anyone EP and bottle feed?

[lmh2402]

had appt with feeding therapist today and DD did her usual crazy choking, wheezing, gasping while nursing

then we tried feeding her BM from bottle i brought from home - vent air.

still some choking

therapist ended up settling on medela special needs feeder - she was able to drink from this without choking. so she is suggesting we try giving her one feed per day from this bottle. and if it seems like she consistently does better with the bottle, than therapist recos that i consider exclusively pumping and bottle feeding with this special feeder

i will do whatever is best for DD, but i must say that i'm not overly jazzed by the idea of pumping on a constant basis. it's just such a PITA.

would love to hear from others who did this - pumped and bottle fed for an extended time.

thanks

[acmom]

I EP and bottle fed both DC for 4-5 months due to nipple and latch issues. My supply dwindled a lot with my 1st which is why I eventually stopped. With my 2nd, my supply was good, but pumping many times a day with a toddler at home (DD was 21 months when DS was born) finally got to be too much for me to keep up with. DS had reflux and feeding/swallowing issues too so I know how hard that can be. Sorry you are having to deal with all of that.

It is doable if you end up gong that route (but can be tiring too especially if you are pumping and feeding multiple times overnight). I found I had to be pretty diligent about making sure I pumped at regular intervals so my supply didn't drop. I had several sets of pump parts and many bottles so I could just do a big washing once or twice a day vs every time I pumped and fed. I also had pumping "stations" set up up stairs and downstairs so I just had to move the pump itself. That way I could be wherever was morosely convienent (where the baby was sleeping or where DD was playing). At each station, I had something for the baby to sit/lay in (bouncy seat, etc), toys for DD to play with, few snacks for DD, water bottles, something for me to read, blanket, towel, nipple cream, etc. I also found it really helpful to have a hands free pumping bra so I could do more while I pumped or help the baby or DD.

HTH! Good luck!

[kaharris83]

I EPed and fed DS1 exclusively breastmilk until he was 18 months. I only pumped until he was about 12 months old and had a ton in our deep freeze. I also donated extra BM to another little boy whose mother wasn't able to BF him. It is most certainly a ton of work. I'm desperately hoping nursing works out for DS2 because I can't envision pumping with a newborn and toddler as much as I pumped for DS1. Literally his entire first year I feel like I spent attached to a pump. I also pumped in places I never imagined pumping(in an airplane seat next to a stranger, at WDW, and in my car a ton). That said I don't regret doing it for a single minute and I'll do it again if I have to. I found a lot of support and information at the iVillage EP forum. And please feel free to PM anytime if you have any questions. :) I hope you're able to find a solution for your DD that works for your family!! I couldn't have EPed for so long without DH's full support.

[essnce629]

I don't have any personal experience, but my friend EPed for over a year with her DS. She never had any supply issues, in fact, I'd say she had an oversupply as she was still pumping 8-10oz at a time after the one year mark. She also WOH full time.

[emily]

It's a PITA but I EP'd until DC1 was one due to latching issues. (Also, pumped until one year with DC2 and still pumping with 7 mo DC3). I WOTH so I would've had to pump anyway. Not sure how old your little one is but don't give up on nursing. DC1 never learned to latch but I was/am able to nurse with DC2 and DC3. I think I gave up too soon with DC1.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I did for a little bit and it was time consuming. A friend EP'd for 8 mos for her twins while in a 3rd world country. She said the EPing message board saved her sanity. I'm not sure which one I read, but maybe it was this one. http://forums.llli.org/ No idea which one she used. I think there are a few.

[Kindra178]

I EP for my twins for 7 months. It was very time consuming and a burden on my family. Although I am glad I did it, I was also glad I stopped because I was missing family time by pumping. I didn't have supply issues though, but I did keep up a regular pumping schedule with a Medela Symphony.

I joined Pump Moms' Yahoo group.

[Myira]

I EP for my DS for 11 months, he never latched on. It took over my life though and me and DH were so relieved when I stopped. I rented a medela symphony all the while and used it to pump at home even when I started back at work.

[acmom]

I used a rented Medela symphony too - I think having the hospital grade pump can make a big difference in supply and ease/time of pumping for some people (me included).

[TwoBees]

I EPed for a while, first while DD was in the NICU, and later at home. I tried BFing, but she didn't have a good suck, it was tiring, and I had lots of foremilk. We didn't have the time for her to figure it out, she was so tiny. I never had supply issues, I actually had an oversupply. But I stopped at around the 4 month mark. It was time consuming, and I realized it was more important for me to spend relaxed, quality time with DD feeding her a bottle of formula than to run off to the bedroom to pump all the time. My important take-away message from this (flame me if you will), is that you need to bond and spend stress-free time with your DC, even if that means formula feeding.

ETA: I rented a Symphony as well while DD was in the hospital, and it is far better than the PISA (but much bigger and heavier!)

[roseyloxs]

I was able to EP with my first for over 10 months. It is more time consuming then just breastfeeding. I got a lot of tips though from some EP messageboards. I think one was on yahoo and the other was on ivillage.

It is a PITA but I think its worth it. I would also encourage you to try and keep one session as a normal breastfeeding session just in case your dd can grow out of whatever is making her choke while feeding. It would be nice to have the option to go back to breastfeeding since it is more convenient. As an alternative maybe you could start or end each session with breastfeeding.

A took a few shortcuts to save my sanity. I would wash off the supplies and put them in the fridge in between feedings. Then just give them a good cleaning at the end of the night. I also used the playtex drop-in system but not sure you have that option since she does better with the medela bottles. Also in the early months I tried my best to utilize a hands-free pumping system along with a boppy to try and pump and feed simultaneously. Finally I just gave ds the milk as I had it stored. If it was fresh I just gave it to him at room temperature. If it was from the fridge I just served it cold. He never complained so I am glad I tried it before going through the trouble of warming it back up.

[kaharris83]

I recommend the Pumpin Pals flanges. They are pretty comfortable as far as pumping goes. And hands free is a must. I also stored my parts in the fridge between pumps and only washed things once a day. My DS1 would drink warm(fresh pumped) or cold BM too. I never did anything special to heat it up for him. Just fed as it was. I rented a Symphony for the first 3 months to ensure my supply was established, but when I switched to my PISA I actually was able to pump more. The rental pump just didn't have as much suction. Towards the end of my pumping career for him i switched to a Freestyle pump and found it was much nicer to carry around and helped me get more done while pumping. I wish I would have considered it sooner, but I got it on clearance for $69 otherwise I wouldn't have switched pumps as the PISA was doing the job fine.

[AnnieW625]

I used a rented Medela symphony too - I think having the hospital grade pump can make a big difference in supply and ease/time of pumping for some people (me included).

I didn't EP, but formula fed from 4 months on so take this with a grain of salt, but with DD1 I had a rented Medela Lactina pump, which is even more heavy duty than the Symphony and it never increased my supply at all and then I actually got more from a manual Avent pump once I started weaning. But never the less I tried the pump rental route with DD2 knowing that I probably wasn't going to pump at work and that DD2 was our last kid. So again I rented the Lactina and it worked better and I got more milk than I had with DD1, but then a friend gave me a Medela Pump In Style (not the Advance) and I got more out of that than I did the Lactina too. It was weird and probably not the ordinary, but I don't know if I would go as far as to rent a hospital grade pump if you already have a Medela, Lansinoh, or other brand electric breast pump.

Good luck LMH, and I admire you soo much. :hug:

[karstmama]

i did it while ds was in the nicu, because it felt like time i was donating to him. i stopped about 2 weeks after he came home (so 8mo after he was born), because it felt like time taken away from him. a bit different, though, since his was mainly tube fed instead of bottle fed. by the time he was nippling pretty successfully, it was fortified formula. it is what it is...

[WatchingThemGrow]

omgosh, yes to pumpin pals!!!

[lmh2402]

thanks, everyone

i actually have a freestyle and it works well. but was considering renting a lactina if i do end up going this route

we are starting with the one bottle a day thing as of tonight.

we shall see...

thank you for all the good ideas and feedback. if i do end up having to pump, will definitely look for a pumping board

ETA: oh and annie, thank you for the kind words and hug...i could use it :hug: