Ok. There is no way around it… it is weird and a major inconvenience in my working day. It would be WAY easier to get and just give them formula. Most of their night time bottles are formula now. Since it is hard to leave the babies with enough breast milk each day… (I have to leave 36 ounces with the granny nannies a day) They don’t get formula bottles every night and I still have 60ish ounces in the freezer (which for some reason I am guarding with my life), but giving them a formula bottle at night helps to take some of the pressure off of me to over produce. I don’t want to say that I don’t make enough because that’s not really true. The main issue is the babies just jumped from drinking 4 ounce bottles to 6 ounce bottles. They don’t always finish all of the 6 ounces but sometimes they do. So there is more waste then there use to be. A problem with scheduled feeding is the baby may not always want as much! But 4 ounces wasn’t enough and sometimes 5 ounces isn’t enough! Sometimes 6 ounces is too much! Sometimes they drink all 6 ounces so fast you think do they need more?!
SO as I was saying… It would be WAY easier to just give them all formula. But it wouldn’t be easier for my financial goals or wallet, and it wouldn’t provide the babies with my immune system and natural nutrients which is what I believe my preemies deserve!
But I have accepted the fact that is okay for them to get formula when needed because I can’t do it all!
Pumping at work… yes I have had a supply decrease but that is mainly because I am not pumping every 3 hours I am a wake like I was when I was at home with the twins. The first week I had a major drop in production, but found a few things that helped in addition to things I had already done/tried to increase production.
They are as follows
1. Eat oatmeal! It works like crazy. Eat a couple of bowls a day. I try to eat mine towards the end of the day and before bed. So that I have time to pump it out. No point eating it first thing in the morning when it will be 6 hours before I get to pump again.
2. Baby pictures… look at pictures of your baby while you pump, it’s a weird emotional thing that results in a larger production
3. Drink lots and lots of water!
See pervious blog about how to increase supply: http://www.mcmunnbabies.blogspot.com/2012/08/pumping-how-to-increase-milk-supply.html
So you can do it! You just have to decide that it is what is best for you and your family, and remember some is better than none. So if you have to give one bottle a day of formula it’s not the end of the world! My doctor told me that is the best of both worlds so that is the way I look at it.
Side note: all babies will not adjust to formula or be able to switch from breast milk to formula. I am lucky my babies take both with no problem! Also there is nothing wrong with giving your baby formula it is my personal decision to pump for my babies and I have no judgment towards mothers who do not!
As always,
Hope this helps someone!
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