Would this be a supply killer?

[DanceDisaster]

Hello wise ones of MN!

I have had a whole host of problems, (not to mention MN threads), breastfeeding both of my dcs.

The situation with dc2 atm is that I’m almost exclusively pumping, though having to supplement with formula sometimes and trying to convince him to bf occasionally too. We are waiting for an appointment with an ENT Consultant to snip his TT, which we raised when he was a few days old, then again when he was two weeks and again when he was six weeks but were sent away each time. Finally we have a referral but if it is happens that the snip doesn’t really help or if ds is now so used to bottles that he can’t bfeed properly, I would like to try and reduce the number of pumps I do a day as, frankly, it’s driving me crackers!

My plan is to reduce to one pump in the morning and one in the evening, fir a maximum of 45 minutes a pump and then mix feed, (some breast milk in bottles, some formula with breast feeds for comfort rather than food in between). Can anyone envisage any particular problems with this plan? I’ve never really successfully bfed a baby, so have no idea!

Many tia.

I have both pumped and bf and drastically reducing the number of times you pump does decrease your supply, just like bf less does. So pumping only twice a day will reduce your supply until you produce enough for just 2 feeds.
How often are you currently pumping? I understand your frustration, pumping is a pain!

Thanks!

You see, at the moment when I pump in the morning and evening I usually get enough for four bottles. I’m wondering if that would change if I reduced.

To cover all his feeds, I usually need to pump four or five times a day, including one in the night. I’m obviously hoping the TT snip will mean I can stop pumping and just bfeed, but at this stage, I just don’t know how I’ll coax him back to the breast instead of bottles, (which he seems to really enjoy).

I should say, he’s now 12 weeks - left that out of my op. I would ideally like to keep giving him at least two feeds of bm a day for as long as I can. My mum Rory is that by reducing pumps I could kill if my supply entirely..? Or does that not really happen?

My mum Rory ?! My WORRY! My mum was not called Rory.

It will reduce your supply but increasing the pump frequency again will increase it if needed. You could use nipple shields to encourage him to feed from you if he isn't getting it or cannot latch correctly? Dc1 had shields which we weaned him off of and I was told that they're very good at mimicking how a bottle feels.

Thanks. Yes, we try nipple shields sometimes, but I find them a total faff and he still seems to be looking for top ups afterwards.

He's looking for a top up because he knows it's easy, I think most breastfed babies would still take a bottle after a feed, DC1 definitely did! I stopped giving him top ups for a week and kept a close eye on his weight (went to a different weigh in clinic every day with pfb. HV thought I was a bit neurotic probably) and he didn't need them as he still was gaining weight, just liked to eat. After that I stopped doing them as I didn't think he needed them.

I also hated the shields, but they were a useful tool in getting him to feed from me as he had a very minor tongue tie. It seems to have disappeared now at 18 months so I guess he broke it himself.

Hmmmm yes I think he does enjoy the ease of bottle feeding. If I make a concerted effort to do more breastfeeding he gets really cross eventually! He’ll tolerate it for the odd feed, but then he gets very upset if no bottle is forthcoming later in the day.