Breast feeding and breast pumps

When I had "T," I wasn't able to breastfeed because I had pre-eclampsia and was given magnesium to bring it down. No one told me in the hospital (not even the lactation consultant) told me it could affect me supply.

So, when we came home, I used my manual breast pump and couldn't get anything at all. "B" went and rented an electric breast pump, and I still couldn't get anything. We didn't even have any bottles in the house, as I was so determined to do it. "T" was so small, and she had to have something to eat. It was an agonizing decision for me, but at "T's" first appointment, her doctor said, "It's not good for her to have a depressed mother. She has to eat. It's ok to give her formula." I thought that said a lot because he's a huge proponent of breast feeding.

So, we formula-fed the entire time. "T" had to be on Nutramagin for a while, and it is so expensive. This time, I really, really want to breastfeed. Besides me not making any milk, "T" also had trouble latching on, so I'm planning to buy a pump so the baby will get breastmilk if it can't latch on. I will do like my sister-in-law did and freeze the milk. She quit after a year, for which I really admire her, but I'm thinking I want to try for two years. I've heard pediatricians are now recommending it for two years anyway.

Anyway, I was looking at breast pumps at Wal-Mart.com and Target.com. They are expensive, but as I explained to "B," we will make our money back very quickly with formula being that expensive. I also said that maybe we can get his parents to buy one as their present to us. After all, they did buy "T" a boat when she was born.