3 week old baby - am I too late to breast feed more?

[annady]

Hi,

When my LO was born just over three weeks ago I breast fed exclusively for the first five days before surrendering to the lure of a night-time formula bottle (and a longer sleep!)

Since then my DP's done a lot of the feeding (with ready-made formula bottles which has, it must be said, kept me sane and LO healthy and feeding well), and I've also fallen into the habit of bottle-feeding more and breast-feeding less as we've been inundated with visitors etc etc.

I still breast-feed my DD at least once in the morning and once at night, but she always needs a top-up from a bottle now: is my milk supply slowly drying up?

Am I too late to turn this around - to bottle feed less and breast-feed more? Or is the inevitable - a reduced / non-existent milk supply - already in progress?

Thank you for any advice, and apologies for the lentght of this post.

ADx

Your milk is drying up, but you can turn things around, from what I know. You need to offer your breast for every feed, even if you're topping up with formula afterwards. You need to give your DD skin to skin as much as possible.

There have been threads on this before. Because you are still breastfeeding, turning it around should be possible.

Yes with perserverence you could fully breastfeed but it won't be easy. I would suggest you contact the breastfeeding councellor at your local hospital or a health visitor who specialises in breastfeeding. You need to offer the breast as often as possible but your dd will get frustrated as it won't come out as fast as from the bottle, so I would suggest expressing after every feed to increase your supply, of course then you can also give her what you have expressed off. If you can learn how to hand express properly this might be more effective at stimulating the milk than a breast pump.

annady, you need to 'relactate' - and if you check out relactation here on mumsnet or on the web you will find lots of info.

NQC is right - lots of skin to skin and offering the breast at every feed....a minimum of 8 times in 24 hours including at least once at night. You will gradually wind down the formula - don't do it overnight, as you will need to build up your milk supply.

It's likely your breastmilk is not slowly drying up, but quickly drying up, and if you don't take action asap, it will dwindle to nothing. But you can turn it round! Good luck

There are a couple of relactation threads here . You should be able to view them in Breastfeeding 1 if the link doesn't work.

Just to add that there are usually BF counsellors on line to talk to if you need to.

Because I felt very confident, having fed DS1&2 for >1 yr each I too succumbed to the lure of the bottle with DS. We then took a five day car and boat trip with him when he was five months old. I couldn't face the thought of trying to prepare bottles in a small cabin/ on the road so reverted to breast feeding- with no problems whatsoever. Once we were at our destination I re-introduced a bottle a day with no problems. Relax and have faith that your body and his appetite will cope! Good Luck!!