Thinking about giving up breastfeeding.

[BlueMoon1103]

Hi,

This is a long post so please bear with me!

My DS is 5 weeks old, breastfed since birth. He has always been a good breastfeeder, latched well, gaining weight, on the outside everything seems to be fine. The thing is he seems always hungry, feeds every hour/hour and a half, two at most. I spoke to a breastfeeding support lady and she said to top him up with formula which I have been doing for some of his feeds.

The difference! Once he’s had formula he’s so much more satisfied, happier, less fussy and his reflux seems less severe! The thing is, I don’t want to give up breastfeeding, it has benefits and I love feeding him. I’d feel guilty stopping breastfeeding after only 5 weeks!

If I were to just breastfeed in the evenings would I still keep enough of my milk supply to keep it up? That way he still gets some benefits but isn’t hungry all the time.

I’m really torn between what I’m told is best for him and what seems to be best for him. I feel guilty not breastfeeding but I feel guilty for him being hungry all the time. I’d appreciate any experiences or opinions.

If you want to keep your supply up the best thing is probably to express milk throughout the day. I think if you were to switch to evenings only, your supply would drop off. 5 weeks in you will still be establishing your supply.

Don't feel guilty. You are feeding your baby. End of.

Your milk supply will adapt to whatever you use it for. Towards the end of bf I only did evening feeds with my little one for about 3-4 months.

Just make sure you drop one feed at a time as that will be more comfortable for you. At 5 weeks if you could manage a morning and an evening you might find it more comfortable but do what you feel happy with. You can definately do both (also means others can help you out easier in between bf).

Best of luck, I'm sure you are doing a fab job! The fact you are concerned about it shows you clearly care.

OP, I've written this bearing in mind that you said you 'love feeding him' and don't want to stop. However, please remember that the only reason you'd need to feel guilty is if you didn't feed your son anything at all!
The important thing is to feel that you're doing the best thing for both of you.

My DS was a 1.5 - 2 hourly feeder until about 7/8 weeks old, then it started tapering down. It's in the range of normal and we were never told to top up (even though DS was monitored closely as he took a while to gain weight at first). Seeming hungry all the time is all part and parcel of establishing supply/cluster feeding... Don't feel guilty, being hungry is definitely what they (are supposed to) do best at that age!
DS is now 6 months and feeds about 7-8 times a day for ten minutes or so at a time (thats including both sides!), so I can vouch that it does get better.

You could look up Carobel, which is a natural milk thickener that my GP recommended for reflux (often not on display, but you can order from most pharmacies). It's typically used with formula, but you can give it to breastfed babies too.

In your position I'd give it a few more weeks and see if you still feel the same. My inclination is that the situation will probably have improved by then (or be on the way to improving).