Breastfeeding moms looking for some advice.

I have already decided 100% that I want to breastfeed. I would rather not use formula at all, but if need be I don't mind supplementing here and there.

I am delivering my daughter this Friday and have set things up so that during my stay at the hospital I am going to try to get as much rest as I can while there. I will breastfeed while I am in the hospital but am wondering if I should tell the nurses to wake me up at night when she needs fed again or just go ahead and give them the go ahead to feed her formula at night?

I will be allowing her to go back to the nursery at night again so I can rest up while there. I did it with my son and the nurses were able to get my son on a pretty nice sleep schedule that continued after we got home, so that is another reason why I wish to send her to the nursery at night.

I am just curious of which I should do, allow them to wake me up to breastfeed her, or to allow her formula at night (only while in the hospital). I am not against bottle feeding as I will also be pumping here and there once we get home so her dad can feed her too. So she will be getting introduced to a bottle one way or another.

Any feedback would be great.

Does your baby stay in the nursery or with you? We don't have well baby nurseries in most hospitals here.

I highly recommend staying away from the bottle (and pump) for at least 4-6 weeks if you can. That is the best time to introduce it to lessen the possibility of nipple confusiong and your milk supply has had time to become established.

If you want to exclusively breastfeed, it's recommended not to introduce a bottle until the baby is at least 2 weeks old. Otherwise they can get nipple confusion and refuse to nurse because it takes more work. I would have the nurses wake you if you don't want the baby in your room at night.

personally, I would STRICTLY breastfeed while in the hospital. It's essential for the baby to learn the sucking reflex AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Otherwise, they may get used to being bottle fed and then they won't take to the breast.... Breastfeeding was very easy for me, and I think it's because I breastfed my son within an hour of being born and continued the entire time in the hospital....

don't supplement or pump until after six weeks... if you can help it.

it will effect your supply and your motivation.

the first few weeks are tough ... you will be doing it constantly-- especially when she clusterfeeds... and the first few days are tough-- b/c they have to learn how to do it.

also, i'd recommend against seperating from her at night-- sure, you'll be exhausted, but it will help you get the bf-ing thing right from the get-go, b/c she'll be waking you b/c she's hungry and everything i've ever heard and experienced has me believing that you'll wake up at whatever tiny noise she makes (i did anyway).

it gets loads easier if you stick at it. trust me. my boy and i are old pro's now.

oh and-- make sure to get a bottle that is more difficult than your breast-- otherwise they'll stop wanting the breast. i use the nuby luv n care and he hated it at first, but adapted b/c he was hungry enough (and i waited till he was 2 months and strong enough to develop the sucking power).

I made the decision to breastfeed my daughter and let the nurses feed her at night and she latched on just fine and continued with the breast wonderfully. I guess see how baby latches on to begin with, if you're having difficulties I'd hold off on bottle feeding until baby is doing well with latching. I had to supplement formula cause my daughters weight wasn't going up very well, and when I started with the bottle she totally rejected the boob   It was very frustrating, and my milk supply vanished quickly. Here I am with her about to be 12 weeks old, trying out the idea of relactation.

Yeah, I would have them wake you to help her avoid nipple confusion, and also to help stimulate your milk production, even if you are not going to EBF...
I chose to keep my daughter with me the entire time we were at the hospital, and she has always had an excellent sleep schedule, but that was my decision. It really helped with nursing her though!
If you are sending her to the nursery, I would def. recommend being woken to feed her (and make sure they aren't giving her bottles, formula or sugar water, just to avoid that confusion)

Quoting *Mrs.Hamman*:“ If you want to exclusively breastfeed, it's recommended not to introduce a bottle until the baby is at ... [snip!] ... refuse to nurse because it takes more work. I would have the nurses wake you if you don't want the baby in your room at night.”

If she is EBF, then she would not be introducing a bottle period O_o That is why it is -exclusive- >_>

Quoting Mamato2Princes1Princess:“ I made the decision to breastfeed my daughter and let the nurses feed her at night and she latched on ... [snip!] ... and my milk supply vanished quickly. Here I am with her about to be 12 weeks old, trying out the idea of relactation.”

I'm not trying to pick on you or anything, but I wonder if her weight went down because you gave her bottles and then she became an inefficient eater at the breast. The motion to eat is different and even though she was taking your breast, maybe she wasn't getting as much milk as you might have thought

Quoting Tari Mithrandir:“ If she is EBF, then she would not be introducing a bottle period O_o That is why it is -exclusive- >_>”

that's not true IMO, my daughter was exlcusively breastfed. She got breastmilk in a bottle because i worked and never had a drop of formula.....that doesn't make her formula fed. I believe that to be breastfed simply refers to the milk, not the mode of delivery

Quoting Lynn wants a Prince!:“ that's not true IMO, my daughter was exlcusively breastfed. She got breastmilk in a bottle because i ... [snip!] ... doesn't make her formula fed. I believe that to be breastfed simply refers to the milk, not the mode of delivery”

Exclusively breastfeeding is only feeding from the breast, breastfeeding is only feeding breastmilk either from the breast or the bottle and supplementing is feeding breastmilk and formula. And formula feeding is just that *lol*  

ETA: Well, at least that is what I was told by my lactation consultants, doula and midwives ^^; I could be wrong.

Thanks ladies.

I switched back and forth between breast and bottle with my son, but can honestly say I didn't give breastfeeding all I could to ensure that I would stick to it. However, for medical reasons I had to quit when he was a little under a month old and ended up just giving him formula from there on out.

I will most likely just allow them to wake me up at night to feed her. The main reason she will most def be going back to the nursery at night is because I won't have anyone staying with me at night since my SO will be at home with our son and I will be having a c-section so it will be very hard for me to get out of bed to grab her and what not, so just having them bring her to me when she needs fed at night would be much easier. Also I love how the nurses seem to get the babies are pretty good schedules, however from what I have heard that might not stick due to me only wanting to breastfeed and I am going to do breastfeeding on demand for a few weeks and then try to get her on a schedule.

Now what about introducing a pacifier. My son never took one but just in case she likes them should I even allow the nurses to introduce one to her or just let her be without?

when I was in the hospital I let the nurses know I was breastfeeding and to not give her any bottles...so at night they took her to the nursery and when she woke up to eat they just brought her in the room..and then took her back when she was done..
I have been so tempted to just pump and use bottles..but they told me not until 2-3 weeks..so I am waiting til 3 weeks..b/c I dont want to ever have to deal with formula..
So I would say have them wake you up...and dont try pumping until 2-3 weeks..trust me I learned that lesson the hard way...I thought pumping while engorged was a good idea once I got home...
and I found out it was not.. lol

Quoting ♥Lacey 7 days left:“ Thanks ladies. I switched back and forth between breast and bottle with my son, but can honestly say ... [snip!] ... took one but just in case she likes them should I even allow the nurses to introduce one to her or just let her be without?”

I wouldn't introduce the pacifier that early for the same reason as the bottle   Nipple confusion doesn't always happen, but when it does it is hard to break.
My daughter has never had a pacifier and truthfully we've never had a reason to use one  

Quoting Lynn wants a Prince!:“ I'm not trying to pick on you or anything, but I wonder if her weight went down because you gave her ... [snip!] ... to eat is different and even though she was taking your breast, maybe she wasn't getting as much milk as you might have thought”

Actually, no, she was born 6 lbs 14 oz, and spent the first three days in the hospital under an oxygen bubble only able to eat sugar water, by the time I was able to feed her my milk came in which was wonderful. She was on a very good schedule, and eating for quite a while each time, it wasn't til after her one month appointment that I introduced the bottle because the dr was really worried that her weight wasn't going in the right direction. We don't know WHAT caused the issue with her weight and it frustrates me to this day because I really wanted to continue to breastfeed.