Breastfeeding Support Group
While breastfeeding is recommended by many doctors, it is not as simple as it seems. This is a community dedicated to parents who are choosing to breastfeed, providing a safe place to discuss everything from pumping, to questions of whether baby is getting enough, weaning, breast care, scheduling, supply, and more.
My son is two weeks old. This is my first baby. He eats every two hours and it is totally exhausting. I can never sleep for more than two hours at at a time--usually less because it takes awhile to fall asleep. He sleeps for almost 3 hours in the morning and then also takes a longer nap in the afternoon, but at night he never sleeps for more than an hour at a time and then fusses off and on until he eats again. My husband stays up with him, too, and I was thinking it would be really great if he could have just one bottle at night to give me a break and a little more sleep.
The only problem is I do not have a supply of breastmilk built up yet. I do have a pump, but with him eating every two hours and me still having to fit in 3 sitz baths a day (episotomy issues), pumping is the absolute last thing I want to do. I know I need to, and I will, but until I have the supply I was wondering if it is ok to
1. give him a bottle at two weeks of age if I want to continue breastfeeding, and
2. Give him formula once at night--and how much?
I know that breastmilk is best, but I am just so worn out! I know my husband is very reluctant about the formula but it's only a supplement for awhile until I have enough of my own milk pumped, and he's not the one not getting more than an hour or two of sleep at a time and dealing with scabs on his nipples.
Any advice you have would be very much appreciated!! Thanks!!
The only problem is I do not have a supply of breastmilk built up yet. I do have a pump, but with him eating every two hours and me still having to fit in 3 sitz baths a day (episotomy issues), pumping is the absolute last thing I want to do. I know I need to, and I will, but until I have the supply I was wondering if it is ok to
1. give him a bottle at two weeks of age if I want to continue breastfeeding, and
2. Give him formula once at night--and how much?
I know that breastmilk is best, but I am just so worn out! I know my husband is very reluctant about the formula but it's only a supplement for awhile until I have enough of my own milk pumped, and he's not the one not getting more than an hour or two of sleep at a time and dealing with scabs on his nipples.
Any advice you have would be very much appreciated!! Thanks!!
I personally don't think there is an issue with supplementing with formula. We did it occassionally.
Powered tubs of formula are only good once opened for a month. So, I would reccommend either buying the small bottle packs of pre-made formula bottles or the box of the formula in tubes....you just tear open a tube at a time (they are foiled tubes, like crystal light comes in). I would start with 2 oz at a time and see how he does. You may need to buy a couple kinds of nipples to see what he will take. My DD wasn't too picky about nipples though.
The only way to really build your supply is to continue breastfeeding exclusively. In that way, the newborn's schedule is perfect for producing more milk. As you get more milk in, the baby will start sleeping longer and eventually, you'll get a break. This is just what having a new baby is like.