Colostrum/Formula Feeding???

I am just a few weeks away from baby 2 (eeeeek!!!) and I have decided to formula feed. Not that I feel the need to justify my decision, but I have recently had a breast reduction & I have an increased chance of developing mastitis and I have been told that breastfeeding will likely lead to me needing further surgery...hence why I have decided to go with formula...
With my first, I tried to BF and really struggled (My boobs were huuuggeee and my baby was little) so I expressed for 4 months and then switched to formula when it became really hard to keep up with pumping.
Although I have decided to FF I would like to give my new baby the 'all important' colostrum - but will feeding the baby colostrum lead to my milk coming in quickly? (I don't want my milk to come in at all. And do I breastfeed the colostrum to the baby or do I express it and give it out of a bottle? I'm a bit confused as to how FF works from day 1 as I only gave my daughter EBM for the first 4 months? Help?

I didn't think you could avoid your milk coming in altogether? :dunno: I expressed for a while and cup/bottle fed (and spoon fed before milk came in), maybe if you're worried about your breasts you could try that?

If the concern for BFing is mastitis, you want to be careful not feeding at all, as you could still get blocked ducts from not emptying your breasts, so watch out for that.

I didn't BF at all but i also couldnt stop my milk coming in. I was told it would take weeks for it to disappear but it only took a couple of days for it dry up.

I do think if you are certain about FF and also wanting the baby to have the colostrum that expressing into a bottle would be your easiest option so the baby is used to drinking from a bottle.

You will find it really hard to express colostrum into a bottle as you don't tend to have a huge amount of it. Personally I would put bub to the breast as they will be much more efficient at getting the colostrum out than any pump will ever be and then use the bottle after a few days. No matter how you get the colostrum out, you will still get that initial feeling of milk coming in, but it will settle reasonably quickly if you no longer feed from the breast.

You cant stop your milk coming in. Its a natural process. Yes, I would think stimulating your breasts will be sending them a signal to produce more milk but it also is a good idea to atleast try and give bub the colostrum. You probably wont be able to express (with a pump) any colostrum as in the early days, it comes in small amount for a tiny belly. Either putting bub on the breast or spoon/syringe feeding will probably work the best.

I would think that you have been told that your more likley to get mastitis because your ducts were damaged in the surgery? Many woman do go on to successfully breastfeed after a breast reduction. The ABA has good information on this. Im not trying to change your mind, just hoping you have been well informed before making your decision :)

Yay for 2 weeks to go!!! Looking forward to your BA!

Thanks for the replies, I was under the impression there is a tablet that can be taken to prevent milk coming in? One of my midwives mentioned it to me?
My breast reduction was only just on 12 months ago (I hadn't intended to have anymore babies!) so I have to be careful. I am already producing colostrum so I know my boobies are still working but I just really feel I need to do what is best for myself, as that, in turn will be what is best for the baby too...My surgeon told me that any breastfeeding will likely lead to sagging and that will require more surgery to correct so I really don't want to go down the breastfeeding path at all (which is why I really don't want my milk to come in) My boobs are already quite big because of the pregnancy and my poor bazookas have been through so much in the last 12 months that I don't want to put them through anything else ;)

I will definitely try to give the baby some colostrum, I had to hand express (ouch!) it for my daughter so I guess I can try that again?

The tablet doesn't stop it completely - I think it just makes you "dry up" quicker? I was given it after I had Ianto (had to pretend I'd swallowed it because the midwives wouldn't accept that I didn't want it!) and I'm pretty sure that's what I was told...


Sent from my iPhone so forgive the speelung misstacks ;)

Breast feeding does not make your breast sag just so you kno. Breasts will naturally sag and just by being pregnant will effect this but it's to late for you not to be pregnant. Not trying to change your mind just making sure you are properly informed. But yeah with colostrum either put bub to breat or hand express into a spoon.

when DD1 was in SCN i had to hand pump colostrum. i found that gently hand expressing it out with a waiting syringe (and helpfu DH/midwife to 'suck it up') was the best and also the easiest to then give to bub with the least amount of spillage (man that stuff is liquid gold lol!).

I guess once that has been done and the milk starts to come through that you could go the tablet route :think:

If i were in your shoes i would get onto the LC at your hospital now and tee it all up with them so that there can be some continuity of care and a note made on your folder by them ITMS. Also, it probably is really worth checking out the ABA website as they probably have some info on expressing colostrum and some hints and tips etc.

goodluck with it all xx

Thanks Cassius, that's good advice!
Em, I understand what you are saying but I have been specifically told by my surgeon that they WILL sag and require follow up surgery...it may be different for people that haven't had a breast reduction but in this case I will follow my surgeons advice, after all she works with boobs all day long, knows how she did my surgery etc...This is not a vanity thing (well, partly) I had my boobs done after many years of back pain & I did a lot of hard work to have my surgery done, not to mention the recovery after, I am not going to undo all that hard work when I have only had my new boobs for such a short time IYKWIM. Plus just the thought of mastitis makes my toes curl! I also have hardly any feeling in my nipples since the surgery and the scars are still quite painful sometimes. So, I am choosing to FF for a variety of reasons, not only because I don't want my boobs to sag :lol:

Hi SM,

If you are already producing colostrum now, you can collect it and freeze it in a syringe to feed to bub's when born. It might save you working so hard to get the colostrum after delivery and perhaps encouraging your milk to come in, although I think if you express at all you will find you start to produce some milk. Just a thought, if the colostrum is leaking now, why not stockpile it!

I have had two breast reduction surgeries (one at 17 and again at 23) and I am BF my third child after being unsuccessful with my first two. So far, no signs of sagging but I really won't know until I stop feeding how they have been affected.

I do understand your statement that it is not for vanity that you don't wish to BF - my breasts and their appearance, whether it be their size or the scarring, have been a big issue for much of my life and I have spent many years being quite.... I dunno, defensive? sensitive? about them. Be prepared for every midwife to have a loud opinion about whether you should or shouldn't be trying to BF after a breast reduction.

FF from birth (which I did in combination with my attempts to BF DD1) is quite straightforward. Perhaps you should check whether the hospital you are going to will supply formula or whether you need to provide it yourself? Good luck with your upcoming delivery, looking forward to your BA.

Thank you Nickle, I am very comfortable with my decision to FF although I am not AGAINST breastfeeding my new baby - if I feel the urge to do it when he/she is here then I will give it a go. But at this point in time I very much happy with my decision to FF based on how I feel about it emotionally and physically. As I said, I do still have some pain around my scars and my boobs already feel a bit tight and uncomfortable as they have had to stretch so much already with the pregnancy. I know it's a little too late now (LOL) but I had definitely not intended to be pregnant only 5 months after my surgery so my poor boobies have already been through so much. I just want to avoid any further issues or complications with them. I was back in hospital twice within a few months of my surgery to have fluid drained, and then again I had to be put under a GA to have infections drained. I haven't had the best luck with the recovery and I just want to avoid anymore pain or problems.
Also, if they do sag and look awful I think I will be really upset, with my last pregnancy I went up to an L cup once I was breastfeeding (that wasn't a typo, I was an L cup!) and after losing pregnancy weight plus a bit more I got down to an H cup - I then went down to a DD-E cup with my surgery & had 2.2kgs removed! So, my boobs are literally a big part of my life LOL and I just want to focus on something else for a while, it has all been about boobs, boobs, boobs for a long time so I just want to leave them alone for a while if that makes sense!

It can't be the easiest decision to make and reading your story I can't blame you for not wanting to put your boobs through anymore strain. If you do want to take the tablet to help dry things up, I'd assume you'd want to start taking it straight away so as to avoid the initial incoming? If that's so, and you want to feed colostrum, wouldn't pre-birth expressing and freezing what you've got be a good insurance policy in case you're not allowed to take the tablet and breastfeed colostrum after birth (just a though, I've no idea if it's safe for breastfeeding is all)? then you could just give what you've got? I did pre birth colostrum expression onto a spoon and up into syringes with DD2 for totally different reasons, but I used it and was grateful.