Exclusively breastfeeding and pumping!

What is best for you and your baby is best. I hate that people have to defend how they want to feed there baby a baby that his feed is best
If you are pumping you could try putting a little bit of breast milk on the teat of the bottle so they get the test of milk then slowly add formula

I don’t have any advice but just wanted to support you- yes, a sane mama is best! 💕

❤️❤️❤️

Fed is best my little lad is formula fed due to me drying up too quickly and him getting so frustrated and screaming all hours day and night

What we did to wean him to formula is we started with bf until I dried up or in your case half way of his normal time then top up the rest with formula and then just decrease the amount of breast milk and increase formula
This doesn't help if you want to continue bfing as I just couldn't best of luck in all choices xx

I feel your pain, I've been mostly breast-feeding my soon to be 3 month old. Ive been nursing on demand and have only pumped at night. Ive been freezing what I get at night for sleep deprivation emergencies when I have my mother in law watch him and to give in the evening along with nursing. He sleeps anywhere around 4 to 5 hours.

I applaud your courage. I started nursing my baby and also gave him formula from day one. Lately he refuses to drink the formula and since I am working and taking care of him breast feeding the whole day wasn’t ideal. While nursing him I also give him formula. At first he would alternate per 2sips now he is used to it. I am at a point where I will give him either based on my work schedule and he is OK with both

I learned in my developmental psychology class that the first couple days of breastfeeding are the most important. That's when the baby can get all of your antibodies through the clostrom. After that, breast is still good, but formula is as well! I tried to breastfeed but didn't last very long because both I and my daughter hated it. If you want to formula feed instead, go for it!
You are so great for trying so hard to give the best for your child, but there is a long road ahead! Don't wear yourself out over these first things, because there will be challenges to come.

I supplemented my milk from about 6w & by 12w she was completely on formula. Honestly the stress relief giving her just 1 formula bottle a day was immense. I was so tired, stressed & emotional trying to BF & pump because i barely got anything when pumping i got so upset. If it helps you to supplement your milk then that is up to you.

Oh man! Those pumpkins say so much. #momlife

Just slowly reduce the amount of times you breastfeed every day and replace them with formula in bottle. Be consistent and give baby small amounts of formula to begin with and gradually increase the amount. You may need to try a few types of formulas before you find one baby loves. My daughter loves Good Start by Nestle.

I was in the same position going back to work when my baby was 2 months old. I switched her over to formula before I went back BUT I still breastfeed... but i reduce my breastfeeding to once in morning, once in the afternoon (after work) and before bed and... sometimes for comfort lol

My goal was to breastfeed. I try to pump and breastfeed but I have a bit of a low production. Anyways, It took a lot for me to come to terms with me not being able to breastfeed. At the end of the day FED is best!!!

Love the pic - did you do that? 😝
How old is lo? I think finding the right schedule makes a huge difference and doing tricks to increase your milk supply so you can both feed and pump faster and easier, but... Do what’s best for your family xxx

First of all, you are doing amazing and only you know what is best for you and your baby. Fed is best, and a happy mama is a good mama. With that said, breastfeeding does get easier- around 3 months for both my babies. They get on a better schedule, you feel less engorged, fewer night feedings, etc. I usually nurse my baby when he wakes up, then pump right after (right now haha) because you will produce the most milk early in the morning. I absolutely hate pumping, especially at work, so when my first was 11 months I stopped. I nursed her once in the morning and once at night, and gave her formula for the other feedings. Once we started doing this I felt suchh a sense of freedom, and the amount of antibodies in breastmilk actually gets more concentrated as you are weaning. Breastfeeding is not all or nothing, so do whatever feels right for you (and keeps you sane)! Once your milk supply is established, you should be able to supplement as much or as little as you want.

I exclusively pumped because my baby never would latch. At first I gave him bottles of formula at night. Then eventually I just had enough milk to stop the formula. I never pumped at night. I would pump as soon as I woke up and the milk poured out. Try doing bottles of formula at night. It saved me, and was actually recommended by my ped.

I’ve been using the elvie breast pump and it’s been an absolute lifesaver! I can pump while at work, while I’m driving, or cleaning. I definitely wouldn’t be able to exclusively BF/pump without it.

Hi lovely I made a YouTube video called Breastfeeding Tips have a look hopefully something might motivate you and help. Not judging either way to anyone who uses formula but so many mums need motivation and encouragement to continue and the thought of moving to formula when I’m not ready to makes me sad so I don’t want other mums to have to make that decision if it’s not what they truly want. 💕

Fed is best! We made it 8 months pumping/nursing but eventually my husband and I both saw it was hurting my mental more than anything so we switched to formula. We used the medela bottles with the formula too and it was an easy transition for her

For best pumping results, try it in the morning after a big glass of water and a hot shower! Hydration and relaxation works wonders for pumping and trying it later in the day when you’re tired might not bring a great result. Good luck 😁

Ugh pumping was the worst. I EP for my twins, I stuck it out because my one son had congenital diaphragmatic hernia and as a result had terrible reflux. I had no help aside from my husband. I ended up with ductal thrush 3x, mastitis 3x, and went septic once from mastitis. Honestly do what you can if it's impacting your mental and physical health then fed is best. I honestly can say I barely enjoyed the boys during the first year because everything was a blur of pumping and being sick. I overproduced like 100+ ozs a day at my peak. It was a nightmare. You have to do what's best for you as a mom.

I am exclusively pumping with my second and supplementing with formula. There is a fantastic and super supportive facebook group for exclusive pumping and they have great free resources. I would definitely join that for the support and tips!

Instead of pumping have you ever thought of getting a huuka? Idk if I even spelt that right 🤦 but while your feeding add that to the other boob. I was able to stop pumping with the huuka, also if your boobs start to hurt pop those on and your pain will drain away.

If you are able to get your baby to take a bottle even if it is occasional formula do it. My LO hates any bottle and it makes me feel a little stuck sometimes

I am BF and pumping at times. When I went back to work but could not take it anymore I would pump on my break. You are allowed to pump on your break. I have two Haakaa and I love them because they are hand pumps. I can’t do the electric pump due to the fact it makes me feel sick.

I feel it i am so tierd of pumping. Im hoping my daughter can start at my day care soon so i can just nurse her when shes hungry since ill be in her room. Idk how some moms pump constantly to me its mentally draining worse than just nursing.

Hang in there.

I feel the pressure you have. Especially with my mom constantly saying how I should breastfeed my son until as long as he wants. My baby won’t take formula/bottle from me. What about you let someone else give him a bottle because babies know the scent of their mom so they might reject the bottle from you in the beginning. I once swaddled my son before his nap and tried to give him bottle and he finished it. Maybe try giving bottle before a nap.

Hi lovelies, can I ask why there is mixed feeding? Sounds judgy but totally not, it would just change my advice. One main one for me that I had to do was a first feed of formula whilst I pumped. Then after that I could do the pumping as my child was away for that amount of time (split up with my now DIVORCED husband) so see? Not judgy.
Pretty good with breat feeding as far as my boys (2 of them) go.
Got a third on the way and hoping for success again. Here to talk x

So I am a formal baby as well and breastfeeding my son and trying to pump. I am not working at the moment but if I was I would say talk to your work about getting your breaks longer when you have to go and pump.

I had to stop pumping because breastfeeding was easier for me but a good tip is if you do develop cracked nipples, get some freshly expressed milk and dip your nipples in it and let it air dry. There are antibodies in your milk that help with the healing ❤

I just found a great book about this, it is called: Work. Pump. Repeat.

It has lots of practical tips for pumping while at work, it’s very helpful and not at all judgy.
I got it from the library- if you get the Libby App you can get ebooks from the library without even leaving your home!

Do you pump after your done drinking ???

At least your pumping your milk and baby is taking bottle... I am still struggling with that😎

FED is best, mama. I am exclusively pumping and have been for three months now. I totally get the exhaustion and annoyance with judgemental karens

I pump while I’m working in the community so I’m out there pumping in my car in parking lots. So far have only been able to pump twice in the morning due to my schedule and was out of milk except for that days two pouches come Wednesday! I feel the pain of feeling like I’m always pumping and not wanting to! Not sure if that’s exactly your struggle but thanks for this thread. I’m going to try the work pump repeat book

Girl I formula fed both my children and plan on doing it with my third. I did buy the handless breast pumps off of Amazon so I can bottle feed her breast milk for the first month so she can build my anti body’s but after that I plan on doing formula and breast milk. Both my formula fed children came out super healthy and there is nothing wrong with it . You do what’s best for you sanity :) The hospital I delivered at with my son they tried to force me to breast-feed and were giving me such a hard time I had to have my husbands mom go and talk to them and tell them that it’s my choice on what I want to do with my kids but I breast-fed for him only a month and also bottle-fed because I wasn’t producing enough. My son is 35 pounds and 20 months old so he’s definitely a healthy formula fed baby.

It can be so hard and draining. My only tip is make sure you keep drinking lots of water. And ultimately do what's best for baby and YOU.

Ur doing a great job! Breastfeeding is mo joke and u need ur sleep mama....stay positive. We also used DHA drops for baby

Honestly I just kept setting goals for myself… Like I’m gonna make it till nine months then I’m gonna make it to a year by the time I knew it was a year and a half. Now two months in with baby number two… And it is very time consuming and tough to breast-feed and pump… But I just keep setting goals and hopefully can do it as long as I can stay sane. But if not that’s OK and I know it would make life a lot easier. 

We just transitioned from the breast to similac advanced formula. Depending on how much ur lil eats, its one scoop every 60ml. I mix breastmilk (ex:75ml) and distilled water (ex:50ml) so i add 2 scoops of formula to the distilled water (heat up for 10 sec if under 100ml) HEAT ONLY THE DISTILLED WATER! Cover tip of nipple and shake!

Momma! I’m struggling with the same things!

U know what I'm just gonna do this to save the boobies 🐝🐝

I plan to do a combo of breastfeeding & pumping with our next! Following post for tips as well. And girl I am with you on the mom shamers…as if this job isn’t tough enough. You’re doing what is best for you and your family❤️

I feel you 100% . The amount of times I’ve dozed off when breastfeeding… I’m so tired! I love breastfeeding though, I just feel my daughter sucking the energy straight from me. On top of that, I also pump. My suggestion would be to pump and freeze as much as you can.

uh both but mostly formula and he’s eating solids now, so soon he’ll be off formula

Well I feel you my son is two months and I am EBF and yes I feel like I'm upside sometimes my husband helps when he wants, I do have a large amount of BM in my freezer but i tried to bottle feed him the other night and it was an all out HELL NO! I mean he was pushing the bottle and grunting when I put the nipple in his mouth, but he'll bf from other's...plus with the gas and fussiness it's not just BF ,burp and go to bed..no he's up for hours sometimes..I just am iffy because all the recalls but sometimes I sure do think about formula..do what is best for your sanity 💕 I'ma hang in there for aa lil bit

Bottle feed from other's

I formula fed my first baby and honestly it was easier to quickly make a bottle and have either my self or someone else fed the baby. Problem was, depending on how much your baby drinks, it can get costly. I remember my self checking the flyers to see if the formula would go on sale so that I could by a few. Also my little one would be so gassy regardless what brand I gave.

Now with my second baby Im breastfeeding and pumping. It can get time consuming but it saves me a lot of money. My little one also has no gas issues. Luckily I do have a good amount of milk supply and when I over supply I make sure to freeze some milk so that I can use it when my milk supply goes down. I also love the bonding that I get with my child. 💗

But what matters the most is what makes you happy and sane and of course a fed baby. Do what makes it easier for you. People will always have something to say. It’s you and your baby at the end of the day. 🙃