increasing milk supply for morning and teatime feeds

[SAS25]

baby is just 6 months i am back working since a month ago. I stepped down the bf gradually to just morning and night feeds as there arent facilities to express as i work all over the place. Thing is, my supply is dropping and in the morning and eve i also need to give her a bottle after bf. i would like to up this to a full supply, any advice? Previous to 4 and a half months she was exclusively bf until i started the step down to go back to work. Thanks for your help :)

[SAS25]

sorry, to be clear i would like to be able to offer her a feed at morning and teatime that meets her hunger

[Iggly]

Do you do any night feeds? This will help supply. Also you'll need to reduce the bottles because giving them will reduce your supply further as your baby doesn't take it from you (the more you feed the more milk you make).

[SAS25]

thanks iggly, i do a bottle dream feed at 10.30pm and then thats her till 7am. am at work through the day 4 days so cant feed her about 11 and 2.30 when she is also used to feeds - she is with the childminder.

[Iggly]

ah - the 10.30pm feed should be a BF as well which would probably help with your supply.

[tiktok]

Agree with Iggly - with a bottle feed at that time, you have a l...o...n...g time between bf, and that's what drops supply, even with well-established bf like yours.

[lilham]

You can do a dreamfeed on the boob too. I have been going it since 2-3mo and DD can latch on in her sleep if I put her mouth near my boobs. Bless her. She can sleep through from 10 till 7 with breastmilk so it's not only the mythical magic of formula.

[SAS25]

cool. thanks for the good advice, began to implement Iggly's advice and gave her a bf at 10.30 last night and then after a while of getting no more milk out of the breast offered a top up feed from the bottle to satisfy her greater hunger, same again at 7am. both times i let her work hard at the breast first and when its obvious that theres no milk and before she grows frustrated i offer the bottle to top her up, is this the way forward? a combo? or will my supply ever increase and match her hunger if i am giving her only three bf feeds a day?

[Iggly]

Yes do that because as you stimulate the boob, you'll produce more. Gradually reduce the top up too. As long as you have a night feed you should see improvement.