weeks. But my milk didn't come down until he was almost a week old and then I had trouble getting it to come out. So we fed him half breast milk and half formula. But when he was about 3 weeks old, we noticed how sick he was getting over both my milk and the formula. So he ended up on soy formula. And that seemed to do the trick. I didn't want to take him off breast milk, but I had to do what was best for my boy. Once he was on soy, he took off.

If you're having trouble breastfeeding, my biggest advice is to not stress over it. If you're milk won't come out or you have sore, swollen lumps, try a hot bath in a tub with jets. Or use very warm compresses. Pumping can help if your baby can't latch on. My little boy had a lot of trouble latching because my breasts would get so full my nipple wouldn't jut out.

Crystal - posted on 01/21/2011

children are born with autism, it is not caused by BPA, which is extremely trace amounts in any material.
as for the discussion-
my daughter was premature, and while she was in the hospital for two weeks, i pumped at home and brought what i could to the hospital. it was hard to pump every few hours without a baby there to cue you. we tried BF at the hospital but she was too weak to latch on, and by the time she got home she just wasn't interested and too used to bottles. It was really, really difficult to have to try to wake up 20 minutes before the baby, pump, and then feed the baby. so i started pumping as much as i could during the day and supplementing with formula. after a month she had really bad acid reflux and we had to switch to a special medicine and different formula. She is a completely healthy and happy 2 year old, who is in 95th percentile in height, and 75th percentile of weight.
if you CAN breastfeed, you should. but if you can't, you shouldn't ever feel bad about it, your baby will turn out just fine, i promise! :)

Nicole - posted on 01/21/2011

i have heard that BPA being a suspect for autism and it is in the lining, but it's also in the lining of canned foods, tins anything aluminim, if you get a glass jar with an metal lid it's got bpa

Stifler's - posted on 01/21/2011

I've never even heard of BPA causing autism either. LOL.

Camilla - posted on 01/21/2011

I am far too lazy to bottle feed and luckily have not had to, both my daughters feed (although trying to wean the eldest at the moment!) I have loads of milk, but can't express it very well, never get more than a few cm in bottom of a bottle, so I gave up with that! My second baby did not appear to feed as well or as often as the first, yet she has gained more weight, more quickly, I think the important thing is not to worry, as long as baby gaining weight, not necessarily quickly, then all is well. Don't give up is the other piece of advice! It certainly doesn't hurt as much second time round! Good luck with trying with this baby! x

Sarah - posted on 01/21/2011

Emma someone up further mentioned formula causes autism cos the tins are lined with BPA...BPA is actually banned in Australia now

Stifler's - posted on 01/21/2011

I've never even heard that formula causes autism. WTF.

Sarah - posted on 01/21/2011

Jesse - a lot of mothers will tell you formula fed babies will turn out "retarded" because of one of two reasons (or both) A) they have a holier than thou because i breastfeed attitude or B) they simply don't know enough about the safety measures taken when the powder is made. Formula does not cause Autism...it may but no one is sure what causes Autism and as the opening line says "no one is a bad mum for formula feeding" so I agree Jesse any child that is formula fed will turn out fine. and if they weren't turning out fine it would of been banned or altered to ensure that these kids were turning out "right"

Courtney - posted on 01/20/2011

With my oldest daughter, she was formula fed after 1 month because I have a thyroid problem and my hormones messed with my milks let down and just completely stopped producing milk. I was very upset with myself about this. I was so for breast feeding my child and was heart broken that I couldn't give that to her. But with being formula fed, she turned out just fine. I am still breast feeding my 6 month old at the moment. I will probably breast feed her until 1 - 1 1/2 years. (depends on when I feel like stopping in between that time).

Cindy - posted on 01/20/2011

both! I had trouble latching him on so i pumped & after a few weeks my milk started to dry up. I was so disappointed! so i had no other choice but to give him formula & so he loved it but then started to latch on again but still loved formula so i stuck to both :)

Iysha - posted on 01/20/2011

I formula fed from the start. I didnt get to breastfeed right away and never really had the mind set that breast feeding was what I was going to do period. My daughter was born at 35 weeks and while she was in the NICU, she had trouble feeding from both breast and bottle. I knew that she would get out as soon as she learned to eat from one or the other so i picked the easiest for her, the bottle. I did pump some and she was also given a high calorie formula. I figured since the bottle is easier to suck from, she would learn faster that way and get out sooner. I like to think I was right because there was another 35 weeker with the same issues my daughter had and she was still there a month later while my daughter was out in 17 days and the other mom was intent on breastfeeding at every feeding she was present for. I was always telling the nurse I wanted to bottle feed...I didnt care, I wanted her out.

I did do some breast feeding after my daughter came home but I wasnt really that into it and she took a bottle afterward anyway...I think even with my future kids I'm going to bottle feed. I like it.

Nicole - posted on 01/20/2011

I tried so hard to nurse my son exlusivly it's something I've always wanted to do and I think it's healthier for mother and child. However, at 1 week old he ended up in the NICU, I pumped while he was there not eating, (before he went he had had trouble nursing) while he was there the lactation lady gave me a nipple shield. it's put over the nipple to make the child feel like it's a bottle (sturdier then just flesh) and it was a complete 180! then when he was 2 months old I had to have surgery...needless to say all of this was very stressfull and I wasn't producing as much as I needed to. So we did suplement with formula so he would stay healthy and continue to gain weight after being hospitalized. But I did take and herb called Fenugreek (not sure of the spelling but that's how it sounds LOL) it helped with production. Luckly I was able to use a bottle only in emergency's and breast feed till he was 13 months old :)

Monica - posted on 01/20/2011

i did both my daughter could not latch on plus my asthma meds caused low milk production but i gave her as much as i could and as long as i could

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 01/20/2011

I had a heck of a time trying to get my daughter to latch on while I was in the hospital and then when I left the hospital even with assistance and multiple suggestions. I did get her to latch on, but like I said in the thread starter it just didn't work out.
I'm kinda hoping it works with the second one because I'm moving to British Columbia in June and it'd just be a lot easier to feed a 3 month old via breast than with a lot of bottles. I really don't have a problem breast feeding on the plane or in public. I'll just try to be descreet while doing it.

Carol - posted on 01/20/2011

i used formula with both of mine, they both ended up taking a soy formula. For my lifestyle it was more convenient to use a bottle it let the dad help with the feedings too.

Amber - posted on 01/20/2011

i tryed to breastfeed my oldest but because i had two breast reductions a few years ago i couldn't produce enough and some of the ducts that did produce milk were blocked because of the reduction.. the nurses made me feel like s**t because i couldn't breastfeed him. i cried and cried because i tried to tell them it finaly took a nurse specialest to phone them and tell them the exact same thing that i tried to sell them a month before that they were nice to me and telling me what the best formula was.. when i had my girl i wanted to see if i could try again but she ended up having to go to the nicu for 3 weeks that i dried up from being stressed out... she was in one hospital 3 hours from where we live so my husband stayed home with our son while i was there with our daughter..

Jesse - posted on 01/20/2011

I went with bottle because I wanted the dad to bound with him also,when was born I was bottle feed and I came out alright lol

ASHLEY - posted on 01/20/2011

I breastfed my oldest son until his first birthday. I may have breastfed longer but by his birthday I was 4 months pregnant so I decided to wean him. We had tons of issues in the begining... he had jaundice and was too sleepy to nurse. I had to pump to get my milk in. We supplemented with formula the first 2 months. After he got over the jaundice he had trouble latching due to nipple confusion and my oversupply of milk. I wasn't able to breastfeed exclusively without shields, pumping, or crying till he was 8 weeks old. It felt like forever. I'm glad I continued though after the rough begining breastfeeding became so easy and convenient compared to all the bottles. I now have a 9 day old son that I am nursing he had jaundice as well so while I was waiting for my milk to come in at the hospital we went ahead and started supplementing with formula in a syringe and by 4 days old his levels were normal. Never lost the ability to nurse and I didn't have to pump for my milk to come in. We completely avoided the disaster I had with my first. I still have oversupply but this little guy seems to be handling it. My hope is that it adjusts to what he needs... I blame the amount of pumping I had to do last time for tricking my body into producing enough for triplets. Since I absolutley hate pumping I plan to use formula when I am not with the baby but I am a stay at home mom so it will be rare. I also had an isssue with my first with caregivers not preparing the breastmilk properly or feeding him babyfood all day to avoid thawing milk for him completely. So I feel he is more likely to be fed correctly if they are left with formula.



I know a lot of moms are nervous about feeding in public... I was especially with my first but I manage to do it anyways. I use a nursing cover you can get them at walmart target etc but my favorite is the baby au laite covers. Also if its really uncomfortable situation I sometimes nurse in the car (parked of course) before going into a store or right after leaving a restaurant but if the baby gets hungry in between they gotta eat so I love the covers just in case.