Upping BFing at 6 months

[Fedfedfedup]

Hi all
LO has had ongoing allergy issues since birth. BFing has been up and down for us, and we were initially advised by doc to stop BF and move onto hypo allergenic formula. Tried this but LO clearly wasn't completely ready to give up boob so I do have SOME milk. 4 different formula brands later, I have now been advised to pump to increase my supply to move LO off formula. Is this realistic at 6 months? Will it be realistic when LO is properly established on solids or am I kidding myself?

[Somethingsnappy]

Your milk works on a supply and demand basis, so the more you feed/express, theore you produce. If your aim is to get your baby completely off formula, that should work, but do have patience as your supply may take a few weeks to catch up. It is possible, but do remember that your baby will be better at extracting your milk than a pump.

From six months to one year, milk will still be the most important source of food for your little one.

[Somethingsnappy]

The more you produce

[Fedfedfedup]

Hi @Somethingsnappy
Thanks for your response. Yes, ideally I'd like to ditch the formula altogether eventually. I'm committed to pumping regularly and am still offering the breast first before the bottle until she is fed up. Just wondering if there's a certain point where your body will no longer ramp up milk production- 6 months sounds awfully late but I could be completely wrong.

[Somethingsnappy]

It is actually possible to completely start up your milk supply again, months, even years after you've stopped breastfeeding, called relactation. Some women manage to breastfeed adopted babies years after they fed their own. Also, some women may get their supply going again weeks or months after their baby was born, even if they never really breastfed at all. It takes patience but is definitely possible! If you never stopped breastfeeding completely, I see no reason at all why you shouldn't be able to up your supply to the point of not needing formula top ups, with a bit of perseverance!

[Fedfedfedup]

@Somethingsnappy thanks, that's really encouraging. Ordered a bunch of nursing teas...really hope this works.

[Somethingsnappy]

My tips would be... When you're expressing, make sure you are comfortable, warm and not stressed. Try to have your baby nearby and in sight and consider covering the bottle with a sock while you are expressing. It can be stressful watching the milk coming out if it's not going as quickly as hoped. Not being able to see it can help considerably. Also, don't worry at all if you only seem to produce a small amount. Each day you do a lot of pumping puts in the order for the next few days and you should notice the amounts increasing little by little every 2 or 3 days. Also, if you're baby is breastfeeding throughout the day too, it may not seem like you're getting much out after feeds; this is fine and nothing to worry about. Just the act of your baby (and the pump!) sucking at the breast, will put the demand in for the next few days. Good luck! With some patience and perseverance I'm sure you'll get to where you want to be x

[Somethingsnappy]

Your baby, not you're baby!

[Fedfedfedup]

Thanks a lot, @Somethingsnappy. That's encouraging. I will update on here next week about how I'm getting on :)

[Superscientist]

Good luck!
I'm also breastfeeding an allergy baby she's 7 months and whilst we have started weaning she is predominantly bf as weaning has gone slowly as we get to grips with her allergies.
We tried a hypoallergenic formula a week ago and she had a bad reaction to just 1oz of it. It turned out that the formula is coconut based and that is one of the foods she reacts to.

Aside from that 1oz of formula she has been ebf but when we had reflux issues before we discovered the allergies she had a month of her barely feeding during the day (total of 15minutes) and then fed lots in the late evening and overnight (1-2h). Once I stopped dairy and soya she went back to eating more in the day and less overnight. My supply switched without any issues.

[Lumisade]

Hi. Not the same situation but I managed to go from feeding one twin to two twins at 3 months, though it took about a 2.5 weeks to get my supply up to feed both comfortably. Just try your best and eat a lot of healthy food. Good luck.

[Fedfedfedup]

Thanks all. I started the teas and pumping last night. Trying not to get too fixated on the ml but I only got about 20ml after an hr of power pumping. I guess I'll just have to persist until I see a difference. Also I'm trying to catch her and BF her when she has JUST woken up so she doesn't get frustrated at the boob too quickly. Trying to stick her on the boob as much as possible but sometimes I think she is just sucking and not actually taking any milk.

Will keep updating :)

[Hollywhiskey]

Look up Lucy Ruddle IBCLC she has a book and lots of tips on social media which may help you. She specialises in relactation and increasing your supply.

[Fedfedfedup]

@Hollywhiskey Thank you, I will check her out :)
DD took a little less formula at her last feed as I put her at the breast a couple of times before giving her the bottle...feeling slightly more positive!

[Superscientist]

Keep trying to pump at different times of day I get more in the mornings and late afternoon and not so much early afternoon.

Try and get yourself into a calm headspace the more stressed I am the less I get. I find pumping when distracted works quite well so I either put a podcast on or since we have started weaning pumping whilst my lo munches on her breakfast. My LO hates the pump and tries to take it off as if to stop it stealing her milk so it helps to do it when she is distracted doing something else.

[Fedfedfedup]

Thanks @Superscientist I will take all that on board. You're right- when I'm stressed I tend not to pump as much. My LC recommended watching comedy/sitcoms while I pump lol.

DD is a fairly high needs and fussy baby so it's tough going to the loo let alone pumping...we recent started weaning so I might stick her in the highchair with some soft foods she can try and explore while I pump.

I've noticed my morning yield is rubbish because this is feed that I'd replaced with formula completely. Have pumped 4 times so far today...let's see how it goes.

[Fedfedfedup]

Update...I think my supply is very slowly picking up. I'm back on a low dose of domperidone to help me a little but hoping I don't need to be on it too long. DD gets really angry at my boobs once the milk runs out but she is certainly taking less formula than before. Very tempted to weigh her just to make sure I'm not starving her :/ but she seems alert and content :)

[Somethingsnappy]

That's good news OP! The amounts increase only little by little, so on a daily basis it might seem frustrating and not much, but as soon as a few days go past, you realise that you're actually getting results. Remember too, that because she is feeding a lot, the amount you express would not be expected to be particularly high, because your baby will be gettingvthe majority! But every time you pump for ages or your baby is sucking, whether anything much is coming out or not, you will be putting in the demand for the next day. You will get there quicker than you think I expect!

[Superscientist]

I also have a high needs fussy baby too, you have my sympathy! They are relentless!

I'm glad your supply is picking up that's excellent!

When was she last weighed? I struggle with the urge to weigh mine constantly. I must do it a couple of times a week. When she was small it was a comfort to see it slowly go up but she's now 7 months and it's fairly static so I just fret as it bounces between values. I really should just stop but it's a hard habit to break!

[LemonDrizzles]

I drastically increased supply when my lo was 7/8 months so it is possible but it takes time.I did things like eating porridge, avocado, and walnuts. also just feeding and feeding. trying to "relax" for the let down. looking at baby photos when pumping. I seem to recall watching breastfeeding tips videos on YouTube. all the best

[Fedfedfedup]

@Superscientist she was weighed about 2 weeks ago...but she has had weight issues since she was born and it's always felt like even when she seems satisfied on the boob, weight wise it just isn't enough for her? I'm trying to up my calories as well but don't know how much it'll help. My worry is that even if my supply catches up, she will drop on the graph of her red book again :(

@LemonDrizzles please tell me more! That's so reassuring to hear! What else did you do and how long did it take? Please could I have some contact if you don't mind sharing?

[Fedfedfedup]

*context, not contact!

[Fedfedfedup]

Update...think DD is teething and she is really struggling to feed as a result :( trying to put her to boob as much as possible but she just gets irritated...so pumping it is! When she does feed, she is definitely lasting longer on the boob than before :)

[Superscientist]

How are you getting on?

[Fedfedfedup]

Hi @Superscientist
I've barely had time to pump these last few days as DD has been soooo clingy- think she's going through some sort of leap. BUT instead I have been putting her to the boobs a LOT! She has definitely been taking less formula...so I think my supply is increasing? I always doubt myself because she's a petite gal lol. I'm thinking of getting in touch with a lactation consultant just for some reassurance but I think and really really hope i can ditch the formula soon :) I've also been trying to use my milk collector a bit more to boost supply and then mixing the milk into her solid foods. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic but feel like getting her weighed just for peace of mind.

[BertieBotts]

You can always increase milk supply :) As I understand it, it's easiest to do in the beginning but it's never impossible.

This is supposed to be really good for info about increasing supply, it's about all kinds of supply increase, not just relactation:
www.amazon.co.uk/Relactation-Guide-Rebuilding-Your-Supply/dp/1946665444?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

The author runs a FB group as well and is an IBCLC you can book remote sessions with.