baby eats very little

[hhllau]

My baby is 2.5 months and is eating very little. I do both breastfeed and bottlefeed. I know I don't have much milk, and I only nurse every other meal. During bottle feeding, he only takes 1.5-2oz each time, and no matter how much we push, there's no use. He used to take the bottle very willingly. He has had bottle since first day born, so is it possible that he just suddenly decides to refuse the bottle/formula. He nurses fine, and the fact that I know I don't have much milk worries me that he's not having enough.

How's his weight??? Is it staying online with his age. I would recommend that you feed him every three hours from both sides and then top up with formula. Have you got a Breastfeeding counsellor you could talk to who could help you with this one. I had no milk only colostrum so both mine were bottle fed with expressed for first two weeks. Just keep offering him the milk. I was told to keep a feeding diary off how much and how often then total up this will help the HV with an indication of how he's doing. Keep strong, you'll both be fine in the end.

Hi....what does the health visitor say, hhllau? What's his weight? Difficult to contribute without more info, sorry.

It is probably true your milk supply is low - very few mothers will build a good supply when bottles are introduced early and with breastfeeding only every other feed. That's the biology of it, and to counteract it, you'll need to feed at least twice as often as this, and through the night too....but the results would be that you increase your supply which might make it easier for him to take in larger quantities, if this is what he needs.

Post again with more information and I'll have another think :)

his weight is inline (10lb10oz as of 2 month visit), but that was before he started not liking his bottle of formula. I worry because I plan to wean him off breastmilk soon, since I'll be going back to work in a month. So if he just decide to not like the bottle, he'll be left without food when i go back to work. My question really is whether it is possible for him to suddently refuse the bottle if he has had it since birth? In the beginning, I did top off with formula after nursing. But he stopped accepting the bottle after nursing also about 1.5 months ago.

Sorry, hh, I am still unsure what's going on here. What does the health visitor say? If this is a new pattern - refusing food - then he needs checking out.