It seems to be the consensus that it's pretty hard to offer absolutely no formula if you are a working parent who has to pump enough milk for your lo. So I was wondering:
Did you only give your child breastmilk (and water and solids) before moving to some other type of milk? Were you a WOHM, WAHM, SAHM, etc?
86 votes
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
No - I am a WOHM and supplement with formula. I started supplementing when I went back to work at 3 months. Thrush destroyed what little freezer stash I did have (before returning to work), and I could never pump enough to cover her daytime feedings (and still don't). I've slowly come to peace with it. 
persimmon / 1479 posts
WIth my second she did not get formula, but we did get the pk to start cow's milk a month or so early due to supply issues. I worked 3 days a week and went to EPing at 6 months of age.
ETA:Still going strong with baby 3 at 4 months with a decent (120 ounce) stash
grapefruit / 4681 posts
Can I say yes and no? DS was EBF for over a year...no formula whatsoever and nothing else besides breastmilk and very very minimal solids until ~14 months.
At 14 months he started drinking 8 oz Splash a day (took a few months to build up to that amount so more like 16 mo until he got the full 8 oz) which is technically "medical food", although you could call it a formula, for children over 1 with GI issue and on a limited diet, so this was our "other type of milk" since he can't have dairy and needed it for nutrition being that his diet was limited. He was still nursing 4-5x/day and 2++/night up until he self weaned at 21 months. If he was not on the limited diet we would have not needed to add anything else. I work part time and pumped at work. We also had a freezer stash that I donated and then a rebuilt freezer stash that was free of his trigger foods that he has been drinking ~12 oz daily from 21-24+ mo (this will run out in the next few days).
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I supplemented with formula for the first 3 weeks of LO's life until my supply was steady. She nursed or drank pumped milk (and solids) until she was 9 months old when I weaned. I reintroduced 1-2 formula bottles a day at 9 months so I could stretch my pumped stash for 5 more months. I work from home 3 days and commute 2 times a week.
apricot / 491 posts
My SIL is a WOHM and she never used formula. Her first she pumped and nursed for over a year and the second is 8 mos and still going.
I'm sort-of a WAHM. I did work outside the home, but I brought my son with me. I never pumped and never used formula.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
I am a WOHM but started giving my son formula at 4.5 months old when I was still on maternity leave. He had a dairy intolerance, I was exclusively pumping, and it sucked, so I stopped and switched him to formula. No looking back!
nectarine / 2797 posts
So far, so good! LO just turned 10 months. I think my supply is starting to dip a little so I'm concerned, especially since I have a business trip next week, but as long as I can bring the milk home from that conference OK then my freezer stash should get us to her first birthday. Fingers crossed!
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
That's my goal! But my LO is only 5 months old right now. Just praying my supply can keep up with my hopes!
squash / 13764 posts
Have never had to use formula, sahm and Lo is 6.5 months old. We have some in the house, but have just never had need for it, I had an oversupply if anything.
coconut / 8234 posts
I did use formula, but for me it had nothing to do with my work schedule or not being able to pump enough. We used formula for about the first 2 weeks of LO's life because she had a horrible latch. We had rented a hospital pump so that I could pump to feed her milk but I couldn't figure out how to use the darn thing. Once my doula and LC came to help and we got the hang of breastfeeding, LO never had formula again.
I had a crazy oversupply in the beginning and built a pretty large freezer stash, so even when I didn't pump enough at work, I was lucky enough to have a back up.
pineapple / 12234 posts
With my first I BF'd mostly but supplemented with 2-3 bottles of formula a week until I quick working at 5 months pp. With my second, I've stayed home so I haven't had to pump (well, since 8 weeks pp) or supplement.
bananas / 9357 posts
Never used formula. I went back to work half days when LO was almost 4 months (he's 6.5 months now). Crossing my fingers I can keep my supply up when I start back full time in 3 weeks. I was just wondering tho if any WOHM moms have been able to completely stay away from formula.
honeydew / 7303 posts
I have never used formula and my LO is 8 months. I WOH and I pump 3x a day. Can't wait to stop! Ugh!!!
Eta: I work full time, 40 hours a week.
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
I'm a SAHM and have given him formula once, sometime in the first month. He'd been cluster feeding all night, I felt completely emptied out and he was still rooting and screaming. DH finally convinced me to let him make up a bottle of formula so my girls would have a chance to refill (and, in theory, pump so that they could get a break sometimes). He only drank like a quarter of the bottle, lol.
After a day or two the bottle ended up in the sink, still mostly full, and DH came home from work, picked up up and gave me the most horrified look...he thought it was a bottle of breastmilk that I'd just tossed into the sink...
nectarine / 2834 posts
WOHM and haven't used formula. DD is 6 months. I am basically out of my freezer stash as I need about 2-3 oz extra each day. I begrudgingly started adding a nighttime pump to make it up.
coconut / 8861 posts
WOHM, started supplementing/weaning at 8 months old. He had formula until my milk was established for a week or so. My supply started to dip recently at 8 months. LO has gotten teeth and began biting quite a bit. Nursing on the boob has become a struggle with him interested in other things, biting, still hungry. Last week, we offered a bottle of formula after a rough weekend where he was crying and crying. We figured out that he was hungry and I couldn't supply enough.
I'm pump weaning right now and doing only morning and night feedings. We dropped the dream feed this week, but last night he woke up screaming, so I fed him off the boob.
I wanted to nurse and supply him longer than 8 months, but I'm okay with weaning now. He's interested in what we're eating, etc, so it's time. Doing the formula and bottles isn't bad either because it gives me freedom from the feedings and the pump.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
I have used a mix of formula and breastmilk. I work outside the home.
pear / 1992 posts
WOHM with a 6 month old (well, in about a week - ack!) and we have never used formula. I pump 3x daily during my 40hr work week.
Crossing my fingers that we will be able to keep this up until she is over a year old and transitions to other milks. I need to build my freezer stash a little more though - I never really pumped extra to try and collect any and now I'm dipping into it a little to mix with rice cereal as she's started solids. Hopefully though she won't be eating the cereal for too long and will move on to 'real' food sooner than later.
pear / 1728 posts
used formula for about 5 days, then EBF (WOHM) until 6.5 months, and continued BFing and pumping until 12 months. No formula after those first 5 days
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
Only formula! I'm currently SAH, but I'm going to go back to doing pics at the hospital a couple days a week soon.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
I am a SAHM and LO has only had breastmilk. She did have 1oz of formula in the hospital because they were pushing it because of the "possibility" of jaundice. I stood my ground though, and that is all she has ever had.
grapefruit / 4554 posts
EBF till 9 mths when I stopped working- then use formula till 12 mths until we switched to cows milk
grapefruit / 4442 posts
We had to because I could not pump for DD. it was a good run for about 4 months then we supplemented and now she pretty much is on formula and is supplemented with BM LOL
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
We used formula for a day before my milk came in because DS lost a lot of weight following birth.
We're at almost at 5.5 months and haven't had to supplement yet. Though AF is back and my supply totally takes a hit around that time each month. I have a small stash, so we'll see if we can make it to my long term goal of 1 year
persimmon / 1427 posts
WOHM and never used formula. LO was EBF until right before her first birthday when we introduced cow's milk.
pear / 1728 posts
@mrsjyw: try taking calcium plus magnesium pills. They have to be together though. GNC makes one called "Calcium Plus 600 with Magnesium & Vitamin D3." My LC suggested it for me for the supply dip during AF. The combo of Calcium and Mg helps with that, and it was def noticeable for me!
pineapple / 12053 posts
i've never used formula. LO is 3.5 months though, so we'll see what happens. i'm hoping to make it to a year without supplementing! i'm a PT WOHM and PT WAHM.
grapefruit / 4441 posts
WOHM mom - LO is 5 months old today and so far we've never supplemented. I've had supply issues, so it hasn't been easy. I am hell bent on getting to at least 6 mo (and I expect that when I get there I will extend it). My supply is a little better now and my LO is gaining well, so hopefully we can do it.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
We have never used formula, and I was a SAHM for the first year. He is now nursing 2x a day and I'm a WOHM, he is 14 months.
kiwi / 549 posts
We supplemented during the first week or so using SNS, but after my milk came in, X never had formula. I worked from when X was 12 weeks old -7 months. Then I quit and started going to school again part time, and there I pumped once or twice a day. X was breast fed until 12.5 months, and then I still had enough of a freezer stash that he got a sippy cup of breast milk every day until 14 months.
grapefruit / 4717 posts
FT WOHM since he was 4 months old. He's now 10.5 months and has never had formula. It was rough for a couple weeks when he was drinking more than I could pump in a day, but my small freezer stash and adding an extra night pump saved me.
pomelo / 5093 posts
Not a single drop. I'm a stay at home mother. I'm not a good pumper, so I'm not sure how I would have done had I not had the freedom to feed purely on demand.
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