I just had my baby, she is a week old. I went into labor with her around midnight and had her at 2:13 pm. I have been bfing her all week and I start school next week. I talked to her pediatrician about giving her formula instead whenever I need to but it makes me really nervous. She drank an ounce of formula the other night on top of some milk that I had pumped b/c I had to leave her with my mother in law to get some stuff done. She spit up all night that night and I could not seem to get her to calm down. It was a pretty stimulating day for her so I am wonding if it has to do with being over stimulated or b/c of the bottle. I bought some really good bottles, the Dr. Brown's bottles that are supposed to prevent gas and such so I'm thinking it has to do with being overstimulated. Does anyone have any experience with this? I would pump more but I get frustrated with it and she eats over 2 or 3 ounces when I pump. She also has a hard time falling asleep when she is bottle fed b/c she gets to eat faster and is used to being able to suck on me longer. I feel very frustrated but I cannot possibly leave my breast behind while I'm in school for her to feed on. Help.
Is it possible to do your schooling from home? Talk to your professors and get this semester off, because Momma, you NEED a baby moon. You really shouldn't be working so hard so soon after your baby is born. One semester off isn't going to kill you, and you'll be able to nurse baby without formula. Trust me, momma-ness is hard enough in the beginning without the added stress of school!
NO, it had to do with it being FORMULA. Formula is notoriously hard to digest (look at all the posts from formula feeding moms about how difficult it is) Formula, except in the most extreme circumstances, simply isn't appropriate for babies. You baby is SO young. Take some time off, breastfeed her, and get a decent pump (a Medela Lactina or Symphony rented hospital quality pump, NOT a second hand or battery operated pump) and don't start pumping at ALL until your baby is at least 2 or 3 months old. A mother of a week old baby shouldn't be expected to pump more at a pumping than you are. It is TOO EARLY to be pumping anyway, your milk supply needs to adjust to the baby, not switching back and forth between pumping and the baby. SHE IS ONLY A WEEK. OLD SLOW DOWN!!!! Formula and human milk, as I am sure you know, have LITTLE in common, qualitively, and except in the most extreme circumstances (and going to college isn't one of them, I am talking serious hormonal problems in the mama, or death of the mama) should not be used, because it simply isn't appropriate, digestible, and can do much less to help your baby grow and thrive than human milk does. Formula is NOT a "substitute" for human milk. Babies take up a LOT of our time. I gave up MEDICAL school to nurse my baby. I got pregnant, decided to have her, and had to adjust my plans. There was no going back, but I realized that what I could do for my own baby should have NO substitute. There is always next sememster, or next year or three years from now, for you. For your baby, she is only going to be a baby for a short period of time. You can't get back what she will miss from your being there, and can never get from formula what she needs from your milk. Good luck. This is YOUR baby. Babies cause us to have to make some hard choices. I KNOW.
AMEN! As a formula-feeding momma, I can tell you it is the most difficult thing in the world to do. Especially knowing how far inferior it is to breast milk. Cow's milk is specifically created for the best growth and development of baby cows. Human milk is far superior for humans. If you look at the structural difference, there are many. There is too much saturated fat, not enough digestible iron, not enough vitamins, too much protein, and a plethora of other incompatabilities between formula and breast milk. My daughter cried because I couldn't produce enough milk for her. But she didn't cry nearly as badly as she did when she had to digest formula. Not to mention, a baby has several growth spurts (3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months usually) and during these, she will marathon nurse. You cannot pump nearly enough to adjust your milk supply to match her needs! Only she can help you do that! Anyone pressuring you to continue school so soon after the birth of your baby needs a quick attitude adjustment. In other societies, mommas are given rest time after a birth, no less than two weeks and in some societies for over a year. In the working world of our society, women are usually given 6 weeks after the baby is born! And even that shouldn't be considered enough. Hon, even if it will be hard to survive, it will be tons easier than having to buy bottles, formula, medicine (because bottlefed babies get sick so much easier), TAKING TIME OUT OF SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE SICKNESS, and plus, dealing with the other baby-related care expenses. See if you can do work-from-home deals, babysit, ANYTHING to make enough cash to survive while your baby is a baby. *hugs* If you need support, PM me.
i went back to work 5 weeks after my son was born. so i started pumping at 4 weeks. i worked 8 hours days and i only got to pump once, but i still managed to make enough milk through out the day for his 3-4 bottles while i was gone and have a freezer full of extra milk. i'd pump when i was done feeding him and before i went to bed. i'd feed him when he woke up and pump about an hour after b4 i went to work. Then i'd pump as soon as i got done work if he just had a bottle. its hard to find the time at first to pump because the baby always needs somethin and when u have free time thats not exactly what u feel like doin. pumping is just somethin u'll have to squeeze into ur daily routine. when my son started sleepin through the night at 4 weeks i'd have to wake up in the middle of the night to pump so i could keep my supply up. starting to introduce a bottle this early though, will most likely cause u problems switchin between bottle and breast. i was lucky my son wasnt picky at all. BEST WISHES!!!!! what ever u do, try ur best not to get discourage about breast feeding. i remember my first day back to work, i needed to go pump , i had to use our public restroom at the restaurant, and there was NO ELECTRICAL OUTLET!! i was pissed, but i got through it that day , i found myself an extension cord and ran it through our dining room to the bathroom. So dont worry u'll make it through this
i would try to carry on breast feeding. my friend who had a baby at the end of november started breast feeding (as she did with her daughter), but when he was a week old he started vomiting blood & had to go back in to hospital. the childrens nurses (nurses that look after children, not even midwifes or people who know about breast feeding) told her that she had to pump lots of milk & put the baby to the breast every 2 hours for 15 min's whether he wanted it or not. well her boobs filled up absolutley huge because of all the pumping & feeding every two hours (he was in for 3 days & she was exhausted), her boobs hurt. she managed to get them down a bit by breast feeding only when the baby wanted when she got home but she'd just had enough & switched to fomular. 3 weeks down the line & she is now regetting her desision. her baby wont keep his food down just throws it staight back up, he wont settle after a feed, he's not sleeping as well through the night anymore, he's lost some wieight & a whole load more problems. she said to me she wished she hadnt stopped breast feeding & just carried on no matter how much it hurt, i have told her it may not be too late to try & get her milk back in to restablish breast feeding but she thinks i'm been crazy. here in the UK you get 6 months off from work/school/college after a baby, if you work you get the 6 months standard marternity pay & you can also have another 6 months off after that unpayed. even the dads can have 6 weeks off with standard perternity pay after their baby is born. i would see some one & ask for more time off for your baby. its too soon for you to go back to college, i would have thought it been unhealthy for you to go back to school soo soon. have you spoke to your health visitor (if you have those) regarding this? what do your family think? your baby needs you now, school work will wait, the classes dont change that much from year to year. been a momma is the most inportant thing now & you need time to adjust, your body needs to to adjust & recover & you need to get to know your baby. good luck with whatever you decided to do.
Congratulations I agree with the others about taking some time off, it'll help you both get settled. Good luck.
I have decided to keep bfing her until she is at least 4 months - 6 months old. I feel a lot better about it. Formula feeding really does scare me. I only go to school 3 hours a day, 3 days a week and she will be with her daddy during that time. It gives them some time to bond together by themselves and I would only have to pump enough for 3 bottles a week so I am not worried about going back to school at all. I am not going to give her formula at all. I really thought that it might be best at first but my mommy insticts and all of the facts about bfing are telling me otherwise. Thanks for the support.
That's wonderful Spiral! I also am scared of giving formula to a baby and feel so fortunate to have an easy time breastfeeding, so I would feel awful if I switched her to formula. My baby has never had formula, but her daddy does give her one bottle of my breastmilk almost every day. This helps when I need to be away from her for more than a couple of hours. Good luck, I hope you make your nursing goal!
best of wishes, don't ever get discouraged. also if you plan on stopping around 4-6 monthes you should try to still do at least the night time feedings. i quit breastfeeding my son during the day at 6 monthes, i only fed him b4 bed, if he woke up and when he woke up in the morning, then i stopped all together at 8 monthes. breast feeding is easier at night than bottle feeding, ALOT easier!!
