Due Sept 2017

[Savasanna]

I'm going to give the whole BF route a go, although if I'm being honest with myself I'm not really looking forward to it. All the babies we've cared for have obviously been formula fed and it just seems so much easier. My wife and I split the night shifts.. we don't have to stop to breast feed on long car rides.. etc. However, BF has obvious financial benefits so we're going to see how it goes. If I were to guess, I bet we'll land somewhere in a breast milk/formula combo. But we'll see.

(yes, I know there are nutritional benefits to breast milk as well, but like I said all the babies I've cared for were formula fed and they're all healthy and strong as well.)

I was just looking up breast pumps this weekend to try to familiarize myself with them. I think I'm going to go with the Mendela pump in style. I like that it's compatible with these Nuk Freemie collection cups and it looks like my insurance covers it. Anyone have any experience with either of those products?

 

[MrsKChicago]

I'm planning to breastfeed again. The first couple months were tricky, but after that it was so convenient. No predicting how much formula I'd need, no hauling it around when we went out, no washing bottles all the time, no mixing and heating bottles at 3am (I did all the night feeding but never had to get out of bed), it's free, I could just pop a boob out and keep going. Especially after learning to nurse with him in a baby carrier, nothing could stop us. I pumped enough to keep him used to bottles so I was able to leave him. I have nothing against formula, I think it's wonderful that there's a safe and healthy alternative, but barring issues with nursing or having to pump at work, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't choose the convenience of nursing. I was nervous nursing in public at first, but you get used to it and there are ways to be very discreet even without a cover. I nursed all over Chicago and never got a single comment.

I wouldn't count on formula making long road trips easier. It's really best to stop regularly and get baby out of the car seat and nursing ended up being as good an opportunity as any. I had a battery powered pump and had no problem pumping into a bottle in the car and feeding him in his seat in a pinch, though.

The Medela is popular, but I loved my Spectra. I had the little battery powered one, I think it's the Spectra 9. It fit in a bathrobe pocket so with a hands free bra I could easily wander around and fix lunch or something while pumping. I'm a stay at home mom, though, so I'm not sure how it would be pumping several times a day.

 

[Tess08]

I plan on trying to breast feed again but I had problems with my daughter and got myself really worked up over it so I'm going to try not to do that this time! I only lasted a week with her and it was a nightmare. I couldn't get her to latch on once and neither could any of the midwifes who tried to help me. Their answer was for me to hand express into a tub and feed her through a syringe because it was the thicker colostrum I was still producing at the time. I was in a lot of pain and it was veeeery time consuming as I could imagine so my daughter cried a lot as she wasn't getting as much as she wanted quick enough.

When I gave up after a week I was very upset about it feeling like I failed her and was so worried she would end up with health problems and eczema etc (obviously my hormones were all over the place lol) but I have honestly never met a healthier child in my life. She's just about to turn 3 and except for the occasional cold she has never been unwell. My friend on the other hand had a baby at the same time who she breastfed for 6 months and I was so jealous she was able to do it. Her little boy in contrast to my daughter is constantly unwell, has eczema all over his stomach and has just been diagnosed with asthma.

My point obviously is yes, give it a go if you feel you would like to but don't get yourself worked up if you can't manage it. My daughter is perfectly healthy and we didn't manage to do it and I think if your child is going to have any of these issues, breastfeeding won't make a difference x

 

[Savasanna]

I gotta say - way to go, everyone. I'm in a few other mom groups and they would/have not been nearly as supportive in this issue as this conversation has been. I almost cringed when I saw someone brought the topic up, but everyone's responses have been lovely!

 

[StillPraying]

Hi ladies, I hope you don't mind me joining I'm due somewhere between Sept 28th-Oct2nd, but September is more likely lol

I loved breastfeeding and plan to do it again. But I'm also of the mind that as long as you are feeding your baby, that's much more important than anyone's opinion. I find all of the negative comments from both sides of the spectrum very immature.

Hoping to get to know all of you lovely ladies

 

[ksierra44]

Hey ladies. I'm way late to the game. I have a son who turned one today and am due with my second September 8th. Anatomy scan showed that we are having a girl! I'd love to get to know you ladies and have a support group. I was in a group when pregnant with my son from the very beginning and we still talk daily in a Facebook but group we created

 

[lilmisscaviar]

Welcome to the newcomers!

I understand that BFing is a sensitive topic and I too am surprised that there is so much support either way on here. Kudos to those ladies set on BFing. I was always afraid while BFing that my babies weren't getting enough. At least with bottles I knew exactly how much they were getting. I BF my first for the first few months, BF my 2nd for a month but didn't BF my 3rd at all due to time. It was much easier for me making a bottle than putting her to the breast every hour or so. Also I found that my third slept better through the nights than my first two because she was fuller on formula. This time I do want to try to BF as long as I can simply because it is going to be my last baby. How long though I'm not sure. Will try to aim for at least a few months.

AFM I had my anatomy scan today and it was confirmed that our baby is indeed a boy!

 

[StillPraying]

Lilmisscaviar congrats on a boy hope all went well at your scan

 

[Tess08]

Welcome to the newcomers!

I understand that BFing is a sensitive topic and I too am surprised that there is so much support either way on here. Kudos to those ladies set on BFing. I was always afraid while BFing that my babies weren't getting enough. At least with bottles I knew exactly how much they were getting. I BF my first for the first few months, BF my 2nd for a month but didn't BF my 3rd at all due to time. It was much easier for me making a bottle than putting her to the breast every hour or so. Also I found that my third slept better through the nights than my first two because she was fuller on formula. This time I do want to try to BF as long as I can simply because it is going to be my last baby. How long though I'm not sure. Will try to aim for at least a few months.

AFM I had my anatomy scan today and it was confirmed that our baby is indeed a boy!

Do you know, it's actually the sleeping thing that scares me about breastfeeding lol! Very selfish of me I know but my daughter who was bottle fed slept through the night from 3 and a half weeks old whereas my friends little boy didn't sleep longer than 3 hours during the night until she stopped breastfeeding him at 6 months! And this time I don't have the luxury of going for a nap when the baby sleeps during the day because I will have a delightful toddler to run after... x

 

[StillPraying]

Do you know, it's actually the sleeping thing that scares me about breastfeeding lol! Very selfish of me I know but my daughter who was bottle fed slept through the night from 3 and a half weeks old whereas my friends little boy didn't sleep longer than 3 hours during the night until she stopped breastfeeding him at 6 months! And this time I don't have the luxury of going for a nap when the baby sleeps during the day because I will have a delightful toddler to run after... x

That's actually one of the reasons I loved breastfeeding, I coslept so all I had to do was pull down my nursing bra and they'd nurse while I went back to sleep

 

[Savasanna]

To be honest, the sleeping thing is what I'm worried about the most as well! But, at the same time, we're currently struggling with sleep with our 6-month old exclusively formula fed baby so I guess you never really do know what's going to happen.

But the evenings are what's making me think we'll end up with some form of formula/BF hybrid. I could see exclusively BF for the first 12 weeks while I'm on maternity leave and then supplementing with some formula in the evenings after I go back to work. But.. you know what they say about best laid plans..

 

[MrsKChicago]

My son was an amazing sleeper for the first six months, then it all went to hell. No harm in trying formula to see if it helps sleep, but from what I've seen in my sleep groups, it's really just down to the individual kid, and whether you do any sleep training.

 

[Savasanna]

Yea - all the other kiddos we've cared for have been amazing sleepers, so if I had never met Peanut I'd be inclined to link it to formula.. but she struggles. We've even been sleep training consistently for almost two months now and she's still at 2 wakes a night. (And I consider that a huge success from where we started!)

So it's probably one part formula, one part schedule/routine and 5 parts individual kid. haha

 

[Babybump2017]

Welcome newbies

This is definitely the place for support! I think I may have had several meltdowns without this thread by now and these wonderful women.

I was in two minds actually whether to mention the subject but if we can't be supportive of each other's personal choices then it's a poor show so i must admit it was lovely to read the replies.. I think at the end of the day it comes down to a few different things and everyone's situation is different. Not only that but as some others have said about BF not working as well as expected, I won't beat myself up if it fails and I certainly won't feel like I've failed my daughter as I'm confident in the fact that formula these days is a pretty close substitute! Breast or bottle - as long as our September babes are happy and healthy, that's all that matters right?

 

[Savasanna]

Exactly. We've been foster parents for 2+ years now and it drives me COMPLETELY batty when I see parents degrading other parents because of BF/formula or whether or not to co-sleep or CIO or whatever other parent ideology they've decided is most important to them.

Your child is loved. Your child is consistently cared for. Your child has stability. THOSE are the things that matter, not whether they did or did not sleep with you until they were 3 years old.

(speaking to me 4 years ago as well, as I used to judge just as much as the next person before I suddenly realized how absurd I was being)

 

[Tess08]

Hi ladies,

Had a bit of a scary day. I'm messaging from hospital where I am being kept in overnight. Had an excessive bleed today, very much like a period, so was sent to maternity assessment. The bleeding has now calmed down but hasn't stopped. They have decided to keep me in to assess me again in the morning and also do an ultrasound. They couldn't fit me in for an ultrasound today!! They listened to baby's heartbeat n said it sounded fine but I won't be satisfied until I see it for myself. So looks like it'll be a sleepless night for me. I'm in a room with women going into labour all over the place lol x

 

[MrsKChicago]

How scary! I hope everything is ok and you get some answers soon. I've heard lots of stories of women with random bleeding and everything turned out fine.

 

[Babybump2017]

Bless you tess can't imagine how worried you are but I'm sure it's just one of those unexplained bleeds! They've heard heartbeat which is great. Aw. Thinking of you lovely x

 

[Dani_b]

Hope everything is ok

 

[Savasanna]

Oh Tess - How scary! Thank goodness you were able to hear your baby's hb to get you through the night. I hope they have an ultrasound for you first thing tomorrow morning.

Thinking of you!