Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Does a big baby need supplementing with formula?

29 replies

clare40 · 19/11/2011 21:55

I had a big baby (nearly 10lbs) and I am breastfeeding him. It's all going well, and he is 4 weeks old and weighs over 12lbs (could even be more but have not had him weighed this week). The health visitor told me that breastfeeding won't be enough for him and I should give him at least one formula feed a day (at 6pm). At the moment I have ignored her advice, as he settles well, has lots of poos/wet nappies and is gaining weight. BUT......has anyone else had a big baby and only breastfed? Should I be supplementing my feeds with formula? Any advice?

OP posts:
LilRedWG · 19/11/2011 21:58

You are doing an amazing job! Ignore your HV and have faith in your body - your DS is healthy and happy, lots of wet nappies.

PS - stop visiting that health visitor.

RealityIsADistantMemory · 19/11/2011 21:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SouthernandCross · 19/11/2011 21:59

You don't have to but you can if you want to.
Mine were all over 10lbs and didn't have formula until later. DD2 didn't ever take formula and DD3 who was 10lbs 11ozs when born didn't have formula until she was about 3 months old. She didn't have to but I was trying to get her to sleep longer at night. It didn't work btw.

LilRedWG · 19/11/2011 21:59

Congratulations btw. :)

My sister breat fed a monster baby (almost 11lb) and he turned out just fine.

MaeMobley · 19/11/2011 22:00

No. DS was over 11lbs at birth and did not need formula.

RandomMess · 19/11/2011 22:01

I had 3 large babies, all 98 centiles at birth, all happy on breast feeding (and all slept 7-7 at a vey young age). I did feel a bit like a cow though!!!

My only tip would be waked them every 3ish hours during "day" hours Smile

RitaMorgan · 19/11/2011 22:01

Babies get lots bigger than 12lb and are still breastfed! Mothers manage to breastfeed twins fine too :)

So long as you feed on demand you will produce however much milk you need.

Catsu · 19/11/2011 22:02

Dd was over 9lb at birth, on 91st centile on chart
She is now 12 weeks and still topping the charts from being ebf
Ignore the hv, she is talking shit! Sounds like you are doing great!

DamsonJam · 19/11/2011 22:05

Your health visitor is talking absolute tosh. My DD1 was 10lb 5oz at birth and survived fine on breastmilk for the first 6 months (and has continued to follow the 99th percentile). If your baby was small she'd probably be saying he needed a formula top-up.

notnowbernard · 19/11/2011 22:06

my 10lb 2oz baby who was still on 99th centile for weight at his 1yr check was excl breastfed until weaning at 5 1/2 m

silly hv

msbossy · 19/11/2011 22:06

What a load of nonsense. My 9lb 6er has never needed formula. At 7 months she's still tracking 75th centile. If you add formula now you may reduce your supply.

BeeBread · 19/11/2011 22:07

Congratulations!

Your HV is talking tripe.

My DS was 8lb 1oz at birth but quickly hit the top of the centiles. He was very hungry and exclusively breastfed for 6 months by which stage he was around 25lbs! Yup, he fed more frequently than FF babies but was a very easy baby. No need to supplement at all.

ParkerRocks · 19/11/2011 22:08

If breastfeeding is going well and baby seems happy then try not to introduce formula. I made the mistake of listening to HV with my DS, my milk ended up drying up. With DD I have just BF and 6 months on she is doing great! Only introduce the formula if you want to, don't feel you have to. My DS lost no birthweight and was gaining weight really well, looking back I don't know why I took the advice to introduce formula! Both mine were over 9lbs at birth.

travellingwilbury · 19/11/2011 22:09

No ,you are doing a grand job ,my second was 12 pounds 11 and he was bf till 6 months and then I started weaning . My hv was surprised even after a couple of weeks that I hadn't been giving him formula .

On this , ignore your hv .

MrsS1980 · 19/11/2011 22:09

Rubbish! My DS was 11lb 13 and is exclusively breastfed. He has remained on the 98th centile. Ignore them - sometimes I think HVs are just covering their own backs!

Secondtimelucky · 19/11/2011 22:12

Please, please consider reporting this health visitor/making a complaint so that she receives some training.

Size of a baby alone is no reason for supplementation. I bet she tells the mothers of small babies that they need to add a bottle because their baby is small so their milk is clearly not enough too Hmm.

Ineedacleaneriamalazyslattern · 19/11/2011 22:16

All my babies were early so noe of them massive but were all big for dates. None of them needed anything else ever.

I was 9lb 14 and my mum also manged just fine and this was more than 30 years ago when advice was even more rubbish very different.
You are doing a fab job your boody will produce what your baby needs as long as you feed on demand, if you do start giving formula once a day it is more than likely that you will cause a house of cards and end up needing to give more and more when you are doing just fine without it.

notso · 19/11/2011 22:21

My old health visitor told me breast feeding wasn't enough for 7lb 1oz DD because I was young, with DS1 9lb 5oz she said breast feeding wasn't enough because he was big she also told me it was making him vomit, I now think he had undiagnosed reflux.

Thankfully she retired before I had DS2 9lb and I actually managed to EBF for 6 months with no meddling and the support of a new, lovely, educated HV.

Dialsmavis · 19/11/2011 22:26

I always just try to let HV advice wash over me and am not in any way anti formula (mix feeding worked for my personal circs) but pleased report this silly bint. I just don't understand why more of the money spent trying to promote BF isn't spent on training the people who are meant to be there to support it but do such a good job of buggering it up for so many people

Fiolondon · 20/11/2011 14:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
clare40 · 20/11/2011 19:30

Thank you all for replying. I thought as much, hence I ignored her, but then every time he has fussed I have wondered if I am doing the right thing! Will keep exclusively breastfeeding for now! Thanks again xxx

OP posts:
SirBoobAlot · 20/11/2011 19:48

What a moron. I'd be tempted to complain to the team for such uneducated remarks!
You're doing great, keep going.x

AlohaMama · 21/11/2011 07:25

My ds was 9lb1. I ebf him no problem. Your body should make enough milk to meet the demand. The only time that will fall down is if you start adding formula as then your body does not know that more milk is needed. I only started having issues with not having enough milk when ds was 5 months old, and then I found he was hungry after bf-ing, but this seemed to be because he only wanted to feed 4 times a day and apparently (so says my paediatrician) that is not enough to stimulate supply. So then I started pumping before bed and after first morning feed and then using that milk to supplement the afternoon feeds when milk supply is lowest. A faff, but once he started on solids I didn't need to supplement as much. I would take the advice of others and ignore hv. There is no reason why you need to supplement, I'm sure your body will cope just fine. And you get the bonus of having a bigger baby - bigger baby = bigger stomach = longer gap between feeds = more sleep at night!! :)

seeker · 21/11/2011 07:27

No. I ebf my ds and he was 10'6 when he was born. Your body makes then milk you baby needs.

abigboydidit · 21/11/2011 15:38

Pah! Sounds like my MIL.. I'm small framed and a size 6/8 & produced a whopper 10lb baby. He was EBF till 6 months (today!) & is now on BLW. I've been told I could never feed him myself (I have), he'd never sleep through the night (he has slept through 11 hours since 12 weeks) & that I'd need to start him on solids early.

Yadda yadda, ignore 'em! Though to be fair, my comments weren't from supposed health care professionals.