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11-19-2012 at 5:22 PM
Solstice71...
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Solstice7118 is not online. Last active: 04-25-2013, 2:06 PMNewbie

EFF vs. EPing

I'm looking to get some advice from anyone who is EFFing. To make a long story short we tried to BF but between latch issues, supply issues, and generally being miserable, it didn't work. To try and get the benefits of BM I've been pumping since we came home but am having a really hard time with it. For one, I HATE pumping and resent the time I spend hooked up to the machine when I could be spending it with my LO. Second, my breasts have always been sensitive (I have a lot of cysts) and I find pumping to be a miserable experience. All this aside, I produce less than half of what LO eats in a day and am getting so frustrated with the whole process. I'm looking to get some advice from anyone who tried BFing and pumping but turned to formula in the end. I'd like to know what finally made you switch and how old LO was at the time. Any advice anyone can give me would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance :)

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11-19-2012 at 6:20 PM
msm261
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msm261 is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 11:56 AMBronze
It sounds like you already have one foot out the door.  Just formula feed.  It is a perfectly fine food source for your baby.  You will all be much happier when you can enjoy feeding your child instead of forcing yourself to do something you don't really want to do.  FWIW I BF'ed DS1 for 3 months until he was diagnosed with MPSI and an elimination diet didn't make him better.  With DS2 I didn't even attempt to BF b/c I loved formula feeding DS1.

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11-19-2012 at 6:29 PM
SusanC111
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SusanC111 is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 3:33 PMNewbie

Well, I'm new at this, but I just made the decision to quit pumping on Saturday. It was making me miserable.  My milk never came in, only colostrum, so I was pumping to give him what I could get, and it was just a few milliliters at a time. SO frustrating. I would cry as I pumped because I'm sad about not being able to feed him like I "should." He's now on enfamil and doing great, but I still cry sometimes as I feed him the bottle. I guess I don't have advice for you, but just wanted to say we are in the same boat and hang in there. 

We've got enough going on with new baby and hormones, don't torture yourself with pumping if its making you miserable . 


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11-19-2012 at 6:36 PM
kdg31684
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This is exactly me with my 1st child.  We had latch issues and it was just too painful so I started pumping but I was only producing enough for 1/2 feeding so he was getting formula at every feeding anyways.  After 2 weeks I decided to switch to formula.  With DD, so far I have been lucky that I am pumping enough to sustain her.  I wonder if it's because she weighed 2 lbs less than DS?!

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11-19-2012 at 7:47 PM
Crispity
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We had latch and supply issues from the very beginning, and it took a few weeks and a LOT of work and pumping before I could get LO to reliably latch. Even then, she wasn't getting enough, so I was still pumping and supplementing with formula at every feeding. My supply was so low that I was really lucky to get an ounce total during a pumping session, but I kept nursing and pumping to try to give LO as much as I could.

What finally made me go entirely to formula was that LO's reflux got really bad around two months. She started absolutely refusing to latch and she would only take a little bit from the bottle before screaming. Feeding time was super stressful, and I just couldn't deal with the BF and pumping on top of the reflux issues.

I cried when I made the decision to stop at 9 weeks, but I honestly wish I had done it sooner. We have both been much so much happier since then, and LO is doing great!


"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!" - Dr. Seuss

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11-19-2012 at 8:13 PM
christinas...
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I decided to stop EP when LO was just four days old.  She wanted nothing to do with my breasts and then I find out that she wasn't getting anything, not even colsostrum.  My milk didn't come in until 10 days after she was born and it was only enough for about 1 oz per day.  I had not choice but to FF since she was litterally starving.  I decided to stop pumping about a week ago, LO is nearly a month old and I am happy to do so.  I hated the constant cleaning and lack of time I was able to spend with my LO.  Now we are EFF and on Enfamil Gentle Ease and Zantac drops and things have never been better.  I know how much she is getting and I don't have to worry about the constant washing and sterilizing as I did the EP.  Good luck with yoru decision.  You have to do what is best for you and your baby and if going to formula is the best for you, then do it.  Don't worry what others think and the feeling of not being able to BF will pass. 

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11-19-2012 at 8:52 PM
Clovesjell...
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Clovesjellybeans is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 7:29 AMNewbie
this is exactly my case.  LO is turning 6 weeks tomorrow and i'm not pumping anymore as of tomorrow.  I tried domperidone to increase my supply after it tanked around 5 weeks.,  worked for a few days and then supply went down again,   i think it's hormones....pumping is killing me...so, that's it.  formula it is...i think we'll all be happier. 

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11-20-2012 at 4:51 AM
LouRN09
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Happy mommy=happy baby.

I have a similar story. I nursed DS1 for a year so I assumed nursing DS2 would be easy! Not so much. Again, latch issues with severe trauma to my nipples while took 2 weeks to heal, I have been EP since he was 2 weeks old. I am thankfully able to pump as much as I need right now, but know my supply wont sustain with only pumping 4x/day. I am going to do it until it dwindles to where its not worth it anything, and I am okay with that.


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11-20-2012 at 8:10 AM
Solstice71...
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Solstice7118 is not online. Last active: 04-25-2013, 2:06 PMNewbie
Thank you so much to everyone who replied. Hearing your stories makes me feel so much better about possibly switching to EFF. I think I'll try to stick it out a little longer (especially since I just came down with a horrible cold!) but I feel so much better about making this decision now. Thank you all again, truly!

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11-20-2012 at 8:58 AM
g8trkim
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g8trkim is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 8:47 AMGold

msm261:
It sounds like you already have one foot out the door.  Just formula feed.  It is a perfectly fine food source for your baby.  You will all be much happier when you can enjoy feeding your child instead of forcing yourself to do something you don't really want to do.  FWIW I BF'ed DS1 for 3 months until he was diagnosed with MPSI and an elimination diet didn't make him better.  With DS2 I didn't even attempt to BF b/c I loved formula feeding DS1.

I agree. Don't make yourself miserable.


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11-20-2012 at 1:24 PM
stephersj
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This has pretty much been my experience.  I decided to switch to EFFing when I went back to work last week because as it is I am away from DD for 12 hours a day when I am working.  The last thing I wanted to do was worry about pumping when I got home.  I want to be able to actually spend a little bit of time with my baby girl! I am slowly cutting the pumping out and am down to 2 times a day which means she gets one bottle a day that is partially BM.

I am still struggling with this decision.  I have been struggling since I decided to give up breastfeeding to try to EP.  It breaks my heart that BFing didn't work out for me and I can only get about 1-2 ounces total per pumping session and I have been crying about it a lot but it is less stressful/anxiety inducing to FF her than try to get her to latch while she is screaming and headbutting me. 


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11-20-2012 at 2:30 PM
IBackBevo
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IBackBevo is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 2:09 PMSilver

I, too, had to EP due to latch issues and other issues. I AGONIZED over stopping...even tried domperidone (a prescription), power pumping, fenugreek, you name it to get supply up.  Eventually, though, my supply dwindled down to about 4 ounces a day...which so made it not worth it.  Even then, I agonized over it.  However, once I stopped, I have been so much happier.  Being hooked up to the pump sucks.  I stopped at about 7-8 weeks.  I don't think LO noticed, but due to supply issues I have always had to supplement.

One thing I did do, though, was to save about 4-5 ounces a day and freeze it. I have read where even as little as one bottle a day can help their immune system.  I now probably have enough in the freezer to give LO one bottle of BM every day for about a month, but as of right now he is just on formula because the doctor switched him to Alimentum for babies with sensitivity to milk proteins and it has been working so well that I don't want to disrupt anything by giving him BM again.  I have read where their immune systems are at their lowest at about 3 months so I may start trying to give him some more BM when he turns 3 months.



DX: DOR & Fragile X premutation carrier
2011: FSH 13.3 & E 99; AMH 0.54 ~ 2nd FSH 6.2 E 40's AFC: 8
BFP from Clomid/IUI ~ Pre-e and IUGR during pregnancy ~ LO born 9/4/12
Feb. 2013: AMH less than 0.16 (undetectable) ~ FSH 6.8 (normal)
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11-22-2012 at 2:40 PM
kmo76
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SusanC111:

Well, I'm new at this, but I just made the decision to quit pumping on Saturday. It was making me miserable.  My milk never came in, only colostrum, so I was pumping to give him what I could get, and it was just a few milliliters at a time. SO frustrating. I would cry as I pumped because I'm sad about not being able to feed him like I "should." He's now on enfamil and doing great, but I still cry sometimes as I feed him the bottle. I guess I don't have advice for you, but just wanted to say we are in the same boat and hang in there. 

We've got enough going on with new baby and hormones, don't torture yourself with pumping if its making you miserable . 

 

this is pretty much word for word what happened with me.  Milk never came in, was doing SNS feedings and pumping after each feeding, tried fenugreek, nothing worked.  Got to the point to try domperidone but it gave me terrible abdominal cramping which is not cool after having a c-section, so had to stop taking it.  I cried for days over the decision to EFF, and while I still really wish that breastfeeding would have worked out for me, I realize that I made the right decision for my LO.  Formula is a pain in the rear though, and was an expense I was hoping to avoid.

 
11-22-2012 at 8:40 PM
beckcour
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I BFed DD for about a month then pumped for another month before I called it quits.  She developed colic at two weeks old, she was vomiting, fussy and constantly spitting up.  My husband talked me into trying formula for a day and she was a totally different baby.  I think she is allergic to something I was eating and elimination diets did not work.  It broke my heart to stop BFing her -- I really enjoyed the experience.  We never had latch or supply issues, but I couldn't stand to see her being fussy all day or projectile vomiting on my husband. 

I went back to work and tried to continue pumping, but we are so busy that I was only pumping at lunchtime.  The last day I pumped, I thought "This is crazy."  I spent half my lunch hour pumping and only got 2 ozs.  I was done with it.  I hated handing her to my husband so I could go pump constantly.  The milk is sitting in our deep freezer and I'm hoping her digestive system matures enough so someday I can feed it to her.  I cried quite a bit, then tried to move on and let it go.  Being a good mom is a lot more that just breastfeeding.


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9/10 and 1/11 Normal blood work
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