I want to preface this post with the disclaimer that I have absolutely nothing against breastfeeding (because, truly, nothing is as good as the natural food that your body creates for baby!), but when trying-to-force-breastfeeding comes at the price of baby or mama’s health it’s time to reassess the game plan.
I really beat myself up emotionally over having to pivot to formula with Sophie and it was arguably the most awful and stressful part of her arrival… pair that with lack of sleep and I was just generally distraught over the whole situation. However, once we made the transition to formula, got into a groove with it, and we saw how much Sophie was thriving, all of those negative feelings melted away. After going through that experience, we knew that formula was the best choice for our family and certainly the right choice for us to start Chloe off with this time.
There are a lot of pro-breastfeeding campaigns, and they’re not wrong to encourage people to breastfeed (lactation can actually require so much support so I’m thrilled that there are so many resources for those who are resolved to breastfeed!), but in part of encouraging new parents to breastfeed there are often smear campaigns against formula that share information that simply isn’t true. These negative messages often end up creating a sense of shame for parents who have chosen to use formula (whether feeding exclusively or even just supplementing in some capacity) and I think that’s a really wild approach to take because:
“More than half (54%) of infants born in 2018 received formula, either exclusively or as a supplement, by three months of life (Figure 2). The CDC reports that 46% of babies born in 2018 were exclusively breastfed through three months of age and 26% through six months. The CDC also reports that, among babies born in 2018, 19% of breastfed infants were supplemented with formula within two days of life.” (see here for full article and data).
Since having Sophie, the slogan “fed is best” has become my mantra and I personally think is the healthiest mindset for all caregivers, no matter your feeding situation.
Additionally, once my social media algorithms found out that I was pregnant (both times) I was served ad after ad related to breastfeeding, whether they were for specific breastfeeding-friendly clothing / bras, breast pumps and milk storage bags, coaching around best practices for using pumped milk, or just lactation support in general. I think it’s phenomenal that there’s so much information available for supporting those who choose to breastfeed (because contrary to popular belief, it is HARD!), but that was the ONLY content I was being served. There was much less information around formula feeding (if any!) about: the different formula options, formula feeding gear, and absolutely nothing about the method for drying up your milk supply (which I’m now realizing may have been hidden as “how to wean your baby off of breastmilk”), or even what to expect regarding formula feeding at the hospital, etc.
All of that said, I truly hope that this post serves as a helpful (and judgment free!) resource for you if you are planning to formula feed your baby (/babies!).
Lactation Suppression
When my milk came in after having Sophie my boobs got COMICALLY large and were sooo incredibly uncomfortable while I wrestled with trying to breastfeed. Once we decided to focus on formula feeding I had to triage the situation with my breasts and it was awful.
Because we were going straight to formula with Chloe, I knew that I didn’t want to endure that experience again. If you’re planning to exclusively formula feed (for any reason!) you’re going to want to dry up your milk supply ASAP.
In order to suppress lactation, you’ll want to restrict your breasts’ ability to swell by wearing a tight bra 24/7 (unless showering, of course). I chose a supportive sports bra and since I’m in between sizes I sized down to make sure it was extra tight.
In addition to the tight bra, I applied Cabo Crème multiple times a day to help reduce engorgement.
I was already taking ibuprofen for other elements of my postpartum recovery so I continued to stay on that medication regimen because it worked to minimize discomfort, but also for reducing inflammation!
Additionally, when my milk DID come in and my breasts became engorged, I occasionally used cool gel packs which gave me some relief and contributed to swelling reduction.
I also found this additional guidance to be helpful re: shower temperatures, etc.
My milk started to come in two days after Chloe’s arrival and my breasts were feeling extremely full by the end of day 3. While my breasts were definitely very tender, the discomfort was MUCH less than it had been during my first experience. It took about seven days total for the full cycle of my milk to come in and then for my breasts to reduce down to normal.
*Note: Every body is different so take that information with a grain of salt; I’m mostly sharing my personal experience so that you have a general idea of what to expect from a timing perspective.
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Lactation Suppression Guidance from My Hospital:
– Wear a firm, well-fitting, full cut, supportive bra to provide additional comfort. A sports bra can also be used. CAUTION: Breast binding is an outdated practice and can intensify discomfort & plugged milk ducts.
– Apply ice packs to breasts 3-4 times a day, for 15-20 minutes. Packages of frozen peas or corn work well for ice packs. Wrap ice packs with a thin cloth for use. You may also try full, cold, cracked cabbage leaves in your bra.
– For pain relief, take ibuprofen as directed.
– If breasts become overly full (engorged) or uncomfortable, it may be necessary to hand express or pump a small amount of milk. Hand express or pump just enough to provide comfort, but not long enough to stimulate continued milk production. Gradually decrease the frequency of expressing / pumping each day.
– Milk suppression medications are no longer given, since serious side effects can occur. Hormonal birth controls with estrogen and Sudafed are known to decrease milk supply.
– Drink fluids to thirst. There is no need to limit fluid intake.
– Restrict salt intake, which can retain fluids, until the extreme breast fullness (engorgement) is gone.
– You can increase or add the following herbs to your diet: sage, peppermint, oregano, parsley, chickweed, black walnut, stinging nettle (not nettle), yarrow, herb robert, lemon balm, periwinkle herb, or sorrel.
– Peppermint essential oil has been used traditionally for decreasing milk supply, but teas tend to be weaker. Some women have successfully used strong peppermint candies (like Altoids “Curiously Strong Peppermints”) taken every few hours.
NOTE: engorgement can take 2-7 days to resolve. It should lessen some each day
**CAUTION: Talk to your OB before starting any herbs or medications to check for safety for interactions or contraindications.
You can also check KellyMom.com for some tips on massage oils.
WHAT TO TAKE TO THE HOSPITAL
If you happen to be delivering at a “Baby Friendly” hospital your care team is going to push you toward breastfeeding (and will likely not carry or offer you a formula option) so it’s possible that you *may* need to bring your own supplies. Also: I suggest discussing your exclusive formula feeding plan with your provider ahead of time so that there are no surprises during your hospital stay.
While my hospital [thankfully] does not fall into the ultra strict “Baby Friendly” category and they were happy to provide us with ready-to-drink formula, they still asked me why I had chosen not to breastfeed (the nurse prefaced the question with the fact that there was zero judgment but that she was required to ask / record my response).
This information regarding what to expect re: bottle feeding isn’t readily available on the hospital’s website or from any other source (OB’s office, etc) so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Because of this I ultimately decided that I didn’t want to (1) run the risk of being forced into breastfeeding, or (2) confuse Chloe by introducing her to a bottle nipple or formula type that we weren’t planning to give to her long-term (read: whatever the hospital happened to have on hand) so I ended up packing my formula feeding supplies for the hospital.
I brought: (1) Formula: bottles of premade are easiest for this instance — since the recovery rooms don’t have refrigerators, we had to dispose of a lot of excess formula, but you will probably need at least ~10 bottles of formula if you choose this route. You can absolutely use water and powdered formula (which is much more cost effective), but it takes more time and attention re: measuring; (2) Bottles: one will totally suffice, but having two would be better for allowing one to dry between feedings; and (3) a Bottle Cleaning Kit: this is the one I bring with us on trips because it collapses down into a little travel case. Our Recovery nurses were really impressed that we had thought to bring it with us!
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FORMULA FEEDING SETUP
(HOME)
Our formula / baby bottle setup isn’t necessary, but it’s such a nice-to-have! These appliances make our lives SO MUCH EASIER. It’s entirely possible to mix a bottle up yourself so this may feel like a super bougie purchase, but at 3am, with a crying baby, the last thing I want to be doing is measuring out how much powder to add to a certain amount of water, you know? It’s a total #firstworldproblem, but I can’t recommend these products more — the bottle maker in particular. The sanitizer is also super nice to have, but if I could only choose one of these appliances it would be the bottle maker, no contest.
We have: (1) this Bottle Making Machine: It’s honestly one of the best parenting-related things that we’ve treated ourselves to. It mixes everything up perfectly, every time, and you can choose the formula amount that you want + the temperature you want it at! A bottle made at the touch of a button is such a luxury, but an absolutely worthwhile one; (2) this Bottle Sanitizing Machine: It holds six of our bottle pieces comfortably and we could probably even cram a few more in there if we felt comfortable crowding it. Having the pieces sanitized gives us peace of mind that no funky bacterias are growing in the bottles and that everything is clean; and (3) these Bottles: the girls have loved the nipples and how easy they are to drink from, I love how easy they are to clean and to travel with… they’ve been fantastic!
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FORMULA FEEDING GEAR
(TRAVEL)
We travel a decent amount and since Sophie was born she has come with us… and not just on local trips, but also on cross-country flight kinds of trips, so we’ve definitely learned a thing or two about traveling with formula.
I will say that even though TSA says that you can travel with the pre-made liquid formula, they want to open it to test it when you go through the security checkpoint… which defeats the purpose of having a sealed bottle to prevent contamination. Plus, once it’s been opened you only have so much time before it expires (it can be refrigerated to extend its useful life, but that doesn’t work when you’re boarding a flight 🥴). I suggest bringing the pre-made liquid version for shorter, local trips away from home and sticking with powder for longer distance trips / flights.
We pack: (1) a Bottle Whisk: mixing up powder into liquid is always a challenge… these mini bottle whisks are perfect for breaking up any clumps that may appear (just like protein powder shakes!); (2) Travel Containers: I really love this tube of segmented containers for packing formula for a trip (we usually pick up a fresh tub of formula when we arrive at our destination). We also love these small disc containers for packing our silicone bottle parts because all we need is one “shell” for an entire trip (which cuts WAY down on all of the items we need to pack); (3) Formula: If you’re just on-the-go near home, the little pre-mixed bottles are pretty convenient and can simplify your diaper bag. These other products are what I recommend for longer-term travel or travel on an airplane in particular because of the logistics of flying (security, length of flight vs bottle freshness, etc); and (4) a Compact Cleaning / Drying Kit: This is a bottle air-drying station to set up at for your destination to make life a bit easier.
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Formula Support Resources
To help support your formula journey, I wanted to share these social media accounts which I have found to be super supportive and educational:
When it comes to breastfeeding there are a LOT of educational resources to assist and troubleshoot any issues that arise, but I haven’t found many resources to support parents who are formula feeding so if that’s your journey I hope this post is helpful for you!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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