Goodbye Breastfeeding, Hello Bottles

One of the things I had to do to prepare myself for going back to work after having Nicolas was pumping since I had decided to continue to breastfeed. I'm not going to lie it was tough. My job was more than accommodating when it came to covering my desk when I had to step away. I actually got a routine down to where I knew how much I had to pump in order to keep my supply up for daycare. However, there does come a time when your body (naturally) dwindles down. I know that there are supplements and teas you can take and all sorts of other remedies you can do to keep producing but I had gone on for 8 strong months and I felt like this was God's way of telling me to try something new. I remember being so stressed out when I realized my supply wasn't what it used to be and when I finally came to terms with the fact I'd be using formula, I cried and cried for days. There was something so special about breastfeeding and I really enjoyed it. So when I had Raegan, there was no doubt that I would breastfeed again. Luckily I had no problems and she took to it right away.

However, I did notice that this time around, I didn't feel like I produced as much as I did when I had Nicolas. That being said, I made the decision to start pumping a little early and every time I pumped I would supplement formula for her. I did this so that way she could get used to the bottle. When I first started to give her milk in a bottle she was not happy and wanted nothing to do with it. So one day, this might have played a huge part, I decided to pump for every feeding and give her a bottle instead. I added a huge amount to my stock and also got her used to bottles so it wasn't a complete waste. After that day, I noticed that I wasn't producing enough for her and she would no longer be satisfied after feedings. 

After pep talking myself into realizing this is okay and she and I will survive. I decided to just give her formula. 

I could try to produce again. But I remember how attached I became with Nicolas and how stressed I would get if I didn't pump enough for a days worth of feedings and now being a mom of two under two, I decided that wasn't something I wanted to go through again. Breastfeeding is a LOT of work and I figure the less I have to stress about the more I can enjoy my time with my babies. I know there are a lot of wonderful benefits to breastfeeding but I figure if formula was bad, the manufactures wouldn't make it. I've done a lot of going back and forth with this and I feel like I've made the very best decision for myself and my family.

She is now a bottle fed baby and I couldn't be happier!

When I really sit and think about it, there are actually a ton of pros to changing her to formula and bottles. Daddy can now feed her. I know he could have fed her pumped milk before but now I don't have to pump in order for him to feed her. Which also means, not only can daddy feed her, anyone can feed her. And that means implementing DATE NIGHTS without worrying about "filling" up! When I go places I can now feed her without worrying if people are staring. I mean I am pro breastfeeding but I'm not one to just bust out my boob for all to see. Probably the biggest downside is that formula is not cheap but hey, babies aren't cheap! Oh well!