to bf or not too???

i have a dilemma on my hands and im going in soo many circles its not funny..
i bf each of my kids for about the first 12 weeks and everytime my breast milk either dried up instantly or would sour.. so i would basically formula feed from 12 weeks.. and my kids enjoyed both no problems at all...
with this one i wanna giv her the chance to have it and especially the first week of it too help her build immunity etc..
but the thing is with my ds im gonna be struggling to go the whole 12 weeks and more if i could..my dh will be home for 4 weeks and then im on my own..
my other conclusion is i can feed her bm n formula?? is that ok??
im so confused...

awww hugs hun, all i can suggest is to gve it a shot, have bottles and formula at the ready for if you change your mind.

can i ask why your worried about your DS?
DD1 was 15mths when i had DD2 and i found breastfeeding was no issue with her around, if anything probably easier as she couldn't snatch a bottle and i wasn't fussing around getting bottles ready etc.
For me it was also easier going out with 2 kids while i was BFing... no bottles to pack etc.

It's your choice hun and you need to do what your comfortable with, theres no harm in trying but if it's going to cause you more stress then it's not worth it.... do what works for you.

If breastfeeding works, you may find a breastfeed is actually easier to do with young ones around, then to take the time to mix and feed with a bottle....
And you can certainly mix feed... ANY breastmilk is good breastmilk babe... Good luck!!! xoxo

I would give it another go, even 12 week B/F is giving your baby a good start.

Do you have any idea why your milk is going sour? Is it worth talking to the ABA now and seeing if they have any solutions?

I cannot see why you cannot B/F and F/F if this will help prolong your B/F.

All the best with your up coming delivery and feeding decision. :)

zavara jus cause his got adhd and its really up in the air with him at the moment and his very demanding.. and he has a repetitive mode also so if he wants something and u have to make him wait he screams the same thing over n over again... which is sooo frustrating...
i wanna give it a go n i will i have bottles etc ready but everyone keeps telling me to make up my mind but i dont wanna be rushed and not be prepared iykwim..??
all my SiL's bf and they tell me that i havent given it ago and im giving up without trying etc.. and they do it fine not all of them but some of them.. but they also only have 1 child or their elder kids are around 8,9 etc...

Thanks heaps ladies btw lol :)

Amali, it might be worth talking to a lactation consultant at the hospital or the ABA helpline and explain what happened with your other children and what you might be able to do to improve your chances this time around. Your local ABA group or hospital will possibly hold a bfing info session for pg mums which you might like to attend and ask questions IRL.

It's very unusual to have your milk dry up quickly and I'm not 100% sure what you mean by going sour, which is not really possible while it's in your breasts, since it's made fresh by your body before your baby feeds. Your baby's birth, whether or not they were also being formula fed, how often they fed, and similar factors will have an effect on your supply. If you go through some of the reasons why that would have affected your milk supply you might be able to avoid them this time around.

And I'm going to go against the grain here - I wouldn't have bottles and formula on hand if you want to successfully bf. In an emergency, there are plenty of supermarkets and chemists around if it is absolutely necessary. The temptation of trying a bottle to see if that solves whatever newborn or bfing problem you've come up against can sometimes be strong (especially when it's the middle of the night!) and it might make things worse, rather than better (in terms of bfing).

You can bottle feed as well as breastfed, but it's probably not advisable for at least the first six weeks, if you want to avoid having supply issues.

GL hun! Looking into it and planning is probably the best thing you can do to successfully bf.

Definitely give it go - I found that I was able to BF and walk around and do things with DD2 after a few weeks, especially with the hug-a-bub sling.

Absolutely, give it a go :)

Can you tell us a bit more about what you mean by your milk went sour? I have never heard of this before?

My number one rule that i follow for supply is that the more you breastfeed the more milk you will make. If i am ever worried, i just offer more feeds, and by the following day i will usually have more milk than i know what to do with. At around 12 weeks your body starts to really adapt and it might appear that you don't have as much milk as you did, but it is usually all ticking along behind the scenes nicely. This is also a big growth spurt week for you baby, so they often do want to feed more, just be confident that your body can give them the milk that they need, its not necessarily a sign that your milk is drying up.

Also, it can be tricky breastfeeding with another child to look after, but not impossible. You will quickly get into a routine and before you know the really long feeds will be over and your new bub will be guzzling a feed in 10-15mins. I relied heavily on tv when DS was tiny, DD was allowed to watch her favourite shows during feed times, but after the first few months the need for this really died down a lot.

Good luck, you can do it :)

definately give it a go. I am able to make dinner while still nursing DS - well not so much now because he's getting a bit heavy XD I have watched SIL daughter a couple of times and have still been able to sit and play with her while feeding DS, no problems. In my mind the only difference between BF and FF for you will be the process of making a bottle. In the early weeks you're still going to have to sit down with bub to FF, and a bub will still kick up the same amount of fuss if a breast or bottle is taken out of his/her mouth while you need to do something for your DS. ^^;


The worst that can happen is that it won't be for you, but I would definately give it a go. Do you know why you milk sours? Perhaps as the other girls have said contact a LC, or an ABA volunteer and they might be able to answer any Q's and help you make up your mind. Good luck! and all the best xxxx

thanks girls..

ive never really found out why my family dr said this was the case so i never looked into it thinking what she was telling me must be right ive been seeing her for 26 yrs so i just gathered id trust her.. now im worried she ahs given me the wrong info and ive deprived my boys of something they could of obviously nutritioned from abit more.. ive never really looked into bf so i never thought to doubt her..
im really thinking about all of it and taking this decision Not lightly at all but i know i will be feeding her for the first month or so hands down so that part is solved..

:hug: Amali, your GP may not have the most up-to-date information on bfing, most are not that well informed on bfing. She might be an excellent GP in other areas, but there's not a lot of bfing education for doctors unless they look into it. I know my GP went to some bfing seminars while my DD was young, but it's certainly not a requirement. Nowhere near the amount of information provided as there is for medications, for example. There's no harm educating yourself a bit more and passing on the information if it comes up!

I would suggest reading through more info on here, contacting the ABA for your local group details and popping along to a meeting (it costs nothing, you don't have to join to check them out) and seeing how you go. If you are bfing to start with, you can always come on BB or ask the ABA if you have any challenging situation come up and go from there.

GL!

Amali, firstly, don't feel bad if you may have gotten a bum steer. You did the right thing looking for support and advice and you got your babies fed :hug:
I would also strongly suggest talking to an ABA counsellor and/or an LC. There's probably no reason you can't breastfeed this baby if that's what you want. Sometimes one of the 'tricks' is just getting the right advice and support.
You mention 12 weeks - that's a common time when mothers misinterpret changes in their baby's behaviour or feeding habits as a drop in milk supply. Babies are often very distracted at this age and may become 'fussy' feeders, pulling on and off as though upset and frustrated. Sometimes they hardly want to feed at all during the day but will suddenly start demanding a lot of feeds at night. It's a very hard time and it is not surprising that many mothers feel there must be something wrong with their milk, especially if they've heard stories from other mums saying the same thing or if their doctors tell them so.

At any rate, you don't have to make a firm decision till you're holding your baby. I hope things fall into place for you this time :hug:

Thanks heaps ladies for ur support n ur advise.. im going to look into the aba side of things i never heard of them before but i am quiet keen to have a go at this and see how i go again thank u heaps :)