Reply to Please tell me it’s ok to switch to formula

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here - thank you all so much for your thoughtful and encouraging replies. DH and I have been talking this through the last few days, and I’m like 99% sure we’re going to switch. The pain is less than it was, but I tried nursing without the shields yesterday and we were back to square one with pain and friction blistering. The thought of continuing to do this for months on end fills me with dread. We’re also considering combo feeding, but it feels complicated to figure out how to balance the convenience of formula with the need to maintain supply.

It has been both depressing and fascinating to me that I feel so much resistance internally to doing this. Like others on this thread, I was exclusively formula-fed. I’m a really healthy person and, yes, I went to an Ivy! I know that there’s very little (no?) evidence that, for the vast majority of people, whether they were formula or breastfed matters in the long run. But the “breast is best” mentality, both from the medical establishment and other UMC women, is so pervasive.

Thanks again to all. Really appreciate your kind words. If anyone has tips on formula feeding, I’m all ears… [/quote]

That is super frustrating especially while recovering. Your baby is so lucky to have you!

I’m one of the previous posters who talked about combo feeding and these are some of my tips I picked up for formula.

-If you can afford it, start with ready to feed at least while you get in a rhythm. It is more expensive, though and with the current prices on formula I get that might be a dealbreaker. I only have experience with ready to feed so I don’t know as many tips about mixing it.

-Try to hold the bottle more horizontal when you feed them (pace feeding).

-The nipples are marked with the size imprinted usually on the side. Start with a low flow then see from there. Dr. Brown’s you can order one called a level T that’s slower than the size 1. Checked that they aren’t blocked when washing them.

-Bottles: different ones can work for different babies, so some places have a bottle sampler pack you can get (I know Babylist does). The Dr. Brown bottles are pretty popular though.

If you go fully to formula all at once, you probably will have to deal with drying up your milk supply at least to some extent. I’ve seen ice and advil can be helpful. Try to hand express instead of pumping to be comfortable without fully draining your breast and stimulating more milk.  [/quote]

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