HELP - was dropping BF and have changed my mind!

[boozybird]

Hello!
i had planned to drop all BF at 3 months, and have been dropping feeds over the last 2 weeks... now i am only bf in the night, in the morning and before bath. the thing is that my milk production seems to be right down, so that if he has full feed in the night, they don't seem to fill up again properly for the morning feed, and in fact they never get as full and leaky in the night as they used to, they stay soft... is that right? is he still getting the same amount from them? now i've decided i don't want to stop bf for these three feeds, but i'm worried that i'm not producing enough milk for him - is there anything i can do?

the daytime feeds i would like to keep on formula as sometimes i'm not here for him, and i find having to express for extra feeds too time consuming and stressful.

also, i am leaving him with my sister for two nights this weekend (romantic weekend away with dp!) and am worried that even if i express at the times i usually feed, my milk might dry up.

any ideas?

[PortAndLemonaid]

It's probably OK for them to not be full and leaky -- somewhere around this stage your milk production levels out and you stop getting so engorged and leaky. For me (bf exclusively) it wasn't until around 4.5 months, but I think (emphatically not an expert though) that 3 months is within the normal range.

I think over the weekend I'd be inclined to express more often than you normally feed him, if you can -- your body's been getting lots of cues that breastfeeding is tapering off lately and it won't hurt to give it a bit of a boost. Maybe do full-on expressing at the three remaining feed times and a couple of smaller sessions between times?

[moondog]

Lots of expressing and lots of feeding should do the trick.
I mean lots.

Tiktok orMears will no doubt be along with more specific advice.

What made you change your mind out of interest?

[PortAndLemonaid]

I may be misunderstanding, but I got the impression from boozybird's OP that she doesn't want to go back to full breastfeeding, just keep doing the three feeds she's doing at the moment and use formula for the others (whereas she'd originally intended to drop breastfeeding altogether, including those three feeds).

Agree tiktok or mears will give you the expert lowdown, though!

[moondog]

Yes Port,I understood that too.

[LazycowLyinginaManger]

Hi Boozybird

I have a feeling (thopugh others who know more may disagree) that 3 months is too soon to cut down on the feeding so much if you want to keep breastfeeding for much longer. Although at 3 months your supply is pretty established you will lose supply if you cut down so much now and that may be fine but the baby may lose interest (as bfeeding is more work than bottles) so you might end up totally on formula by default.

I would think you could improve your supply if you do it now by breastfeeding or expressing more often if you can though Tik Tok and Mears will know better.

Once your baby is 6 months and starting on solids you should find it easier to have 3-4 feeds a day and still maintain your supply though I know not everyone can do that either .

Hopefully someone who knows more will come along to help.

[tinkersbelles]

bump

[BigCookLittleCook]

Hello I decided at three months that enough was enough (DS used to feed for two hours each bf...) and started gradually dropping bf's and used formula instead. Four weeks later I was just doing breakfast and bedtime breast feeds, but also found that, esp at night, I didn't seem to have enough. Then started giving formula to supplement bedtime bf, and obviously that just led to having even less. Sorry this is prob no help but just wanted to say I had the same thing. I did also change my mind as realised I would really miss breast feeding, but didn't go back and did end up dropping all bf by 4.5 months and found full formula was fine and not as much hassle as I first thought. Be doubly sure you DO want to continue as am not sure constant expressing whilst on romantic weekend away with DP is all that romantic...

[boozybird]

thanks BCLC... i think i'm going to end up going the same way as you... i'm already supplementing the morning feed as otherwise he's hungry after 2 hrs... and he has a top up before going to bed - an hour and half ish after a full breastfeed - and that top up has become a full 5oz, so i think the breastfeeding is already becoming something we do for love, not food!

[TwinkleInSantasEye]

Nothing wrong in that boozybird! I start every feed with a breastfeed then give formula. I reckon on DS getting about one third breast, two thirds formula. I'm sure I could increase the bf again if I wanted but I've settled for the intimacy of breastfeeding in combination with the certainty (and painlessness) of the bottle. I've been mixed feeding since DS was two weeks old - DS is now 4.5 months and we're still going strong. I skip the occasional bf now and then and so far it hasn't mattered too much.

[mears]

boozybird - your milk will not dry up in the 2 days you are away from him. As long as you continue to breastfeed, you will continue to make milk. If you feel your supply is dwindling, just offer him some extra feeds during the day, as well as formula if you want. You do not need to be rigid. Definitely express at the times you would have fed when you are away, just to keep the production going. I know a few women who have left their breastfed babies for a couple of days up to a week and resumed feeding on their return.
Combined feeding works for many women. Just remember that breast feeds also stimulate milk production. The more you feed, the more milk you make. You can always increase feeds when you get back for a few days to get things back on track.