I have a confession to make ::blushes:: I'm deathly afraid of formula. I know, it's weird. Yet, I can't seem to get over my panic over the powder. As I sit her typing, even thinking of switching over gives me anxiety. The weird thing is, I have absolutely NO JUDGEMENT over those that formula feed...not one bit...in fact, I am actually often envious of moms that FF, of their freedom, their much perkier boobs and the fact that they don't have to spend every free moment at work pumping. I absolutely long for the days I am not lugging my pump to and from work every.single.day. Yet here I am freaking out over switching over. What's my freaking problem??
B is now almost 9.5 months. We are still BF and I am still pumping at work (insert thumbs down here). However, I know the "end is near". I am TRYING...emphasis on "trying"...to prepare myself for the inevitable switch. I have 5 more gallon bags of frozen milk in my deep freezer (8-10 bottles each). We have just dipped into our September stash. What do I do...I start to have a full-on panic attack. I am unable to store anymore extra milk. That's the reality. Period. My body just can't produce like it used to. I can barely produce enough for a bottle for B everyday. So right now, B gets 1 fresh and 1 frozen bottle everyday with my MIL. But...the frozen stashes days are numbered...and formula is probably in our future. And then I'll start panicking over which formula to pick...ugh.
I was already mixing formula and BM with DS well before now, so why the irrational fear of doing the same with DD?? Anyone have suggestions, words of advice, encouragement, slaps into reality?? I'm really having a hard time with this, and I need to get over myself!!
If only....
I am not expert by any means but I would talk your DR. How long do you think your stash will last? If you can make it to 11 almost 12 months then I would just start on whole milk and not even worry about formula. I starte out with breast milk for the first month then went to formula for my daughter. We ran out 2 weeks before her 1st birthday. We had already introduced whole milk with meals so our pedi said not to worry about it and just go to whole milk. I will say it made the transition so easy. She took a little less milk at first, but quickly mastered the sippy cup and never looked back. It think it also helped with the transition to no bottle. Per our pedi we started offering a small amount of whole milk with meals at 9.5 months....not as her primary source at all but just to get her used to it. Talk to a dr...so what they say but don't stress about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen! I actually have a Dr appt today, so I'll definitely ask! My fear is that because she's barely on the charts for growth, they'll push me to do formula. But, it's worth a question for sure. I would love to try introducing with meals too in a sippy. Thanks for the advice!!!
ReplyDeleteTake a deep breath. My kid's been on formula since four weeks. Actually since she was NICU she got formula before she got anything else. As for picking, I like enfamil gentlease. Been using it for 9 months. Also when my supply was drying up (which is why we stopped) my OB put me on reglan to try to help increase my supply. It did not help me but it helped my friend! :) Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI have been dealing with this too. BTW, I visited from the TAT blog hop and started wandering around your blog. Anyway...I just wrote TWO posts about this very thing. The first one is a letter to my boobs, but not much of a pep talk: http://mommyinthemidwest.blogspot.com/2012/01/most-pathetic-boobs-ever.html
ReplyDeleteAnd the one after that is a follow up, just me rambling and trying to figure out why I feel like such a nursing failure just because my supply is tanking at 8.5 months. Take a moment and stop by if you'd like. I know you'll be able to relate.
I'm totally jealous that you have 5 gallon bags - I only have 1 and a half bags left and they won't last more than a couple more weeks. I am having to use one frozen bag every day that my baby goes to the sitter now. : (
It sounds like you have a lot stored. And remember that as your baby nears that one year mark, less milk is needed anyway. So, you might be able to push through.
ReplyDeleteNot that I'm against formula if that's a choice- my comment is only b/c of your fear. xo
I went through this with my youngest once I returned to work and was primarily pumping. I like Jen's idea to talk to your dr and see if you can switch to whole milk (although I did 2% (that's a whole other irrational conversation we can have at a later date, kay?). I'm with Shell; it sounds like you have a lot stored, at least maybe until she hits a year old. Try to calm down and let things unfold. I know, easier said than done.
ReplyDeleteMy DD was/is on the small side and we went right from breast milk to whole milk at 11 months without issue; and with approval from the doc. And when I say small side, she has never been more than in the tenth percentile for weight or height.
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