This post is sponsored by Walmart

Let’s talk about feeding!

Let’s talk about breatsfeeding and bottle feeding! There has been quite a bit of change in our family – good changes! We welcomed 4 newborn babies in the month of July and August! It has been INSANE, but so much fun! My family all feel so blessed and thankful to be surrounded by so many loved ones. As you know, I am “seasoned” mama of two. Ryland is 6 and Rori 4, so naturally my sisters are asking all about feeding tips. It’s been quite awhile for them and a couple are new mamas to their first (yay!). I partnered with Walmart for this blog post because feeding is so important to me. Whether you are breast-feeding, formula feeding, bottle feeding, FED IS BEST. Walmart really is a one stop shop for our family which its make it so convenient to grab all of our feeding essentials and also any other house hold items we may need. Rori is 4 years old, but she still LOVESSS her sippy cups and there are so many selections to choose from in the Walmart baby department.

Bottle-fed with breast milk

With Ryland I had every intention to breast-feed. But, he would not latch and I was in SO much pain for weeks. I still remember essentially killing myself to feed him. I had infection after infection because of mastistis (clogged milk ducts that cause inflammation, swelling, redness, and PAIN!). Being a young and new mom I allowed the thoughts of others stay in my headspace. The judgmenet of society, other moms momshaming was difficult to ignore. I kept trying to breast-feed. I went to my third appointment for masitits and received another round of antibiotics because I developed a fever and chills. It was that appointment that made me decide to bottle feed Ryland with my breast milk. I started strictly pumping when he was three weeks old until he was one year old. I used this breastpump and it was so convenient for me to bring to work with the tote bag. With strictly pumping, comes with nipples possibly rubbing agains the flanges of the pumping system so I suggest using a nipple cream before and after pumping! Be sure to stock up on milk storage bags and TIP: when freezing the milk lay the bag completely flat so that you can stack them to save freezer room. I SWEAR by these bottles because these were the only bottles that Ryland woudl take and I can’t reccomend it enough!

Breast-feeding

With Rori Taylor she INSTANTLY did a breast crawl when the doctors put her on my chest after delivery. She latched immediately, little hungry hippo haha! Rori came out of the womb knowing exactly how to suckle and didn’t cause me any pain. My breasts were thankful – HALLELUJA! I used this nursing cover when breast-feeding in public. And I know people will say “you shouldn’t have to cover yourself to feed your baby!” and I understand that. But for me personally, I felt the most comfortable around strangers when I was fully covered. This nursing cover is breathable and soft! A must have if you are breast-feeding: MILK CATCHER YES, you read that right! You need this Haakaa milk catcher, because if you are breast-feeding baby on one side you can place the milk catcher on the other side to catch any milk that is realeased during let down and store it for later! I froze the breast milk from the Haakaa milk catcher and used it later to add to Rori’s puree food and baby cereal when she was ready for solids. BOOM! Nothing goes to waste, because milk is LIQUID GOLD! haha! Last recomendation would be to have these nursing pads to wear inside of your bra so you don’t have a milk stain on your t-shirt. There are sticky adhesives on the nursing pads so you don’t have to worry about the a sneak peak and it sticking out of your shirt while you are the cash register catching up with the clerk. haha!

Breast milk and Formula

My sister breastfed my niece, Juno, but she was she was not able to produce enough breast milk to satisfy Juno’s hunger so she had to supplement with Enfamil forumla. Juno had zero problems with the transiston from breast milk to formula which was so great because tiny humans can be picky, haha!

Formula fed

My sister was a full time working mama and was unable to breast-feed due to a busy work schedule that provided for her family, she had to do what was best for her children and Enfamil forumla was the answer for my niece, Naiema. When I spoke with her I asked her if there were any products she uses that was a “must” for her and she spoke so highly of this bottle warmer.

At the end of the day, our children were all fed differently. We are still a family, we are healthy, and we support eachothers decison. FED IS BEST!

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