Mixed feeding - any chance of getting back to EBF?

[Cosmia]

Apologies for the lengthy post, feeding has been taking over my existence!

In summary: DS is 15 weeks, we have had trouble feeding from the start compounded by severe jaundice and a hopeless mother who didn't realise that yes, he could actually be hungry 10 mins after finishing one feed. We went to bf clinics and did get help with the latch but we never really cracked it and he failed to put on decent weight, ending up in the 2nd centile from 50th.

At 8 weeks we started supplementing with formula and have been getting his weight up since. He is now back where he started and I am wondering if there is any hope of ever getting back to EBF, succesfully?

He has 5/6 feeds a day with 3/4 of those getting a 100ml bottle after usually 15 mins on each breast. He is still a sloppy eater who plops on and off the nipple and now he is bigger and chatting he is even more distracted. He tends to get frustrated and sometimes starts to cry which I assume means he isn't getting what he wants.

I've started taking domperidone to try and up my supply and can feel that my boobs are more "prickly" which I assume means more milk is being produced but he still wolfs down the bottle and I am petrified of going back to the bad days when he was being starved.

Expressing has never worked as I couldn't get more than 30 mls at best, more likely 10-20, and it made my nipples even more sore.

I hate giving him bottles as I really wanted to breast feed and feel this isn't the greatest start for him.

All advice very gratefully received!

Increasing Milk Supply

If you scroll down this link, then you'll see lots of tips for increasing your supply and how to do it as well.

the most effective way is to offer and keep offering the breast, so your body begins to recognise that it needs to produce more milk again.

yes, it is possible to get back to EBF.

Is there anyway you can take a babymoon? i.e go back to bed with your baby for a few days and just cuddle, feed and sleep?

My lo was bottle fed breast and formula top up for the first 4 weeks of his life, then got his tongue tie sorted and now I really cant remember the last time he had formula - plus I express 150-180mls each evening for dh to feed him after his bath, so I would say yes, you probably can.

Why don't you try swapping around and offer him the breast first and the top up with ff, rather than ff first?

I would say definitely possible.
Dd2 didn't gain weight and I caved into pressure to give formula but only for a couple of weeks before I deliberately cut this out again by just feeding loads and eventually breastfed her until 17 months

yes, you can, with lots ofwork. the brilliant thing is that you have never stopped putting him to the breast so it is a case of increasing milk supply and then making sure he's effectively drinking it. Cat posted a link about supply, and a decent bf support group attended regularly should help with the latter. good luck, and you can do it. :)