Breastfeeding vs formula

[Keyboard91]

I have a medical condition that means I will need to be on medication within 2 weeks of birth which will mean I cannot breastfeed from that point.

I always had the ‘I’m going to breastfeed’ dream and if it wasn’t for my disability, we’d be planning on BF from day 1. However, knowing that the longest I’ll be able to do it is 2 weeks, and that it may well be less than that, I’m now in two minds.

I’ve read a lot about how it takes time for it to establish etc and unfortunately I just won’t have that time (as in I will have less than 2 weeks). I’ve also read that unless you are actively feeding then expressing is very difficult and unproductive.

Has anyone got any advice? This is my first baby so it’s not something I have any experience of. I just want to do the best I can for him.

I’m also at high risk of a C-Section if that has any bearing?

I’m fully aware breast is best so please don’t hammer that in and make me feel any worse than I already do. And I am sure I can’t BF with the medication. It’s nasty stuff, caused at least 1 of my 2 MCs ... but it keeps me alive and able to walk so is a necessary evil.

Thank you in advance :)

Colostrum (the liquid you produce in the first 3-ish days) is particularly beneficial to the baby, apparently. Lots of women just feed colostrum and then stop. Would you consider that?

Two weeks of feeding would be great, but also keep in mind that stopping suddenly after your milk is in can be uncomfortable - get some advice and support with that.

Fed is best. Don’t beat yourself up or feel bad. Don’t let anyone else give you a hard time either.

When you look at my toddler and all her friends running around at soft play, they’re all healthy, happy and developing well. Some of them were breastfed, others were on formula and bottle-fed. You can’t tell the difference because there isn’t one in my experience (and my mum friends would agree).

I hope it all goes well for you. x

If you can provide breast milk for two weeks you’ll be giving your child your great start.

The best thing you can do is to feed your baby and enjoy it. Don't beat yourself up if you can't breast feed . Like PP said, look at a bunch of kids and you'd never know how any of them were fed - your child will be happy and healthy no matter what you feed it. Personally I'd go with formula from day 1 , since starting / stopping is really uncomfortable for you. But do what suits you - you'll be fine.

I think quite a lot of people give the colostrum and then move on. My impression is that it's good to do that if you can but don't worry about it too much. My baby didn't feed well initially and I spent the first week in hospital just hand squeezing my milk into 10 and 20ml syringes. They have tiny tummies at the start! That wasn't hard to do at all. I think the only thing with a c section is it could delay your milk coming in but it all depends and is hard to predict. Good luck! It will be fine.

Do what you can if you want to. Colostrum is important, food is important - the rest, well we all just get by and do what we can
Good luck and enjoy your baby and being a mummy

You don't have any milk for the first few days and as pp have said you have colostrum which is a yellow substance and you only make tiny amounts of it but obviously that is enough for your baby. Colostrum is packed with antibodies and protection for the baby so it's definitely worth feeding that until the milk comes in. You could then switch to bottle. I had 2 c sections neither effected my ability to breastfeed.

How about doing some antenatal colostrum harvesting? You could store whatever you are able to collect (may be very tiny amounts but it’s very nutritious and full of antibodies) in the freezer and give this to baby in the first day(s). This would take the pressure off you to actually express or breastfeed after baby is born if you don’t want to, but baby would still benefit from some colostrum. Or you could bottle feed and just occasionally squeeze a little bit of colostrum onto babies lips or onto your finger and rub it into babies mouth in the first few days.

Many of the benefits of breastfeeding are to do with skin to skin contact, eye contact and interactions with your baby, and these can be mimicked whilst bottle feeding. Look into paced feeding, skin to skin, and baby wearing.

Fed is best however you and your baby do that is up to you. I am planning on breastfeed for first few days/a week if I can for the colostrum as our antenatal teacher said it was like ‘liquid gold’ even the smallest amounts are hugely beneficial. After that I’m switching to formula because it’s my decision and I have made an informed choice. If you don’t want to breastfeed at all due to those drugs would you consider trying to express even hand express colostrum to help baby a long a bit and settle your feelings around breastfeeding and now not being able to? Good luck

Colostrum is amazing stuff, so so important for their little bodies. If you can give this then you will be giving your baby the best start.
Fed is not best, all the research states that. Breast milk is the best for babies, formula is the only other option so second best. I really don’t know why people still say ‘fed is best’ in this day and age. Good luck OP.

"I really don’t know why people still say ‘fed is best’ in this day and age.*

Because for some (many) women, including OP, formula feeding is not a choice, and there's no point in making them feel like shit about something they can't change.

I know several women whose guilt over formula feeding made a major contribution to their post natal depression. Breastfeeding is nice but it's not worth sacrificing your mental health for.

Because, @TwinkleStars15, formula is perfectly safe and you have to consider the health/wishes of the mother. They are just as important.

OP, I BF for 5 days and then switched for a number of reasons but it included because I needed to change medications. No issues at all and I know lots of people who did the same.

Fed is best is what I go by. I tried so hard with breastfeeding but having big boobs and small nipples meant I had an awkward set up and my baby was struggling to latch he was losing weight not gaining colour and I was exhausted due to lack of sleep. After 4 days I decided that it was better for my child to be fed than for me to keep up with the dream of breastfeeding. Do what ever is best for you and your child x x x

I’ve also read that unless you are actively feeding then expressing is very difficult and unproductive

Just in case this impacts your decision in anyway, this really isn't true. I exclusively express for my 5 month old who was unable to feed directly from me for various reasons.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and good luck with whatever you decide regarding feeding.

Hi OP, don't feel guilty.
You're doing your best, whatever you choose to do.
If you think you'd like to breastfeed for as long as possible (ie 2 weeks or less), and need advice on that (as well as avoiding mastitis when stopping), there are some breastfeeding Facebook groups (I'm on "Breastfeeding Guidance and Support UK" and found it really helpful). Also, do you have breastfeeding support groups local to you you could go to for advice?
Good luck!

Two weeks is better than none.

Yes, you can bf for two weeks or less, many women do. You can also express as much as you feel able in those 2 weeks and keep that milk in the freezer for your baby to have after you have stopped bf. You will probably need to express some milk and throw it out for a little while after you are back on your meds, slowly reducing how much you express, otherwise you may get mastitis.

You don't really need it to 'establish' if you can't possibly feed past 2 weeks so I wouldn't worry about that. Just feed baby for the first few days and they get the colostrum. After that play it a little by how it goes. If it's easy continue but slowly start to introduce bottles so you aren't suddenly stoping, if it's a struggle then probably not worth persevering.

Your baby will be fine and so will you.

I have four very good friends: one of whom desperately wanted to breast fed and one of whom absolutely didnt want to, the third friend was not so committed either way and did start breast feeding and then stopped pretty soon and the fourth also quite committed to breast feeding started but stopped as difficulties and painful nipples which made her so sad at the time. The one who never breast fed just had her breast pads and it only lasted a little while and a little leakage but no real issues and similarly with the other two.

Sadly, the baby of the most keen to breastfeed mum had to have a very special diet and wasn't able to have mum's milk and that was upsetting, as like for you the choice was gone ... but the good news all the babies were beautiful, healthy, happy. It's one of those things at the time is a big issue, but as your little one grows and develops there are so many other things to take your mind from fixating on this.

Good luck.

hello, I read a book by a lady called Rebecca Fett called Brain Health from Birth (She wrote another book that is literally considered a bible on the infertility boards, so I ended up getting her other one too). Despite the title it's really about various aspects of health and early development and there's a good chapter on formula in there giving various tips for ingredients to look for. Eg apparently whey protein is the most easily digestable and similar to breast milk - I always try to avoid whey in protein shakes etc, so I found this interesting. The author's position is that if you choose the right formula, the difference between breast fed and formula fed is really tiny. X

@Keyboard91 I had an ELCS at 37 weeks and have had no milk issues so section doesn't mean you will automatically have difficulty. I harvested colostrum for about 10 days before and took it with me to hospital. Section was Thursday afternoon and milk came in overnight Saturday/Sunday. I started pumping on the Sunday as we had latch issues (ongoing but improving at 4 weeks) but have had no issues pumping and feeding.

Given you were set on BF if it wasn't for your health issues, I'd say it's probably worth trying it for as long as you can. As others have said, colostrum is good for a newborn (it helps to get their bowels moving and prevent jaundice).

Good luck OP, whatever you decide will be the right thing for your family. 👍

@TwinkleStars15 because some people like the OP or indeed others who have reasons as to why they can’t breast feed should not be made to feel that they are offering their baby ‘second best’ it is not conducive to the mothers mental well being and baby will also pick up on stress felt by mother so anything to relieve that can only be a good thing

I'm feeding my 20month old still after csection and honestly in your position I'd feed the colostrum for the first 2 to 3 days then stop. The first few weeks are very hard and if it's not beneficial to build up a supply I'd save yourself that battle.

Breast isn't best.

Fed is best.

I'd say in your situation, just ff from the start. I did that with dd1 and she has thrived perfectly well (now 6).

Don't put pressure on yourself for two weeks.

Please contact one of the bf helplines and have a chat, it may well be, that the medication you need to take is fine. Many medical professionals are not well informed re bf and medication. If you can post the name of the drug here I may be able to give you more information. You can also check yourself on elactanacia