breast feeding advice please.

[mummyinlove]

I breast feed my 9 month old son but recently started back at work 2 days a week and on those days he has a bottle or two of formula. Then for the rest of the week I continue breast feeding as usual. (He's on solids too!)

For the last couple of days he seems to want to be fed all the time and won't go to sleep at night, today-because he didn't seem satisfied after a feed I gave him a bottle of formula and he gulped it down! Now I'm worried my milk is drying up, can it do that? I am very stressed at work and haven't been eating as much as usual, could these be factors? or maybe he was just thirsty in this hot weather? Any ideas? I want to continue breast feeding for a couple more months, but not if it means he's hungry.

[moondog]

This is a comon misunderstanding. A body responds automatically to the demand placed on it in terms of breastfeeding.Thus the more he sucks, the more milk will be made (as someone once said 'It's the equivalent of putting a note out for the milkman saying'Extra pint tomoorw please''.)

If he wants more,feed him more. Simple as that.

He doesn't even need formula in the day,could go fine with water or juice.Mine did.

[IAteRosemaryConleyForBreakfast]

mummyinlove, my DS is 9 months and I've been back to work pretty much FT since he was 6 months. Each evening I express between 2 and 4 ounces for the next day, and I come home and feed him each lunchtime, and otherwise he has water and solids. It did take a while to settle things down (I was on here asking for help because I too felt like my supply was fading) but I just fed him as much as he wanted to feed and it ramped up again nicely. As moondog says, you can easily do without the formula at 9 months of age, I am sure. The best thing you can do just now is give it time to - how long have you been back to work?

[IAteRosemaryConleyForBreakfast]

I meant to add that as you are only working 2 days a week you would easily have enough milk for him if you expressed every evening. That's assuming you want to express, of course! I should also add that lateley if I have a late night at work and haven't time (or energy!) to stay up and express milk then he's coped OK without, his Dad is very resourceful when it comes to getting him to take enough during the day

[mummyinlove]

Thanks for your advice, you both said what I hoped you would! I was just worried because I don't express milk while I'm at work and thought that might confuse milk supply.
I've only been back a few weeks so hopefully things will improve.