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While I was in the hospital, Herbie was bottle fed Similac Advance Infant Formula Early Shield for immune support. I really should have seen a lactation consultant earlier on because the advice the hospital lactation nurse gave me was not very helpful last minute. I was in a lot of pain, and it was really difficult for me to breastfeed. It took three different nurses to convince me to try harder to squeeze the colostrum out from my breasts, it hurt! Breastfeeding was aggravating for me because I was very sensitive, and every time Herbie latched I would cry out in pain. It is now week three and I am still supplementing. I really want to breastfeed exclusively but it is hard when I have to go to class.I strongly advise new mothers to purchase a brand new double electric breast pump right from the start. Manual pumps are a waste of time, they are too slow. When I pump manually, it takes up to 30 minutes to express an ounce of milk. Unless one was looking to strengthen their hand muscles, there really is no point in spending the money on them. I purchased the Mendela single electric pump for $50 at baby depot, and that was a lot better than the manual pump, but it took 30-45 minutes to pump 4 ounces of milk, and it wasn't the most comfortable device. There are so many benefits to breastfeeding, and in the long run, making an investment on a $300 pumpwould easily pay off for itself. We are going to learn the expensive way, because we are stubborn about spending the $300. We even considered renting a pump at $45 a month, but the initial month you have to pay an extra $50 just for the parts, which means you have to pay almost $100 just to rent it for one month. I thought WIC would give us a double electric pump, so I waited a few weeks until I got an appointment with them, and when I finally picked up my pump, they said they only give them out when they are available and instead gave me a manual pump, which I still have in a bag if anyone wants it. I also heard that some insurances will pay for a breast pump if their doctor indicates a specific health need. Everyone I have spoken to about breastfeeding says I should only be breastfeeding and supplementing with formula is a very bad idea, but I can't help it sometimes. My busy schedule makes me too busy, and I don't have the time or energy to produce enough milk to keep up with Herbie's needs. Richards family from California were nice enough to buy our first months supply of food for Herbie. He has finished a whole can of formula already, and he is not even a month old. If I invested in a nice breast pump I would have been able to pump and store milk for him and not put him at risk to getting sick or having digestive issues as he is growing up.
Going back and forth between formula and breastfeeding has been stressful. I keep telling myself, I need to breastfeed for the health of my first son. I need to be a good mother! But, I wasn't breastfed, nor was Richard... and we are fine... i think. Ok, well on second thought, maybe I really need to take this breastfeeding thing seriously! :)
