Mixed feeding?

[FartnissEverbeans]

Hi everyone.

My DS was EFF from birth as I really, really didn’t want to bf (I have reasons which I won’t go into). It worked well for us but in the country where we live there can be occasional issues with formula supply which caused me a lot of stress and upset. I don’t imagine Covid has helped with that. Baby isn’t going to starve or anything but my son had specialist formula which could be hard to get hold of.

I’m currently pregnant with DS2 and considering doing a bit of mixed feeding to give me peace of mind. I’m really not keen but willing to try. However, I absolutely don’t want to exclusively bf and I absolutely do not want to pump.

The hospital I’ll be giving birth in calls itself ‘baby friendly’ and it’s worrying me a lot. They told me they won’t provide any bottles or milk - if baby needs supplementation it would be with a syringe or a cup - and I think I’ll be under a bit of pressure to do things that make me very uncomfortable. I don’t want anyone to see my breasts except my husband, for example. Last time I had an appointment I tried to talk to the nurses about it and they made such judgemental faces at each other that I cried in the taxi all the way home (I didn’t expect to feel like that about it and I’m not usually someone who cries!). We’ll be taking our own bottles and formula to hospital but basically I want to be left alone with my husband to figure things out and see how it goes in privacy.

Of course, because I didn’t bf my son I don’t know anything about it so I don’t even know if what I want is realistic. Will I be able to mixed feed from birth? Am I going to have supply issues? Will we even be able to work out what to do? I know it’s supposed to be natural but it sounds so hard.

Also, last time I gave birth I experienced no changes to my breasts at all - no engorgement, no leaking, nothing. They stayed exactly the same so I’m assuming my milk didn’t come in. Maybe that was psychological and it’ll be different next time? Or should I expect to have issues this time?

Thanks - I feel like I have this huge dark cloud looming over me at the moment (as if childbirth wasn’t enough - last time was awful) so any guidance is appreciated.

Don’t put yourself through breastfeeding if you don’t want to, and by the sounds of you don’t. It’s absolutely fine not to bf, the most important thing is you are happy and the baby is fed. Why not just buy a couple of tubs of formula a week now and once the baby is here you’ll have accumulated a good back up?

It's been a while since I went through the baby phase but I distinctly remember the pressure to breastfeed was huge but a few years later literally no one cares. No-one. As long as your baby is fed it really doesn't matter how. Just be bolshy and clear with anyone who asks that it's your choice thank you. You'll never see the nurses in the hospital again once you leave so their opinions are irrelevant. I found it staggering just how much women get judged from the moment you're pregnant onwards but growing a hard outershell helps. Stay strong.

We used a syringe and cup in hospital. This was as we were trying to BF and they help to establish that (late milk and tongue tie)

You could take the pre made bottles with teets in