Breastfeeding but Supplementing with Formula

N.,

I sympathize with you. I had mastitis, blocked ducts, one breast much larger than the other, etc. I used two different lactation consultants, both very helpful. Try www.naturalbeginningsonline.com. Sharon Matties and Linda Worzer might be able to help. La Leche League was not helpful to me and I would not recommend them as a first course of action. They told me to taper off feedings on the larger side and this actually caused my mastitis. Give thanks for the breast that produces more and use it until things balance out better. My daughter nursed until 2 1/2 and my left NEVER made as much as the right.

Also, review your diet. Your body needs LOTS of nutrition and WATER in order to make enough milk. The stress you are under is a challenge to milk production as well. I applaud your efforts, as breastmilk is best for baby. Fenugreek is a common recommendation for increasing supply. Practice envisioning you both nursing comfortably, easily, satisfactorily. Do this every day, even when you feel your current reality does not match that image. Try to love yourself as much as you love your baby. You're a great mom.

Good luck.

I know this is kind of late, but I went through this myself. My daughter is almost 4 months now and I have finally just stopped worrying so much about it. I drink mothers milk tea by yogi tea and for a while I pumped whenever I got the chance (even if I only got one ounce out of it). Now I supplement about 2 bottles a day and MAYBE one at night. I will tell you, the tea works WONDERS. Whenever I drink it like 2 hours later my daughter doesn't even consume all the milk I get- I usually drink it before bed so I don't have to worry about getting up to get a bottle and it works perfectly. I noticed that before when I stressed about it, my milk levels pretty much disappeared, but as I just kept trying and nursing whenever I could, it works out fine. I don't mind doing the bottle because now I don't get stressed out if I take off on a shopping trip or something and she is fine. I would rather nurse for a longer period of time alongside bottle feeding then just nursing for 3 months or so and stopping completely. Just don't beat yourself up about it. Us moms have to do what we can, don't worry, there will be WAY more things to stress about in the long run, just try to nurse as much as you can. I also know that you will produce more milk if you nurse than pump, the baby sucking stimulates it more. So good luck! And just don't stress about it, enjoy your little baby!

i havent read any of the other responses so im sorry if i repeat some advice. but i have a three month old little girl & we have had thrush three times. needless to say, this left my supply VERY low. im talkign like a tablesppon a day! so i heard from a friend about this stuff called fenugreek. its about $8 for a bottle that will last you a month & a half. it makes you smell like maple syrup when you sweat or pee but frankly its better than smelling like sweat or pee! haha

theres no problem with supplementing while bfing. i currently am switching on & off with a bottle & nursing bc its easier for me (i have a 2.5 yr old as well) & it still lets me bond with my little one.

my daughter turned 3m on the 6th & she has been drinking between 6 & 8 ozes per feeding (unless shes jsut sipping ot fall asleep, she tends to use me as a pacifier sometimes too).

as long as you remember to feed her every other feeding & you dont forget then you should be ok. weve been doign this for about 2 months now & its working great for us. i too have one boob bigger than the other but you just kinda have to know your baby & try with the smaller side first & if it doesnt work out, cut her off from the bigger one after shes drank a little, she'll be calmed down bc she got SOME & more willing to work with the other side (sometimes it can be more work coaxing the milk out from the smaller side bc its not as full or ready to burst).

as for the 'pumping when its full' issue. dont do that. pump on a schedule. when your breasts feel full, thats that signals to your body taht you dont need to make that much milk & your supply will decrease.
good luck & good for you! i know alo tof moms who have given up the battle, its nice to see some more moms out there sticking to it!

fennel is suppose to help, I have a friend who swears by drinking a beer. I don't know that i would go that far, but you never get as much out with a pump as you child gets out naturally. Don't fret, stress will not help. You can pump as often as you like. I always was fuller in the mornings, so I would always pump after breastfeeding. It helped with my supply.

I had a rough start with my son because he was a preemie and everything went the complete opposite form everything I wanted. So, when it came to breastfeeding, I thought I'd have more control over how it went. Boy, was I wrong! I was so stressed about....well everything that it was pretty much hell for the first 3 1/2 months. My pedi was worried he wasn't gaining enough so he had me supplement. If you ever want your body to make more milk, you have to ask it to make more by either pumping or nursing. But, don't feel like a bad mom if you have to give a bottle here and there. If that's what keeps you sane, then by all means, stay sane! You'll be a better mom that way. I totally empathize with you though. I had many of the same problems and my advice is to stick with it. Just take one day at a time and you'll get through. My son is almost 10 months, and I'm glad I did because what was a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding between my son and I is now a love/love relationship. Never thought I'd say this, but I hope he doesn't quit for a while.

Now, here are some tips that helped me.
I actually flew to AZ to stay with my sister to get some real help and even saw a body talk specialist for my son & I. After one two hour session, my son was a different baby, and I was a new mommy.
Fenugreek and mother's milk tea are supposed to increase your production--but I don't think they worked for me.
The thing that helps the most is to relax and tell yourself you're doing wonderful. Things will fall into place and before you know it, it WILL be easier! I promise. PM me if you need any referrals or have more questions. You're doing awesome!

The fussiness that your daughter was having in the evening is fairly typical for babies at her age and can indicate a growth spurt. She is telling you that she needs to nurse more often at that time of day - at least every two hours, and maybe more often for a period of time. If you want to continue breastfeeding, you need to wean her off the formula and just nurse more often. You need to have faith that your body WILL make enough milk, but the key is to ask it to make more, and right now with the supplementation you are asking it to make LESS.

Also, around 3-4 months is when many women find that their breasts feel less "full" - it is not an indicator that you are making less milk, just that your body has adjusted to the amount it should be producing. Most of the milk your baby drinks is made during a feeding, not stored in the breast. I know that feeding formula seems "easier" right now, but it will not be in the long run. Hang in there! You are just at the point where breastfeeding becomes much, much easier.

I was a working mom determined to breast feed all three of my children without supplementing - fortunately, I was able to succeed, but not without a lot of effort.

Since I traveled often, I needed to have tons of stored milk. I found that if I pumped before nursing, and then allowed my child to nurse as long as they wanted after, I was able to stimulate more milk production. Also, I found that my babies got much fuller from the "bottom" milk and all were very healthy. My sons weened themselves at 11 months; my daughter, 15 months.
Good luck and stick with it if you can, however, it is no big deal at all if it just doesn't work. So many kids thrive on formula.

Hi N.,

I know someone else already said this but you need to pump on a schedule as much as possible. I have a 9 mth old that is still nursing after going back to work when she was eight weeks I would pump before leaving for work and then every 4 hours at work and come home and feed her and then pump before I went to bed it has worked out well and I have been able to store a bunch of milk as well. i am now to the point where I can go longer stretches and still be fine without pumping so that is nice.

I don't know what kind of a pump you bought, but if you end up having issues with pumping you may try larger breast shields for added suction that helped me out a lot. I have a Medela so I know they sell different sizes, but I am not sure how other pumps function.

Hope this helps.

Kim

I had so much trouble breast feeding too. We had a lactation consultant come over and help. If you are interested I can look up her information just let me know. I couldn't produce enough milk so she had me take fenugreek (not sure if I'm spelling it right). She also had me pump on a schedule to try to trick my body into making more milk. Hope that helps.

You know, it just shouldn't be so hard, should it? I never ever produced enough milk, no matter what I tried and my child nursed every hour and a half in the beginning. Rather than beat yourself up over this issue, just use a bottle. There is nothing wrong with it.I agonized for so long and then the moment I listend to my own instincts and gave him a bottle, he slept for six hours straight because he was finally FULL! Nurse when you can and when you can't do so, don't worry about it.

A breastfeeding vacation? Who came up with that one? Give yourself a real vacation and use a bottle! Good luck!