Breastfeeding is hard as hell and you will miss it when you’re done. Formula is a lifeline for many moms. Fed is best.

COLLECTIVE WISDOM

“I breastfed for 7 months and really missed it when it was time. But I am so grateful for that time. You will continue bonding and feeling those amazing tingles all over your body, just in different ways. I am still amazed at the physical reactions I have when he does something sweet or cute. Also: my boobs still tingle when I hear small babies cry. It’s a trip!”

“Once my son started on a bottle, he hated the breast. My let-down was VERY slow, and he was a big eater. The bottle was much faster and he was (still is!) an impatient one. The breast upset him a great deal because so little came at first. But I have no regrets because he needed to gain and wasn’t when EBFing. I still nursed occasionally for three months, then gave up because the bottle made him happier.”

On Learning to breastfeed

“Practice practice practice! I took away my Boppy crutch and practiced even putting on nursing cover, latching, unlatching, etc at home so that I wasn't so awkward when I'm out.”

“I always used my k'tan or moby wrap to breastfeed on the go. I tied him to me in a comfortable position. The wrap holds his weight and I was mostly hands free. It was so easy that I could hike while feeding him.”

“Ups and downs in supply are really common but oh so stressful :( Focus on eating what makes you feel good and healthy and happy!!”

“Power pumping helped me a ton. I ended up pumping while driving quite a lot and had lots of time to pump 15 min, stop for 10, then pump another 10-15 min. Really helped my supply!”

“Try and make it a dark beer. The barley yeast does wonders. Also try coconut milk and chocolate malted ovaltine. (The ovaltine in the orange bottle.)…I've read your body needs at least four hours of uninterrupted sleep to produce milk. Lots and lots of rest. Deep breaths before nursing…Power pumping, cluster pumping, power cluster pumping. Make sure one pump is between the hours of 12 to 4. (I've read 12 to 3 also, so don't know which one is correct.). Each person is different.”

on nipple confusion

“I was told by my lactation consultant that it is a bit of a myth. She said that they don’t necessarily get confused. Rather the milk flows more easily from the bottle and they don’t have to work as hard as they do at the breast. I didn’t give my first a bottle for almost four weeks. With my second I did in the first week and he was fine. I only did it occasionally in the beginning.”

“We started with a pacifier at week 2, supplementing at week 3 - little man didn’t have any issues with bottle or breast as long as he was getting fed, but we weaned from the breastfeeding at week 5”

“Its a myth and sooner you introduce both, whether formula -- which is OK, for real -- or boob milk, the better. #2 was a struggle with bottle because I was home and she was used to on-demand boob. #3, I was working, he was fine with bottle. Both of them nursed until 20+ months. And it needs to be said too, #1 refused to nurse. He just wouldn’t latch. And at 3 months I gave up, he was screaming for food and I was crying. My husband was off to CVS at midnight. I swear the struggles those first few months with food set him on a course for food issues for awhile. Thankfully now, he is my least picky eater, but that was DEFINITELY a journey.”

“We ‘broke the rules’ and used bottles and pacis right away. It did not affect his ability to nurse. He has preferences but will tolerate various bottle and paci nipples.”

“Our daughter was three weeks early and teeny so my goal from the beginning was to make her gain weight. We started giving her bottles (with breastmilk) from day 1 in addition to me breastfeeding her. There was no nipple confusion - she just knew there were two ways she got breastmilk.” 

“One thing we did do after leaving the hospital was make sure that I wasn’t the person giving her the bottle so either one of her grandparents or my husband fed her from the bottle (easy peasy for her) or she got the boob from me (requiring effort from her tiny jaws). So it’s a trade off for her - she either gets to have milk with little effort without mom or she gets QT with me, but has to work for it. This worked well for us, but I realize each kid is so different.”

“I had low supply with both my babies. For the first I managed to exclusively feed breast milk from weeks 5 through 25 with supplementing after that til 7 months. He got a ton of bottles at first because I was essentially pumping around the clock and then because I went back to work at 14 weeks. He never had nipple confusion and easily took both bottle and breast. I was actually surprised he stayed with me on the breast for so long given that he got so much less milk with those feeds!!!” 

"I had low supply, so my son took a bottle and breast at each feeding, right from the hospital. He eventually rejected the breast around month 3, but that's because he's efficient and didn't want to waste time on the breast anymore."

On Tongue TIE

“So after delivery my lactation specialist said my son needed it, but then pediatrician said he didn't. After researching further, it appears there are mild and severe cases. In the end I decided he is getting what he needs and we won't do it, but every one is different.”

“We did it with our first son and it made a world of a difference. I was ready to quit breastfeeding because I was in so much pain. The lactation consultant was encouraging us to do it and the pediatrician just kind of dismissed the idea. She didn’t even really seem interested in even talking about. In the end, I was very happy with my experience. Now with my second son, breastfeeding is a breeze. I wonder if that is just because he doesn’t have a severe tie or I’m just more experienced? Or maybe a combination of both.”

“Feels like I’ve heard SO many mom (myself included) say they were told (mostly by a lactation consultant) that it improves breastfeeding efficiency. I had the mini-version clip done at my ped’s office (not laser) and didn’t really notice a huge difference (and my ped was skeptical). I wasn’t thrilled about the laser option because of recovery time/treatment. But I’ve heard that it made a huge difference for other moms.”

“My first born daughter tore my nipples up for a month before she was diagnosed with tongue and lip ties. Both were cut and the relief was almost instantaneous. So with my son, I made sure to get him checked out immediately, and within the first week we got both ties lasered at a pediatric dentist. Breastfeeding is so much work, why make it harder on your body than it already is? People circumcise their boys when they’re that small, I don’t see any reason why this procedure should be viewed as unnecessary or over-diagnosed, especially when it can really help mom get out of excruciating cracked nipple hell.”

on supplementing

“I'm at 7.5 months and just ordered formula for the first time as there were a few ‘close’ days lately. I started by getting him used to the taste in his oat cereal and then when I was on a work trip this week that brought me back later than bedtime, dad gave him a few ounces and he did just fine.”

“Supplementing is just fine, and you have breast-fed for so long, even just a little breast milk goes a long way…Oh, and most importantly, Talk to your pediatrician about supplementing and don't feel bad about it! It will hopefully give you peace of mind. Fed is best!

on weaning

“This totally stressed me out overthinking it in advance and honestly the hardest thing was finding the right formula and the right temperature for my daughter. Once I found one she tolerated, I just substituted one bottle, then two, then three at school. Then subbed them in for the breastfeeding I was doing in the morning and at night. It was just a few weeks and then she was completely transitioned. It was heaven being done with pumping and breastfeeding. I quit around 8 months.”

“I exclusively pumped for 12 months but started weaning at month 11 because I had enough to get my daughter to 12 months. I weaned from the pump (7-8 pumps/day 2 of which being power pumps) for a month with no problems/pain. Last two days were uncomfortable but I was told by a colleague to place ice packs in my arm pit and that stopped it quickly and I didn’t have to pump again. I immediately cut out power pumps and I choose my most annoying pump to wean first. I was pumping 30 minutes a session and went to 20. Then next day 10, 5 the next, and then 0 (skipped pump). So long as I managed that skipped pump, the following day I started with another pump, say second of the day and followed the same process. I followed the same routine for pumps, spreading the time out between pumps to get longer. I never did two pumps in a row to drop. The last two pumps I had were night and morning. I dropped night before morning and was finished on her birthday.”

on pumping

“I'll be honest, I found pumping at work to be really hard, even with a very supportive employer. The stress of being at work and everything depleted my previously amazing supply. About 2 1/2 months in I was done. I say just figure out what works best for you, a happy and mentally healthy mama is so much more important than breastfeeding. If you really want to maintain breast feeding at home without pumping during the day just give it a try to see if it works, but if you end up all formula do not feel bad or guilty.”

“I pumped three times a day the first three weeks back and it was sustainable for me (I have a lot of meetings and couldn't reschedule constantly). I went down to two pump times and had a pretty substantial supply drop and had to start supplementing. I went down to one time about two months in and then stopped completely soon after. I have total respect for the women that can work full time and pump but I found it incredibly hard. Switching to formula allowed me to return to normal hormone levels and get an hour and a half of my workday back. It's hard since you're accommodated for breastfeeding but ultimately still expected to accomplish the same amount of work.”

“I used look at pics of the baby when I pumped. Heard it helps with supply but didn't notice a huge difference. But I loved looking at the pics!”

“I stopped pumping at about 11 months. I used up the rest of my stash for bottles during the day, but also started transitioning to a cup for milk after 12 months. Also at 12 months, I started only offering nursing at bedtime. I intended to nurse at bedtime as long as she wanted (by far my favorite part of breastfeeding was nursing her to sleep). But at about 15 months, she just stopped doing it all on her own.” 

“Luckily my little reacted really well to a formula transition so that helped with any guilt. Integrating one formula bottle at a time helped her stomach adjust, I think. No matter what don't feel guilty! Pumping while working is so hard: emotionally, logistically, etc. Do what you need to do for your family!”

“I felt like a human pacifier. A lot changes between 6 and 12 weeks (assuming that's when you are returning to work). They were eating less frequently by the time they started day care. I pump twice a day at work. With my latest baby I also pump before bed. It's a pain but I'm hopeful it will help avoid the huge drop in supply I had about 6 months in. Pumping took less time over time as well. My pumping sessions are now under 30 min and I usually catch up on emails while I'm doing it. 

“By the time you get back to work things will likely be different and it may not be as hard. You might be able to slowly cut out a pumping session or make them shorter over time as well. Don't get me wrong, pumping sucks. Especially when I'm overscheduled and trying to figure out how to fit it in. I was counting the months to one year at first and then somehow I got used to it and ended up pumping until 14 months. Not sure I'll go as long this time but who knows!”

“Pumped both times for two kids with lots of work travel, extremely challenging. All I would say is give it a shot and see how it goes. Always found it most productive to get to work and almost pump right away and then again right after lunch. If you can build up any freezer stash before you have to travel, super helpful. Just do what you can. All good no matter what!”

“Refrigerate [breastfeeding pump] parts and pump bottles so you aren't always washing them. I've been back to work since September and still find it stressful at times.”