More Q's please answer

[Picture.Of.Obedience]

We prayed and made the quick decision to bottle feed, not breast. I am fine with that, but how do i dry my milk up, and how long does it take to go away. My chest hurts worse than my contractions i had during labor. Any tips to dry them up quicker is appreciated.

 

[JustMandy]

I am sad for you, but understand. You are tired, you feel baby needs to eat and oh your aching boobs!! I would encourage you to try bottle feeding partially. Baby still gets all the benefites of breast milk even if you only do it part time. Have someone else feed baby while you sleep then try nursing later when you are rested and baby isn't so hungry. ( I did this ith both of my sons until we got on track--how are you suposed to learn something new after what you've just been through??)

To get your milk to slow down (or stop) wrap your chest TIGHT with an ace bandage or something like that, avoid hot showers, and cold compresses work wonders. Also, motrin helps the pain alot and is safe for baby to take.

PM me, I would be glad to talk to you about any feeding questions. I've done it all, exclusively formula fed, exclusively breast fed and both. I've also dealt with engorgment so painful you never knew you could feel this way and uncoopritive babies. I'd love to just be a listening ear.

 

[Jengi]

I had to stop breastfeeding after 2 1/2 weeks. It was causing me to have an irregular heart beat.

Here's how I was told to dry up my milk...

Feed or pump to empty the breast. (They didn't tell me this until about 6 hours after they told me to stop bfing. Oh the pain!! Much better after pumping though)

Wrap your chest tightly w/ 2 double wide ace bandages. I wrapped too tightly at first and ended up w/ sore ribs. They told me to put on a sports bra and breastpads under the ace bandages. I found a maxipad cut in half worked better and I put the sports bra over the bandages. It helped keep them in place.

Also, she told me to cut down on fluids for a few days and take cool showers and keep the water on my back as much as possible.

They told me it could take a week to dry up but it took more like 2. I continued to leak a little for several more weeks so I kept wearing the sports bra a while. The nurse told me that if you "unwrap" too soon, your milk will come back.

You can also continue to bf and wean more slowly by gradually replacing a feeding a day with a bottle and then your milk production gradually slows down. Might be more comfortable...I don't know.

I know I also had tons of questions about formula feeding because I never considered it as an option while I was pregnant. The nurse at my pediatrician's office was a huge help as far as how much, what kind etc. Ellie made the switch very easily.

If you need to talk, you can PM me. I know how hard the decision and adjustment can be.

 

[sara elizabeth]

With my first I was completely convinced that he was starving and breastfeeding was too hard. My mother, on the other hand, was an old hand at breastfeeding and talked me into trying it a little longer. To make a long story short, I ended up breastfeeding. Looking back, I'm so glad that I had that little push to keep trying.
I'm not trying talk you into breastfeeding, but I would like to give you some encouragement. Right now, (if you're like me) you are in pain, overtired, and your emotions are completely out of whack. Its a hard time to make any decisions. If you can pump a bit like others have suggested and get someone else to feed the baby so you can get some rest, things really will look better. As for the pain of engorgement, that really does go away after a few days. ( I promise)
What ever you decide, enjoy that baby.

 

[Picture.Of.Obedience]

You know, a lot of people are gonna tell me i should still breastfeed, but i really dont want to. Not even partially. He can still be a healthy baby on formula. Thank you guys for being so understanding. A lot of people make it sound like i am a bad mom for not breastfeeding, and that he is going to be a sickly child or something. I know breast milk is best, but i think he will be ok on formula.
i dont want to go face the world b/c they are all gonna tell me how good it is to breastfeed and i already feel like a horrible mother for stopping. Im emotional enough, i dont need friends and family making me feel worse.

Any tips on how to deal with them.

 

[Leanna]

I understand. I hd a horribly breastfeeding experience and stopped after 3 days. He has done wonderful on formula, some babies take well to only certain formulas though so good lukc finding the one that creates the least amount of gas. if you qualify for WIC, get it, it saves us 120 dollars a month. As for drying up, I talked to a nurse and basically all you can do are these things:

1. When you take a shower, DONT let the hot water run over your breasts. That stimulates them. Don't let anything warm near them.

2. Use bags of frozen vegetables or something cold to put on them to ease pain.

3. Binding them tight like someone else suggested is going to help too. I wore two sports bras on top of each other and then had nursing pads inside them because I still leaked for several weeks.

 

[Leanna]

And by the way, i got all of the "try again later" and pressure pressure guilt guilt. I know how you feel. What is best for your baby is to have a calm happy mom. And if not breastfeeding makes you feel more at ease and happy then THAT is what is best for your baby.

 

[Jengi]

You know, a lot of people are gonna tell me i should still breastfeed, but i really dont want to. Not even partially. He can still be a healthy baby on formula. Thank you guys for being so understanding. A lot of people make it sound like i am a bad mom for not breastfeeding, and that he is going to be a sickly child or something. I know breast milk is best, but i think he will be ok on formula.
i dont want to go face the world b/c they are all gonna tell me how good it is to breastfeed and i already feel like a horrible mother for stopping. Im emotional enough, i dont need friends and family making me feel worse.

Any tips on how to deal with them.

I'll be honest with you. I didn't like breast feeding. Everyone told me hang on for the first 6 weeks and it gets better. I was going to keep doing it because of the pressure. Everyone makes it seem like you are short changing your baby if you give up. I was so relieved when my Dr suggested I stop. Then I had to deal with the guilt of putting my health before my baby's. I really felt like I failed at being a mom before I even got started good. But you know what, she is a much happier baby on the bottle. She is much less fussy and sleeps better b/c she is not always hungry.

I would just try to remember that formula is perfectly fine for your baby. Yeah, breast milk is best but a happy, healthy mom is even more important. That is the thing I focused on. You have to do what feels right for you and your baby, not what other people think is best. (You will find that applies to all kinds of situations now!)

 

[sjanae76]

Cabbage leaves! I know it sounds weird, but they were recommended to me by the lactation consultant when I had my 3 yr. old and I've seen it mentioned in breastfeeding books. They can be used to relieve engorgement, or for longer periods to dry up your milk.

You just take a head of cabbage, remove the outer leaves and discard. Wash and pat dry 2 leaves, remove the vein from the leaf and put into your bra. Change them when they become wilted. --If they're cold, it feels SO good!

 

[Valerie090101]

You know, a lot of people are gonna tell me i should still breastfeed, but i really dont want to. Not even partially. He can still be a healthy baby on formula. Thank you guys for being so understanding. A lot of people make it sound like i am a bad mom for not breastfeeding, and that he is going to be a sickly child or something. I know breast milk is best, but i think he will be ok on formula.
i dont want to go face the world b/c they are all gonna tell me how good it is to breastfeed and i already feel like a horrible mother for stopping. Im emotional enough, i dont need friends and family making me feel worse.

Any tips on how to deal with them.

Oh don't feel bad! I went through the same thing. When I had my daughter I worked full time, went to school, and decided after bringing her home to bottle rather than breast-feed. A lot of people laid guilt trips on me for it, but really, they are just satisfying their own need to be "better" than me (or you in your case.) Many times people are just trying to be helpful, but I know, it can really make ya feel awful. I just ignore it, I figure hey, I don't need anyone to tell me I'm a great Mom, or a not so great Mom for that matter. I do my best, and I remind those who feel the need to tell me how to parent, that I have made my own choices and plan to stick by them, but thanks for the advice.

Really, in the end, it doesn't matter what you have, what you do or don't do, as long as you give your baby all the love and support you have to offer, and do the best parenting you are able. I never heard of any kid resenting their Mother for not breast-feeding him or her. Lol* Good luck! I know it's tough!

 

[Valerie090101]

I'll be honest with you. I didn't like breast feeding.

Me neither! Lots of people gave me heck over it, but I didn't do it with the first and I'm not doing it with the next! Lol*