Breastfeeding.. Again

[Twounder1]

I've been breastfeeding my ds who's now 4 weeks. I've had to supplement as he'd spend almost an hour on my breasts and still be hungry. He would pull off each after about 30 seconds and I don't think he's getting anything out of them. I've tried so hard. Posted on here numerous times.. It's getting me down. My breasts aren't getting bigger, I'm not leaking at all, nothing anymore. So yesterday I just bottle fed him. I did intend to stop completely but I don't want to.
What can i do? My milk clearly hasn't come in, he's on my breasts a lot, I always offer breast first but he just seems to get nothing. I'm getting so down and frustrated. No matter what with formula. It comes straight back up with a vengeance :(

Hi,
I didn’t want to leave you unanswered. Do you have any real life support? La leache group, Lactation consultant or have you called the breastfeeding support helpline? Have you salad had your LO checked for a tongue tie?

I’m no expert, I am mixed feeding my 5 month old (from day 5) as I really struggled. I know that fullness/leaking etc isn’t necessarily a sign of supply.

As well as irl support I found the KellyMom website & Jack Newman videos online really helpful.

Hopefully more expert people will be along soon. But yet & be kind to yourself, your baby is fed & loved & that’s the most important thing xx

Firstly, you are doing a fantastic job and it shows that you want the best for your baby.

Make sure you are drinking at least 2 litres of water a day, eating well and make sure you are somewhere you are both relaxed and comfortable. Until about 6 weeks I remember cluster feeding was hard but ended up getting all my supplies at hand (snacks, water, my phone, remotes, muslins, etc) and going through box sets.

Formula top ups are a trap when it comes to breastfeeding, the more you up the supplements the less you make but you can reduce them if you only give a small amount now. Kellymom.com has great information on it and breastfeeding so does the UK Breastfeeding Support Facebook page (my go-to for advice!) - I wouldn't have made it to 9 months without that online support.

Babies have so many growth spurts around this age that they can fuss a lot and it feels stressful and like you're not doing enough. I remember breaking down over it and at 9 months we have had growth spurts recently too which felt very similar. Engorgement and leaking boobs are a sign of confused boobs at your baby's age so the fact that isn't happening is good, it means your supply has settled down, not that it has stopped or not come in (unless you have been formula feeding a lot, in which case it is possible your supply has dropped). Supply is also not indicated by how much you can pump either (I can't get much out unless I'm engorged and have gone a long time without baby feeding).

I'd recommend a lactation consultant if you can afford it, an IBCLC one. Mine was about £200 for consultation, cranial osteopathy and a tongue tie division as my baby wasn't putting on weight well and it turned out to be a posterior tongue tie. They will assess latch, positioning, can check for tongue tie but also go through a check list. However as mentioned it may just be a growth spurt. Was it better in between at all?

How is weight gain?

Do you mean your baby is being sick with formula or both formula and breastfeeds?

I've had to supplement as he'd spend almost an hour on my breasts and still be hungry.

That’s exactly how the process works - he’s placing an order for the next couple of days.

What are his nappies like? Congrats on the new baby!

An hour feeding is normal at that age, sometimes dc would feed for 4 in the evening! As long as nappies are OK and they're gaining weight then you're doing fine.

I was told that if boobs are full that's actually not good because your body then thinks you don't need that much milk and will reduce your supply.

Is he seeing, pooing and putting on weight? If he is then he's getting enough. That's much more reliable than going by fullness or leaking. If the formula supplements are coming straight back up it could be that he's getting enough breastmilk and the formula is over feeding him.

Forgot to add that supplements should be pace fed to breastfed babies (held parallel with floor but so you can't hear air in the bottle, tilt up only when necessary) and given no more than an ounce to an ounce and a half per hour. So if baby feeds every 2 hours, only give 60- 90ml of formula and that is for any age. 9 month old DD will only ever have 120 - 150ml of formula or breastmilk if I manage to pump enough beforehand as she feeds every 3-4 hours still. She will always be sick if given too much but most of the time will take the full amount of what's given even if full.

Did you get engorged in the first few days after your baby was born? How many times are you trying to breastfeed a day? How many dirty nappies?

I remember how difficult it was to get breastfeeding going. I've managed 5 months now and my partner was sure that my little girl wasn't getting enough, at first. He kept trying to top her up with formula. But, doing that will decrease your supply.

Do you have an infant feeding clinic near you? I got calls from them in the early days, asking me how feeding was going, etc. They have drop-ins, so do baby clinics. Maybe you can give them a try.

I would say to keep pushing on! Always offer the boob. My little girl would tend to stay on for a hour plus in the first few weeks. It may have been for comfort, or to increase supply. Keep going, you're doing great!

It's been two days.. Will I have dried up by now? Thank you all for your replies x

@Twounder1 I don't think so. I'm sure that it takes somewhere between 6 days and 9 days.

No you won’t have dried up. But if you plan to continue bf you will be helped with some good support and information - there are a few hints of misinfo in your posts and knowledge of how things work will help you understand what’s expected and what is ‘wrong’ - a call to any of the helplines dealing with bf should help you work out what to do. Good luck :)