Starting to TOP UP: hungry baby formula or not?

[laidbackruby]

My 13 wk old dd has been fully breastfed up until tonight. She was 8lbs 7oz at birth and gained weight really well so not had her weighed for a month. I've noticed I've not had as much milk lately, breasts seem softer, not leaking and she's been ?hungry at the end of some feeds despite having both breasts (feed 3hrly from 8am to 6pm and once overnight). For the past week I've been expressing in the morning and giving it to her in the evening after her breastfeed but only getting 2 - 3 oz off rather than the 5 - 6oz i used to get. Although she's happy and developing fine she's not gained much weight in the last 4 weeks, from 12lbs 8oz to 13lbs 3oz. So tonight I gave her a formula feed (hungry baby formula) and although it really upset me to give her other milk (unexpectedly wept as I fed her!)I felt I should, as I feel I have been "starving" her, plus my mum and well meaning others have suggested she was hungry whilst I have put it down to colic, so feel very gulity.
Added to this she is a very pukey baby and has a floppy larynx. The last bit means she has to see a paed in 3 wks and if she's "failing to thrive" I'm scared they might suggest she has an op to correct it rather than letting her grow out of it. Sorry this has turned into a really rubbish essay! Think I needed to get it off my chest cos dp doesn't see what the issue is - I haven't got enough milk so give her a bottle.
My original question was just going to be: if you have to top up: use hungry baby or just basic formula? Any suggestions welcome!

basic - hungry baby formula has no extra nutrition - it just fills her up. BUT, do think whether your baby really needs formula. you may just need to feed more often.

I would just use basic formula. IIRC hungry baby doesn't actually supply any more calories, just the balance of whey makes them feel fuller for longer so if its weight gain you're after not really helpful!

DS2 is 8 weeks and have just started to top up with formula - big baby weighs 12lb 12oz two weeks ago and is fine on a 6 oz bottle of normal fornula

you do have enough milk. she is still gaining and not losing.

she is gaining well i think. who has said to top up (not your mum etc), a HV?

babies weight do slow down, (well except my dd2, but thats a different story), dd3 was almost 8lb at birth and it took her ages to top 13lb, i know that at 9months she was only 17lb. fully breastfed as well.

but yes nornmal formula.

is there a reason why you breastfeed 3 hourly? have you tried breastfeeding more often?

quick post

please, get in touch with a lactation consultant or similar. Everything you are saying actually sound fairly normal for a bf baby to me (both mine droppeped a percentile b/w 3 and 4 months, much to the of the mw.

the probs you descibe can be sorted, you are not starving her, but aaargh I have mad baby climbing zjhgo ;k over computer and cant say more. I know someone else will though. Don't give up!

also i s your hv using breastfed weight charts or just the normal ones?

You HAVE got enough milk - sorry that your DH isn't better informed, it must be making you feel crap

Your body is just getting more efficient at feeding, that's why your breasts are not feeling so 'full' now

You are still making enough milk and you have NOT been starving her

If she happy, looks healthy, and is still gaining weight (it does slow down) then she is NOT failing to thrive

Good luck with the paed

Just had to hang out the several million babygros I just washed and returned to pc to find lots of replies! Thank you.
Don't know why feed 3hrly, certainly feeding more often is looked upon as really odd by anyone I talk to (exceot those that are currently breastfeeding funnily enough!). Overnight I feed her whenever she wakes and nowdays she only seems to wake once at 3 or 4. I could certainly feed her more often during the day.
HV supported idea of topping her up but only after I suggested it and she thought hungry baby formula might stay down better as dd is prone to puking.
Maybe I've rushed into this formula stuff, just so scared of medics wanting to operate on her!
Thanks for your support.

Try feeding more often. Breastfed babies should not be on a schedule, but you should feed on demand. Your baby might realisecshe needs more milk and she might feed up to every hour for a few days or even longer to increase your milk supply. If you decide when your baby is allowed to feed, she might not manage to build up the supply and she will be hungry and you won't have enough milk. Keep at it and good luck!!

I agree if you're worried about supply then feed more often -- either for a week or so to stimulate your supply, or keep doing it if it works for your DD.

Please don't rush in with formula- you seem to be doing fine yourself! I started topping up and now regret it. The top ups got bigger and my ds prefers the ease of that to me now. Am loosing supply and fighting to maintain it. The reason I say this is because I wish someone had warned me. Just consider all the possible outcomes of such actions. Please don't make the mistake I made. Be sure of what your doing, that's all.

Just to add, soft breasts and not leaking is not an indication that you're not making enough milk, just a sign that your boobs are getting efficient and producing the milk as you need it, rather than in advance. You've done so well to breastfeed this long, it would be a shame to introduce formula unnecessarily, and I don't think it should effect whether or not she needs an operation. Probably worth trying to offer feeds more often, but don't stress if she doesn't put on masses of weight

lrb - my boobs also got softer at around this stage and my dd is also small (although we all are in our family!) She is only 13lbs at 29 weeks so right on the bottom of the scale & HV's are fine with it as she is happy and healthy.
Don't rush into formula if you are at all unsure, you need to be happy and it sounds like you are doing a grand job with bfing your dd

Can anyone help, ds is 25wks today and in the last week has gone from 10 - 12 hrs sleeping through to waking every three hours starving. He is about 21lbs and totally BF. I am shattered and worried that I am not giving him enough to eat.

Baby rice is a waste of time as it does nothing but amuse him....

That's actually really common at that age, Mumptious (BF or FF and however much they are fed). We just rolled with it and after about 3 months DS started sleeping better again, but I think other people have more luck reestablishing sleeping patterns. I think your best best will be to start a new thread in the Sleep topic and you'll get lots of good advice.

Laidbackruby

I too worried about this, but softer breast that don't leak are NORMAL. Basically your breasts beome more and more efficient at producing milk and containing milk and that's why they feel that way.

Very important: You have NOT been starving him. As long as you are offering milk when he asks for it and letting him feed for as long as he wants, then there WILL be enough milkfor himm. If he needs more, he will feed more regularly and build up your supply and then the feeding will calm down again.

The risk you take by introducing formula is that it can artifically stretch a baby's tummy a the same time as breaking the sensitive supply/demand system and reducing your milk supply. This means babies can feel 'less satisfied' by breastfeeds and mums can have less milk to offer. Thjere's also the emotional aspect of not feeling you you have enough milk for your baby. It can effect breastfeeding in a negative way and as you have done so wonderfully well to establish breastfeeding and your baby is doing so, so well too, I really would talk to a breastfeeding professional to get some reassurance before you decide wether or not to keep giving formula to your baby.

My DS was very colciky and cried allot, his weught gain was always very good and above average. It is a typical response to say a baby his hungry - but there are so many other reasons and the fact that she is putting on weight means you have been doing just fine with breastmilk.

Breastmilk is a totally different substance to formula. There are now instructions, no way to see how much milk your baby gets.is no set amounts that a baby has to have at set times. The baby takes what they need. How it feels and how you baby is and trusting that it works is they key IMO. My formula feeding friend would have huge volumes of formula compared to my breastmilk and that worried me at the star, but when you accept that the method of breastfeeding and the milk itself is totally different, there is no need to compare or calculate amounts etc.

Sorry for the long post. I would just jhate to see a succesful BFer have their hard work undone because of lack of confidence or bad advice.

Good luck in whatever you decide.