Help! Lazy baby or not producing enough milk?

[Carty80]

Hi, first time using this, hope someone can help! I have a DS who is now 71/2 weeks old and weighs around 13lb 8oz so has always been a good feeder & is a big boy. He is breastfeed but has a formula at 10.30pm. Last couple of days he has started playing up when trying to give him his afternoon/evening feeds. I have given him formula instead as he screams and fusses when i try and breastfeed. Now i dont know if ive confused him and he has gotten lazy about taking from nipple or im not producing enough. When i express at 10pm, im getting about 80-100ml. I dont want to overfeed him if i use formula as he already is a big baby! My boobs just dont feel like they ever fill up except over night. Help please!!xx

i bf my dd till 6 weeks for two reasons

1. the smell of milk was making me sick
2. i did not feel she was getting enough.

you have to do what you feel is best for you and your baby,
i regret stopping feeding when i did as she nearly 1 an i feel iv missed a bit of her baby stage.
does your ds bottle feed expressed milk? if you want to continue bf it might be worth giving the fm up a break!

Expressing is no indicator of supply nor is a feeling of fullness after the first few weeks. Have you checked for thrush or could he be overtired or overhungry when you try to feed ?

Its so common for women to give formula because they think they havn't got enough milk. But the answer is to feed more frequently and your body will produce more. It really is supply/demand. IMO I think topping up with formula is usually a mistake. Your breastmilk is far more nutritious anyway.

It is perfectly normal after breastfeeding for a few weeks to stop feeling 'full' but this doesn't mean the milk isnt there, it just means your body is becoming more efficient at producing it.

He might be going through a growth spurt.....any teeth yet?

DOH just say hes 71/2 weeks I thought it said MONTHS LOL. So probably no teeth

i cant see any other indicators of thrush. I dont think he would be overhungry, he may be overtired. He doesnt nap much during the day really and i think he does tend to get tired but he does fuss sometimes first thing too. He does take expressed milk, thats what give him at his 5pm feed. How would that work, give him a bottle and then express after and store it? Thank you!

If i feed more frequently tinymum, should i just try and feed him every 2 hours instead of the usual every 3-4 hrs?

they don't fill up because you are tired, thirsty, hungry. (in that order).

he may be preferring the bottle at that hour because he is also tired and it is 'easier' for him to get milk from the bottle (although doesnt mean it is more relaxing).

my dd2 preferred the bottle as soon as i started with it and she would scream at the breast.

if you want to continue bf first, make sure you get enough rest and food and you are drinking water,

Do you feed on demand or have a routine going? I am a feed on demand type of person because my babies needs changed so much as they grew I found my own routines never worked for us. I tended to follow the baby, IUSWIM

I agree, i need to drink more water and eat a bit better. So if i drink more and maybe try for a few days to feed him every 2 hours so he doesnt get overhungry between feeds, hopefully my supply should increase?

its a bit of both to be honest tinymum. Mostly demand feeding during the day, usually every 3-4 hours (sometimes 2 hourly though!) and then at night we have a routine, bath, breast (bottle since trouble of expressed) then bed. Then formula at 10.30ish.

I definately think feeding him more often will work. Give it a go and if it doesn't you can always come back and tell me what a total loon I am! (LOL)

dontwantto - sorry, you are incorrect on every count.

Drinking extra water, resting and eating more/better will make no difference at all to the breastfeeding experience or the brast milk....it's a myth that that do, and a harmful myth, too. It means women are diverted from the sort of things that do make a difference.

Carty, I wonder if you are simply going too long between bfs?

You are giving ebm at 5, and then formula later....at 7 and a half weeks, that's lessening the stimulation of your breasts mite too quickly.

Feeding more often will build your supply and hopefully keep your baby happier.

I would agree with the idea of feeding more often to build up the supply.
I did the same as you (bf all day/during the night then one ff at 10.30pm.) Around 10 weeks I needed to increase my supply so I stopped trying to rush around and had a calm week or so getting comfy on the sofa with a film and breastfeeding DD. Kind of a late "babymoon" Spoil yourself a bit too - yummy healthy food or chocolate or small glass of wine once DS is in bed?

My DD was often a pain at the evening feed because she was tired. She would bounce on and off and get narky. I wondered if it was because I was tired/hungry for my dinner. And that she was picking up on my grumpiness.

The breastfeeding does get easier though, honest. xxxx

If he is fussing around Carty80, I would avoid giving him a bottle at all for a few days. Can I ask why he has EBM at 5pm? Is that the EBM you express at 10pm? Expressing can be a chore with a new baby and isn't really necessary - adds pressure to an already busy schedule as a new mum. Breastfeeding stimulated milk production more than expressing does. Remember, the more you feed, the more milk you make. If you want to continue with EBM on a daily basis then I would express between feeds to build up a stock instead of missing a breastfeed IYSWIM?

Tiktok and mears are the experts, but I would definitely say feed more often - a bottle of formula will most likely reduce supply! Welcome to MN btw!

I have only given him EBM at 5pm last night, and EBM at 7pm for the last few nights because he was fussing around so much on the nipple, it used to be always BF. So he has milk at 5, then 7ish, then bed, then FF from DP at 10.30 ish. I express at around 9.30pm as i dont give him the 10.30 feed. How long does it take for more milk to come in? I have just tried feeding him and he got quite irritable, but should i just try every 2 hours to stimulate more milk?

haven't read whole thread so sorry if someone else suggested this already. You could try and rearrange feeds - now baby is older maybe he needs less feeds but more content if you know what I mean.
My boobs never felt like they had anything in them but I exclusively bf dd for 7 mths adn ds for 6 mths. I think you're boobs obnly get that swollen full feeling when you're adjusting to new feeding times (upping or downing feeds) - if you're boobs feel ok then i think its a sign your body is coping well with feeding and is producing just right amount.

Also, not sure if this makes a difference but i had my first period last week, just finished. Most people are quite surprised about that as DS is only 7.5 weeks old and my sis-in-law said it might be because i dont feed him for long enough. But as he weighs 13lb 8oz i dont think it could be!

I've never felt full, and expressed 14oz of milk every day for 5 months!

by not bf after 5pm you are avoiding stimulating your breasts at peak milk production time. prolactin (hormone responsible for milk production) is highest in the evening and at night. to increase milk supply you need to put baby to the breast (baby is far more effective than a pump) as much as possible during this time.
if you are going to give a bottle formula or otherwise, morning is a much better time. hth xx

I will definitly post on here again, bit scared at first but everyone has been really helpful. Its nice to know there is support out there! Thank you!xx

Just one other thing if you are concerned about milk supply, fenugreek tablets are really good, although they can make you a bit smelly! Try Holland & Barrett or maybe even Boots. Worked for me!

I had periods at 6 weeks and 9 weeks then none until 5 months - b'fed both times for over a year. (nb. don't overlook contraception !)The one feed of formula and expressing less than he might feed direct ( has he also dropped a night feed ?) may be sufficent to trigger it so if you are worried about supply feed more often and forget the formula for now (your dh could still give ebm instead). Many babies fuss in the early evening and feed little and often as a result, but that way they stimulate your supply.

Carty - some babies are fussy when you have a period - don't worry. I would definitley ditch the bottles od EBM/formula if you can. Some babies can get a liking for bottle feeding and start faffing at the breast.

BTW - I always got periods back early despite exclusive breastfeeding. It is just 'one of those things'. It does not mean that you are not feeding enough or anything like that. Around the 6 week mark your breast get more efficient at milk production so you do not feel so 'full'. That is totally normal. Infact the longer you breastfeed, the less full you feel. Does not mean that you are not producing enough. Sounds as though you are doing just fine in the production department hence why I am suggesting you ditch the formula