Would You Breastfeed?

[Anonymous]

I’d absolutely breastfeed. I’d also see if I could either extend my maternity leave to get to six months of BFing. Barring that, I’d pump. Breastmilk is liquid gold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No I would not.

+1. You shouldn’t put yourself through it if you will only breastfeed for 4 months. It’s not worth it. There is no point. I would just start with formula from birth.

This has to be a troll. “Put yourself through” what? BFing? Which some moms very much enjoy and find considerably easier than formula feeding and which she hasn’t even tried yet? I EBFed through a year, but the vast majority of the health benefits are at the very beginning. BF through 4 months if it works for you; not being able to do more than 4 months exclusively isn’t a reason not to try (plenty of people still feed morning and night w/o pumping, so that’s an option you’ll have from 4 months on if you want)

PP here. Not a troll. I had a very hard experience trying to breastfeed. As much as people claim it's a " magical experience", many women have a difficult time breastfeeding. I've had several friends also have a very tough time trying to breastfeed. Not saying that will OPs case, but there is no point in stressing herself out if we will just switch to formula at 4 months. Not be able to breastfeed when you want to can be physically, emotionally, and mentally hard.

+1 I felt like crap for not being able to produce enough milk. It took my Doctor simply saying that there are some women who don't produce enough milk and that is fine and normal to help me come to terms with not breast feeding. I did start on the breast so that DS would get what little I had and then we went to a bottle after 10 minutes. After I finished with the bottle I would pump on the other breast to try and stimulate production. At 3 1/2 months he wanted nothing to do with the breast and we simply went straight to the bottle.

I understand that breastfeeding has great benefits for the baby and the Mom but not everyone can breastfeed. All of the pressure to breastfeed increases the feeling of being a failure when you try and cannot or when you are in a position where pumping is legitimately challenging. I wish that both sides took a more moderate approach.

OP: I would breast feed when you are home on maternity leave. It does have some strong pluses and I did enjoy when my son was breast feeding. If it works, the latch is good and your milk comes in, I think you will find it a great experience. But there is nothing wrong with using formula or introducing a bottle. There have been improvements in pumping that might make pumping more feasible for you in your position but only you can know if those approaches will work at your job and in your time frame.

Your child will be fine no matter what you choose. I wish I could have breastfeed but it wasn't in the cards. My 7 year old is healthy, growing like a twig, bright, engaged and active and pretty much a formula baby.

[Anonymous]

Of course I would.

[Anonymous]

Aren’t jobs now required by law to provide moms with a place/time to pump? You need to schedule 20 minute breaks in your day to pump. You can do this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t jobs now required by law to provide moms with a place/time to pump? You need to schedule 20 minute breaks in your day to pump. You can do this!

OP said she sees patients during the day with 5-10 minutes between patients. No she can't schedule 20 minute breaks in her day. Formula feeding is just as good. Many people in the medical field don't get the luxury of being able to pump at work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t jobs now required by law to provide moms with a place/time to pump? You need to schedule 20 minute breaks in your day to pump. You can do this!

OP said she sees patients during the day with 5-10 minutes between patients. No she can't schedule 20 minute breaks in her day. Formula feeding is just as good. Many people in the medical field don't get the luxury of being able to pump at work.

Maybe extend the leave more then. She can definitely pump at lunch. And maybe once more around 4 pm. I’m sure she will be allowed a 15 minute break once to pump. Most likely she wouldn’t be the only nurse there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. The digestive tract develops between 4-6 months, hence new recommendations to start solids at 6 months. Before it fully develops you have two issues with formula: 1) colic and 2) allergies/inflammation, from proteins that pass through the immature tract into the bloodstream. Some scientists believe this can be linked to inflammatory processes that cause disease later in life. I also think with breast milk it is easier to control your diet to reduce or eliminate colic. I learned how to do that with my first, and my second barely ever cried from digestive issues.

It’s just one factor among many, but personally I would breastfeed and pump a few extra ounces every day. You would have enough of a stash to go to six months, after which the benefits of breastfeeding are about passing on antibodies and less about protecting the developing gut. If you only breastfed before and after work at that point and baby had other foods, you could still pass on the antibodies.

Oh please, how did you even make up that nonsense. Mine had issues on breast milk. Formula was far better. If an infant has "colic" usually it because they in pain and the pain isn't being addressed, especially for things like reflux.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you might end up with a great supply and pumping before work, during lunch and right after is totally doable. Once your supply is established you can also nurse just mornings and evenings -- your body will adjust and you will likely be able to maintain that supply. I highly recommend visiting a top notch lactation consultant (at the Breastfeeding Center if you're in DC).

This. I work in a clinic, generally have no time between patients. I pump at home before leaving or before baby wakes (also nurse- supply/demand), pump during lunch, pump in car after work or stay to pump again if there’s time. Feed on demand at home. It’s intense, but doable. You have to protect your lunch break though. If that’s too much I’d plan to try while on leave and bring pump to work to wean slowly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would breastfeed as long as possible and switch to formula.

My milk never came in, the most I ever produced with a hospital grade pump was 2 ounces. I would breastfeed first then supplement with formula. DS still got antibodies and good things from that little bit of milk. He weened himself at 3 1/2 months but I am glad I gave it a go.

I had the same story with my first, and I would give the same advice. Nursing helps prevent breast cancer, so I tried as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t jobs now required by law to provide moms with a place/time to pump? You need to schedule 20 minute breaks in your day to pump. You can do this!

OP said she sees patients during the day with 5-10 minutes between patients. No she can't schedule 20 minute breaks in her day. Formula feeding is just as good. Many people in the medical field don't get the luxury of being able to pump at work.

Maybe extend the leave more then. She can definitely pump at lunch. And maybe once more around 4 pm. I’m sure she will be allowed a 15 minute break once to pump. Most likely she wouldn’t be the only nurse there.

OP here. I'm the only nurse practitioner at the site. I only have time to pump during lunch. I can't take a 15 minute break to pump because I have patients. I won't be able to pump at 4 because I will be working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you might end up with a great supply and pumping before work, during lunch and right after is totally doable. Once your supply is established you can also nurse just mornings and evenings -- your body will adjust and you will likely be able to maintain that supply. I highly recommend visiting a top notch lactation consultant (at the Breastfeeding Center if you're in DC).

This. I work in a clinic, generally have no time between patients. I pump at home before leaving or before baby wakes (also nurse- supply/demand), pump during lunch, pump in car after work or stay to pump again if there’s time. Feed on demand at home. It’s intense, but doable. You have to protect your lunch break though. If that’s too much I’d plan to try while on leave and bring pump to work to wean slowly.

OP here. I take public transportation to and from work. I work 8:30 - 4:30. It will be too stressful to try and keep up a supply while working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t jobs now required by law to provide moms with a place/time to pump? You need to schedule 20 minute breaks in your day to pump. You can do this!

OP said she sees patients during the day with 5-10 minutes between patients. No she can't schedule 20 minute breaks in her day. Formula feeding is just as good. Many people in the medical field don't get the luxury of being able to pump at work.

Maybe extend the leave more then. She can definitely pump at lunch. And maybe once more around 4 pm. I’m sure she will be allowed a 15 minute break once to pump. Most likely she wouldn’t be the only nurse there.

OP here. I'm the only nurse practitioner at the site. I only have time to pump during lunch. I can't take a 15 minute break to pump because I have patients. I won't be able to pump at 4 because I will be working.

That should be okay, I think. Breastfeeding morning, pumping lunch, pumping after work before leaving, breastfeeding when you get home and settled, breastfeeding again at night before bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you might end up with a great supply and pumping before work, during lunch and right after is totally doable. Once your supply is established you can also nurse just mornings and evenings -- your body will adjust and you will likely be able to maintain that supply. I highly recommend visiting a top notch lactation consultant (at the Breastfeeding Center if you're in DC).

This. I work in a clinic, generally have no time between patients. I pump at home before leaving or before baby wakes (also nurse- supply/demand), pump during lunch, pump in car after work or stay to pump again if there’s time. Feed on demand at home. It’s intense, but doable. You have to protect your lunch break though. If that’s too much I’d plan to try while on leave and bring pump to work to wean slowly.

OP here. I take public transportation to and from work. I work 8:30 - 4:30. It will be too stressful to try and keep up a supply while working.

That’s perfectly understandable. It’s not expected of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I think I will try to breastfeed but we will still give 1-2 bottles of formula a day for baby to get used to the bottle and formula.

Have your husband give a bottle for one of the night feeds. It’ll allow you to string together 4-5 consecutive hours of sleep every night, and that will make a huge difference for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you might end up with a great supply and pumping before work, during lunch and right after is totally doable. Once your supply is established you can also nurse just mornings and evenings -- your body will adjust and you will likely be able to maintain that supply. I highly recommend visiting a top notch lactation consultant (at the Breastfeeding Center if you're in DC).

This. I work in a clinic, generally have no time between patients. I pump at home before leaving or before baby wakes (also nurse- supply/demand), pump during lunch, pump in car after work or stay to pump again if there’s time. Feed on demand at home. It’s intense, but doable. You have to protect your lunch break though. If that’s too much I’d plan to try while on leave and bring pump to work to wean slowly.

OP here. I take public transportation to and from work. I work 8:30 - 4:30. It will be too stressful to try and keep up a supply while working.

That’s perfectly understandable. It’s not expected of you.

Ps I wouldn’t think on it too hard right now. It sounds like you have a clear plan of what you’d like to do at least as far as the workday is concerned.