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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Formula feeding straightaway

73 replies

Tea1Sugar · 27/10/2013 06:27

This isn't my decision I'm just wondering. If you for eff straightaway what happens to your milk when it comes in? Do you still have to pump to stop them getting engorged?

OP posts:

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MakeHayIsAWhaleNow · 27/10/2013 09:44

Is anyone firing anything? Why so defensive? Weird....

A warm shower can help with sore engorged boobs, expressing a little bit just to take the tightness off won't stimulate too much. Comfortable clothes - go topless in the house if you can. Paracetamol if it's very sore, watch out for heat/red lines/lumps etc.

MrsSchadenfreude · 27/10/2013 09:48

I FF DD2 from the start - my milk didn't come in for 6 days. I "EBF" DD1, didn't realise she wasn't getting anything, she got dehydrated and jaundiced and went back to hospital for fluids. I was advised to FF DD2 from the start to avoid this happening again. I did mixed feeding when the milk did eventually come in.

Locketjuice · 27/10/2013 09:49

Your milk comes in still not as much though, and you just ignore your impressive rack
I have a bf baby and a eff

ThedementedPenguin · 27/10/2013 09:59

I ff. I wasn't treated any differently by midwives.

My experience:

My milk came in around day 5. My breasts were very hot and sore, I just took paracetamol if needed. I wore a slightly tighter bra as the less movement the better. I also recommend cold cabbage leaves. I broke the cabbage up, washed it and put in fridge. When you can smell the cabbage you need to change it. It helps.

Also I found I leaked a few times so I always kept breast pads near me. Although on a few occasions I forgot and leaked through my t shirt.

After about a week tops I was back to normal.

ThedementedPenguin · 27/10/2013 10:00

Does anyone want to give me their account on ebf as I am considering it for baby 2?

HandragsAndGladbags · 27/10/2013 10:03

Don't let water fall onto you breasts in the shower - it makes them worse. You need to get used to showering with your back to the water for a couple of days.

Cool helps stop milk production, hence cold cabbage leaves or I used frozen breast pads.

GinGinGin · 27/10/2013 10:06

What do you want to know penguin? Still bfing a 1yr old here. Might be worth starting your own thread though

Mumof3xx · 27/10/2013 10:10

I was treated differently by midwives on the ward after having my ds1 and choosing to ff. I was basically ignored. While they faffed around the bf mums. Yes I know bf mums need help with latch etched but no one even told me where the toilet was or offered me patacetamol for cramps

After having my third baby I also had my gp roll her eyes at me and lecture me at my choice of ff

SomethingOnce · 27/10/2013 10:18

Nobody told me where the loo was either. I imagine they just assumed I'd ask if I couldn't find one of the many loos in the hospital.

GeraldineFangedVagine · 27/10/2013 10:20

When I had ds I lost a lot of blood and had many transfusions. It meant I didn't produce milk straight away, plus I had a ga after he was born and was generally just really ill. I was readmitted and he stayed with dp overnight as we ff right from the beginning. Milk came a week later but we kept ff, think it was sore for three or four days. As said before midwives were horrible to me though, said DS wouldn't love me if I didn't bf. My hb was 3.4.

StrawberryGashes · 27/10/2013 10:29

I ff right from the start as I had to go on medication straight away after birth. My milk came in but I left it and didn't express. I was sore for a few days and leaked a bit but eventually my milk dried up and I wasn't so swollen.

StrawberryGashes · 27/10/2013 10:37

I bf with dc1 and ff with dc2 and was treated the same by midwives and doctors too, I was worried about being looked down on for ff but it was fine.

GinGinGin · 27/10/2013 11:08

That's awful Geraldine, really awful. I'm all for encouraging mums to bfeed, but to say that your child won't love you if you don't bfeed is just despicable.

emmac3616 · 28/10/2013 08:49

Those who had decided to FF from the outset - did you write it on your birth plan / notes or just tell them after the delivery?

Mumof3xx · 28/10/2013 08:51

I didn't do a birth plan I just told them in delivery room

I've had 3 dc and never been asked for my birthing plan my hospital just seem to ask you questions that would if been on there

daisywaisydoo · 28/10/2013 09:04

I FF from the start and they just asked after I'd given birth if I was planning on breast or formula, told them formula and they went and got a selection without even trying to push me into anything :)

Sometimes I wish I'd given it a go but I know in the long run it just wouldn't have been for me :(

But yes, just ignored the hot rocklike boobs! Hardest part I found was getting to sleep! It hurt to lay on my side, hurt on my back from the sore heaviness

shrieklesoda · 28/10/2013 09:15

I ff right from the start with dc2 (after a horrendous attempt at bf dc1). Throughout my pregnancy I had no changes to my breasts, and after ds was born I had absolutely no sensation of milk coming in, no becoming engorged, no discomfort in my breasts at all, it was as if the rest of my body had gone through pregnancy but my breasts hadn't. It was quite strange actually (had experienced all these things as normal with dc1) but actually mentally it was helpful as it left me feeling more certain of my decision to ff.

emmac3616 · 28/10/2013 09:24

daiywaisydoo where did you have your baby? They seem very nice! I know what you mean, I feel I should give it a go but I know for so many reasons it's not for me / my husband. How long did the hot rocklike boobs last?!!!

shriekklesoda wonder why that was? did the doctor say why?!

Mumof3xx · 28/10/2013 09:39

Emmac if it's not for you it's not for you! Don't push yourself into it to please others

emmac3616 · 28/10/2013 09:46

Mumof3xx THANK YOU SO MUCH! :-)

ShowOfBloodyStumps · 28/10/2013 09:47

emmac, I hope you've complained about all the NHS midwives you've met. I am very fortunate in that locally, the hospital and community midwives are equally supportive of bfing and ffing when the choice is what the mother wants. Or not fortunate I suppose. Things are as they should be. I know 7 years ago this wasn't the case but actually my experience was the other way round. On a busy postnatal ward, they preferred you to formula feed as it required less work (overstaffed and ill-trained, all changed now). I do think if a woman is ffing from the outset, it's probably important that the midwife establishes why she is doing this but beyond that a hcp is there to support not judge where infant feeding is concerned.

I must say as well, I've never been shown where the toilets are in a hospital. I just got up and looked or asked and where drugs are concerned, again you were expected to ask. None of this was anything to do with feeding choices. It's so emotive though. Same as with method of delivery. When you're feeling vulnerable or fragile already and not having 'achieved' the 'best' for your baby, each encounter becomes riddled with potential for hurt. I know it's a mistake I've made myself. Of course there are still cases where women are roundly judged and criticised and it is in those situations where we should be standing up and making a fuss but then you are at your most vulnerable and it's often the hardest thing in the world.

These threads do always introduce the bfing v ffing argument which is why I've never started a thread asking about what happens if you don't bf. I've seen it too many times. It's a ruddy shame because it's almost never the case that a poster on here is being so reductive and even if s/he was, we should be attacking that instead of setting up defensive tactics before anybody's even engaged with the innocent question.

Mumof3xx · 28/10/2013 09:49

The way I see it there are far worse things you can do than give your baby formula!

ShowOfBloodyStumps · 28/10/2013 09:54

There are worse things you can do than give your baby formula yes. Not give them formula. Where feeding a baby is concerned, the two issues are that the baby is being adequately fed and the mother is being supported to make the right choice for her and her baby. It is important that health care professionals make sure that a pregnant mother is aware of her choices and is making a free choice. This is where the key difference lies in setting out your stall before birth. A bfing mother will state she intends to bf and should be offered support for this. A ffing mother will state she intends to ff and I think there is probably an element of questioning about the decision. She should never, ever feel attacked or undermined though.

Frecklesandspecs · 28/10/2013 11:01

Its a shame there is even a debate. There shouldn't have to be. if a mother is not capabke of deciding how to feed her child without intervention or questions, God knows if she is capable of being trusted to take the baby home with her.
I find it all very patronising and nanny - state ish......

.....where this does happen.
I would hope in the majority of cases experiences like this do not but I am aware they definately happen.

Frecklesandspecs · 28/10/2013 11:05

I do agree though that if a mother wants to breastfeed she may well need support for it and that should be readily available.

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