When you first find out you’re pregnant, many important decisions have to be made. Will you be a stay at home mom or go back to work? Will you use attachment parenting or Babywise? There are a TON of choices to be made, one of them being breastfeeding vs. formula feeding. For some people, that decision can be a hard one to make. I want to open up and share with you why I chose to formula feed both my sets of twins.
First let me start by explaining that I know breastfeeding is the best way to give your baby the nutrients they need and I totally support breastfeeding. I just know that breastfeeding isn’t for every family. If there are health issues preventing you from doing so or you simply made a lifestyle choice, I trust moms to make the best decision for themselves, their babies and family. Mamas – we truly know best!
I want to admit when I had McKenzie and Kasey, my first set, I knew NOTHING about breastfeeding. I was only 18 years old and barely ready to be a mom. Back in 2008, no one told me the benefits of breastfeeding and in my 18 year old mind, I thought it was creepy. So, I formula fed my girls. It was so hard to bottle feed two babies at once – I couldn’t imagine trying to breastfeed them!
Fast forward to my second twin pregnancy in 2016. Before we even found out we were expecting, I knew I wanted to give breastfeeding a try. I was a professional mom at this point ;-), I knew all the benefits and wanted to get that amazing bonding experience. Well, a few months into our pregnancy… SURPRISE! We found out we were having another set of twins! All the plans we had already made went right out the door. I may not have been able to stay a working mom but I was still determined to breastfeed. I knew so many other rock star moms who conquered tandem feedings. If they could do it, I could do it.
After giving birth to Harper and Mason via c-section, I attempted to breastfeed right away. Mason latched on like a champ while Harper didn’t at all. I continued to try feeding during my hospital stay. Mason was born with some heart issues and neither of them were latching after that first time. I was a mess. I was SO overwhelmed with everything. I was upset they weren’t eating and I was exhausted because the nurses were constantly trying to latch them on. I felt like I couldn’t even enjoy my first days with them. As I laid in that hospital bed I thought to myself, I needed to do what is going to work for the babies AND me. I knew I wasn’t going to enjoy breastfeeding twins and I knew I was going to need that extra help with feedings from my husband. So, I asked the nurse for some formula.
Thankfully, these days you don’t need to worry about babies not getting the nutrients they need. Happy Baby Organic Stage 2 Formula is modeled after breastmilk. There are no GMOs and they only use high quality ingredients. Did you know breastmilk changes as your baby goes through developmental stages? What’s really awesome is that the Stage 2 Formula supports baby’s changing nutritional needs from 6-12 months. It is packed with prebiotics, DHA/ARA, folic acid, calcium and more!
Whether you are supplementing or solely formula feeding, just know that there are great options out there for your baby. Now that Harper and Mason have fully transitioned to solids, I can happily say that I am proud of myself as a mother and the choices I’ve made for my family. I’m so glad that there are companies that create premium organic products so I knew my babies were getting everything they need.
Happy Baby even has an online support chat for ALL moms. If you’d like to get free access to Cornell-Certified nutritionists (who are also moms!), click here! They can provide you with educational materials for a variety of feeding topics.
What was your infant feeding experience like? I’d love to know! Leave me some comments down below 🙂
I had my first baby this past April and I made the decision to breastfeed her. I have to admit that at first it was difficult to adjust to. She latched good from the start, I got lucky there. But once I was at home I struggled. Somehow I forgot the correct way to latch her without causing discomfort. I actually turned to my husband for help at one point bc I was in tears. But we pushed through and after 4 weeks I was a pro. Now it’s been 6 months and she’s still exclusively breastfed. It can be exhausting sometimes but I know it was the best decision for her and I
That’s awesome Amber! It’s definitely a learning process and takes a lot of trial and error. I totally applaud breastfeeding mamas! <3