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We started supplementing regularly a few weeks after I went back to work. My freezer stash was dwindling because I wasn't pumping enough so I knew it was coming. LO started off with a bottle of formula in the morning and now gets two bottles of formula a day. I felt so guilty, like I was doing something wrong. I've come to terms with it....I think it's the breast is best culture that was upsetting me so much. But I have to work so I had no choice.

If I were in your situation where you already had to supplement early on I would be OK with using formula every now and then for convenience or to allow myself some freedom. You just don't want to be doing it so often that your supply is affected. We never did this because M has never had a drop of formula and we subscribe to the virgin gut theory. But I was also lucky enough to build up a small stash so we can use that when I want to go out/sleep in, etc.

Mommy guilt. I just feel guilty even thinking about supplementing because LO loves to nurse (and a majority of the time I love it, too!). I also don't have any supply issues or anything else that would prevent me from nursing. The non-stinky poopy diapers are an incentive, too

No, never did. In the beginning with DS1 we struggled so much that I knew supplementing was not a good idea for us (I probably would have given up on breastfeeding). So once we got past all the hurdles I didn't see any reason to supplement when I finally had breastfeeding under control. And with DS2 everything went pretty smoothly and formula never once crossed my mind.

@maybebaby: my LO is only 3 months but using formula hasn't really been an option I would consider for now because I'm an exclusive pumper and I have a great supply-- but more importantly, my big supply means that I have a very hard time going longer than 4 hours if I'm awake because my boobs get do full and uncomfortable, so I can't really skip a pump session comfortably anyway. I've already pumped in the car SO many times to be able to go out for the day longer and have even manually pumped in a restaurant bathroom when out and about.

I think the main thing with supplementing with formula when your body makes just enough to feed your LO is that your body will make less milk with each skipped feeding/pump so eventually you'll either have to work hard to up your supply or you'll have to keep supplementing every day.

In real life, MOST of the women in my moms group that BF also supplement and have since the beginning, so you definitely aren't alone. They ask me how I produce so much and I just explain that pumping both breasts every 3-4 hours rather than just BFing from 1 at a time signals my body to make more, and that I'm pretty careful about keeping my pump schedule. Usually after our moms group meetups, I'm the only one rushing home to pump again--- they'll all go out to eat of go shopping together and give formula at those times and I'm pretty sure that's why they allll have problems with supply-- because they go much longer without feeding or pumping than I would.

Long story short-- no need to feel guilty about supplementing w formula-- just know that you will likely always need to supplement if you do it regularly. The only thing I don't recommend is skipping feelings/pumpings to supplement but then feeling guilty or complaining about low supply. I mean, I need to lose my postpartum weight, but I still eat cupcakes and cookies and really enjoy them--- I guess it's just about making your choice and being okay with it, you know ? Right now cupcakes are more important than exercise to me and I'm not going to complain about not losing weight or feel guilty. =)

I hope this doesn't sound harsh--- I am not judgey about FF at all, but sometimes I get annoyed when my IRL mommy friends make comments like, "I wish I could build a big stash like you, sigh" but they don't wake up to feed or pump in the middle of the night and I do, and they go much longer during the day without feeding or pumping, so I want to point out that it's not magic, it's just being dedicated. Again, I know you had blood loss issues at the beginning and started off with low supply, which is different.

Hope all that makes sense! Sorry for the long novel. =) btw, am pumping in the car as we speak on the way to the airport!

Nope never. I have also turned down oppprtunities to go out because I didn't have milk to leave...but in the early days, I would have had to pump while I was gone, even if I left formula so that seems overwhelming. As he got older, it just seemed a bit scary to try a formula out of the blue without knowing how he would respond/react to it--would he take it, would he not, would it upset his tummy, etc. There was never anything that came up lastminute that I wanted to go to badly enough to leave him and try formula. Anything else that I need to go to and leave him for a few hours, I know about in advance and can build up a stash of several ounces over the weeks beforehand,

We aren't even three months in, but right now, she seems to have such a sensitive stomach that I would really rather not introduce formula and risk upsetting her tummy even more. We never had to supplement even in the beginning so I'm afraid of what would happen-- as it is I'm off all dairy and soy to see if it helps.

I'm like you in that I feel like I really make just enough. I can pump an extra bottle for her if I time it right, but it eats into the only me time I get in the day while she's napping! I'm going away all afternoon and evening today so that will use up most of my small freezer stash, so I'll probably need to pump a few extra times just so I have enough to go out for an evening here and there.

Honestly, right now I'm too tired to want to go out in the evening anyway, and I have no one to watch her during the day so she's with me. But she's pretty good about nursing in public-- pretty much every time I've gone out to eat I've done it one handed with her under an A&A blanket nursing in the other hand. I'm *hoping* that if I keep doing that on a regular basis, she will stay used to it and not fight it as she gets older, but I think that might just be wishful thinking.

Baby's due in a few weeks and I will have no qualms about supplementing. I plan to BF while I'm home and for the first 4-6 months if I can, but IDK how much of a stash I'll try to put away when on maternity leave. And I have a job that can make it difficult to get away and pump regularly, so after a few months if it's making me too stressed out, I'm just not going to do it any more. No guilt. I'd like to keep him on BM through the winter, but I'm not going to make myself crazy or stressed in order to exclusively breastfeed.

I can't skip a feeding without a major pumping session, and I don't want to introduce anything new to DS's digestive system, so no.

I had a stock of pumped milk so we just used that if I couldn't be around to nurse. If I was out for an evening I just threw a hand pump into my purse and usually just pumped and dumped since it was too tricky to find a place to store it. Once she started solids at 6 months it was easier since she could go for longer stretches without nursing if she needed to.

I supplemented from the beginning due to low supply. My supply has caught up but I still give 2 formula bottles a day to build my stash. I EP, and to me, whether its breast or formula in her bottle, I don't really care. The fact that she sleeps 9 hours through the night at 4 weeks is a great bonus, lol

I never did. To me, breastfeeding her exclusively was worth the hassle of nursing for hours and hours even when I'd rather have been doing something else. If you feel the same way, don't worry about turning down social engagements. You'll have the rest of your life for those - but only a little time to breastfeed.

@sarac: I think I was typing my reply out as you posted, but I completely agree with you. I'll admit the first couple of weeks I struggled with the downtime, but now I have things planned out to read, do, watch during nursing sessions and I quite enjoy it

@maybebaby: it gets so much easier as they get older too! Now if I'm running late DH can give him a banana

We just hit 6 months EBF, she's never had formula. I am just too stubborn, and I also still have an oversupply, so I'd have to pump anyways, seems easier to just nurse her. I also am crazy crazy crazy about maintaining my supply, I am totally freaked out that all of the sudden I won't make enough for her... not sure why I am like this...

Doesn't matter much anyways, Madeline has never accepted a bottle so even if I wanted to, I couldn't!

@maybebaby: mine is ebf and I thought that I would supplement occasionally when I was still pregnant. I haven't, and though I do pump every so often it gets used up so no stash. I am not sure why I haven't, because when I miss a feed I don't ever pump to make up for it, so I guess I'm a little careless about my supply and I can't imagine supplementing would be worse for it. Honestly I think it's so I can smugly say (to myself? To others? Who would care???) "she's exclusively breast fed." Ugh.

We weaned a few days ago at 13 months, LO has never had formula, she went from breastfeeding to cows milk. I did send dh to the supermarket at 3 weeks to get formula though because LO was clusterfeeding constantly and it felt like I literally had nothing left. We didn't end up using it but it made me feel better to have some in the house in case we ever did need to use it.

I breastfed my first LO for almost 10 months and my second now for 7 months and do supplement as needed and do my best not to feel guilty about it. I just went back to work have never had a huge supply, so if one day I am sick or a meeting runs too long and I don't have enough milk, I don't stress about it and just supplement the next. In addition, I had 4 very good friends get married since my second LO was born so after these people have attended my wedding showers, bachlorette, rehearsal dinners, wedding, parties for my kids baptisms, birthdays, etc. I couldn't even fathom not being there for them just because I was breastfeeding. When I look back on this year, I will remember all of these events for the people I care about and not the fact that my LO has had x bottles of formula!

@maybebaby: I thought about it a few times, but we never did.

I always had some breastmilk in the freezer, so if I really needed a break my DH or someone would use that. It's so hard going for the full year, but I'm glad I did! I even went so far as to purchase some formula. It's still unused in our pantry. I should give it away!

@Sparkler: that's a lovely sentiment! I think if mine took more readily to the bottle (in spite of us offering it regularly, she's lukewarm at best) I would supplement.