Why do you use formula

Fox

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 4:56 pm

I tried to nurse, but my milk didn't come in for a few days. Now, I know that newborns aren't supposed to need a huge supply during the first few days of life, but apparently my babies didn't read the book. They were starving within a day! I'll always remember trying to nurse my youngest son: he would work and work, and finally collapse, exhausted and crying in hunger. I finally sent DH out for some forumula, and he gulped it down and fell into a contented sleep.

Did I do everything I could have to establish nursing? Probably not. I did pump for a month or two, but eventually it was just too time-consuming and difficult, especially on Shabbos.

BTW, my mother is a big proponent of nursing, and I agree that nursing is better. But it's not a religion with me. I made what I felt were reasonable attempts, including working with the hospital's lactation consultant, but for whatever reason, it just didn't work out for me.

Classicookie

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 7:34 pm

I had hoped to nurse my dd but it didn't happen I had laching problems and the hospital that I was in only had laction help from 9 -4 so it was hard to get help when I needed it but my dd would not take the bottle eatir so I was using a dropper I thought I had it down when I left the hospital but I just was not working right she never eat enough and she was losing weight my dr is pro breastfeeding and so he told me to try some formula after every other feeding as a test to see if she was getting enough and she wasn't at at point I was just pumping bec nursing was getting to stressful and the# of the laction my dr gave me was no help she was so negative with me on the phone it made me give up and just pump and with pumping every 3 hours I was only getting 10oz a day but she was always so gassy at 3 months when I put her all on the formula she stared having tons of diria as it turned out she had a sentivity to the milk and she had to go on alemetum and then she she so much better I only relised a big diff after she was off both my milk and the milk based formula so I guess I go under no supply and to stressful but I am preg now and am hopeing I will be able to nurse this time around

ShakleeMom

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 7:35 pm

I could just cry. I’m still struggling not to give up and my baby is three weeks old now. I love how she goes into this heavy sleep after nursing, but sadly it doesn’t satisfy her for much longer. I have a very small milk supply, DESPITE everything I tried.

mommalah

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 7:59 pm

How does one determine that they have a milk supply?
I never quite understood this (and quite honestly don't believe it)
I think (and I'm not saying this is ur situation shaklee mom) that a lot of ted a baby will a team after a feeding and the mother will just assume it's bc she doesn't have enough milk when in reality the kid just needs to burp first to make room for more milk.

ShakleeMom

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 8:03 pm

mommalah wrote:

How does one determine that they have a milk supply?
I never quite understood this (and quite honestly don't believe it)

My baby tried the first 4 days to suck and burped too. but as she gained weight, she needed more and more milk so the milk she ingested was keeping her satisfied for less time each day. first it was 4 hours, then 3 hours, 2 hours… until 20 minutes. Now, I nurse her first for about 5 minutes total (she loses interest after 5minutes, I guess nothing comes) and she burps a real small burp. Then, she gulps down 3 ounces formula. So I guess, I’m just nursing for the fun of it.

Last edited by ShakleeMom on Thu, Nov 27 2008, 8:08 pm; edited 2 times in total

Classicookie

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 8:08 pm

mommalah wrote:

you can determine by a test what I was told to do is to nurse my baby and then 2-3 hours later nurse again then make a 2 oz bottle if the baby is getting milk form you them you got milk but if they gulp down the bottle after a feeding something is wrong

Last edited by Classicookie on Thu, Nov 27 2008, 8:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

Mrs. XYZ

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 8:14 pm

If a baby screams after 30+ minutes of nursing and then gulps down 3 oz of formula then I obviously dont have enough.

Shakleemom, just dont give it up. Whatever little amount shes getting, is worth it. I had that a few times too. I would always first nurse a little and when I saw the baby getting frustrated that nothing was coming anymore he got a bottle. I kept at it for weeks like that until there was really nothing left.

Mama Bear

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 8:55 pm

Shimi was a preemie and never learned to latch. My supply was also very low and the pumping very time consuming.I cried for a long time when I gave up pumping. I never enjoyed bottlefeeding.It was so time consuming and emotionally detached.

Mendy is BH a fantastic nurser. He has a very occasional bottle of formula when I'm out on the street and he is fussy, or if I have to go to a simcha in the evening and he wakes up (he stays home with a babysitter of course). The week that I was in the hospital with my pelvic abscess he was totally on formula and blew up weight wise! after that, while I recovered I had to supplement because my supply was very low. now, BH, my supply is good and he nurses well, so the only time I need to use formula is when I'm out on the street with him or I am not home and he's with a babysitter. I use the ready-to-feed cholov yisroel similac bottles.

myfriends715

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 11:30 pm

lets see with the twins it was

A. nipple confusion due to extended stay in the hospital (dd)
b. slow suck/ never got the hang of it (ds)
c. no time.. it was me and them and all I did all day even w. formula was feed.. imagine what breast would have been liek

YALT

Thu, Nov 27 2008, 11:50 pm

mommalah wrote:

I went to a lcatation consultant who weighs the baby, then you nurse and then she weighs the baby again. DD took in 4+ ounces in 5 minutes. She never saw a baby eat so much so quickly. And yet, she wasn't gaining weight from day to day. She was losing.
II tried eating fattier foods, vitamins, all types of things to fatten my milk.
Nothing helped.
Finally, DS feeding/speech therapist suggested I stop feeding her. I minimized it to 2-3x a day, and she started putting on a bit of weight. Eventually, I saw she was just playing, and not nursing. So I stopped completely. She started gaining quite nicely since then.
When she was born, she was 85th percentile.
When she was nursing, (about 4 weeks(?) she was 3rd percentile.
When she was 6 months, she was 12th percentile.

DS(#1) - I didn't have enough milk. I was pumping, and once a day I'd get "a big supply" of ½ oz from both sides combined.
That's not much more than my nephew who is 2½ lbs drinks.

greentiger

Fri, Nov 28 2008, 2:19 am

mommalah wrote:

I know it is hard to believe, but there are some women who just can't produce milk. Zehu. Its a bracha you have to appreciate, and many women don't realize that no everyones bodies can do it.

I have two different friends who were detirmined to nurse and after consulting some of the top LCs and trying every supplement and pump availible, they still could not get more than a few drops out of their body. One of these women even ended up finding a neighbor to nurse her baby once a day becuase she so wanted her kid to get breastmilk.

Thats why it bothers me when I see some people so judgemental about not having enough supply. Sure for some it has to do with not trying hard enough, but before you ask, how do you know how hard they tried.

Raisin

Fri, Nov 28 2008, 5:36 am

Mama Bear wrote:

Thank you for writing this! I'm glad people can see that they can nurse and have a social life! (by either leaving formula or pumped milk with the babysitter. If you think you will need it my advice is to pump every day from the beginning a little milk and stash it in the freezer.)

YALT

Fri, Nov 28 2008, 6:32 am

Raisin wrote:

Or how about: if I give formula I can go out with my husband without having to worry about the baby. (I'm not joking, someone put that as one of the pros of formula feeding in another thread)

I wrote that. It was in a thread, where a mother wanted to be comforted that it's OK to bottlefeed. It is a bonus. I don't think anyone (in their right mind) would change to formula for that reason. But it a bonus.
Someone said that to me when I couldn't nurse DS.