You could choose as I did to pump breast milk for your baby. I was put in a position to do this because Bella, my now eight month old daughter went on a nursing strike at three months and we haven’t recovered from it. Although I was heart broken that she wasn’t willing to continue breast feeding I was committed to providing breast milk for her anyway.  Believe it or not many people resort to or choose this method of providing milk for their baby. If you decide to EP (Exclusively Pump) you need a good quality double breast pump to make the process easier for you.

 

Establishing your milk supply is essential to “EPing”. For the first twelve weeks of your baby’s life you need to pump every three hours for about 20 minutes to simulate the nursing pattern of a new infant. After that your supply should be well established and you can begin “dropping” pump sessions. You can continue to drop sessions until you reach a level where you are producing the required amount of milk needed in a twenty four hour period for your baby with the fewest number of pumping sessions possible. If, however you are interested in gaining a “freezer stash” of milk to have on hand, you’ll want to pump more than your baby needs everyday.

 

Your second choice is to formula feed your child. If this is the course you choose to take, you will want to consult your baby’s pediatrician so they can help you select the best formula for your child’s needs.

 

The third choice would be a combination of the two. If you don’t have enough of a breast milk supply to meet your babies daily needs, you can supplement the extra required feedings with formula. Again if this is your choice, consult with your pediatrician regarding the best formula for your baby.

 

Sometime between the ages of four and six months old your pediatrician will recommend that you begin introducing solids to him or her. Make sure you wait until they advise you to do so as beginning solids to early is thought to contribute to some food allergies.

 

Remember that for the first year of life breast milk is considered the best possible nutrition for babies. If you are having trouble breast feeding and would like help there are many resources available to you. Your local Le Leche League is a good place to start. Having excellent books on hand such as “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” or “The Nursing Mother’s Handbook” are also great tools for helping you start and continue breast feeding. You can get in touch with a Lactation Consultant in your area to help you with any problems you might have.