Formula v breast milk levels

[Roxy33]

I have been solely breastfeeding my two week old. I had problems initially with the latch so had cracked and painful nipples which made bf hard at the beginning but i've turned a corner and the pain has reduced considerably. The problem I'm having now is that my DD hasn't regained her birth weight (5% under) and now likes to bf for about 2 hours, going from L to R to L. The time spent breastfeeding isn't an issue and I'm happy to breastfeed whenever she wants however this afternoon I was so exhausted that my husband decided to give her formula for the first time whilst I was sleeping. He said that she had 90mls of formula. Since i missed her feed i decided to manually express (HV suggested manual to ensure my nipples get a rest) and could only get out approx. 10mls in about half an hour. Does this mean that my DD isn't get enough breast milk? I've never seen her so contented/awake than how she was after the formula......after breast feeding she is normally fast asleep. Feeling a bit low now, trying to do the best for her but thinking I should start topping up with formula - appreciate any suggestions or anyone who has had similar experiences.

If you top up with formula your supply will be affected - just keep feeding on demand as you have been and she will get enough milk. Feeding stimulates milk production. If you want to carry on BFing steer clear of bottles for now!

no, the amount you can express is no indication of how much you are making

however, i would really strongly advise you to see a breastfeeding counsellor. it could be that your baby is havig issues transferring milk effectively, hence the pain ad the slow weight gain?

whereabouts are you?

How much you can express is no indication of how much your baby can get out of your breasts.

What help have you had with the latch? How do you know it is now better? Bad latch makes feeds longer, and means the baby gets less food, so it might be worth fiddling with the latch some more, tbh. (To some extent, the latch gets better as the baby gets bigger, anyway.)

Agree with the others that it sounds like you could do with a bit of real life help - the long feeds, pain and slow weight gain suggest something could be adjusted to help the baby feed better. Has she been checked for a tongue-tie? This can cause feeding problems - my ds had one and got it snipped at 3 weeks.

Never ever use expressing as a measure of supply. And your supply in the first few weeks is fragile, so try to avoid formula top-ups if possible. If you need to express for top-ups, you get better at it.

I'd agree getting some help IRL would be good.

Thank you all for your advice - please to know that expressing isn't reflective of what I've been producing directly from the breast.

I have been going to a breast feeding group, now going to two a week and have had my latch checked 3 times now. I'm off to one tomorrow so will raise this again and get it re-checked, also have a hospital clinic appointment on sunday so getting loads of support. DD has been checked for tongue tie and she doesn't have one. I will continue directly from the breast and see how we go, just can't wait for my little one to become more robust

Think about positioning - some of the positions recommended for latching newborns on actually aren't great for all in terms of getting a deep latch (essential for efficient feeding). I had an infant feeding specialist teach us how to use cradle hold properly and it saved us!