Thinking of going to strictly formula...need advice.

[Bubbles1088]

I've been pumping for LO since pretty much day one. She was in the NICU for seizures, so I pretty much had to pump, plus they would supplement her with formula. I've never produced a ton of milk and I supplement when I need to, but I am getting so tired of pumping all the time. She won't take to my breast; she'll latch, but she doesn't get the milk fast enough, so I just gave up on that. I'm really considering going to strictly formula, but not sure when or what to expect from my body when I do. Do I just leave my poor breasts to engorge? Do I just go longer and longer stretches without pumping? I'm not even sure this is what I'm going to do yet, just strongly considering it. Anyone willing to share their experiences would be extremely helpful.

 

[mkyerby16]

I feel like I just wrote this a few weeks ago!! My LO decided he just didn't like the breast anymore... not sure what happened, but if I had to guess he realized the bottles of ebm he got while I was at work were a lot easier and faster than the boob. I stressed and stressed about what to do and kept trying to breastfeed which was just making us both upset and not good at all. Pumping stressed me out and I never seemed to be able to pump as much as he needed so I knew we'd go through our stash quickly. Finally I decided breastfeeding was over and formula would just be so much easier & better for both of us (LO was a bit underweight too). I decided to take it nice & slow though for both him (he had never had formula) and me (so my boobs wouldn't hurt too bad esp since I'd been prone to plugged ducts). He normally eats 5x per day so I started giving him a bottle of formula midday instead of bm, but I still pumped for a couple of days to make sure he was ok with the formula. We did that for 2 days, then gave him 2 bottles of formula 3 of bm for 2 days & I pumped 3x a day instead of 5.Then we gradually added on formula bottles every 2 days. I started pumping for less time (10 minutes instead of 15, then only 5 minutes). I dropped the middle of the day pump and only did it for a few mins in the am & before bed. Then just 1x a day, then stopped completely. I did have a day or so of pain where I couldn't hold LO right against my chest, but doing things gradually really helped and it wasn't that bad. I last pumped Tues night and I'm still a tiny bit sore if something bumps my breasts, but not bad at all. I also used cold cabbage leaves in my bra (crush them or roll a rolling pin on them to break up the enzymes that help your milk dry up). I stressed so much over the decision but honestly life is so much better now for us.

 

[Bubbles1088]

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I'm thinking of taking it slowly like that so I don't get too engorged and in pain. My mom told me about when she quit BFing my younger brother when he was 10 months. She went cold turkey and was in SO much pain. Luckily mine is only a month and I'm only producing 3-4oz each time I pump so maybe it won't be as difficult. I don't know when I'm going to start this, honestly I've already cut back from every 3 hours to every 4. May try to skip an afternoon pump today if I can manage it.

 

[bdb84]

For the first three months, I combi-fed all the way around. I nursed, pumped and supplemented. It started out just one or two bottles of formula a week, and by the time she was 3 months old, we had gradually gone down to nursing just in the morning and formula feeding in the afternoons (she has slept all night since she was about a month old). At about 3.5 months I decided I wanted to fully wean her, and since she only nursed 2-3 times a day as it was, it was a very easy process. I only felt let down for 2-3 days and they weren't uncomfortable at all.

 

[Iren_iren]

Can i ask you if you started supplementing from like week one? And how much formula did you give as you dont teally see how much baby gets from the breast and also i guess space of time between ff and bf is different..
I strongly consider doing it this time, so would be super helpful

For the first three months, I combi-fed all the way around. I nursed, pumped and supplemented. It started out just one or two bottles of formula a week, and by the time she was 3 months old, we had gradually gone down to nursing just in the morning and formula feeding in the afternoons (she has slept all night since she was about a month old). At about 3.5 months I decided I wanted to fully wean her, and since she only nursed 2-3 times a day as it was, it was a very easy process. I only felt let down for 2-3 days and they weren't uncomfortable at all.

 

[bdb84]

I believe she was about 5 days old when I gave her the very first bottle. I started out at 2oz and went from there. It seemed like a good starting point. She's 5 months old now and will only take 5oz each feeding, so it was a pretty gradual increase.

Can i ask you if you started supplementing from like week one? And how much formula did you give as you dont teally see how much baby gets from the breast and also i guess space of time between ff and bf is different..
I strongly consider doing it this time, so would be super helpful

For the first three months, I combi-fed all the way around. I nursed, pumped and supplemented. It started out just one or two bottles of formula a week, and by the time she was 3 months old, we had gradually gone down to nursing just in the morning and formula feeding in the afternoons (she has slept all night since she was about a month old). At about 3.5 months I decided I wanted to fully wean her, and since she only nursed 2-3 times a day as it was, it was a very easy process. I only felt let down for 2-3 days and they weren't uncomfortable at all.