Yes, yes you can! Will it be easy... no probably not in the beginning! Is everything going ok with bf'ing, except for that fact that it is very time consuming at this point? Baby is gaining well, you notice your breasts feel "full" at the beginning of a feeding and "empty" or soft at the end of a feeding? Did you nurse your older dd? Around 2-3 weeks babies do go through a growth spurt, so this may be a reason for the round the clock feedings right now. My dd was 20 months old when my ds was born so believe me I know where you are coming from here! A friend suggested that I nurse using a sling, it was a great suggestion, I know many moms who nurse baby while playing with their toddlers, preparing lunch and (at my favorite cloth diaper store) while they work! You can have your hands free and don't feel so tied down.
As far as supplementing goes, you really have to be careful b/c every ounce that you lo gets of formula signals your body to not produce as much milk. This can casue a drop in your overall supply. Another issue with supplementing is that babies are lazy! They QUICKLY develop a bottle preference.
My advice to you is to try to take it a day at a time, heck, I had to take it a feeding at a time with my ds. Get yourself through a couple more days and if you really think supplementing is the way you need to go for your sanity then I'll be glad to walk you through how to start supplementing. Oh, and even though your older dd may seem sick of you bf'ing all the time, you are teaching her that bf'ing is the best for babies. Soon she'll be lifting her own shirt and feeding her dolls!
Hang in there! It does get easier, I promise!
Thank you to Chrissy for the great siggy!
