Problem with my milk/supply?

[AuntieMaggie]

DS was EBF until a couple of weeks ago when I started giving him a formula feed in the evening on the advice of the HV. On Sat I went out for the evening and fed him before I went and then again at 10 am on Sunday - between this he had 2 formula feeds instead of one - and then fed as normal for the rest of the day and when he woke in the night and first thing this morning. However for his second feed this morning I had to resort to formula because when I tried to feed him he sucked a few times then screamed and refused to feed anymore even though he was hungry and I tried both breasts. I'm worried now that there's something wrong with my milk or supply and that I've messed up by having 12 hours break.

I tried to get him to feed just now but he's refused and is very much a baby who won't feed unless hungry.

what can I do?

Sounds stressful. I'm not sure I have anything useful to say but think it would help others if you can say how old baby is?

He's 14 weeks

Formula is much less work for them, sometimes they get lazy!

Could you express to keep up your supply and then offer that, to remind them of the taste etc?

Why did HV suggest formula?

My only advice is keep trying your milk won't have dried up within 12 hours I ebf my children my 18month old is still being breasted but from about 6month I included formula for most of the daytime feeds as he was in a growth spurt and I was shattered. He loved these bottles as much as breast milk and all was fine til he got ill last Christmas time ( I might add he was sleeping most of the night in his own cot) but since this illness he had he will not have bottles and refuses to go to bed in his cot so now I have to try saying do you want boo boo milk or moo moo milk! 9 times outa ten he will just say boo boo constantly but every now and again he downs a 7oz bottle of cows milk. I don't know if this will help but your milk supply will stay as long as you use it, well it has for my three children x

HV suggested formula so he would sleep longer at night and give me a break

Hope the HVs advice has worked - I always envied those who tried that trick and then when I stopped BF at 6/7 months I though DS would sleep through. Bloomin didn't though, still needed just as many feeds and formula failed to fill him up!

I digress... As I said earlier, formula is quicker as they don't have to get through the watery fore milk to get to the good stuff (hind milk). Maybe try expressing (could do by hand if you can be bothered or pump if not) a little bit first so that it's quicker for him and he doesn't have to work to get the flow going.

As mamato said, it's unlikely that your supply has been messed up after missing two bf sessions. How has he been for the rest of the day? Has he taken lots of milk do you think or not even that much formula?

Also, any chance he has a cold/teething or anything (I know it's early ish for teething but you never know) as those things both make bf harder.

Hope you are feeling ok, it's so hard when this sort of thing happens and you are already exhausted by all the night feeds!

Maggie, please get good help by calling a bf helpline.

You will not have dried up. A 12 hour break cannot dry up milk.

Expressing is a faff, and I don't think this is a good option to resolve the current difficulty, which may be a temp. nursing strike.

My bet is that if you just continue offering your baby the breast without a fight and without insisting, things will right themselves. Don't push it.

A good way of 'resetting' is to have a bath with your baby. Just get into the tub together and have a cuddle and see what he does :)

I doubt very much that your baby is somehow judging the breastfeeding experience and comparing it to the bottle one, and wanting the 'easier' experience - babies of 14 weeks cannot process information in that way, and in any case, the bottle is not easier. With breastfeeding, the let down, from the mother, does 50 per cent of the work :) It's a myth that bottle feeding is less difficult for babies, or less hard work.

Thank you ladies - he seems better this evening.

And no the HV advice doesn't work... but then someone told me modern formula only takes about 3-4 hours to digest so not surprised... and it was her not me obsessed with him sleeping longer at night!