a huge congrats again to you on your new happiness! you are in for an exciting ride.
when it comes to cf and pregnancy and cf and breastfeeding-or breastfeeding with any maternal illness for that matter, there is a ton of crap info out there. the bottom line, ask your doctor-talk to cf moms that experienced it, and get second opinions.
breastfeeding impedes your health in one way maternally speaking-if you need a medicine bc you are sick and you can't bf with it and refuse the med bc you insist on bfeeding, your health will suffer.
there's several ways to remedy this problem though-take the medicine and give baby formula until you are healthy again while pumping to keep your milk in and restart when you can
-go over meds not only with your cf docs but with the baby's pediatrician and a lactation consultant-there are a few meds that my cf docs said I couldn't breastfeed with but after getting 2nd and 3rd opnions from these sources I found it is ok to feed with them. My cf doc has also been humble enough to admit she doesn't have all the answers with this and that the lactation people know alot more about breastfeeding and drugs. I was able to stay on alot more meds than we though we would originally. you can keep feeding while being on most everyday cf meds.
-remember that even when you need a med, it is better in most cases for the baby to get the tiny trace amount of medication in the milk than it is for him/her to switch to formula. formula OF COURSE won't kill your kid, but it is all man made substances too!
-Don't for a second buy into the line that formula feeding will give you more sleep. Listen, I come from a family of 9 kids and my hubby from 8-our moms had to formula feed a few kids bc of medical reasons so we have experience living with both situations. Newborns will wake up every 2-4 hours regardless in the beginning. Formula does hold them longer, true when they are a little older. Just remember you also have to get up, mix, fill and heat a bottle though-when you bfeed you roll over and stick em' on the boob. I suppose its personal preference but if I have to wake up anyway, I'd prefer not to get up and walk to the kitchen and do that.
The bottom line is you are going to get up alot during the night regardless of how u feed. If you feel you aren't healthy enough to deal with sleep deprivation than its not a matter of breastfeeding or bottle feeding-its a matter of should u be having children or not. (I'm not talking about you jbrandonAW, I'm talking to others out there esp docs that put the kabosh on bfeeding entirely) Unless a person can afford a night nanny or some arrangement like that (which most can't), they will be getting up alot during the night.
What has helped me tremendously to bfeed successfully is pumping my milk and having my hubby take a shift so I can sleep. When I am run down, or really tired what I do is have the baby and feed her myself till about 4 am-so however many times she wakes I get up and feed her. Then from 4am till 9am, my hubby brings her into the living room, puts her in her swing and heats up my milk to feed her when she wakes. That way I get 5 hours of solid uninterupted sleep.
That has greatly helped my overall health I feel.
For me the joys and health benefits to the baby of bf far outweigh the alternative. And after having a baby I can tell that bottle feeding just wouldn't be any easier anyway. Unless hubby feeds at night, but as I said, you can pump your own milk and have him do it. This has also helped him form a close bond with her.
I also feel that the endorphins created by bfeeding have helped my overall well being and mood tremendously. People are quick to dismiss that, but whatever.
I always say that even when I have a night from h*ll-when I see how much she needs me in the morning, and that smile on her face when she sucks-ohhhh its all worth it!
One thing that can't be disputed is that its been proven that bfed babies have less instance of allergies when they are older, and are more protected against viruses when they are younger. Knowing that that will be less trips to the doctor for me having to bring her in, and less chance of her catching something and passing it to me-that is a big health benefit for me.
this was long-i hope u can glean something useful from it.
By about 18months he we night time weaned and continued to sleep with us until 2 1/2. Now he and my daughter sleep together. It really is such as short time. You'll just know when it is time to encourage them to stop nursing at night and your sleep will deepen and go back to 6-8 hours straight.