u/moomoomego

I hope this post makes sense, my 36 week brain is too exhausted to make words make sense.

I will be going to work about 4.5-5ish months after baby is born. I want to be 100% formula feeding when I go back to work. Because of that, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to spend 3 months establishing enough supply to exclusively breastfeed, only to start weaning and having them adjust to bottles a few weeks later. I would like to avoid pumping as much as possible.

I would like to combo feed. Mainly I would like baby to get colostrum and some BM, and supplement with formula. If I have a great supply and they get more milk then formula, great! If it's just 25% BM and 75% formula, also fine.

So do I have to BF every 3 hours around the clock right off the rip to establish some sort of supply? Can I do every 2-3 hours during the day and go 4-6 hours at night with husband giving them formula during their shift? Or will my milk not come in that way, or will I be engorged?

What happens if you only attempt to breastfeed, say, 3-4 times a day? Does supply not come in at all, or do you end up really engorged? Or is it possible to just breastfeed sometimes and do formula the rest of the time?

I'm sure I sound naive, I'm just confused. I am open to trying breastfeeding, but I also have some mental health conditions that are much better managed if I can get 3-4 hour stretches of sleep. I will not be upset if I end up just doing formula, but I would like to at least try to breastfeed some (and not take the pills to stop my milk from coming in).

I hope this post makes sense, my 36 week brain is too exhausted to make words make sense.

I will be going to work about 4.5-5ish months after baby is born. I want to be 100% formula feeding when I go back to work. Because of that, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to spend 3 months establishing enough supply to exclusively breastfeed, only to start weaning and having them adjust to bottles a few weeks later. I would like to avoid pumping as much as possible.

I would like to combo feed. Mainly I would like baby to get colostrum and some BM, and supplement with formula. If I have a great supply and they get more milk then formula, great! If it's just 25% BM and 75% formula, also fine.

So do I have to BF every 3 hours around the clock right off the rip to establish some sort of supply? Can I do every 2-3 hours during the day and go 4-6 hours at night with husband giving them formula during their shift? Or will my milk not come in that way, or will I be engorged?

What happens if you only attempt to breastfeed, say, 3-4 times a day? Does supply not come in at all, or do you end up really engorged? Or is it possible to just breastfeed sometimes and do formula the rest of the time?

I'm sure I sound naive, I'm just confused. I am open to trying breastfeeding, but I also have some mental health conditions that are much better managed if I can get 3-4 hour stretches of sleep. I will not be upset if I end up just doing formula, but I would like to at least try to breastfeed some (and not take the pills to stop my milk from coming in).

At my anatomy scan, baby was in the 39th percentile, but at my next scan 16 days later to check a couple things, baby measured in the 5th percentile. Diagnosed with IUGR and baby has been holding in the 5th percentile ever since (currently 32.5 weeks).

Because of the IUGR diagnosis, my OB wants to schedule an induction at 38 weeks.

What I'm upset about:

- Baby measured 6 days behind at my original dating scan, which makes sense because I usually ovulate around day 23 of my cycle. They didn't change my due date because they only do that if it's a week off or more. So, I feel like baby will actually be closer to 37 weeks at induction, which just feels really early to me. My OB always dismisses it when I mention that, saying the MFM agrees with the current timeline. Okay.

- I always looked forward to going into labor naturally and when baby is ready. I didn't want to HAVE to get an epidural, but with an induction I feel like I should because inductions have a higher chance of turning into c sections, and I would want to already have an epidural placed in that scenario. My absolute worst case scenario is having to be put completely under and missing the birth of my child.

- I have heard from family members that have been induced that inductions (pitocin specifically) are more painful. I'm also anxious about laboring for a long time and having it turn into an emergency C. I know this can happen regardless, but the chances seem higher with induction and the "cascade of interventions".

My husband and I were both 6 pound babies, so i always expected to have a small baby. I understand the diagnosis is because of the percentile drop, and that it's better to have baby here early than have the worst case scenario happen if something is wrong with the placenta (amnio came back fine). I just can't shake the feeling that we are forcing baby out before they're ready and that labor etc is going to be harder and more painful because of it.