Can anyone share a happy story of formula feeding from Day 1?

[lexi1996]

@tabbycat11 Went into delivery with every intention to breast feed. Baby couldn't latch and I had major guilt followed with some tearful sessions with the lactation consultants (emphasis on consultantS....I saw 3). One of them finally said, "As a parent, you're going to have to make a lot of decisions and not all of them will be easy, but whatever decision you make for your baby is the best decision." If you decide to formula feed from day one, that's the best decision for your baby because you're the one making it. It's going to be okay. My baby ended up being formula fed from day one and he's a happy thriving 4 months old

 

[rlpridgen]

@lexi1996 I’m glad the lactation consultant said that to you. When we told the one at the hospital that bfing wasn’t working out and the dr had told us to give formula bc the baby was hungry, she shook her head, said ok and walked out. This was after 3 days of no latch and breasts bruised and bloody.

 

[fiftyseven]

@tabbycat11 Baby 1: I tried breast feeding for 6 weeks. We could not latch, he lost a bunch of weight and he was SO jaundiced. Every feeding session he cried, I cried, my husband’s anxiety was through the roof. I tried pumping but was always hooked up and couldn’t bond, got frustrated if he got upset the moment I was hooked up. Finally switched to formula at six weeks, and it was SO much better. He is now a happy, healthy four year old who hit all his milestones crazy early (although I attribute that to our giving him lots of attention, reading to him, etc etc!).

Baby 2: EFF from the get go. We bonded so much! I enjoyed every second of maternity leave. She stares at me while I feed her, and by and large she clearly prefers getting her bottles from me even though she lets other people feed her she squiggles around much more. I have been able to sleep better, no snappy fights with my husband, I can do workouts and have all the coffee I want and just generally feel like my body is mine.

Formula has also allowed me to better attend to both my baby and toddler - I don’t have to sideline him because I need to BF or pump. Formula is an absolute miracle for me. My daughter is in the 99% for height, high 80s for weight, meeting her milestones perfectly and is so happy, healthy, and content.

 

[tabbycat11]

@fiftyseven Thank you these replies are bringing tears to my eyes in my conflicted and hormonal 9 month pregnant state!

On bonding: were you able to do skin to skin while still doing a bottle?

 

[fiftyseven]

@tabbycat11 Yup! When I checked into the hospital for my induction with my daughter they asked if I was formula or breastfeeding. I said formula and they asked if I wanted Enfamil or Similac (they had both b/c they were between contracts) and I said “Similac” and that was that! If you have a strong preference you can call ahead to see what the hospital provides but honestly you can use their formula for a few days and swap once you are home - at a few days old baby won’t have a strong preference!

Once my daughter was born they popped her right on my chest and we had lots of skin to skin but there wasn’t a nurse there trying to put my boob in her mouth! When we got back to the recovery room there was a drawer of RTF and I started giving her bottles. At home we could do cuddle in just her diaper and my bra for contact naps or bottles. It feels so awful to say this but I feel like the struggle and stress trying to breast feed my son delayed our bonding. My recovery after my daughter was so much smoother, I felt more mentally present. My only regret with my son was that I didn’t formula feed earlier. I LOVE my feeding journey with my daughter and I feel so bonded with her!

 

[escaudill]

@fiftyseven Oooh yes, being able to drink as much caffeine as I wanted/needed!!! Another bonus!!!

 

[myownmynativeland]

@escaudill And guilt free wine!!

 

[robertnduati]

@tabbycat11 I’ve been formula feeding from day one. My little guy is almost 4 months. He’s hitting all his milestones and is happy and healthy (and a chunker). I chose to formula feed because I had a mass in my breast that was in a weird place. Engorgement, combined with breast feeding was only going to cause a blockage and spread. ultimately, I’d need to surgically remove it. My OBGYN said I can still try to breastfeed. I chose not to. I want to be the best mom I can be and healthy.

Formula feeding from day 1 has been great. My husband and I both feed the baby. He is not 100% relying on me which helps soooo much in the first few weeks.

Whatever guilt I did have, went away really quick. My baby is thriving and so am I.

 

[general440lee]

@tabbycat11 I'm due in 2 weeks and I'm getting so much unsolicited advice about breastfeeding. People just assume I'm doing it. I'm not, and I don't feel guilty. I am someone who will be back at work within 7-8 weeks, and I don't want to be pumping at work (even though I can). I am also someone who has an autoimmune illness and needs as much sleep as possible, which is already going to be hard with a newborn. Formula feeding lets my husband pick up some of the nighttime duties. It also helps him be more involved -- he's already set up the feeding station in our room and researched formulas lol.

 

[enlightenedfred]

@tabbycat11 Formula feeding since day 1 and wouldn’t have it any other way! Every birth experience is different of course, but I had a hard time getting out of bed when recovering in the hospital. The fact that my husband was able to handle not just all the diaper changes, but all of the feedings too, was a saving grace.

Once we got home we were able to share feeding responsibilities which ultimately led to more sleep for me. I also could truly focus on recovery and felt like I had my body to myself again. We were able to do date nights fairly early on and I didn’t have to worry about pumping or if my baby didn’t take a bottle while someone else watched him.

Our little guy is 9 months now and he is absolutely thriving. A happy healthy mom is best. Those mean postpartum hormones did try to make me feel guilty for choosing formula in the very early weeks, but once the baby blues passed it was clear that I made the right decision.

I highly, highly recommend checking out The Formula Mom’s guides. Formula (mixing, storage, the products) is a bit of a learning curve at first but truly becomes second nature quickly. If we have another I will formula feed from the start again. Happy to answer any questions if you have them!

 

[newlight]

@tabbycat11 We did it. I didn't want to breast feed because I watched my mom do 99% of the child care and I didn't want that and it starts with breast feeding, when you're the only one who can comfort the child. In addition, I have struggles with depression and I was worried about PPD and I knew that getting poor sleep would be an issue. And when you BF, mom is getting up every 2 hours no matter what.

It has been GREAT. The nurses in the hospital didn't say anything. They just asked "okay, enfamil or Similac?" The NP who rounded on me in recovery just gave me advice on my breasts drying up. I did tell people that it was because of meds I was taking because I didn't really care to discuss it. And that made it easier because they can't argue with it. I did give birth at a baby friendly hospital too.

Once we brought baby home, it allowed my husband to truly be an equal parent. My baby is 9.5 months and I believe my husband does a true 50% of the parenting. In the beginning we split nights so he got up with the baby for any wakeups before 130a and I got up with him from 130 to 630. This worked for us because we each got a 5 hour block of uninterrupted sleep and then could try to sleep in between wakeups on our block. I could also nap during the day, especially when recovering, and my mom or husband could take care of the baby.

It also made daycare an easy transition.

There was a couple days early on where I kinda was like .. Should I have breast fed? But I'm very glad I didn't. I love feeding him and we still connect during those times. And I think it's been wonderful for my mental health. Even very early, I never felt like I was horribly sleep deprived. Not ever.

I would recommend it to anyone. Feel free to chat or message me if you want to talk.

Edit: I do think that it has made a huge difference for my mental health. Mostly because I've been able to get good sleep.

 

[beverly24]

@newlight What recommendations /advice did they give for drying up? I feel like there’s no info out there

 

[beksem]

@beverly24 I EFF and my wonderful doc recommended a few things. Tight sports bras 24/7 for the first 2-3 weeks. Compression without nipple stimulation is the goal. Don't let warm/hot water get on them in the shower. I used a handheld shower attachment--so helpful. Also showered in the sports bras for an added layer of protection. (In retrospect, maybe a tight bathing suit top would have been a good investment!) Also used ice packs. They make little ones that fit inside your bra. I also bought but never used Cabo creme which supposedly helps too. The milk will likely come in and it's worse around days 4/5. It might take a few weeks. Good luck!

 

[newlight]

@beverly24 Tight sports bra 24/7. Sudafed if I wanted to during the daytime and not too close to bedtime. Cold cabbage leaves in my bra, and crush them a little first. That actually did help and felt really good! That's what I remember.

I was really happy that they were not pushy about trying to breast feed. Just said okay no problem. No one in the hospital even asked why. Only the pediatrician did.

 

[staz2648]

@tabbycat11 I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant and started researching things that breastfeeding was not for me. Formula from day one!

I needed to be able to share responsibility 100% with my husband. I needed sleep. I have a close friend who has exclusively breastfed her three kids and it is WORK. So so so much work. She advised me that if I didn’t have 100% commitment and determination, it probably wouldn’t work out. I don’t know a single person who said “oh yeah breastfeeding was a breeze”.

I truly felt like there were so many things out of my control that could be stressful, why would I put EXTRA stress on myself and my body and my marriage to commit to breastfeeding? Especially when it wasn’t something nonnegotiable for me.

I still did skin to skin at the hospital. Everything was exactly the same except they didn’t latch her immediately because I have no interest in breast feeding. She got a bottle later. I asked if she was hungry bc breastfed babies get latched right away, the nurse and dr assured me it was fine, breastfed babies aren’t getting “milk” at the moment either so I was not depriving my baby of any nutrients or extra milk having not immediately latched her to a bottle.

Everything went amazingly. She’s 17 months old. We’ve had zero sleeping issues. She didn’t care about bottles going away at 12 months. No long weaning process. My boobs never hurt. I didn’t have all the extra pumps or clogged duct issues. Plus my job is just not conducive to pumping at work. It’s just not.

I would make this choice 100x over again. I have had the best most enjoyable motherhood experience so far. And I legit attribute a lot of that to formula feeding.

 

[divinesuccess]

@tabbycat11 The happy story is that I was happy and baby was happy and everyone was happy. That’s it. That’s all that matters. Hardest part? Maybe going through a few formulas until you find what baby liked. Once you get through that you’re golden.

 

[beksem]

@tabbycat11 Formula feeding is wonderful!!! I formula fed from day one and have zero regrets whatsoever. Everyone is happy and healthy. I hate that anyone feels guilty about making this choice. There are so many positives. It's going to be great!

 

[verum]

@tabbycat11 I had to supplement with formula before we left the hospital. My poor baby had to stay another day because she was jaundice and I wasn't making enough to breastfeed her to her needs.

I tried BF until 3weeks. My mental health was in the garbage. So I switched over to formula and got back on my meds. My baby is now healthy, chunky, and adorable. She also has a mom that is much more stable now.

 

[vpurple]

@tabbycat11 My baby was born at 30-weeks and was given BM from the BM bank (because my body wasn’t ready to produce milk at 30 weeks and after an emergency CS) mixed with preemie formula and he is still on the preemie formula months later. Why? Because formula has so many wonderful vitamins and minerals added to it that babies need and it helps them gain weight and grow. If it wasn’t so amazing - the neonatologist + paediatrician + nutritionist wouldn’t insist on putting my child on it for the first 12 months of his life!

 

[baberean]

@tabbycat11 How “baby friendly” is your hospital? Baby friendly is the worst! If they are super strict you might get push back. If you have decided to formula feed, let them know as soon as you check yourself in. My hospital is baby friendly but the nurses aren’t pushy about it BUT the LC handed me some literature about how bad formula is and how great bf’ing is for the baby. Do not let them pressure you into something you do not want for yourself. Thankfully it was my second and I did what I wanted (formula fed). No is a complete sentence.