Expressed Milk and Formula…does it really work?
Question by meg_4220: I am the proud mom of a beautiful baby boy. He is one week old today! The only problem is extremely sore breasts, I breastfed for the first 4 days but by the 5th I was in so much pain I was nearly in tears at feeding time. So I decided to rent a Medela Symphony pump (yay hospital grade pumps, they are wonderful!) and supplement the rest with formula. I pump for a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes every 3 hours or less. And even when I feed him from the bottle most feedings are still done skin to skin with lots of eye contact. He is still a very happy baby and we have no major problems visible due to the formula.
Do you think I should pump more often to keep my milk supply? Or do you think this is enough. Any tips on keeping thtat milk suppy up there? I know it is early to not be offering him the breast but right now I have no other option. What are your opinions on my situation? And if you went through it, what did you do?
I have had lots of support and I have attended a breastfeeding clinic. Nurses have observed me feeding baby and he is latching, he has a very very strong suck to him. (2 different nurses have told me this). I am also very fair skinned which means very sensitive skin so my nipples are very sensitive. Even when I was not pregnant my nipples were often sore. So I know the latch is not the problem it is just my boobs and his strong latch.
Note: I still offer him the breast daily and grimace through the pain. But to do it for all feedings would just be torture. I would love to do it, but feeding should be a happy time. Not just painful.
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“I know it is early to not be offering him the breast but right now I have no other option”
Not true. The early pain should’ve been a tip-off that something wasn’t right — bad latch = pain. Good nursing = no pain.
GET HELP. It’s out there. Get baby back on the breast.
Don’t supplement with formula if you want to keep your baby on breast milk. (And formula doesn’t magically become risk-free just because baby is getting some breast milk.)
La Leche League:
How can you find a lactation consultant?
Your ‘nursing relationship’ is a mess right now and your odds of success with giving your baby breast milk for long are low IF you don’t get qualified help asap.
“we have no major problems visible due to the formula”
That is fallacious, specious reasoning.
“Keep in mind that formula does come with its own set of risks, and every mother needs to be aware of those so she can make a truly informed decision on whether to use it or not. The use of formula can, and often does, sabatage and/or shorten the nursing relationship, not to mention the various health risks…”
Put it this way: I have had a horrible, horrible cold for about a week now. I’m fevered, hacking up phlegm, sneezing everywhere, so stuffed my ears are ringing.
My breastfed daughter has coughed lightly a couple of times and that’s it. If she was artificially fed I’d be terrified of her getting the full-blown cold and turning it into pneumonia…
Formula = baby is at higher risk for illness, for hospitalization, for death — yes, even in 1st-world countries.
edit: please consider seeing somebody with good qualifications like a Leche League leader or a certified consultant. There’ve been discussions on here about the bad breastfeeding advice given out by nurses…
A nipple shield might be an option, and you should offer supplements via a ‘supplemental nursing system’ if you are in fact still nursing a bit — qualified help would’ve steered you in those directions and not straight to pumping all the time and not much else!
If you never put your baby on the breast, your milk will eventually keep lessening and lessening. This is because the pump, even if it’s hospital grade, would never be as efficient as a baby when it comes to sucking. Sucking is what stimulates milk production.
My suggestion is to consult with a lactation consultant. Nipple soreness is normal the first time you breastfeed, but it should only last 3-5 days and would eventually go away. If it doesn’t go away and continues to be intense, that means your baby is not latching on properly. Remember that the baby’s mouth should be around as much as the areola as possible (the dark skin around the nipple) and not just nipple.
I breastfed my son for 12 months and am currenly breastfeeding my 9 month old twins. Even today, if my twins unlatch and relatch and only get the nipple inside their mouth, I can tell you that it’s painful. It’s my cue to unlatch then and get them back on correctly.
I think you are pumping enough to maintain your supply. I fed my 1st baby pumped milk and pumped about as much as you are. Don’t worry about giving formula your baby is still getting extras from your milk even if it is coming from a bottle not your breast. Ignore people who insist you must try latching again. Clearly you had trouble doing it and you shouldn’t be forced if it is painful for you. I don’t know about you but these ‘holier than thou’ im the best mum in the world because i breastfeed mums really irritate me.
For the record i do fully breastfeed but don’t believe that it is for everyone.
I would recommend pumping every time your baby eats to keep up your milk supply. I feel your pain – I struggled with breast feeding the first time around. I had so much pain, cracked bleeding nipples, etc. I had always read that it shouldn’t hurt and if it did you were doing it wrong, but I went to a lactation consultant 3 times – and they couldn’t see anything wrong. We were doing it perfectly. In the end they finally just decided that my little one had an extremely powerful suck. It helped once I started pumping when I got back to work, it gave my nipples a break. I also used Lansinoh cream on my nipples after every feeding, it’s pretty thick, so rub it between your fingers before trying to apply it. There’s also no need to wipe it off before your baby nurses. They also have breast shields that you can put over your nipple and the baby nurses through that. I would recommend going to your doctor – or a midwife if there is one – mine gave me a free pack of shields to try. Also, check your baby’s mouth – are there any white spots? Maybe your baby has thrush, which can get onto your nipples, making nursing very painful. The doctor can also treat both you and baby if that’s the case. I wish you the best!
Breastfeeding is tough! You really don’t realise that until you try it yourself (I Know when I was pregnant I thought “how hard can it be”) It is not always easy to get bub latching correctly, and that HURTS. I have been through the same thing, I tried nipple shields but couldn’t even get them to work lol. Ask a midwife or lactation consultant for help to get bub latching properly. I kept trying & didn’t want to admit to how much it really did hurt – until my husband told the visiting midwife that I cried everytime I fed our son. I felt like I was a failure & was doing something wrong – until the midwife told me that it took her 2 weeks to get her first baby to feed properly – so it happens to lots of people!!
I would really try to avoid the formula if possible, there are several different positions for feeding so it may just be a case of finding what works for you and bub. Please don’t be afraid to ask for help, get someone to give you ‘hands on’ help so that you can get bub doing his thing the right way! Nipples heal very quickly so once you find the problem & fix it it won’t hurt anymore & bubby can get what is best for him!
If you do decide to continue expressing + formula, make sure you drink plenty of water, stay relaxed & pump after each feed. At the end of the day though, do what you feel is right, and don’t let people tell you what is right and wrong. Ultimately, as long as your baby is fed and loved, he will be fine
All the best with your new little man!
The pain will go away, mine did by week 3. You have to put the baby to the breast as often as they want to at this time. Supplementing with formula and pumping is just setting you up for disaster and your milk supply will suffer. The baby tells your body how much milk he needs. It isn’t going to hurt forever and the pain will go away and it is 100% worth it.
Hi Meg, Congratulations on the safe arrival of your little boy.
Sounds like your doing a great job at ensuring your baby gets as much breast milk as you can given the condition of your nipples. Expressed breast milk is better than no breast milk. Sounds like it is a latching problem that is causing you such discomfort. I had very sore nipples the first week of breastfeeding I thought my attachment was fine and that my nipples just needed to toughen up. It turned out that my attachment was slightly off given the size of my daughters mouth once I learnt to get her on properly the pain went away. It was amazing. Fortunately I haven’t had a problem since and really enjoy breast feeding my daughter. Your early childhood nurse should be able to help or you can contact the Breast feeding Association. The Lansinoh cream that CJ mentioned is fantastic just keep putting it on it won’t hurt the baby and it really helps those cracked nipples heal.
Your body will only produce as much milk as required so the more you pump the more you make just remember to keep your fluids up.
Ultimately whether you choose to breast feed, express and bottle feed or formula feed remember at the end of the day your baby is getting fed and your doing the best thing you can given the circumstances.
Good luck and enjoy the wonderful experience of motherhood.
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