Not enough milk

[MrsNPattz]

I'm feeling pretty crap right now. Im on a training weekend from Thursday to tomorrow night. I have been hand expressing 5oz every day for the past 1.5 months so that I know I have left enough milk, and expressing every spare minute I have here because I love feeding my little man and don't want to stop.

It seems that he is however taking heaps from the bottle - hubby says today he has had 600ml since half 4. He slept from half 8-5 last night. Coincidence? I dunno, but I know where this is heading and I can already hear the comments I'm going to get.

Do you think I'm not making enough milk and that's why he doesn't usually sleep through the night?

if anything, a baby is the best way of getting milk out of your boob

it's a coincidence

how old is he?? He may just be developmentally ready to sleep through

what comments do you think you will get?

I've been reading loads on Kellymom about expressing recently, and one of the things they warn against is a caregiver "overfeeding" a usually bf baby when bottle feeding ebm.

Apparently this can happen just because of the differences in the way the baby feeds at the breast and bottle.

It can mean that mums who pump when they're working can find it hard to keep up. See here for some info.

There's also tips for people bottle feeding ebm to try to make it as close to bf as possible.

I sincerely doubt that your supply is at fault - 600ml in 5 hours is a huge amount.

Expressing is not a good indication of how much milk you're making, as babies are much better at getting it out. Some pumps are a bit better than others though. Hopefully someone more expert will be along to advise about those.

Please don't get hung up on the baby sleeping through though, lots of people I know gave up bf or started supplementing with a bottle at night which in turn affected their supply and led to giving up, and none of them magically started to sleep through

So what I was getting at is that your baby is probably getting loads when feeding directly from you. No need to worry

I would worry your DH is overfeeding too - how much is he putting in each bottle? Is he offering a bottle every time the baby cries instead of finding other ways to soothe?

I'd tell him to only offer 3-4oz in each bottle and feed at whatever intervals you normally do.

Also my DS always "slept through" if I was away and DP was looking after him - actually I think it was just that DP slept through

yy - ds can be screaming blue murder in the cot beside us and dh "sleeps through"

Thank you so much for your replies, I feel heaps better after reading them and will have a nosy at Kellymom!

I'm just worried people are going to 'suggest' I stop bf now, or tell me I'm not making enough so that's why he's not sleeping through.

Incidentally he didn't sleep through last night so that blows their theory out of the water!!

You carry on bf as long as you like! Makes me so cross when people make comments about bf and sleep. None of their business! fwiw my 18mo doesn't sleep through and I bf him on demand. I don't care if he sleeps through as long as I get my catch up lie ins/ naps a couple of times a week I'm fine.

Thanks Chocolate! Your name sounds yummy lol