Breastfeeding vs formula

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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 :)

Have you discussed this with a fetal consultant? I was also supposed to be on meds that are contraindicated during bf- but after asking (begging) for options, my consultant at the hospital managed to arrange a private prescription for a drug not routinely available in the UK let alone the NHS. That was safe.

So it seems some people don’t like the term “breast is best” How about breast is not best, breast is natural. Fed is necessary. Informed and supported is best.
Whichever way you chose to look at it, breastmilk is designed for infants, it’s what is biologically normal. No one said that formula wasn’t an acceptable option, and can absolutely helps some mothers, but it is not the recommended option, and never will be.

I’d give it a whirl if it’s what you’ve always wanted to try. From personal experience though, I found those first two weeks the hardest even 2nd time round with my daughter after I’d ebf my first son for 12 months.
So, I’d see how you go. It’s bloomin hard and if you have to go to formula so be it but if it’s something you’ve wanted to try then at least you’ve given it a go.
As long as you and baby are happy then that’s the main thing.

You can still breast feed for the first two weeks of you want and express so you’ve got a bit left over. My DS had a tongue tie and didn’t actually latch properly until he was nearly two weeks old, I expressed quite a bit until then. But I don’t know if I would have gone through all that effort had I known that I definitely wouldn’t be able to bf beyond that (expressing, then feeding, then expressing again, trying to get DS to latch, repeat repeat repeat, was hard work!) Still, the option is there if you want it. And it is very much about what you want. There is no wrong decision.

Informed and supported is best.

Haven’t heard that one - definitely the best phrase I’ve come across so far!

I would definitely do the colostrum, whether you breastfeed or just express and give it in syringes. If you start trying to hand stimulate about 37 weeks, by the time baby comes you'll most likely have a good supply of colostrum and have got some in the freezer for when baby comes home.

Very few drugs are genuinely not compatible with breastfeeding. What medication is it?

If you really want to BF it is possible to just express. It’s really common amongst Americans who don’t have the same mat leave rights that we do.

Obviously this depends on if the meds are just temporary or not?

Re a c section. It is best to have skin to skin, but really it shouldn’t matter. I didn’t have any skin to skin with my baby for several hours and he was EBF.

If you want to BF for two weeks, that’s absolutely fine too. I would work in the assumption that you can feed. In reality a very small minority of women can’t feed for medical reasons.

I had a csection and managed to feed for 11 days (stopped because of recurrent mastitis leading to an a and e admission in drip and ivab) so dont worry too much about that.

I was able to express about 23mls colostrum n 1 mg syringes whilst still pregnant. Once I had introduced formula I just popped the colostrum in with his milk or straight into his mouth. In fact his first feed was colostrum from a syringe as I was so tired from a long labour and emcs. Colostrum is really good stuff, some refer to it as the first immunisation even so even a few days would do your baby fabulous good if you can try.

Yes, breast milk is technically "best", as has been unsympathetically pointed out by some, but formula is not poisonous. I also think that if you wre walking down a stret, could you tell whi h adult had been breastfed and which formula fed? nope.

It's a valid way of feeding through choice or not. Have a look at responsive bottle feeding to see how you can mimic breastfeeding with the bottle. And you can still have all the skin to skin you want.

If you are on fb then there's a page called breastfeeding and medication. Wendy is a pharmacist specialising in breastfeeding. Pm her and ask about it. It's possible that you are right but not all hcp know a lot about it and often just say it's not possible to cover themselves.
Otherwise the BFN have some really good information on their website.

I'm in a similar situation. The medication I'm on stops the body from producing prolactin, the hormone which gets your body to produce milk. Trial and error before starting to try for kids indicates I can be off the meds for around 3 months before I start suffering from the symptoms they're trying to treat. The meds take about 4 weeks to get out of your system once you stop taking it, so I'm hoping to stop the meds at 34 weeks and then get between 1 and 2 month's of breastfeeding before I have to go back on the meds and the milk will dry up.

For me personally I want to try even though I know I won't be able to breastfeed for long, because it seems like it would still be worth it for the baby. My doctor's have been very supportive in coming up with a plan to give me the best chance. But only you know what's right for you!

If you can breastfed for 2 weeks that's amazing for your baby and for yourself too! Don't feel bad about switching to formula if you choose to, in this situation you have no choice, some women never try and that's fine too, formula was created for a reason and is amazing stuff. There are many benefits to bottle feeding the main one being that your partner can take over which is amazing at the weekends when you can have a full nights sleep and a lie in and it's great for them bonding.

A c-section has no effect on your ability to breastfeed but it means your milk might not come in on day 3 but possibly day 5 which is fine as the baby gets colostrum from you during that time.

I wouldn't put so much pressure on yourself, just see how it goes when the time comes. There is no stigma these days attached to bottle feeding, a hell of a lot more people bottle feed than breastfeed so I wouldn't worry about that. Your baby just needs to be fed and loved and won't know the difference if it's bottle or breastfed, there is no certificate given when they go to school saying I was breastfed for x amount of time or at all. Good luck and just enjoy the journey 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

Completely second this, I've expressed since my son was a week old, he's had the odd bottle of formula, but it's breast milk for the most part.

Also a fed baby and a happy mummy are the important things here, nothing else. Enjoy your lo when they arrive!!

@TwinkleStars15 actually all the research doesn’t show that breast is best. I have read around this a lot and as far as I have seen the only studies that compare siblings (thus excluding social and economic factors) show no statistically significant differences between outcomes for breast and bottle fed babies. People go on about the fact that research has proven breast is best but it simply hasn’t. There are strong correlations between social class and whether women choose to bf and until you exclude those factors you can’t possibly conclude that bf is responsible for the lower obesity, better health, higher educational attainment etc. When social and economic factors are excluded, the evidence of any beneficial outcomes are zilch.

So OP really don’t beat yourself up. I say this as someone who has both formula fed and exclusively breast fed and sees zero difference between my children-your baby needs your love and care and it sounds like they will have that in spades.

@MyDcAreMarvel the OP has stated "... 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."

I'm not sure we need to worry ourselves with what medication it is.

@Rainycloudyday with all due respect, that is utter nonsense. There are many many many reliable, proven studies that show breast milk is absolutely best for infants. I am a trained breastfeeding peer supporter and I can assure you that what you think is just completely untrue. It is also extremely unhelpful to be sending out this incorrect information to expectant mothers.

The first 3-4 days are most important, if you can breastfeed or express it you will really help your baby's immune system. Once full milk comes in then you could feed, but expressing is preferable in you circumstances and introduce formula

Rainycloudyday of course breast is the best and most natural way to feed a baby. That's why we have them. There are things in breast milk that have yet to be fully understood that cannot be replicated with cows milk (or other) formulas. No you can't tell who was breast fed or formula by just looking but there are many benefits that last a lifetime for both baby and Mum. The rate if breastfeeding in this country is appallingly low and more help and education is needed for women to understand that is can be painful and hard work in the first couple of months but then usually becomes easy once you both get the hang of it. No one should feel bad for deciding not to feed or to stop because it's too hard but more education is needed for women to learn about what breastfeeding entails and get help when having difficulty.

@Strokethefurrywall your post is incredibly patronising. There are plenty of medications that are contraindicated in pregnancy but safe when breastfeeding.
Many women are incorrectly told they cannot breastfeed . That may be the case with the op , or it may not.

I think it depends on what you would like to do. Some women do struggle with breastfeeding and expressing can be an annoyance but it’s very easy to do and you don’t need to worry about getting your milk established if you know your are only going for two weeks. You can just express or breastfeed as much as you can or want and top up with formula if you need to. It’s also just as ok to give formula and not worry about expressing or breastfeeding at all.

If you can and are willing to do so, giving your baby your colostrum gets them off to a really good start and you can go to colostrum harvesting classes to get support so you have a ready supply.

I’ve had four c sections including one with a very traumatic recovery involving blood transfusions and it really didn’t make any long term issue with my milk supply.

Rainy that is complete nonsense.

OP - every feed is beneficial; if you do the colostrum plus a few days or so you will be giving your baby’s immune system the correct start. Colostrum has lifelong effects and really is so so important.

Congratulations and hope it all goes well for you

"I’m fully aware breast is best so please don’t hammer that in and make me feel any worse than I already do. "

Did you miss this @TwinkleStars15?

Very few drugs are genuinely not compatible with breastfeeding. What medication is it?

But some medications do transfer over and it’s perfectly acceptable to not want to take that risk with your baby. It’s also perfectly acceptable to not want to breastfeed at all or beyond the end of the colostrum stage.

Advice on breastfeeding and drugs changes all the time but I think it’s quite natural to have concerns and want to follow your own doctor’s advice on what to do. Years ago I was told I couldn’t breastfeed on hydroxychloroquinne or pregabalin but I could on codeine. Now that is the other way round. It’s hard to keep up or always be comfortable with making a decision when drugs aren’t tested for safety because it’s unethical to do so.

The attitude towards BF on this thread are terrible!
You can not compare breast milk and formula.
Formula is perfectly acceptable but it is second best!
Breast feeding is the best thing you can offer your baby . And to the poster who suggested looking at the fb group, I second that. Medicine has moved on significantly and many medicines that were once thought incompatible with bf we realise now are.
OP do whatever you want to do and feel no guilt or shame. However all the information and knowledge is out there to make informed choices that suit you.
I often find those that diminish BF are the very ones who tried unsuccessfully, have guilt and instead of looking for support want to diminish anyone else who wants information.

Here’s just one study proving the importance of colostrum - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352422/