So moms: I've been BFing my little guy for 10 months now. Our freezer supply is super low (like enough for maybe 4 feedings) and that's it. I try to pump 3X at work and my husband feeds him 2X (3-4 ounces each time) I'm only getting about 2 ounces each pumping. I'm lucky if I come home with enough to break even. I don't want to withhold milk from my guy when I'm away just so that I can continue to BF. He nurses maybe every 4-5 hours at home - any more frequently and he's not interested. But he still needs 16-20 ounces of milk (breast milk or formula) until he's 1 yr right? So if we run out (which seems inevitable) I am completely clueless on what to do. Can we give him formula now after he's had nothing but breast milk for 10 months? Can he still nurse (ie, can we mix nursing and formula?) I'm so upset :( Yes, yes, I know this probably has something to do with my supply dropping when I pump. I just have not been a "successful pumper" for the last few months.
To add: I do drink tons of water, I've tried the teas, etc. It seems like I'm just producing less the last 3-4 months and I'm thinking "this late in the game" I should just accept that I can't pump enough to keep up. I'm SO TIRED of pumping! But i do want my baby to still have the benefits of nursing when I'm home...
Wow, thanks so much mommas! You never fail. I feel so much better. I've totally been beating myself up for not making it to a year. But hey, it's more important that little guy is fed than if mom can pump enough milk. I'll ask our ped about what she recommends. And I know... formula is not poison! ;-) I just hope he'll take it!
Here's an article that made me feel better when I was pregnant and upset that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed due to medication I needed to take after my baby was born: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/04/the-c...
It is titled, "The Case Against Breastfeeding", but was written by a mom that breastfeeds.
My little guy is 10 months and we keep formula for back up emergencies. He absolutely hates formula. I went on a birthday trip without him for a whole day....all day long he drank 2 ouces of formula! You might want to try mixing in just a tad bit of formula and gradually add more and more until he gets used to THAT taste. Good luck
don't feel bad- 10 months is no small feat! Plus, you can still BF when you are at home! try to nurse at least some till baby is a year... I mean you have made it this far!!!
I breastfed my first till she was almost 2. At one year old she was supplemented with some whole milk, and other beverages and dairy. BF is not all or nothing. by 18 months she was only having 1 feeding at bedtime, and I had enough milk for that without pumping. Do what works for you though- no guilt!
-M.
Of course you can mix formula and breast milk.
And yes, he can have formula after 10 months of breast milk.
It's formula, not arsenic, for goodness sake!
Good luck, Mama!
Denise is right. With all the messages we moms get about breastmilk being best, we sometimes forget that there is nothing bad about formula and nothing wrong with giving it to your baby. I have a six month old son who is nursing and also taking formula, about 50/50 at this point. He was eating every 2 hours all day long and I just couldn't take it anymore, so I started giving him bottles of formula to give myself a break. I didn't mix breastmilk with the formula, mostly because I didn't have any breastmilk to mix, and he was and is just fine. He takes the formula just a readily as he nurses, and he has never had a problem at all.
You can nurse when you are with your baby and give formula when you are away if that is what you want to do. He will still be getting the benefits of nursing and you can give up the pumping.
Cut yourself some slack, mama. You are doing great. No need to be upset, you haven't failed, you just need to try a new route to find what works for you. Happy, well-fed baby = success.
Denise is right. I had the same problem. After I went back to work, I could not keep up pumping and after going to a bottle at the sitter's, my girl would not go back on the breast. So I supplemented her with formula. I mixed half formula, half breastmilk. Sometimes, if my supply was low, she would get more formula than breastmilk. Also, you can try a few things to get your supply up. Google it, there's lots of suggestions from beer to oatmeal to herbal supplements. Good luck! and don't worry.
make sure to start introducing the formula before you run out of Bmilk. Start with some bottles mixed with about 1/4 formula and the rest Bmilk, then keep increasing the formula percentage for a few days until it is all formula. Just make sure to do it over a few full days though or even up to a week so that his stomach gets used to the switch.
Congrats for making it to ten months on breast milk! I made it six when the "pump ran dry." I got so discouraged at having only 2 ounces after 30 minutes but knew that my daughter could have the "breast" of both worlds.
Fortunately she took to formula right away, probably because like you, her Daddy was doing bottle feedings with my milk all along.
The most difficult thing was choosing a formula that we thought was best.
Good luck.
Pumping is really hard and it's not a natural thing. Don't be down on yourself. Having to use a machine to get the milk out as opposed to the real baby, can make you nerve wracked enough. Not to mention having to pump at work.. where you are closed off pumping milk and thinking about all the things you could be doing. It's tough. First and foremost don't blame yourself for switching to formula. Do what you have to do to get that lil guy fed!
Mixing formula and breast milk is no issue. Make sure to talk to your pediatrician about it. They will make you feel more at ease. And don't no matter what feel guilty that you can't nurse him more. You could feed him formula during the day and nurse him at morning and night. Whatever works best for you!
You have done a great job to breastfeed and pump for 10 months. Keeping up both has been wonderful, but the stress of continuing is not worth it. I would drop the pumping at work, one session at a time and continue to breastfeed at home as long as his is interested. He is probably getting a lot more than you think during his nursing sessions.
Now at 10-12 months, food becomes more of his diet so up that when you are at work. I would add some formula for the next couple of months, mixing it with the breastmilk you do have left in the freezer.
He will be just fine and you have done a great job of nursing.
Good job making it to 10 months! Personally, I'd probably add in more solids instead of formula this late in the game- a serving of yogurt and one of cheese, with water as a beverage during the day will probably do the trick. And you can certainly keep nursing as long as it's working for both of you.
Please do NOT beat your self up over this! This is really common. I started supplementing with formula with both my babies around 9-10 months. We still always nursed when I was home until they self-weaned (one at 12 months, one at 16 months). The trick, as Nicole mentioned, is to start before you run out of breastmilk in the freezer, so that you can mix them to get him used to the taste. Start by just topping off the bottles with formula (I used to do 3 oz breastmilk, 1 oz formula), then, as your supply slows down and your freezer runs out, gradually increase the proportion that is formula in each bottle.
Also, for what it's worth, with both of mine, like you I was SO TIRED OF PUMPING at work, that around 10 months, I actually cut out one pumping session a day (for me, that was from 2X to 1X). It did make my supply drop more, leading to more formula at daycare. But, both babies were happy to keep nursing when I was home and it helped me to keep my sanity.
Don't stress, you are doing a fabulous job!
Oh my God you're a rock star! Do what works for you guys. Formula is NOT toxic, it's ok to give it to him. Buy organic if you're concerned, and Earth's Best has the lowest sugar content I believe. Yes you can mix breast milk and formula, and all of your nutrients are still in there. Plus with formula he's getting Vitamin D and more iron. Not a bad thing.
You can rotate feedings. Technically (what I was told by my Dr and my sister who is a lactation consultant RN) you should not MIX the two together. Since breastmilk is best, you should give him what you have and then supplement with formula. If you aren't getting much at work and it is getting too much for you, then just plan on formula during the day, and keep breast-feeding at night or when you are home. Your body can compensate for that. And then pat yourself on the back for making it 10 months for your little guy. That is AWESOME!! I know if I had to pump I would not have made it that long, but since I was home it was just easier. Good job!!
If you've already made your decision, then I don't want to try to influence you to otherwise. I've been at it for 8 months, and I can sometimes feel a little dry. When that happens, I take one Fenugreek capsule maybe about an hour or so before I want to pump. It's easier when I am actually nursing. Also, I use my manual pump on the other breast while he feeds on one. That is a bit of a bother, but I don't mind, and it's not all the time. I think of it as a means to an end.
Regarding formula, my baby definitely prefers milk, but he will take the formula when he sees that milk is not an option. Mostly. Just this morning, I was already at work, and my husband called to ask what to give him because he wanted to have something to help him go to sleep. He devoured the formula. At about 5pm, he refuses formula because he knows that I'm coming home.
I think that if you really would like to continue, then you should talk with a lactation consultant. So many women stop because they are discouraged and don't realize that they don't have to give up on it. I want your decision to stop to be because you and baby are ready.
give him some formula...
Don't get stuck on an amount he MUST drink before the age of 1 y/o... I'd just concentrate on pumping when you can and not stress over it. Also, I'd breastfeed exclusively when you are home and supplement (formula or expressed breastmilk) as needed when it is necessary for you to be out of the home without your son.
He may balk at formula. We found giving it in a sippy cup helped for our kids who didn't like it. Also, you can check and see if your doctor would mind goat's milk. It's very similar to breast milk. Our kids were very difficult with this, so if you have any other questions, shoot me a message, and I'll give you some other ideas.
I was a cow. My son was also on the far end of the bell curve eating 20oz of milk per feeding from a few weeks old (until i lost my milk at 9.5 months... then it was oceas of formula, although FAR less than milk...only apx 64oz of formula per day).
BUT I could never pump. I could nurse, heck I could wetnurse, but I couldn't pump. The most I ever got was a little over 2oz. It's frustrating, and painful, and demoralizing.
So when 1 feeding knocked out 2 weeks of pumping (and after 10 million machines couldn't do more than an ounce... we kept formula as backup. RARELY had to use it (I was in school, so I'd schlep home between classes to nurse) but it was liberating.
Some babies have problems switching from nursing to formula and back again. Some don't. Mine didn't.
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yes you can rotate feedings between formula and breastmilk. Talk to your doctor about which one would be the most 'natural' for your son. Drs. usually have tons of samples. The dr. may be able to give you enough samples to get you to the milk transition point.
