BF mums...What would you do?

[harverina]

Posted about this last week on another thread.

My DD is 17 weeks and EBF. I have been supplementing her evening feed with a bottle of expressed breast milk, which my DH gives to her. I have been doing this as my supply has been very slow. The amount depends on what I have managed to pump. Regardless, I also usually breastfeed her before bed too, unless the expressed milk fills her up.

Tonight she has had 7oz of expressed milk plus she has been fed by me a few times. She has been in bed twice and is back up. My DH is giving her the last of the expressed milk just now. We have about an 0z left.

My DH thinks I should give her formula. We have a carton of ready made aptamil in the cupboard. I really dont want to give it to her but am I being selfish? Have just tried to feed her and she is so unsettled because my supply is so slow. I want to continue to exclusively breastfeed her for as long as possible...apart from the guilty I am feeling, I have also read the "Just one bottle" article which another mumsnetter posted on another thread and worry about the health implications of giving formula...I know plenty of babies get it, I was formula fed, but I am stressing myself out here.

Any advice please? Just stick at it and let her feed till she is full? I have no problem doing this, but dont want my DD to be frustrated and get upset.

What makes you think your supply is 'slow'?

Hang on, 17 weeks old - could she be going through the four month growth spurt? Look, don't decide now, take her to bed with you and feed her as much as she wants to and see what happens in 48 yours. Your milk supply will catch up if this is the case.

if you want to make more milk you need to feed more, not less

your breasts will keep on making milk as you feed, they don't run out

It is the classic time for a growth spurt. I don't think you are being selfish at all! Just keep on feeding her.

i would stick at it and let her feed until she is full

for whatever reason, she wants more milk and your milk is better than any formula you could offer her.

your milk is replenishing itself almost constantly, and if she is going through a growth spurt then she NEEDS to feed frequently to ensure your breasts produce enough for her increasing needs

she won't be frustrated or upset. she loves breastfeeding!

I agree, the 4 month growth spurt has been very, very noticable with both of our ds's. It took longer than 48 hours to pass though (more like 10 days ), but the only way through it is to feed, feed again and then keep feeding!

If you're not keen to give her formula, then you really don't have to - providing you've got a comfy sofa and lots of cake to eat

Have faith OP - we all do go through these things. Your daughter is tired and hungry, you can solve both of these things by nursing her, she'll fall asleep and then wake and feed. Send your DH out for a magazine and some chocolate if he wants to be helpful

And remind him you are giving her the perfect food and he can help by making it as easy as possible (by bringing forth tea and snacks!)

Sorry for delay coming back. Sitting in bed with dd. I know my supply is slow as barely any milk comes out when I hand express. Also my dd could feed for hours in the evening. This has been happening for a few weeks now though tonight my dd seems particularly hungry. Think you are prob right about growth spurt. My dd is getting frustrated. She keeps coming off the breast. I know I am never truly empty but it feels like I am tonight! My dh is lying next to me sleeping and its not helping me!

Barely any milk comes out when I hand express either and I've tandem fed two children! This is no indication of how much milk she gets out.

If she keeps coming off check for teeth buds.

Also feed her in a darkened room (radio on low so you don't die of boredom), she'll settle down quicker and you get to lie down!

Cluster feeding in the evening is normal - the grow out of it. DD was attached to me it seemed from 4pm - 11pm every night for several months! It's hard to remember how hard it actually was but I can recall sobbing at DH that I wasn't making enough, right up until the day she shot off the top of the centile charts. Doing something right then!

You are doing everything right, just have confidence in yourself, your boobs know what they are doing and as long as you don't let on, your DD will have no idea you are floundering either, She just thinks you are this fab mummy who has lots of lovely milk for her.

Hi sorry to hear it is all rather stressful.
Lots of people i know have had apparent problems with supply around 4 -5 months. a couple of friends of mine did top up with formula and gradually her supply dwindled further. she stopped bf entirely by 6 months due to lack of supply.
I didn't bother, mainly because i am incredibly stubborn, and despite DH saying i should, and DS weight being at the 1st percenile or thereabouts and kept bf for 14 months.
I know you have been bf already for 17 weeks which is great, so even if the first scenario happened it wouldn't be the end of the world. but if you give the formula now your supply may dwindle further so if you are keen to BF for 12 months i would probably try to avoid the formula at the mo if you can stand it.
This phase will pass, honestly it will.
once children are on solid food bf gets a lot easier.
Personally, i always found expressing rather more exhausting than feeding myself and then there is the stress of worrying about how much you can /can't express. i don't know your circs but perhaps if you can stopping the expressing for a day or two may relax the situation.
Drink plenty and try to get lots of rest (i know its easier said than done)

harverina, sorry but you don't "know" that you have a low supply because you can't express much milk. I bf 2 DC and hardly ever expressed or leaked a drop. Both put on weight quickly and DC1 fed for hours each evening. It never occurred to me that I had a low supply, he was just addicted to bfing and his Mummy

If you want to continue bfing just put her in bed with you and feed her as much as she wants tonight. The formula won't improve your supply but the bfing will.

I totally agree with whomovedmychocolate sounds like she is cluster feeding and it will pass. At this age DD was feeding 7pm to 11pm, just going from right to left then back again. I remember crying and saying I can't do this anymore. As soon as I accepted the situation, and relaxed it got a whole lot better. Please keep going you are doing a great job, with each passing week it gets easier.

The amount you can achieve by expressing, be it by hand or pump, is no measure how much milk you have, so don't let it fool you.

She is probably on a growth spurt - so just feed, feed, feed, and then feed some more.

And repeat to yourself, This Too Shall Pass

Starlight - she's feeding expressed BM not formula at nights.

But honestly you don't have to, your DH will be helping with weaning soon and let him handle the thrown carrots instead, let milk be your job OP!

Agree with whomoved, I can remember DD being attached constantly around 4 months (I remember getting less than 2 hours sleep in a whole night at points). The more you feed, the more you will produce. Expressing is far less efficient that a baby at getting out milk from your breasts, she will be getting more than you express in each feed. Can you co-sleep for a few days? That way you can feed lying down whilst snoozing and she will get more milk feeding little and often. When expressing they advise to express little and often to build supply and express more milk overall. If you really want to feed a bottle of EBM you could try that method if you can spare the time between DD's demands for milk.

I could hardly get any milk out with a pump,and I never even managed to hand express but I've fed two girls and am still bfing my toddler who would complain loudly if there was no milk coming out.

I would second exclusively breastfeeding her at the moment and forgettinga aboiut EBM top-ups. Expressing for top-ups is a pressure you don't need just now when you may need to be breastfeeding directly more frequently. That way baby is registering demand with you breasts and you will produce more milk accoringly. Well done for exclusively breastfeeding till now. You definitely do not need formula when you have been able to do that. If you feed directly from the breast over the next few days you will see a boost in supply. Common to take 48 - 72 hours.

Sorry to not have been back, there's not a lot I can add really. Loads of good advice.

Is she still feeding at night? It's night feeds (between 2 & 5 am or some such) that are most effective at boosting supply. Cluster expressing also works a treat, but considering your doing real cluster feeds it'd probably be too taxing.

I definitely agree about dropping the top ups.

Thanks everyone for your replies and support. My dd is now in bed. She is asleep but a bit restless. My dh is asleep too, but very restfull! I am planning on reading my book for a wee while then going to sleep. Determined to stick with the breast feeding till at least twelve months so adamant that I don't want to use formula if it will affect my supply. When I give my dd an expressed bottle in the evening I also feed her myself and express too. Will maybe ditch expressing for a few days and see how it goes. My dd seems to have sore gums. Didn't think to check for buds yet but I will when she wakens. She is def teething just now so this and a growth spurt is prob why we have struggled a bit tonight. I do know that how much I express doesn't reflect how much milk is there but I am sure my flow is slower in the evening. I will just go with it though and let my dd feed for as long as she wants. Thanks again everyone.

'I know my supply is slow as barely any milk comes out when I hand express.'

I have fed three dc, for a total of 35 months (and still bf DC3) and have never been able to express more than an ounze.

'Also my dd could feed for hours in the evening. This has been happening for a few weeks now though tonight my dd seems particularly hungry.'

This is how BF babies feed and is perfectly normal.

The gorwth spurt is a good explanation for tonight. Keep feeding and you will make enough milk. Have faith. Whenever I have felt like giving up I always think, well I'll give it a couple of days and see how things are then. It is always better by then!

Sorry I x posted there. Yes at night I switch my dd between breasts frequently. Only do this at night. No my dd hasn't been feeding during the night for weeks now. She usually sleeps from 8pm till 5 or 6am, sometimes later. Sorry for any typos i'm using my mobile phone to post. Does cluster expressing just mean pumping non stop when my dd isn't feeding? I have been doing this at night when my dd is in bed and think it has been helping.

Your milk supply increases at night as your prolactin levels increase naturally so it is a good time to pump if DD not feeding. Prolactin drops 3 hours after a feed to to keep up prolactin levels and therefore milk supply express less than 3 hours apart. This link explains it well www.minti.com/parenting-advice/8046/Breastfeeding-night-nursing-relief-bottles-and-co-sleeping/.