Feeding Advice

[H8624]

I'm 29 weeks so not too long to go now and finally starting to get everything bought/planned in preparation!

I am hoping to breastfeed, altho I know this isn't always possible and if I can't then of course that's ok.

My question is do I need to buy bottles/formula or anything in advance just in case I can't breastfeed? Or should I wait and see how I go and potentially have to get things last minute, or should I buy some stuff just in case? And what would you advise?

Following as I’m in the same boat. But personally I am gonna get some formula just in case. It’s not like it’ll break the bank and it has a long shelf life whilst unopened.

You don’t need to get ff stuff if you plan to bf. The best way to get a good start with bf is to read a bf book - the food of love is good. Knowing what to expect from a good book really helps. Getting a list of bf support available locally together can really help too

I’m sure it will go well and the infant feeding forum here is good if you have any questions or issues when it comes to it.

I would also get:

Breast pads (the lansinoh ones Are good)

Lansinoh cream for any initial nipple soreness - really helps!

La leche league were really good helping me establish BF with DS after trying and stopping with DD

They do a free online webinar which I found really helpful and they can put you in touch with their local volunteers if you need them

I expressed colostrum prior to labour in case i struggled to feed, with DD I got bottles and formula in but found that meant I caved, so wish I hadn't

I was in the same boat as you OP. I planned on BFing but got some ready made formula bottles just in case. Thank god I did as I had a very traumatic birth resulting in a blood transfusion & a week stay in hospital & was unable to BF so had to turn to FF. I would get a packet of ready made bottles so that you have them & hopefully you won’t need them.

I bought the ff stuff but it just gathered dust in the end as I exclusively breastfed. It's a really personal thing though and I'd never judge anyone for buying the ff stuff as obviously it might help them.

One thing I would advise is to just try to think about what you want. When I was pregnant I got so many people telling me I 'had' to buy a breast pump so I bought one but in the end didn't like pumping / couldn't bloody do it / didn't see the point in it so ended up giving away the pump - waste of £20! There are some things u don't need full stop and some things you can just buy as and when needed once the baby is born.

I would buy a steriliser and a couple of bottles as even if you BF you may still need/ want to express. I also bought a small pack of pre made up Apatamol bottle just for emergencies. Luckily we managed to get there with BF and they weren't needed but it just took the pressure off knowing I had a back up feed.

I also agree try and read up on it a bit as makes it a bit easier! And when you do have bubba make sure you take every opportunity to get the midwives to help you!

Also planning to breastfeed. I’m hoping to be able to express at some point and got a great deal on a breast pump so just bought it there and then. Also bought some bottles just so we have them.

My hospital are well known for keeping you in for quite a while until breastfeeding is established and are even doing so with everything going on at the moment despite partners only being allowed to visit for 30 minutes for every 24 hours you’re kept in 🙄 obviously it’s great to have the extra support but I’m afraid I won’t be staying in if we’re both healthy just for the sake of getting some help at the expense of DH being able to spend time with his baby.
I’m taking some of the premixed Aptamil bottles just incase!

@RWK29 it usually takes weeks to establish breastfeeding so I'm not sure the hospital would keep u in that long! Took me about 5 weeks which is very normal. I think what u mean instead is a bit of help with latching etc. Good luck with breastfeeding

@firstimemamma 😂 Thats what I meant 😊 definitely can’t imagine them keeping you that long! I know plenty of people that have been kept in 2-5ish days for no reason other than latch though (even during covid) which I’m just not willing to do with the 30 minute visit from DH each day 😊
Fingers crossed all goes to plan and breastfeeding works out for us 🤞🏼😊 have tried to do my research but there’s only so much you can plan for 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

@RWK29 hope it all works out, I loved breastfeeding (once I'd got the hang of it!) my 2 lifesavers were the National bf helpline and Emily Norris bf tips on YouTube.

I wouldn’t buy anything. It normalises bottle feeding (we come from a bottle feeding culture) and makes it all to easy to reach for some formula rather than ask for help. Formula starter packs are readily available in 24 hour supermarkets in an emergency.

Personally I’d get a little pack of formula starter. We ended up being sent to A&E on Day 3 because my son had lost so much weight and was very nearly readmitted. I tried to hard to hand express colostrum to cup and syringe feed but only got a few mls, and the doctor was saying I need 10+mls per feed! We had to top up with a bit of formula as he was losing a lot of weight and getting dehydrated. I’m glad we had it and didn’t have to panic dash to supermarkets at midnight, it was stressful enough already. You don’t even have to bottle feed it, you can use a tiny cup if it’s required. We went on to establish breastfeeding (although it was a tough journey) and he was exclusively breastfed for several months before I decided to combi feed a bit.

I think better to have a little pack and not need it, than not have it if you do need it.

@PolarBearStrength There’s nothing wrong with bottle feeding if that’s what someone wants to do 😊 Also, it’s not as easy for some people to get to a 24 hour supermarket with a newborn (my closest, for example, is about a 20 minute drive away and I don’t drive) so if having some starter formula in the house makes people feel more comfortable then I think that’s personal choice 😊

Definitely sign up to a free class with la Leche

@PolarBearStrength I find your comment about “easy to reach & not ask for help” quite insensitive as someone that was desperate to BF. I had lost nearly 2L of blood & had a haemoglobin of 59, I could barely make enough fluid to sustain my body let alone produce milk. I was in hospital for a week with a newborn alone due to covid with absolutely zero input or help from midwives & by the time my milk did come in, my little one would not latch & I was extremely exhausted & drained doing it all alone that it was “easy to reach” for the formula & at least get some rest from my DP to feed him when we were discharged. As someone that still has a lot of guilt & regret at not BF you’re comment doesn’t help.

@Newmama29 well said, I thought I'd be ok not breastfeeding if it didn't work out for whatever reason, but the guilt and disappointment is so real. It doesn't help other mums implying that if we'd just tried harder it would have been fine.

@Newmama29 @EllieGolightly PLEASE don’t let comments like @PolarBearStrength bother you ❤️ And please try not to feel guilty over being unable to breastfeed (I’m sure that’s easier said than done when you had your heart set on it, I know!).
Your babies were fed and had full bellies and you did what was best at the time for the health of both you and your baby - surely that’s all anyone can do 😊

@EllieGolightly @RWK29 thank you! My LO is fed & healthy & a good healthy weight & that is ultimately all that matters but I wish I was doing that with my body & having that bonding time but things weren’t meant to be