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| With babies @ 6 months and my caravan of craziness. |
Something happened recently, a sort of rebellion voiced by all of the mothers who DIDN'T breastfeed, who were (and are) sick and tired of being (or having been) ostracized for feeding and/or supplementing with formula. And on behalf of my formerly ashamed formula-feeding self, I'm grateful. (If you haven't read
this post by the brilliant and beautiful Casey of
Moosh in Indy, you really must.)
I used to mix my bottles behind park benches, in bathroom stalls, my car... all to avoid the stares and whispers of the other moms (and dads) in the park. Being a formula mom, especially in an urban environment is the social equivalent of being... the worst. At least, that was the case seven years ago and then three years ago when I supplemented with Fable.
I don't know if things have changed or if it's me who's done the changing but I haven't once mixed a bottle in public and felt the wrath of anyone this time around. Perhaps it's because I have twins so people are like, "we'll cut her ye olde slack" or maybe I was so insecure in the past that all that "shame" I was feeling was really just
me. Or maybe a little bit of both? Regardless, I wanted to write something today for my sisters in formula-supplementation. Because let's be honest, formula feeding support groups aren't exactly a thing.
Which is too bad because "breast is best" although true, is also a very (nice?) way of saying "formula is worst" AKA, "you lose, formula feeding moms!
You lose." And that's not exactly easy to navigate. Especially when you're a first time mama.
I felt incredibly guilty feeding Archer what was "un-best". And even though I was prepared to fail at nursing (more on that, here and here) it was still difficult.
So. Because there isn't a FaFormula Foundation and sometimes it's nice to share tips about feeding on the go (for those of us who are not attached to our child(ren)'s food source) here are five of mine:
Five Tips for Formula Feeding on the go
1.
Leave the guilt at home - There were times when I was so ashamed of feeding Archer formula in public that I would run-push his stroller home (as he screamed! starving!) so that nobody would be able to see me mix him a bottle of "f word". My shame was detrimental to my child's well being. Inexcusable. Ridiculous.
No. (By the time Fable was born, I was much more comfortable mixing bottles in public, thank god, and with the twins, I am the most confident bottle-mixing mother in the 323.)
2.
Purchase reusable bottles for to-go storage - I feed my girls Enfamil (All of my kids, actually, although I mixed Enfamil with Baby's Only Organic for Fable) which comes in these super handy to-go tubes except they're super overpriced and only fill four ounces. (Four ounces of water + one packet = not enough for a baby over three months old.) So instead of wasting my money, starving my children and creating unnecesseary garbage, I use (ironically)
the breast milk storage bottles I got in the NICU when I was pumping those first six weeks. Having bottles reserved for the sole purpose of transporting powdered formula was really helpful for me with the twins. I'd pour six ounces worth of powder into four bottles, six ounces of water into the other four and bring my eight bottles with me everywhere in my huge honking bag.
Another helpful item: Purchase a little plastic funnel to transfer formula from dry bottle to water bottle. Otherwise it can (and will) spill and blow everywhere when you're trying to pour it in.
3.
Bring extra everything - Now that the babies are eating mostly solids, I'm lugging around a lot less stuff but in those early months I was like a gypsy caravan of insanity. I had one terrible experience running out of milk in public with two screaming infants and NEVER AGAIN. After my little "fail" I started bringing extra milk with me everywhere. No matter where or what or how. (Two extra bottles of water and two extra bottles of formula per baby. Rain or shine.)
4.
Filtered H20 is your BFF: When you're feeding formula the water is just as important as the stuff you're mixing with it so invest in a filtration sustem (or reverse osmosis) that you trust. This happens to be a post sponsored by Brita but I've also been a customer for ten years and have only ever used Brita filtered water to mix bottles. (We change the filters regularly and clean out our pitcher once a week.)
5.
Treat yourself to a waterproof diaper bag: Crying over spilled milk is most likely in your future if you store bottles in a purse that isn't waterproof. (I have also made this mistake.) Bottle feeding can be a messy endeavor and even with secure caps, leaks happen. Best be prepared for some spill action in that bag of yours.
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| Bo, Revi and the pillow prop, 9 months |
Did I miss anything, fellow bottle'rs? Tips and tricks you've picked up along the way?
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Thanks in advance for being respectful of your fellow mamas. This is a delicate subject for everyone, I realize, but I feel very strongly that formula feeding moms are just as deserving of support and solidarity as those who breastfeed. Love to all.
GGC
