Help and advice with bottle feeding

[HenryandMoo2]

Hello,

I've joined to ask this question!

We are expecting our third child. We always wanted 3 😁. I managed to successfully exclusively Breastfeed the first two. I never imagined I wouldn't do the same for the third. However, since #2 I've started with SSRI's to help manage anxiety and symptoms of PTSD. I have made the decision to not take them during pregnancy due to the unknown risks and the fact that baby would go through a withdrawal. Life without the help from the medication is NOT fun however I am DETERMINED to go the distance without them for the benefit of 'bean'. It's a short term discomfort for long term benefit.

Also for the benefit of 'bean' (myself, children & husband too!) I think it's important I start taking them again as soon as possible after birth. Which would make breastfeeding ill-advised.

So here's the thing. How do you not breastfed. I actually don't know what to do. When do you give that first bottle. Call me stupid but me hearts breaking at the thought of it! (Breastfeeding has been so important but I don't want Mat leave to be a living hell and I need to be functional for my family - they don't deserve the unmedicated version!)

I have thought about breastfeeding for the first 6mths but I honestly don't think it's sensible for me to delay restarting with SSRI's. I also think starting and then giving up feels like a wrench too far (emotionally).

So come on ladies that know... how does it work?!

How do you know how much to feed them and when (everything was always on demand - plug baby into a boob!)

What do you do with giant leaky boobies when milk comes it?!

And if anyone has any recommendations on kit that would be amazing (boobies were low maintenance! No sterilising unit or bottles required 🙈)

Much love and thanks in advance that to anyone that takes the time to read and respond.

Xxx

I also breastfed my 2 children, so can’t offer any advice about newborn feeding in particular, but I just wanted to say that I hope bottle feeding works out smoothly for you and baby. It sounds like you’re making really positive decisions for your family, so please don’t feel heartbroken! When I was on the ward after giving birth, some women were bottle feeding and the midwives were fully supportive and helped them a lot, so that should solve the first feed questions. Could you have a chat with a midwife or breastfeeding councillor prior to giving birth? I think tommy tippee do a newborn starter pack of bottles and I think you can buy ready mixed bottles with teats for hospital, if that’s the most convenient option. Best of luck.

Yeah I bf mine too although dc2 did have a couple bottles of formula. I just took what they had in the hospital. It was a ready made one. I read some good advice On here though and it said go with the brand that your local corner shop stocks so if you are ever stuck... they are all nutritionally the same so I've heard. Maybe go with the cheapest? Or a brand that does ready made so you have that option too!

I would maybe feed baby for a couple days so they get colostrum? You could combi feed for a week? I certainly wouldn't delay in giving the bottle though as you want them to take it and not reject it!

Good luck!

Hello. Congratulations. I only FF first DC and EBF second. This is what I would do as a rough plan.

A) straight after birth give baby boob feed of colostrum
B) keep boob feeding on demand until you take your meds again. This might be on the same day I guess
C) once taking meds again, formula feed on demand. I recommend getting some ready made bottles for hospital and the first few days (weeks even) ah home. Making formula safely and correctly is mega faff.
D) just feed on demand like you do breast. I fed on demand, but offered it after 3 hours max if not demanded for the first few weeks. After a few weeks I fed every 3 hours in day time until weaning, except at night, when I just let her sleep and fed when she awoke.
E) if you move to powder formula, remember golden rule. The formula itself is not sterile. So it’s HAS to be added to water over 70 degrees. You will get loads of people saying they added to cooked boiled water and it was fine. But there is a risk attached to this.

Good luck OP, enjoy your baby

First bottle was given not long after birth, can’t remember exactly. Tiny amounts at first though as they’ll make themselves ill because they don’t know when to stop sucking. Take a formula starter pack to the hospital as you won’t be able to sterilise there. I used Hipp Organic and got the starter pack directly from them.
I stocked up on ready made for the first few days at home and then switched to the perfect prep machine which I cannot reccomend enough. We used Mam anti colic bottles and they sterilise in the microwave without needing a selerate steriliser.
Feed on demand initially but you’ll probably find baby gets into a routine of feeding every 3-4 hours without you having to do much.
As for the boobs, to suppress wear a regular bra with a sports bra over the top at all times, only take them off to replace instantly with a clean one. When you shower keep the bras on and as much as possible keep warm water away. Taking decongestants like Sudafed can help dry up your supply and definitely have ibuprofen for the pain. And I can’t explain why but cabbage leaves straight from the fridge provide instant relief. Your milk will come in and go again within 2-3 days. Personally I had no leaking but to warn you, it was the most painful part of my post-natal recovery and I had a c-section.

Re; cabbage leaves. When my daughter went on a boob strike, I found they worked even better from the freezer. Only issue is they absolutely stank as they warmed up. Threw that bra away...

Best of luck to you, it sounds like you've made a really considered decision.

I’ve recently had to give up breastfeeding my dd at 5 weeks as I got put on anticoagulant tablets which aren’t safe to take when breastfeeding. My breasts hurt for about 4 days and I was pumping just enough off to make them comfortable. Plus using breast pads from the freezer helped lots! They now no longer hurt nearly 2 weeks later and don’t leak anymore. They do if I squeeze my nipple but not spontaneously. We invested in the perfect prep machine by Tommy tippee. It’s amazing! If it broke tomorrow I’d go and buy a new one straight away.

There are drugs you can take while breastfeeding. Have you asked about alternatives you could safely take?

Wow that was quick! Thanks so much.

Slightly worried about the formula not being sterile. Would a 'perfect prep' machine help with that, ie ensure water temp is correct?... Google here I come!

And Sudafed you say to 'dry up'?!

Sounds like it's painful if you BF or not. I always said I'd rather go through the labour again than first bit of BF 😭

I just want to feel really confident and prepared for feeding this baby. I want to know I'm doing it all right and have everything I need.

Saying it out loud (writing it down!), I think is helping me process the decisions I'm making and even helping that to settle in (unexpected benefit!)

It's going to be bumpy emotionally so I'll be dammed if I'm getting caught out without a 'prefect prep' machine to boot! 😂

Xxxx

Perfect prep does make it easier. There's a lot of mums don't like them and some arguments on here about safety/sterile-ness.

The majority of mums I know use them and have had no issues. I happily used one and would do so again. Definitely rely on pre-made for a few weeks if you can afford it to reduce the initial hassle.

Some SSRIs are safe to take in breastfeeding. I had sertraline and citalopram. Check out the breastfeeding network for safe drugs. I currently take fluoxetine but this isn't recommended with a newborn. My LO is 4 and only feeds at bedtime and has been fine.
For me, not being able to breastfeed would have destroyed me mentally. I've breastfed all 3 children and doing so helped my mental health.

There are safe antidepressants to take when pregnant too. Please get yourself some good advice from a medical professional.

Congratulations on your pregnancy

In response Re - safe medication & BF

No medication is researched on pregnant or breastfeeding mums (for obvious reasons!) so there is no solid research or evidence to suggest either way. The rule of thumb is that 'older drugs' those that have been available longer are better understood (still no formal research/data) and so are the better option if you do need to take them.

It's a case of weighing up the benefit v's risk and making a choice. If a lady were to become 'non-functional' without her medication she may need to accept that risk. Fortunately for me (thank god!) we are not in that position.

The tipping point (decision wise) for me was the concern of 'extra' serotonin, a developing brain and future mental health & wellbeing of child. (But those concerns are not founded in research either! Those are my fears)

(Hope these discussions are not a 'trigger' for anyone. I appreciate this is beyond bottle feeding and into the realms of some serious topics)

Thanks again to everyone taking the time to read and contribute.

Xxx

@SparklySneakers I was taking Citalopram and was advised against it. Like you, not breastfeeding is heartbreaking. It's a real rock and a hard place to be. If you don't mind my asking, did you take it in pregnancy? Where you taking Citalopram from birth?

I was advised to take citalopram following a very serious traumatic event purely because it was one of the safest to take during my subsequent pregnancy and breastfeeding - the emotional benefits to me during my pregnancy from taking it far outweighed the risks, and it was an incredibly anxious pregnancy even so.
If it's better for your mental health to keep taking citalopram, knowing how long it can take to wind them down, and then start again, why don't you speak to your consultant and GP for advice, it could be better for you to keep taking them.

In practical terms of bottle feeding though, don't buy everything from one brand until you know what your baby likes.
I switched to formula feeding as DD was in NICU for the first week or so and was tube fed then bottles, so harder to switch so I expressed for ages, then added the odd feed of formula, but she was obvs used to feeling from bottles.
Used a cold water steriliser, kept a jug of water in the fridge to help cool bottles when she was v hungry! And took a flask of boiling water both out with us in the day and also up to bed, the a sterilised bottle and a pre-measured amount of formula.
The good thing about bottle feeding is that you know exactly how much they have had, so roughly how long it should last (that could also be from the time in NICU/NNU too though!)

When the baby is first born and you are cuddling them, just introduce a bottle fairy quickly and most babies take to it straight away.

You will leak milk for maybe 2-3 weeks, but breast pads always soak it up for me and nipple cream stops any soreness.

It's not what you wanted, but it will be absolutely fine!

No I didn't take in pregnancy as didn't need it at that point but would have done if I'd needed to.
There are choices of SSRI which are suitable during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I suggest you talk to someone knowledgable about the subject. But if you don't want to breastfeed then don't. It's very rare for a drug to prevent breastfeeding as normally alternatives and breastfeeding in my opinion is far too important for both baby and mother to be prevented unnecessarily.
Good luck

And just to point out: there's plenty of research out there and knowledgable medical and breastfeeding professionals. Are you in the UK?

I breastfeed/express for my 4.5 month old Son and I am on Sertraline. Dr Wendy Jones is well known for her knowledge on drugs suitable during breastfeeding.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/antidepressants%2520and%2520breastfeeding.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj7loXZta3hAhUwAGMBHYzuDYkQFjAKegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2OgqCIRoYYqogmHJ0MFXhX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/antidepressants%2520and%2520breastfeeding.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj7loXZta3hAhUwAGMBHYzuDYkQFjAKegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2OgqCIRoYYqogmHJ0MFXhX

Am mixed feeding and found starting with formula totally overwhelming. Kit I have that works:
Milton cold steriliser
Perfect prep (worth EVERY penny)
Mam bottles
Powder formula
Ready made bottles you can buy in supermarket for out and about - you need to decant into sterilised bottle before use.

My ds was almost totally on formula for four weeks at the start due to bf problems. To be honest he just let me know when he’d had enough, it was easy to tell and his weight gain was normal.

I’d ask the breastfeeding network. Most drugs pass through to b/m in amounts so tiny they are barely detectable, if at all. I’d bet good money it’s better for your baby to b/feed (if you want too) whilst taking drugs than have formula.

Okay. I think I've realised two thing.

1. I think I have to BF
2. I'm doing utter shite without the meds and I need to go back to the docs and have another discussion

Thanks everyone for the input. X

You don't have to BF unless you want to. If you want to fab, but if you don't, that's fine too. Whatever works for you and your family, baby will be fine on either. I would personally try to do the colostrum breastfeeds on day 1-2 if you can before you restart your meds if possible.

If you do choose to FF, a perfect prep is worth its weight in gold, and the little bottles of ready made that come with teats are also great for the first few weeks when baby takes tiny feeds (10ml/20ml ish for the first day or two per feed then increases). I second the PP that said don't buy loads of one type of bottle initially, babies take to one better than another usually. We've found Dr Browns vented the best, but other babies like other bottles.

Hope you find what works for you, definitely worth speaking to your doctor about feeding and medication if it's what you want.

Whatever you choose to do will be the right decision for you and your family, clearly made out of love. As a teacher, thought I am aware of breast is best, I honestly couldn’t look at any class and tell you which babies were FF.

If you do FF, this is my advice (FWIW):

• Take a starter pack to hospital for ease. Choose milk that’s readily available at your nearest supermarket but be prepared to change if it doesn’t agree with baby.
• I fed on demand at start, but offered every three hours if not demanded (only in the day!) and she quickly got herself into a three-hourly routine.
• Ready made milk is a lifesaver during the ‘on demad’ stage.
• Perfect Prep machine is also a lifesaver.
• Buy a couple of different bottles to see which baby prefers. Mam bottles are self-sterilising.
• If you can afford it, ready made milk is awesome for when out and about.

Hope all goes ok. I’m on Citalopram and just didn’t dare bf for that reason. Personal choice.