Milk Dried Up, Won't Drink Formula!?

I doubt your milk has dried up, or she would be crying when you try to nurse her. If she is still happy nursing, and doesn't want formula, then just nurse her. 2 percent is not a very big drop at all...not even worth mentioning if you ask me. If it was like 15-20 percentile, then I would be concerned, but 2? No way.

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The drop in percentile is on a chart made from primarily formula fed babies, who gain weight faster than breast fed babies. It does NOT mean your milk is drying up, and may just be because your daughter is getting more active. I would continue to nurse, b/c even if your daughter is just getting a little, she is getting the good antibodies from you that way.

Tupperware makes cups with lids that aren't sippy cups, just tip and drink cups. They can be messy, but sometimes kids don't get the whole sucking thing. Also, the soft nipple cups can be easier for kids to get the hang of. I would continue to breast feed while supplementing her with something else as well.

g/l

If you want to continue to breastfeed I would recommend that, especially if she prefers it. If your milk is low or you want to try to increase your supply try More Milk Plus from Motherlove. www.motherlove.com it is and herbal supplement that can help increase milk supply so you can continue to breastfeed if that is what you decide to do. Good Luck.

most doctors do not know a ton about breastfeeding, so do not trust your doctor when what he/she said probably has had more of an emotional affect on you than it should have. it stinks when you feel judged. also, percentiles are misleading most of the time-- its not like an intellectual percentile, where you hope your child will be near the top, with growth percentiles there is a large effect from genetics. Breast milk is the best thing for your baby. Formula is not an equal substitute. When we go on a date, we give some solids to the babysitter. Leaving breastmilk if pumping doesn't work well for you can be tricky, but it is worth it.

Why can't you have a date night and nurse? At this stage your milk supply is stablized and you aren't dripping all over the place if you don't nurse for a few hours. You should be able to pump a bottle or two to leave for the little one. You don't have to pump it all at once - which might up your milk production. Try mixing breast milk with formula gradually adjusting the ratio. Start with mostly breast milk. It might not be what she is getting but how, having some titty is warm and cosy and cuddly, a bottle isn't.
Putting your child on cow products at this age increases the possiblity of a dairy reaction that will follow them for life (those aren't just lactose intollerance). You might try some goat milk.

If you have a pump, mix your milk with formula and slowly adjust the ratio so you start giving her more and more formula instead of milk. Also my soon to be 7 month old would eat and eat and then not drink anything, so we switched to just drinking first then eating. Or we just give her a smaller protion of food and then wait a little while and then drink. Hope something helps. Breast fed babies are usually smaller but the growth should remain constant. Work with your doctor if you need to for more ideas. Hope something here helps.

have you try something other then formula or a different brand of formula. my daughter is only one 1/2 months and she wont drink infomel but she will the simalac. it is just a different tast...and that is it but if she is eating solids she should be fine how many times is she eastig she should be haveing the three mean meals and then like two or three sneaks meals. and then just give her water to drink or something else by 9 mo. my five year old was trying to drink from a sippy cup and we slow switched her to 2%milk watered down. well good luck i hope this helps.

Try not to worry too much. I have a 10 month old boy who is about 23 pounds. About a month ago, he stopped wanting to drink (he has been formula fed since he was 6 mo. old). I was really worried because I didn't think he was getting enough fluid. I talked to my doctor & he said that as my son's weight, he really only needed about 14 oz. of fluid a day to stay hydrated. I told him that he wasn't getting that much & he reassured me that we don't really realize how much water they are getting from the solid foods we give them. Sure enough, he did just fine. It ended up being just a phase & a few weeks later, he started drinking a lot more. My point is that unless you see some signs of dehydration - I think she's doing just fine. Good luck!

My milk started drying up when my daughter was around 4 months old (she is now 10 1/2 months) and she weighed less at her 4 month checkup than at her 2 month. She was starving to death, her ribs were poking out. I didn't even suspect anything cause my family are just naturally skinny, and she was always happy. Though sometimes she would get frustrated (like all babies). But we discovered that she just wasn't gaining weight and it must be my milk supply (let me just say she is my fourth and I have never had this problem before either). Well our pediatrician told me to stop nursing and just switch to formula. Which my daughter did NOT like. She was just so frantic and obviously hungry and I wanted so badly to help her, if she would just take this stupid bottle! Needless to say we were both in a lot of tears that day. Then something clicked in my mind, nurse her first then offer the bottle. Doing that calmed her down and then she was more willing to take the bottle. And now she takes the bottle without fight. In fact she gets excited when she sees me pull the bottle out to get it ready:) So maybe try nursing her first, so you still get that time with her and then offer the bottle to finish up.

I wouldn't worry too much about the drop unless your doctor really is. Percentile scores are a comparison to other babies her age, so this doesn't at all mean she's lost weight, just not gained as quickly as most babies.
However, it is still important for her to have breast milk or formula (9 months is really too young for cow's milk). She needs the calcium, fat, and other nutrients from the milk that she just won't get from solids yet.
Try giving her formula, juice and water (basically any liquid she drinks) in a cup. Not a sippy cup, just a small cup with handles and no lid, and a thin rim. You'll have to start out helping her and there will be a big mess at first so put a towel or terry-cloth bib over her. But she should be able to catch on quickly and may drink a lot more that way. I started all of my kids on cups at 6 months old at the suggestion of the WIC nutrition program, and they were pro's at it, drinking independently, before they are a year. If she still wants a bottle, put only formula or breast milk in it, or water if she's had enough milk. (Don't give her a bottle with milk at nap/bedtime though, avoid tooth rot). But it sounds like she is giving up the bottle any way (and maybe that's why she's not drinking).

My son also would not drink formula after breastmilk, a friend suggested the nestle quick start. I tried the soy nestle quick start and he took it right away, like it was breastmilk. Hope that helps.

J.

try it in a sippy cup or cup before she eats her solids

Try full fat organic dairy products? They need the fat for brain growth. Good luck, try not to let your dr. worry U too much. It'll pass...

E.,

I'm concerned with your doctor's comment that your milk is probably drying up. Because doctors can't measure what a breastfeeding baby is taking in, they are often quick to fear that a mother is drying up. You said that your daughter has dropped in percentage points on the growth charts. At nine months this may be perfectly normal. Here are some more questions to consider. First and foremost, does your daughter seem strong and healthy? Is she having plenty of wet diapers and bowel movements? When you change wet diapers, are they stained with dark urine, or does her pee seem light or colorless? Does her skin look firm and plump? Is she energetic and happy, or lethargic and listless? What kinds of body types do you and your husband have? My daughters were both at the top of the charts the first nine months of their lives. However, when they hit about 9 months (and started walking) they started dropping. My oldest daughter didn't gain any weight for several months, but she grew 5 inches! However, her doctor pointed out that this is the age when genetics start kicking in and stabilizing your child's body into it's preprogrammed state. So, since my husband and I are both average weight and height, we could expect to see our children drop down to around the middle of the charts. Has your daughter started walking or crawling recently (or rolling or scooting)? Once children become more active, it is common and normal for their weight to drop - both because they are less interested in eating than in their new skill, and because they are more physically active, burning more calories. Finally, and this is really important... most of the height and weight charts are based on formula fed babies, who tend to grow in a completely different manner than breastfed babies. They typically lay on more fat, and they gain weight at a steadier rate and keep gaining it. By contrast breastfed babies often lay on a different kind of fat, one that is more easily turned into energy by the body. They tend to gain more weight at the beginning of the first year, then taper off in the second half of their first year. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH YOUR MILK.

If your daughter is eating table foods well, and she is nursing happily, you have absolutely no reason to put her on formula. There is no way to tell the amount of breastmilk she is drinking, and there is little point to worrying about it, as long as she seems healthy. If you are concerned about milk supply, there are some herbal supplements you can take that may increase supply. The best bet is to offer nursing more often to your daughter. It may be that in the excitement of table food and new skills, her nursing has tapered off, causing your supply to go down. As you know, your breastmilk production is a supply-and-demand system. The best way to increase your milk supply is for your daughter to nurse more often. I would recommend nursing her before you offer her solids. Also, try to remember to offer more often during the day. If she doesn't want to nurse more, than she is obviously getting plenty to eat. Formula has a huge amount of processed sugar in it - check out your can; I bet corn syrup is either the first or second ingredient! It is far better that you keep your daughter on breastmilk and supplement with healthy solid foods than switching her to formula. Also, by offering a formula supplement, you are further reducing your breastmilk supply because she is drinking that 10 oz from a bottle and not from the breast.

If you are really concerned, I would recommend talking to a local La Leche League leader. They have some great advice, and they are also seasoned mothers that have always helped me keep my perspective and stay calm. We live in a bottlefeeding society, unfortunately. The result of this is that doctors encourage mothers to count everything our children put into their mouths. Breastfeeding can be nervewracking, because there is no way to tell how much baby is getting. This can make both parents and physicians nervous because they can't see what is happening; they just have to trust the process. However, if you follow your gut and keep an eye on your daughter's health, you will do fine. You don't need to measure her by a chart to tell if she is healthy and happy. If you see that she is not thriving or your gut tells you that something is wrong, than by all means seek help for her. However, if she seems healthy and happy to you, than don't worry about what some chart in some "professional's" office says about her. Every child is different. They all develop at their own rates, in their own ways. You don't expect your daughter to walk or crawl or talk the same time as someone else's child. Don't expect her to grow the same way!

Best of luck,
S.

Hi E.,
As the last Mom said, keep in touch with your Doctor but try not to over stress yourself. The fact that she is drinking any formula at all at this point is a good first step. My daughter would never drink formula and would never take a bottle. Needless to say it was very frustrating. She started drinking from a straw at about 10 months or so and also sippy cups without the suction part inside. She only drank water and juice and I would mix formula into her solids and her cereal so she would get those nutrients there. She was always healthy and never had any problems with growth.
Hope this helps, take care,
B.

Hi E.,

Please, contact your doctor. They can talk to you about different formulas to try and they should give you some for free to take home.

Because your baby is not quite a year old, I would be hestitant about adding yogurt or other mixers. Every baby is different and so are potential allergies to things.

my daughter dropped in percentiles at her 9 month visit too... from 25% to 2% in weight. Our pediatrician wasn't at all worried about it. He said that it about the time when genetics start to take over anyway, and both me and my husband are small people. Chances are your milk is fine, but if you are worried and want to get more forumla in her, trying mixing it with some yogurt and thinning it out. That worked for my sister-in-law when they had to switch one otheir kids to formula.

Contrary to the Doctor's belief we put our kids on whole milk around 9-10 months. The formula does have a different taste and she might take milk. We warmed the milk so that it was like breast milk and then after they were a year slowly weened them to cooler and cooler milk until they were just drinking cold milk. Try it, it might work for you, and it doesn't hurt the development or weight of the kid.

Check with your doctor first, but we did 10 oz. whole milk to one serving of Carnation Instant Breakfast. It's a common substitution for underweight babies. It has 10 more calories per ounce. Our DS was a bit older, though. Full fat yogurt might help, too (Yo Baby makes some).

Formula tastes terrible, its not surprising if she's used to very sweet breastmilk she rejects formula. Both my kids did the same thing.

To get mine to switch I gave them 'no iron' formula, I think similac is the only one that makes it. It tastes much more like real milk and seems to make the transition easier....once she;s had a couple bottles you can slowly start to cut it with the full iron similac.

GL!

Hi E.,

Maybe you can give goats milk a try.
Here's a link to Doctor Sear's website about goats milk.
http://askdrsears.com/html/3/t032400.asp

http://www.healthnews-nz.com/infants.html

Good luck!
L.

try different formulas. Other than that my milk started to dry up and none of the herbal stuff worked for me, but you should try those. If they don't work, reglan worked for me.

The same thing happened with my little boy and it scared me! This is what I did. I mixed the formula with apple juice. (Make up your 4 oz. of formula with water, then add 4 oz of Juice.)Then I gradually reduced the amount of apple juice I put in with the formula over the course of a week until I was just giving him formula.

I know this sounds soooooo gross but it was the only way I could get my little boy to take it. He went an entire week without taking it and every time I talked to the doctor I was told, he'll take it if he gets hungry enough. I gradually reduced the amount of apple juice I put in with the formula over the course of a week until I was just giving him formula.

I know this is a weird suggestion but I hope it helps. :)

Just a thought, have you tried giving her the formula out of a sippy cup, or some other way besides in a bottle? Might be worth a try. Also, offer formula before you offer solids, at times when she is used to eating and therefore probably hungry. Good luck and try not to panic, but keep you doctor informed. My 9 month old son went through something similar, and he doesn't take in the recommended amounts of formula most days, but he is doing just fine.

Contact a La Leche League leader- here is the number of one of the leaders in my area: Tammie ###-###-####. Chances are your supply is fine! You might have to give less solids for a while to get her to nurse more and boost your supply again. At 9 months they are getting really active as well, so a drop in percentile might not be all that abnormal.

Good luck,

J. (mom to Zach, 2 and 1/2 years old, and Talia, 8 months old)

Contact your local La Leche League leader - your doc may be wrong. My dd dropped in percentile as well, but she was so active, her metabolism couldn't keep up. It was at 10 months, and no one ever suggested it was b/c my milk supply was low. Hmmmm...

Depending on how long your milk supply has gone down, perhaps you can boost it back up. Does your baby still nurse? If not, do you have a pump? Breast stimulation (like nursing every 2-3 hours or pumping 10-15 minutes every 2-3 hours during the day) may bring your milk back. If you want to go out with your husband, you still have the flexibility of leaving a bottle of your own milk, or solids. Herbs, such as Fenugreek, and medications from your physician, such as Reglan, might also help. Ideally your baby can receive your milk until her first birthday, then move on to whole milk. Good luck.