Switching to formular straight away

[Lil M]

Hi there,

I'm due in November & have decided to FF. However, I'm debating wether to BF ONLY whilst in hospital for a couple of reasons. 1) Bub will get the goodness of the colostrum for the first couple of days & 2) I won't have to deal with anti FF midwives. My plan is to then switch to FF upon arrival home. Can anyone tell me if this could cause me any problems stopping BF just as my milk is coming in?

[N&L Mum]

With DS i tried BF for 2 days before i was told he would have to go to special care, the Midwifes spoke to me about the pros and cons and asked how long i wanted to BF for, i really only wanted to do it for the first 6wks, we spoke about it for 3hrs. DS did get the colostrum for 2days, i made the decision to FF and the midwifes were fine with it. DS had his first FF at 2am on his 3rd day into the world and he sucked the teet flat! So no i had no problems!

My milk came in on the day that i started FF OMG my (.)(.) were soooo sore.

[~Temet Nosce~]

That is what I am planning to do, not only because of the colostrum, but after having just had a baby I don't want to be faffing around with bottles and formula in hospital.
Not sure about the milk thing, it probably won't make a difference and your milk would come in either way, I just put up with the pain and kept pressure on them till it dried up.

[RedStar]

My bubs was FF from about 8 days due to problems and him being in the special care nursery. I didn't have many problems with my milk drying up as there wasn't much there anyway. I do remember a lady here who said you could be given something to dry up your milk to make it easier for you.

Regardless of their opinions midwives should support you either way and if they don't then you are within your rights to make a complaint against them. Your body, your baby.

Ask your GP if they can give you something if you don't feel comfortable asking the midwives.

Good luck :)

[Opinionated]

Breast feeding in hospital sounds like a good plan. Not only does your baby get the benefit of the colostrum, but breastfeeding helps your uterus to contract back down. Also, it keeps your options open. You might change your mind and decide you want to do it after all. I don't think it will be any more uncomfortable doing it this way. There is many ways to decrease your milk supply and relieve any discomfort you feel.

[Blueberry Crumble]

I gave colostrum and a bottle in hospital. It was easy because they already had little bottles prepared, and the midwives grabbed them for me through the night so I didnt haveto get out of bed, they were all really lovely

[AllBoys4Bessy]

DS2 was FF from day 2 in hospital. the Midwifes did not suport me in my dission but it was best for me at the time. My milk completely dried up after about 2 weeks and i didn't have much pain at all.

[Amara]

Yeah go with what you have planned.

Someone my mum knows left a private hospital last year the day after giving birth because of the anti FF midwives & lack of bottle preparation facilities. Basically the minute she announced that she was FFing the middies left her to her own devices, didn't even bring her water or anything so she just went home even though she had hoped to stay for a few days to rest before she went home to her other child.

[Annabella]

My old next door neighbour chose not to b/f, they gave her something at the hospital to stop her milk coming in straight away. I don't think she b/f at all. I think the midwives accepted her decision.

This is completely out of interest, I am pro-b/f but am not going to try and convince you to change your mind- just wondering why women choose to formula feed before they've had the baby, especially if you are open to the idea of b/f for the first few days in hospital.

I really am not trying to start a debate, just curious (I asked my neighbour and she just said the idea of it turned her off...).

[~Temet Nosce~]

It's a pity there are so many b!tchy midwives out there. I was never judged for needing to get a bottle the second night and they were very helpful about it all, and made me up 24 hours worth of formula etc.

to answer the last question, I had a lot of troubles with inverted/flat nipples (I say both because they do 'come out' but are flat when they do) with dd, and I just can't be bothered to be honest, bottle feeding is something I am happy to do and wanting to do.

[Noahmischiefsmum]

My ds was born and was in special care for 2 weeks, and i had to express and ff him, because he didn't have much sucking instinct.

i will never forget the midwives putting their hands all over my boobs and telling me i was doing it wrong. i ended up giving up, and although they were trying to make me bf, i couldn't and felt complete failure. ds' doctor ended up telling me there was nothing wrong with whatever feels comfortable.

we ended up going home and taking the time to properly bf. i mixed it with the ff, as i was low on supply. then i had to ff him fully once my milk stopped completely at 3 months. but ds is growing up beautifully. we smile and play everyday which im hoping means more than whether you choose to bf or not.

[Lil M]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm happier now sticking to my plan. If I have any problems with the milk drying up I now know that my GP may be able to help me out, otherwise Ill have to stick to the cabbage leaves!!:laughing: