Breastfeeding / Formula Advice

for sore nipples use Soothies!!! or another silicone breast soother, not the ones for nursing but the ones for in between it will help your nipples heal and not get more torn up... my nipples completely scabbed over with my first child, and the soothies solved that problem. just to give you an idea I was so scabbed over that I had to bite a rag so that my son could latch on, it was so painful... I tried all the creams but the Soothies worked miracles!

as for formula, use what ever your baby can tolerate, but I think breast feeding is the best with supplemental bottles as needed, your production levels will adjust to your babies needs.

There is no official rule of thumb on this - most of the time it just depends on what works for your baby. Our child is 3 weeks old now, so all of this is still very fresh in my mind. From all the people we have talked to and all the books we have read, breastfeeding and breastmilk is just something that you believe in (or not). Formula is made to be a substitute for breast milk; you can start your baby on it from day one if you want to and the baby will be fine. Currently, my wife pumps what she can and we add to this amount with formula (a cocktail is what we call it). Our baby just wasn't into feeding directly on the breast after 2 weeks of trying with 50/50 results. I can say that the nipple shields do work, but make sure you get the right size. Also, nursing through the shield does not provide the total stimulation as naturally feeding does so it is a good idea to pump afterwords. We've been using Emfamil Lipil (gold label). We tried a complimentary bottle of Similac but it sure made our baby gassy. Your breast will dry up if you stop nursing or pumping... milk production is all about supply and demand: no demand, no supply, and vice versa.

I was in a similar situation (baby boy born in feb this year) and at ~3 weeks old I started substituting one bottle during the day (before bedtime) with formula, then more as I ran out of breast milk that I had pumped. By 5 weeks he was completely on formula. As far as which one to use, use what works for your sweet girl. If she likes the carnation, use that. If you see signs after 4 days completely on it, like gas or throw up, try switching. It takes them a couple of days to know if it is going to be good or bad for them.
Just a note, my first boy got a tummy ache from mixing breast milk and formula, my doctor recommended just going completely one way or another so I just used up what milk I had and then switched completely, that worked for him, every child is different.
As far as your supply, wean, try pumping for less and less time and then cut out pumping times. The key is to wear very tight bras, sports bras worked for me. It will not be comfortable but it will work. Hope this helps! C.

Some breast milk is better than no breast milk.

Congrats on your baby girl. July 19 is my birthday!

Congrats on your baby!! Yeah! I don't have much advice but just wanted to let you know that it's normal for your breasts to be extremely sore for the first week or two while breastfeeding. There are ointments (as others mentioned) that do help, and they toughen up after a couple of weeks. I would gradually switch her over, and your supply will lessen as she nurses less often. You will probably be somewhat uncomfortable for awhile while you are transitioning her. Congrats again : )

Good for you that you are trying to breastfeed while you can, every little bit helps. So, here's what I can tell you. Breastfeeding does not have to be all or nothing. If you wanted, you could probably still nurse your baby girl in the morning, and then in the evenings after you are home. Depending on how often she's eating, you may be able to nurse her 3 or more times for a long time while supplementing with formula while you are at work. I just wanted to mention that b/c it seems most people think it's an all or nothing thing. Ok, I"m not sure about the transition to formula. I think you mix it until it's all formula, but if she takes the formula fine, you may not even need to do that, you could just give breastmilk until you run out and then give the formula, but you should probably check with your dr. on that. As for weaning, I always dropped 1 feeding per week until I had the feedings I wanted. For example, you know you are going to need to drop her 10AM feeding b/c you'll be at work, so maybe drop that one first. Keep the 1st AM feeding b/c you can try to nurse her before you leave for work or you can pump that one if you want since you'll probably have good milk supply at that first one of the day. The next week, drop the next feeding that you need to b/c of your work. You'll have to figure out how many weeks out you need to start based on when you are going back to work and how many feedings you are trying to drop.

If your nipples are sore and cracked, she probably isn't latching on properly at EVERY feeding! It's tough at first to get that down, but if you aren't sure if she's latched on right, take her off and try again, it will save your nipples! You can also try applying Lanolin on your nipples after your feed. Just a little, and you don't have to wipe it off before your next feeding either. Good luck!

As an emt and being premed I was trained in the benefits and setbacks of breast feeding. Although I don't know first hand I can tell you chemically that breast milk should be the main part of the baby's diet for at least the first 3 months showing an expotential increase in growth and IQ benefits at 6 months.And if the hospital recommends a formula there's a good chance
that the research is behind its nutrititional value My aunt just had a baby so I'm getting alot more experience on breast feeding and pumping and she's a nurse as well with no time to breath barely when she's at work-she currently pumps during her lunch shift and before and after work enough to make 1/4 formula, 1/2 breast milk and 1/4 cereal mixtures for her little one and I've asked a few docs I work under and they believe it's a very solid mixture. Her little one is 2 months but for the second month she did a half breast milk and half formula mixture when she was feeling a tad "sore". She plans to keep with the formula ratio but increas. The cereal to 1/2 and decrease breast milk to 1/4 as the baby gets older. Again, I've done the research and by keeping the essential nutrients of breast milk in the baby's diet for that long has a ton of added benefits. Whatever you choose remember that along with the bad you're burning an extra almost 900 calories a day-not a bad way to lose that baby weight :) and when you're ready to stop a big ace bandage and some
ice packs will help the swelling and pressure go down, but if it becomes too painful talk to your obgyn and they should be able to prescribe you something a little stronger than home rememdies. I know I'm not the expert but hopefully something helped-good luck :)

I have two children 13 & 9 and they both were breast fed babies. I found that soy milk is the best for breast fed babies because its not as heavy on the digestive system and does not cause a lot of constipation and allergies. Since my children are healthy, smart, and great well rounded atheletes.

Sore nipples are common and it takes awhile for them to go away, even with pumping. I would use the formula sent home by the hospital, but if your baby has any problems with it then switch to a different formula. I started my daughter on formula around 4 months and she never had problems with any formula. I was able to use pretty much any kind. I just added one bottle at a time (maybe one a week). To stop breastfeeding, just don't pump when you give her that bottle. It might be a little sore at times, but you will eventually dry up as you slowly stop pumping.

For the sore nipples, I know Medela makes a nipple cream that is safe for babies. You put it on after you breastfeed and don't have to worry about washing it off before you feed again. Good luck. Don't let anyone make you feel bad about not breastfeeding. It is your decision and your child will turn out fine either way. Many mothers give their children formula and have very healthy intelligent children.

In regards to your nipples being sore. Mine were aweful and cracked. My doc prescribed me Mr. Newman's cream and work AWESOME!!!! It really helped me in those first weeks. Not sure where you delivered but Harris downtown fort worth has an awesome breastfeeding center and they can help you over the phone for help at no cost and you can go in for help and they accepted my insurance. I think I paid less than $30 for a 2 hr session, which was in Jan this year. I started my son on Good start at 7 months and it is very good on his tummy and he remains full. He only takes it once a day on the weekdays since my supply has gotten lower. You can also visit kellymom.com with great info. I use a hands free bra which helps too and since you are relaxed it can take less time to get empty. Good luck and congrats on the new baby

Hi R., I had just about the same situation as you're facing now (and wowee was breastfeeding painful for me too!!). I gradually introduced formula by mixing it with breast milk. First 1/4 formula and 3/4 breast milk, then increased the formula by 1/4 every couple of days. My daughter is doing great on Similac Advanced Early Shield. It's a little more expensive, but I think it's worth it. My daughter's stool didn't change one iota when I switched her, which tells me this formula really *is* closest to breast milk. Just a wild guess, but you could probably start a week before you go back to work. If you keep pumping for the next 4 weeks, I highly recommend the Pumpin' Pals hands-free strap and their Super Shields Plus (http://www.pumpinpal.com/). Once I got that set up, pumping was soo much more comfortable. I felt like I could have done it forever. I even thought these things could have made it possible for me to pump at work, but my supply was all but gone when I discovered these items. Maybe you'll have better luck. :)

You can use the pump to help you dry out, I did so in a matter of days. Just pump to relieve pressure and to avoid engorgement, and do it only when you feel uncomfortably full. Gradually the time intervals and amount pumped will lengthen and lessen respectively. You can also pop some Sudafed or other antihistimines (look at http://kellymom.com/ for a list of safe medicines), these will help to dry you out. Cabbage leaves helped me out a lot when I was engorged.

Best of luck to you! I know how hard weaning this early must be, and please don't feel guilty for the decision you make. Happy mom = happy baby!

Find Soothies at Walgreens for your breasts....one box is all you will need and they may cost like ten dollars but WELL WORTH IT to get through the first two weeks of nursing. I am not sure when I would recommend introducing formula. I would see if there was anyway they would accommodate you pumping two to three times a day....I have seen even public school teachers pull it off with a little pre-planning with the administration.....just a thought in case that is your desire.

I hated pumping, and it really hurt my nipples (although nursing did not), so I just quit doing it. I b/f my son until he was 1, but I supplemented with formula (Enfamil Lipil) when I wasn't able to nurse him. For the sore nipples, I used Lansinohl lanolin cream, which worked wonders!! After the first few weeks of nursing, they toughened up and weren't sore anymore. I know b/f isn't for everyone, but it is much better for the baby, and I absolutely loved the bonding experience (not to mention it was sooo much cheaper!)! There's nothing wrong with supplementing with formula if you don't want to or can't pump.

I'm not sure about the whole formula thing, but as for the sore nipples... Medela makes nipples shields. They kinda look like a thimble that you can use to nurse with. They work sooooo well and you can actually nurse without tears running down your cheek from the pain. lol Good luck

FYI... to help your nipples, use a nipple shield. Cheap to buy (get one at Target) and they make breastfeeding so much better- no scabbing or anything like that. I couldn't get it going with my daughter while still at the hospital and the lactation lady introduced it to me. Looking back, I never would have breastfeed for the months if I didn't have it!

www.drjacknewman.com/ He is the ultimate in breastfeeding advice. He has a book you could find anywhere and addresses so many FAQs. I went back to work at a school where we worked to find two times a day I could pump. It was challenging, but worth it. I only needed about 30 minutes or less to set up, pump for 20, and pack up. Talk to your place of work and try to set up breaks and a quiet, private area where you can pump. Also, you might not be getting a very good latch if you are sore and scabbing. Contact a lactation consultant, a doula, or La Leche League. Dr. Newman has videos of good latches on his site.
Good luck to you! Way to go, nursing mom!

Mother of 11 month old girl, who is a happy, healthy, never sick breastfed baby!