Tanya,

I totally know what a nightmare the salt is. My son who is now 3 months old had a terrible time getting the salt down. When we first started we tried to add the salt directly to a bottle of breast/formula, but his nose would run like crazy. Then we tried the syringe method with breast milk mixed, but it was to strong. Then we mixed the dosage of salt with 10 ml of drinking water and added small amounts to each bottle (1 ml 10 times a day) and I pumped breast milk for every bottle. Now that I know what I’m doing and my son can handle more salt at a time. I breast feed full time except when he has his medicine. I add the watered down salt (5 ml) to his 6 am bottle of formula (3 oz) with cortef, and 2 pm bottle of formula (3 oz) with cortef and we give him a 1 oz bottle of formula at night for his cortef and florinef (no salt). I then nurse him if he is still hungry after the bottle (almost every time now). A couple things we learned is if you have a person to give the baby the bottle beside you let them that way your baby won’t get as confused for nursing. If you don’t have someone feed your baby facing outward with the bottle and don’t talk while he eats that way he doesn’t know who is feeding him. I have to do that at the 2pm feeding since my husband isn’t home to feed him. I also learned that pumping is NOT long term. I pumped for a month and a half and slowly my milk production was dropping. I found out from a lactation that if you pump long term you will dry up. You have to have the sucking from the baby to encourage milk production. I had to make a compromise and use formula for his meds and salt, but it was worth it to be able to still breast feed. I hope as he gets older and can handle more salt at one time and as his salt lowers which it has he will only need 3 ozs of formula a day and the rest breast feeding.

What ever you decided DON’T give up on breast feeding if you feel strong about it. I was devastated when the I was told I wouldn’t be able to breastfeed, but thanks to this support group and several great Mom’s I didn’t give up and it has been the best thing I have done.