Breast feeding questions???

Question

I am going to try and breast feed, is it ok to use formula while i am at work and breast feed while I can? I will be going back to work after 6 weeks and am gone for 9 hours whats the best way to deal with this?

Answer 1

I know this one all too well. I would also advise pumping at work if at all possible. It is a huge, huge committment and can make an already tired working mom even more tired, but in the end I think it's really worth it. I went back to work when my daughter was 15 weeks and I gave her breastmilk for a full year. Here are a few tips that helped me:

Build up a freezer reserve while you are still on maternity leave. The best way to do this is to pump in the morning after baby's first feeding, then pump again in the evening after you put baby down for the night. Store the milk in breastmilk freezer bags. They'll be good for several months and they will come in handy if pumping doesn't yield enough for you to meet baby's demands.

When you go back to work, try to feed baby first thing in the morning, then pump right after, if you have time. Then pump at least 2 times at work, preferably three if possible. Also pump again right after you feed baby before putting her down for the night.

Work with your caregiver to adjust the feeding schedule so that baby is hungry when you get home, so you can feed right away. If you get home at 6pm, you don't want baby to be fed at 5:30. Obviously, you don't want baby to be starving either, but try to work it out so baby is hungry, so you have an opportunity to feed right after work and again right before bed.

Don't discourage night feedings just yet. I know it can be hard to go back to work and have to deal with feeding at night, but you need all the direct feedings possible to keep up your milk supply, so let baby wean from the night feedings on her own. My baby gradually went from waking 3 times a night as an infant, to two times, to one, to one very short feeding then nothing but sleep finally at 6-1/2 months.

If you have breaks, like over Thanksgiving or Christmas or you just take a few days off, pump pump pump to build up your freezer reserves again. This really helped me a lot when I was off for a week around Christams. I was just getting to the point where my freezer reserves were depleted and I was barely eeking out enough milk for each day. Then all the direct feedings and extra pumping over the holiday helped bolster my supply and build the reserves back up again.

As you pump, use the fresh breastmilk for daily feedings, but don't let the stuff in the freezer sit to long so that it goes bad, put the older ones into the rotation so you use everything and don't waste a precious drop.

Once baby is old enough for solid food, make sure the food is given during the day while you are away, so that fills baby's tummy and takes some of the pressure off of you for producing milk. That was hard for me, as I found it really fun and nurturing to feed her meals, so I wasn't as good about this one as I could have been, but it does help.

All of this said, if you want to use formula you can, and it's fine, but as you know it's not as good as breastmilk. Also, if you don't pump your supply will drop, so it's just up to you as to what your breastfeeding goal is. For me, I was dead set on making it to one year to give her all the intellectual and immunological benefits I could. I would have even gone longer but, much to my surprise, my baby started to wean herself by 10 months so at the one year mark she was happy to be done - and I was thrilled to not have to pump anymore, though I did really miss the direct feedings. As I working mom, I found that continuing to nurse allowed me to maintain a wonderful closeness to my baby that I was so reluctant to give up.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

Sometimes when a new mother... and a new baby for that matter... change between breast feeding and feeding with a bottle the baby can suffer with what they call "nipple confusion".

It's nothing serious, it just means that the baby is confused between the nipple on the breast and the nipple on the bottle. A baby has to nurse from each one differently -- the pressure when sucking and what have you.

Often it's found that the baby will reject the breast because feeding from a bottle is easier... babies don't have to suck as hard. Let's face it... even from infancy humans choose the easier of the two paths.

Though now there are bottles that have nipples that "claim" to be the same as the breast, but how could they ever duplicate one of the most perfect things... something made specifically by mothers for the baby.

But to answer the question... no, it's not a bad thing to breast feed while you're at home and use formula while you're at work.

Though you could always try pumping while you're at work... then the baby can have the breast milk all through the day instead of switching between formula and breast milk.

Answer 3

YES, you can use formula. B efore you go back to work you may want to start some feeding with the bottle so that you're baby gets familiar with it .
maybe let someone elso give the bottle to her so that sh'e not being fed by just you. You may want to consider pumping at work. That way you can store the milkand give it to her caregiver during the day . If you're not making enough milk then give the formula also. Right now I breastfeed and when I tried to give my baby formula, it made her a little constipated. So be ready probably for a change in her BM's. If you keep breastfeeding it's very easy to do midnight feedings. Just nurseher instead of having to get up and fix a bottle. This saves a lot of time and you'll need it once you start working again. Trust me, I know. good luck

Answer 4

The amount of breast milk you produce is based on supply and demand. The more demand you have, i.e. the more times per day you feed your baby, the more milk you will produce. Formula is denser than breat milk and will "hold" a baby longer; that it, the baby will not require a feeding as often. If this is your plan, you should begin a weaning process before you go back to work, otherwise, you will get engorged at work. If you decide to use a breast pump, that will keep your milk up and you can refrigerate it and give it to your baby when you get home. Your best solution seems to be to wean enough so you will still produce milk for the time you are home. Also, you should maintain the same schedule when you are not working. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

I am currently doing that. I breastfeed when with him, and for the 8 hours he is away he takes 2 bottles of formula. For MANY weeks before I went back to work, I started using bottles only during work hours, and mixed them 1/4 formula with 3/4 pumped breastmilk, and then slowly made it more and more formula. That was WORK because I was never successful at pumping much. But he took the bottles really well and never seemed to notice the increases in the amounts of formula. My doctor said that my supply would go down, but only to the level that he still needed. After 3 weeks back at work, I am noticing my supply going down more than I would like, and I am a little concerned about it. I started pumping in the AM, and also taking fenugreek. Over the past few days I think it has helped increase my supply. The whole process - breastmilk with me and formula at daycae has worked beautifully. Also, don't let the breastfeeding nazis make you think you have to pump a gazillion gallons of breastmilk for bottles all day. The antibodies the baby gets from you will be enough, and the formula acts as a little boost of iron for the baby. I am a teacher and I am exposed to all sorts of crap, and he hasn't gotten sick at all yet becase I am doing the breastfeedings. Also, I never have to pump at work! I get pretty full, and you might want to if you can, I just can't and haven't needed to anyway.

Answer 6

I worked with a lady that said she did formula during the day and breastfed at night when she was at home. I don't know how she kept her supply up or how long she breastfed before quitting. I breastfed after going back to work, but I pumped 3 times a day. I would wake up, feed the baby, and be gone for my 45 minute commute by 6:40 AM. I got home with my baby from daycare by 5:15 PM and nursed first thing...that's a little more than 10 1/2 hours away from the baby. I did this for 14 months. For the first few months, after I would nurse my baby in the morning, I would pump a few ounces for my husband to give the baby around 8:00 AM right before she went to daycare, but she was soon old enough that she didn't need that extra feeding and was waiting until around 9:00 and eating at daycare what I had pumped at work. We settled into a great routine where she only wanted about 3 bottles of my pumped milk while I was gone, and I was pumping 3 times while at work.

If you decide to pump keep in mind that the pump is less efficient at getting all the milk than the baby is so the longer you do it the more your supply will drop...especially if you are limited to your 15 minute breaks the way I was. Eventually, I wasn't pumping enough at each sitting to fill a whole bottle so we would top off what I had pumped the day before with however many ounces of formula was needed to have a big enough bottle.
Also, if you continue to breastfeed after you go back to work I recommend continuing to use the bottle nipples that are for newborns...the ones with only one hole in it. It takes more effort to get the milk out just like the breast. Most people who use bottles eventually switch to nipples with more holes as the baby ages...making it easier to get more out faster...this could lead to the baby prefering the bottle over the breast just becasue of the ease of the faster flowing bottle. I used the one hole nipples until we stopped using bottles (at a year) and she never seemed dissatisfied with the speed of the flow of my milk.
Hope this helps.

Answer 7

You can substitute formula while breastfeeding. However, I bought the Medela dual breast pump. It was wonderful. I only had to pump twice at work for about 10-15 min. each time. I just saw an ad at Target for this pump. It's on sale this week for $249, and comes with a $30 Target gift card. I never see these on sale, so this is a good deal. The pump will more than pay for itself if you breastfeed for at least 6 months. Formula is expensive!

If you don't think you can pump at work, check your local laws and then talk with your employer. Most companies will provide a room for women to pump in private. (Although I have used my breast pump in my car when traveling - the pump I mentioned has a battery pack, but you can also purchase a car adapter).

If you don't want to pump at work, then I would start giving your baby formula during the day a couple of weeks before you go back to work so you don't get engorged at work.

Also, I highly recommend taking a breastfeeding class before you give birth. The hospital where you are going to deliver most likely offers them. I did and it was a great help. The lactation specialist that taught the class assisted me in the hospital too and was available for me to call when I had questions after I went home from the hospital.

Answer 8

Yes you can formula feed while you are at work. There has been no solid evidence to support the notion of "nipple confusion" and after 6 weeks of breast feeding, your little one should be well in the groove for breastfeeding. They do occasionally prefer one or the other (usually the bottle as it's much easier to feed from... just sit and swallow).

I find when i work (1 day per week) that my breasts get very full and uncomfortable after a full day without feeding. I find it helpful to either express during my meal break or have dh bring my baby in for a feed. That way, we get the best of both worlds. I work and baby gets breast milk - either expressed previously or coming to me.

If you possibly can still breast feed your baby - even some of the time - it's to the baby's benefit. Goodluck and find what suits you.

Answer 9

My baby had no problem switching from nursing to a bottle and back. Try the gerber nurser system, the natural latch nipples worked Great. The problem I forsee is milk supply. You will probably need to pump at least once the more the better. Even if you don't want to save the milk and deal with the bags and refrigerration issues you have to let your body know it's not time to stop making milk. Plus pumping will help you avoid engorgement. You'll have to consider your work place and devise the best plan for you. Good luck

Answer 10

Your best bet is to rent an electric breast pump.
Your ob/byn should be able to direct you to a lactation consultant who you can rent one from. They cost about $1/Day to rent. I don't know where you live, but here in Connecticut, it is state law that the woman be allowed to take breaks every 4 hours, and provided a private area, to pump breastmilk for her child.
Contact La Leche League and they will give you more detailed instructions, as well as be able to tell you what your rights are in the workplace in your state. Congratulations on the little one, and I commend you for wanting to breastfeed. Breastmilk is best. Even if only some of her feedings are breastmilk, it's better than none at all!

Regarding nipple confusion-it varies from baby to baby. I'm an at home mom, but I did pump so I could leave the house, or leave her with my mom overnight on occasion. She didn't like the bottle until about 2 weeks, and now goes back and forth with ease!

Answer 11

Just a quick suggestion, If you decide to use a bottle be sure to use a very slow nipple flow (or a size 1 nipple) A lot of times babies will reject the breast because they get their milk so much faster from a bottle. Pumping may be a good option because you may be in a lot of pain being away for 9 hours without nursing.