is my milk disappearing already?

[notsoold]

This is my third dc. 9 weeks old .From 3 weeks old I bf with top up with formula because of difficulty in gaining weight/ latching and shape of nipples. He stays on 30 minutes each breast then bottle 150ml every 3 hours ( or 2.5 hours). Even at night.
It was a struggle and he is not a sleeper therefore I am very tired.
The problem is that suddenly for the last 5 days the milk is diminishing and almost dipparearing altogether. My right boob is empty all the time and although he sucks for 30 minutes the milk is not there.
As a history the same happened with dc1...dc2 had no problems in bf alone.
Is there anything I can do to increase milk supply? Or is that it??
Please don't judge me on topping up with ff and if anybody could help me I would be very grateful!
TIA

There is a point at which your milk supply regulates and you no longer feel full in between feeds unless you have gone much longer than normal. I can't remember when it occurs but 9 weeks seems plausible.

Your milk is almost certainly not disappearing. It's normal to stop feeling so full at that age, as the hormones settle down.

Things to look for that would let you know there is milk: is he swallowing when on the breast? Does he stay latched on and not fuss? Both of these are indicators that he's getting milk.

Many babies at that age feed more often than every three hours - have you tried offering the breast more regularly? This would help boost your supply if there were issues.

I'm certainly not judging you for mixed feeding, if that's what works for you, then its right. But it sounds like you want to keep BFing and are adding formula only to help with weight/hunger? (feel free to ignore if I've misinterpreted) So I might try to offer a bf more often, to boost milk production, so that as much as possible was breast.

Also, babies who have had a full feed often will still take a bottle afterwards, it's a reflex in response to the teat in their mouth, so doesn't automatically mean hunger. It may be that gradually reducing his formula while offering the breast more could reduce the need to supplement. (again, if you don't want that, that's fine too, but I wanted to offer the idea in case you didn't know you could go back to ebf after mixed)

As an afterthought, this is a great article explaining about how many women wrongly believe their milk supply is low:
kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/low-supply/
And suggestions to help if it actually is low

tarka ...it is not a case of not feeling full ( really bag breast anyhoo....)but of baby being as hungry and fussy and upset after latching ( correctly) for 30 minutes .
mummy
He goes from fast swallowing to the slow swallowing very quickly in the right back boob within a minute or so, does not swallow for ages and latches , comes out fussing, latches again constantly....sometimes he gets furious and I offer the other breast ( slight better) and when empty go back to the first one before the bottle.
Although I said every 3 or so hours I feed on demand and tried for the last few days to offer more frequently and he latches but he fusses soon as milk doesn't seems to be there :(
You are right. I do want to bf and only weight gain is the reason to top up. The minimum to maintain weight gain in the 25th centile is 150ml. ( he would down a much larger quantity if I let him). DH and my own DF have trouble putting weight on and maintaining it from babyhood and dc is according to pediatrician and endocrinologist is the same as his daddy and granpapa...so not choice in cutting ff more than that...

But fussy and hungry he is after the boobies this days and I am saddened by it all...
Gp and pediatrician says to just ff him as bf is not helping but I didn't want to give up....
Thanks for the website as well. I saw about pcos ( my condition but unable to take metformin ) and link to low milk supply.

It concerns me that as weeks progresses I will have to up the ff to maintaing the weight gain and the effects it will have on the old boobs here!

My dm reckons he is very efficient in draining the breasts really fasts and then fussing because the breast is then empty...would that be possible??

notsoold, am I right in understanding that he has 150 ml of formula every 3 hrs? And that he has been doing this since he was 3 weeks?

I am sorry to disagree with other posters, but while the feelings you are getting of diminishing milk may be normal with a fully bf baby, I think it is more likely that your supply is disappearing - with formula amounting to 1200 mls in 24 hours your milk supply would struggle to be sustained.

I am not judging you at all - just sharing information with you.

If this is the case and I have understood well, then you would need to take immediate action to relactate - and any of the bf helplines would give you support with this.

I'm a mixed feeder and am (very slowly) reducing formula and upping supply. IME it's possible but he needs to demand more to get supply up. I've read it's best to drop an ounce a day for a couple of days then repeat. So very slowly. Then you can see over a fortnight if his weight is still reasonable and reassess. Hth

Sorry for late reply...hard day it was!!!

tiktok thank you for your reply...the quantity wasn't aa much aa now but for the last 3 weeks it stabilized at 150ml. And I see your point that tbh is also my worry.
I will be phoning the bf helplines after Christmas and see if they cam help.

Sunflower...thank you. That is an idea as it is about supply and demand isn't it? I wouldn't be able to decrease much ( maybe an oz) before his weight might suffer but if avoid increasing the quantities of formula milk as weeks progresses means for sure that more breast milk is going in....I will contact bf helplines after Christmas...

Thanks for all your help everyone!

notsoold, 3 weeks with 150 ml top ups at every feed are easily enough to have a major effect on your supply - you can do the maths, and see how much of his intake is formula (most formula babies are having about 150-170 mls of formula per kg of their weight in 24 hours). Your baby is on the 25th centile and off top of head (have not got my books to hand) that's prob about 4500 at nine weeks.

To reduce the formula would definitely need a plan; the plan means lots of expressing (and giving expressed when you can instead of formula) and lots of breastfeeding.

This is possible and it needs motivation and time, obv, and there are addtionial options which the bf helplines could discuss with you.

OTOH you can continue doing what you are doing - the breast is an important source of comfort and your baby will def be getting some milk.

Hope it works out for you.