Advice needed - bf and ff - 3 month dd not bf in daytime ...

[justme27]

Hiya all,

Hopefully get some advice for unbiased mums!!

Quick background...

dd is 3 months old. I have bf since birth but have also give her a formula bottle during the day. I decided to do this to get her used to the bottle from day one.

No real routine as to when she has formula, just go with whats happening that day and when she is hungry. I have heard about 'nipple confusion' but dd had no probs with either...until now...

The last few days, she gets really fussy when I try and bf her and then cries until I give her a bottle. She'll drink expressed milk so its not my milk. Her first feed of the day is always bf and she has no problems then.

My questions are...

1. Is a 3month baby clever enough to fuss only during the day knowing she'll get a bottle from me if she cries long enough?

1. How do I increase my milk supply again? I know I am shooting myself in the foot every time I give her a bottle etc...

Have I made a rod for my own back here? I didnt want to ask HV or anyone at the local bf group as I feel like I am being frowned upon for giving her formula and not sitting at home all day and bf her....

justme, I don't know whether you would think I am biased or not

I am a breastfeeding counsellor with NCT, so obviously, my main aim is to share infornation and support with women who want to talk about bf. So if you think that makes me biased, you will probably ignore what I say

Anyway you posted 2 questions.

1. I don't think your dd is being 'clever' or figuring things out in that way....she could be fussing for many reasons, and one of them may be that mixed feeding (bf and ff) is going the way it often does, and becoming ff, not a mix. She may be fussing because bf is not as rewarding for her as it used to be because of supply.
2. You've aswered your own question there! You cannot increase your breastmilk supply without reducing the formula - as I say sometimes here, that's the biology of it!

Hope this helps.

1. No.

1. BF more.

Read this link

Sorry, on way to bed, so v brief.

(Tiktok, please can you check email )

express and give her that in a bottle as opposed to ff.

maybe give her the one bottle at a specific time each day so she knows that is her only bottle?maybe her first or last bottle?

And try to get some else to give her the bottle

thanks everyone - sorry tiktok i may have come across wrong - biased may have been wrong word - have found a couple of ppl t be disapprovng of mix feeding and a bit judgmental instead of supportive which makes me feel bad! :-s

hve taken advice on board,

how do i get back on track now?? do i ignore her cries until she bf again??

nappyaddict - you're expecting a lot of an 8 week old baby, to know she only gets one bottle in 24 hours, and for her to work out when this is, and how long it's been since the last one.....doncha think? And then if she does work it out, to be accepting of it, if the bottle is what she wants?

Justme, to get back on track means breastfeeding lots and lots, offering it when she doesn't actively ask, and reducing the formula in amount and frequency (you may not be able to just drop the bottles totally).

Not good to ignore her cries. You can increase your breastmilk supply without making her unhappy or frustrated.

Good luck.

Sorry, not 8 weeks, three months, but the point remains!

i was just thinking when ds was that age he knew by our bedtime routine that it was time to go to bed so she might establish such and such time with i have a bottle now.

Might sound like a stupid question - but you don't have a new perfume/body lotion/deoderant etc that you put on after the first feed that might be putting her off?

Otherwise, would second all the advice about trying to get her to bf more and - if she really won't - give her expressed milk in a bottle rather than formula to keep your supply up. I would also say that if it continues to be a problem but you want to keep going, it's not too late to see a breastfeeding advisor if you can find one in your area.

I mix fed dd (hadn't intended to but just how it worked out after a horrible start) - eventually she would hold a bottle of formula in one hand while at the breast of an evening, and swap quite happily from one to the other, so it is possible. She's 2 now and has switched to beakers but still breastfeeding.

Really good luck - I'm sure she will get back on soon.

Also meant to say have you ruled out physical things like mouth ulcers which might be making it temporarily uncomfortable for her to breastfeed?

Thanks everyone.

She had her morning feed this morning and was fussing as usual but I kept trying for about 10 minutes, she did lots of whinging but rather then give in I perservered and she eventually bf!!

Have only topped her up today with small bottles so am going to try to reduce it now.

Had forgotton how great it was to bf totally during the day and that the rest it forces you to get!!

Thanks all

xx

PS mn is great isnt it!

That's brilliant news - well done!

could she have thrush? maybe take her to the doctor to rule it out?

is she teething? mine is 3.5 months and can be fussy because of it (our nipple can touch the affected area and make it sore for them, or just cause plain discomfort)