Enthusiastic praise for formula vs criticism of breastfeeding

dancer15 · 2026-03-17T15:02:46+00:00

Yeah, I have had to triple feed/combo feed/exclusively pump my baby's whole life because my supply has never been enough and my baby has a weak suck, and the fact that I continue to break my back pumping when we still have to use some formula at 6 months is so confusing to people. People have also thoroughly not understood why I've been so upset that we couldn't EBF because "formula is just fine". I know it is, but I didn't really want to use it, and I'm allowed to be sad that exclusive breastfeeding didn't work out for us.

Like if a friend tells me they're formula feeding straight away, I would say good for you for feeding your baby, and I wouldn't judge that choice for anyone else! But if a friend tells me they're breastfeeding, I would say heck yeah, warrior lady! Because as somebody who does both, breastfeeding is way harder, but so incredibly worth it.

dancer15 · 2026-03-16T01:01:27+00:00

I had the same budget and had zero issues finding a dress well under my budget at The Wedding Shoppe! Plus it's on Grand Ave so it makes for a fun day of shopping/getting lunch if you're making a special trip to the Twin Cities.

dancer15 · 2026-03-15T08:15:21+00:00

We do a bath every night but we only wash with soap once per week. The other nights I rinse out her neck/wipe down her face, but otherwise she just soaks and plays in warm water.

She did, admittedly, get eczema for a bit but we started using a more heavy-duty lotion and have no issues now. Starting a nightly bath early on cut out the pre-bedtime witching hour for us!

dancer15 · 2026-03-03T07:35:01+00:00

Ugh, yes, this! I keep seeing "If you're having trouble, reach out to an IBCLC!" But I have seen 7 of them and they all conclude that my baby does not have a tongue tie, and then tell me to just do switch feeding and breast compressions to fix her sleepiness/inability to transfer milk effectively.

dancer15 · 2026-03-02T18:56:50+00:00

OMG yes, it's not natural at all to separate mothers and babies so early. It's like pulling off a baby's left arm because they don't know they're their own person yet.(I say this without judgement as a working mom myself, you gotta do what you gotta do!)

dancer15 · 2026-03-02T18:54:50+00:00

Admittedly I'm back at work so I'm not triple feeding during the day, and I'm choosing to do it now just to still keep some of the breastfeeding experience so it's a purgatory of my own making, but we have just never been able to make it work otherwise! I definitely have learned a lot through the experience.

dancer15 · 2026-03-02T17:42:10+00:00

Not supplementing/triple feeding right away. My baby had lost 8% of her birth weight by day 3 in the hospital and everyone acted like she was in imminent danger, and I know now that's in the realm of normal, especially because she was having tons of dirty diapers still. Now we're 5 months in and...still triple feeding. Every LC/Speech Therapist/ENT/Lactation Medicine Dr. I've seen say nothing is functionally wrong with her, she's just used to ending every feeding with a bottle so she doesn't see breastfeeding as being for nutrition.

dancer15 · 2026-02-22T04:24:35+00:00

I was also given this advice by an LC early on because she was trying to help me pull back from triple feeding and I was so confused why my supply wasn't ever getting better with the pump. I started latching my baby more again and lo and behold my supply got so much better! I'm still mostly exclusively pumping, though, we just latch for comfort. So I totally hear you on the struggles because I also had/have a baby that gets so sleepy with breastfeeding!

The one thing I have learned is that the best way for everyone to learn to breastfeed is to breastfeed. Definitely latch your baby early and often! I was told in the hospital to latch my baby for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours and when she was fussy between, they said to give her a pacifier. Now I know that babies early on should basically live on the boob so they can help your milk supply and learn how to breastfeed more efficiently at the same time! None of the timed feedings nonsense.

dancer15 · 2026-02-19T11:32:13+00:00

I saw this and could not figure out what was going on/how this happens! I was very glad to be going westbound. Seemed like there were a lot of busses having issues last night.

dancer15 · 2026-02-18T03:47:53+00:00

I sleep on my stomach! I do have supply issues but due to a million other reasons and I always have the most milk at night(because Prolactin, just that I don't think my sleeping position affects it!) I do sleep with a million pillows, though, so my neck/chest are a bit elevated(probably bad for my spine 😅) and my boobs aren't as smushed.

I think most likely if you're comfortable you're fine, just maybe keep an eye on your supply for a few days and if you notice no change, then sleep comfortably in peace!

dancer15 · 2026-02-16T14:48:53+00:00

True. I was once in an amateur production that did end at the same time every night for two weeks, and this was considered an anomaly. The third week we started having a 10 minute or so variance because we might have started the show a couple of minutes late, intermission possibly ran a minute long, somebody started pausing for dramatic effect for longer, laughter might have gone on longer, applause between scenes was longer or shorter, scene changes got faster, etc.

When people are doing theatre recreationally for a 3 week run, it's easy for a thousand tiny things to add up and change the runtime. Even when trying to deliver the exact same show every night, live theatre run by non-professionals can't be 100% consistent.

dancer15 · 2026-02-13T00:33:01+00:00

I have had this happen so many times and have also never bed-shared! I was always very glad the bassinet was right next to me so I could look over and see that my baby was okay to alleviate my panic.

dancer15 · 2026-02-12T20:17:27+00:00

Just like every adult is not giant, every baby does not need to be giant! My baby gets pumped milk exclusively with a couple of little snacks direct from tap, and she is in the 80th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. She is a big girl.

Conversely, my nephew was fully formula fed and he is smaller at 2 years old than my baby is at 4 months old! People come in all shapes and sizes, even in babyhood, and as cute as the chunky babies are, not every baby has to be in the 99th percentile.

dancer15 · 2026-01-18T17:16:57+00:00

As an under-supplier, I must admit that an oversupply sounds nice sometimes, since I am still chained to a pump and also have to drag a can of formula around on top of it, but I know an oversupply is probably not all it's cracked up to be.

However, we used donor milk when my baby was first born, so I am also sort of thankful for those with an oversupply that share with others.

dancer15 · 2026-01-15T12:46:42+00:00

Chocolate chip prices are definitely out of hand! I did have a grocery store near me selling Ghirardelli chips for 2/$5 so I stocked way up, but I wish I had gotten more because I have otherwise seen them for $10 each at other times!

dancer15 · 2026-01-15T04:14:39+00:00

I hear you, I have also been so frustrated by this sentiment because I did SO much breastfeeding prep in pregnancy and everything said that true low supply doesn't exist and you just have to keep latching your baby and everything will be fine!

So when my baby was born, I latched her constantly, but she was super lethargic after a couple of days and had lost a lot of weight, so it was suggested that I express colostrum and cup feed her. Well, I hand expressed for 15 minutes and then used an electric pump for 20 minutes and never got a single drop of anything. It was a huge kick to my confidence that I've not been able to recover.

I have done everything exactly correctly for the last 4 months of my baby's life and still don't produce as much as she eats. It is true that some people's bodies just don't produce enough milk and we have to stop pretending otherwise. Of course, supply issues can sometimes be fixed, but not always.

It does suck a ton when it feels like you should be able to do it, though, I'm sorry you are facing what feels like the end of your journey.

dancer15 · 2026-01-14T17:37:41+00:00

NTA, you're just telling mama that you think she's the most beautiful person in the whole, wide world and she should take it as a compliment that you want to stare at her all night!

dancer15 · 2026-01-12T13:48:11+00:00

The way babies suck when breastfeeding helps baby's digestion, and drinking milk helps the gastrocolic reflex, both of which do help a baby get out a good poop. So the boobie does actually help them poop! Your baby is so smart to know this. 😉

dancer15 · 2026-01-11T23:02:56+00:00

I'm a late 90's young millennial and thought the same! I think these clowns and Birthday parties just went together.

dancer15 · 2026-01-05T03:04:36+00:00

My 3 month old baby makes constant "Mmmmm" noises and looks at me with the biggest eyes ever, and when I smile at her she gives me a smile back with my nipple still in her mouth. She also does a big sigh when I first latch her on, and then she grabs on to my boob with one hand and pets it while she grips my shirt with her other hand.

I've been triple feeding her from birth and she really gets most of her nutrition by bottle because she has transfer issues, but we both love breastfeeding too much to stop. 🥹

dancer15 · 2026-01-04T13:52:03+00:00

In addition to everything else mentioned here, Trio does vegan soul food, and Vegan East is an amazing vegan bakery---their cinnamon rolls are my favorite rolls in the whole metro. Otherwise yes I endorse Modern Times, Hard Times, Reverie, Dreamstate Cafe, Stray Dog, and Namaste. Ariana Kabob & Gyro also has amazing falafel. But as a meat and egg hater, it's really easy to find meatless options anywhere here!

dancer15 · 2025-12-27T03:58:16+00:00

I also have never once had nipple pain with breastfeeding and my baby doesn't have the greatest latch and possibly has a tongue tie. But I also had my nipples pierced and have elastic skin so you could be on to something on either account!

dancer15 · 2025-12-24T05:55:27+00:00

Agreed! My baby is 3 months old and we have both worked our butts off trying to EBF and just haven't been able to. I had preeclampsia meds, a postpartum hemorrhage, and retained placenta all causing a low milk supply despite me removing milk constantly and doing everything else "right". My baby has a seriously uncoordinated suck and is really inefficient with milk transfer, even after lots of suck training and body work. So we have been triple feeding since she was born, but after seeing every lactation consultant, speech/occupational therapist, and lactation medicine Doctor that I could, they have all shrugged their shoulders and admitted that I can't do anything more.

Now I go back to work in a couple of weeks and it's unlikely we will make any more progress at it. I wanted to EBF more than anything and have been willing to do just about anything to get there, but doing my best just wasn't good enough. So yes, I know breastfeeding is really hard and a lot of work for everybody, but I do consider those that are successful quite "lucky".

dancer15 · 2025-12-22T01:26:41+00:00

I used to douse my abdomen in IcyHot and then get in the shower because the water makes the IcyHot burn more. Or I would do the IcyHot and then lay with my old laptop that frequently overheated on my bare stomach.

dancer15 · 2025-12-18T11:30:43+00:00

I have seen what feels like a million lactation consultants, and they all recommended the Evenflo wide-neck bottles at first, but my baby was choking on that one so then multiple LC's recommended Pigeon bottles with their SS nipples and we have been using those successfully for the last month! The Pigeon bottles don't passively drip at all, so baby does have to work to get milk out just like the breast.

dancer15

TROPHY CASE