Adoption and Feeding??

Maybe try Avent bottles? they have soooo much other stuff to go with them (sterilizers, breast pump, sippy cups, etc.). These bottles worked well with my middle child (she was the only one to take a bottle). I'm still using my 7 year old sippy cups for my 2 yr old & 8 mo old & they're as good now as when I bought them. If the doc. okays it then go with the breast feeding. GOOD LUCK!!!

I don't have any info to share with you T., since my kids are all teens now. I do want to congratulate you though on the up-coming arrival of your second child! Best Wishes to your family.

You should research Goats Milk, its much closer to breastmilk than formula!

T.,

I don't have much advice about formula or bottles (we used similac and playtex drop-ins) but I did want to wish you the best of luck.

We are doing the same thing but in the opposite direction! We adopted our (3 yr old on April 26th) after going through most of the pregnancy with her birthmother and took her home from the hospital when she was 2 days old.

I am now almost 18 weeks pregnant and due in August with another daughter :)

It's such an exciting time for you now and I hope that everything goes as planned! Please keep us posted!!

Christi

Hi T. - I am so excited for you and pray that everything will go according to schedule. We adopted our son at birth 4 years ago. We were first going to do the closed adoption but we ended up knowing the birthmother and her parents as well and still keep in touch (only with the grandparents though). The doctor at the hospital put our son on Similac (can't remember if the spelling is correct) but it seemed to be great for him. At first he was a little constipated but we got that taken care of with giving him some water in between feedings. Let us know how it goes! It was very emotional for all parties when the time came for the birthmother to sign those papers. We had a great social worker and I tell you a good one is worth their weight in gold! Keep us posted and God Bless you and your family and soon to be daughter! Cindi

Congrats! How exciting for you!!
I think it's wonderful that you are considering nursing your new baby. It is possible and not all that difficult to breastfeed an adopted baby but you do need to be very commited to it. Since you breastfed your son you already know it's a natural thing but not always easy!

Now about formula here is an article about how to choose an organic infant formula
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/organic-p...

There is so much "gear" out there you can spend money on and if you have the money to spend go for it! lol If not all you really need is a set of bottles and nipples, a bottle brush and maybe a rack for the dishwasher and you'll be fine. A freezer pack for the diaper bag for keeping formula cold while you are out might be a good idea too. Other than that I really think you'll be fine.

I know you didn't ask about this part so I put it at the end. If you are interested here are some links with great info about nursing an adopted baby
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/adopt/index.html
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBadoptive.html
and of course you should contact your local le letche league group for support.
http://www.llli.org/WebUS.html

Good luck to you and your growing family!

Congrats! That's wonderful!

I breastfed, but when I pumped and used bottles I really liked the Drop-ins by Playtex. They are BPA free, which is something you should really consider. I thought they were much easier than washing multiple bottles. I just had extra nipples and washed those in the dishwasher. And for going out, you can just take several liners and a couple extra nipples- less room in the diaper bag. There are a few kinds of nipples that all go on the same bottle, so if you find the baby doesn't like the nipple, you don't have to get all new stuff. I recommend only getting a couple bottles until you are sure they work, so you don't have to spend a lot and then find out baby hates them. Same for pacifiers, we had to try several kinds.

I also loved those sterilizer bags, you might not need to sterilize much though, so dont go overboard on that. Not counting the pumping stuff, I only sterilized a couple times. And I didnt use my bottle warmer much. It wasn't very consistent, and didnt work well with the drop-ins. Hot water was quicker. I did have a bottle warmer that had a pacifier sterilizer on it, and I used that part all the time. For a bottle brush, get the kind that has a suction cup so you aren't laying it down in the dirty sink, and the kind without the sponge is better- it gets gross.

Hope this helps. Congrats again!

T.,
I produced milk for approx 2 1/2 to 3 years AFTER weaning my youngest. If I am not mistaken, it is possible to "restart" the milk production by a breat pump and there are some vitamins you can take for lactation as well. If you need more info, please let me know and I will share it with you.
I am so excited for you all. I am a birthmother myself and I can only imagine how exciting this must be for you. Please remember, whatever you told that birthmother, she will hang on to that with all her heart. Please keep your promises and try not to speak out of emotion, but of precise thought. Consider what you are comfortable with and maintain boundries. Believe me, this will help you both if you know where you stand up front. This is the hardest thing in the world I have ever done, but rewarding at the same time. Please tell me about your experience if you ok with it. I would love to hear your story.
God bless you and your family.
W.

My oldest is adopted! Congratulations! What a blessing to this child and your family as well.

I read about the vitamins you can take to produce milk when I was preparing. Our son came home at 10 months so we decided to do formula since he'd already started something similiar. Having already breastfed, I agree with the comment of restarting your flow through pumping. If that doesn't work we used Enfamil and were very satisfied.

Good Luck

Congrats on the adoption. I know you can't wait! If you can't breastfeed due to the asprin therapy (which I would be suprised if they allow it due to the asprin) then organic formula is good. If you need a website to order it from then let me know. Don't get any made outside the USA b/c they don't meet the same regulations as the FDA requires. If you want to go one step futher then there is a formula used by a well known pediatric doctor that used it in her NICU. Less gas and constipation issues and healthier. It is made using Shaklee supplements. If you are interested then you can contact me and I can give you the recipe.

As far as equipment goes I have found that it is an individual preference. One must though would be the bags you put in the microwave to sterilize your bottle stuff. Very quick! You can find it at target where all the breast pump access. are found. I believe it is in a white and yellow box. Def. worth it. Likes it better than the machines that sterilized. Also, I personally thought bottle warmers were a waste of money. The formula/breastmilk was either cold or way to hot. Just not worth the frustration. I would heat up water in the micro and set the bottle in it for several minutes. Hope this helps. :-)

Hello and congratulations! just wanted to drop a quick few lines and let you know about Good Start formula that is supposed to be most like breast milk. just go shopping and start reading some labels! pick out what looks good to you and your hubby, and don't stress it! don't forget the gas drops (awesome stuff!) and I highly recommend the waterproof pads that are like burp cloths but thicker..they work great everywhere..the crib, changing table, floor, etc! have fun and enjoy every minute! I miss mine being that little!

Congratulations on opting to adopt! I hope all goes well for you as I know downturns can be devastating. I don't know what formula to advise, but I would suggest that if you try breastfeeding to do some relaxation therapy type exercises before each session. Being relaxed and stress-free is of utmost importance in any breastfeeding situation, and I'd think even moreso with an adopted baby since you don't have the birthing hormones telling your body to make milk.

Good luck & God bless!!