Combi feeding HELL

[LastNerve1]

Ok, maybe the title is dramatic. But I am at the end of my tether. Breastfeeding has been pretty rough and I have accepted that I suffer from a genuine low supply (confirmed by an IBCLC and I don't want to get into it all on this thread). I've been combi feeding my 7mo for most of his life, but even then it's been a struggle. I have no idea if this is normal for bottle fed babies but he stops and starts CONSTANTLY and will never finish his formula in one go. If I take the bottle away midway (one of the occasions when he stops), he will later scream his head off usually nap time or bed time and won't settle until he gets more. I just don't get why he won't drink in one go if he is hungry?!?! He is very distractible on the breast too but I do think he prefers the breast over bottle still. It's just when my supply isn't great or if he is super hungry he will get frustrated very quickly and have the bottle properly. Is it all down to distraction? My supply fluctuates and so he always needs varying amounts of formula, but this whole stop/start business means that either a lot of formula goes to waste or I literally am making bottles all day because he hardly has a predictable feeding pattern. BFing didn't work out otherwise whipping my breast out on demand would have been so much easier. I have tried stopping breastfeeding because fully formula feeding would also make my life easier (knowing exactly how much he is having) but his highness loves the boob when he's in a good mood. I am so stuck. When do they drop feeds? I was hoping maybe my currently inadequate supply might be enough for him once he drops milk feeds?
Apologies for the rant. Any advice would be amazing. Thanks in advance.

Ok I'm going back many years as my DS is about to turn 18 ( ) but I did mixed feeding from 4 months for similar reasons.

Like yourself it was quite hard to establish a routine that worked.

I remember trying to focus on when he was most hungry vs in need of comfort because in terms of the former, formula was best but definitely breast in terms of the latter and from that I worked out a way to mix feed successfully.

I'm my case (though this might not work for your LO) it meant FF when he woke up, then BF through a lot of the day.

Then bathtime/bed routine started with FF (nothing helps being drowsy like a full tummy), then down to bed at around 7/8pm.

Then I'd wake him (or he'd most likely wake up) around 10/11pm and I'd BF to soothe/settle. Rinse and repeat.

As I said that routine might not work for you but it was based on his hunger/comfort needs (and got adjusted accordingly over time) so if you can establish what those are you can hopefully build your own routine around them.

Good luck

There's a Facebook group called IGT and low milk supply support group, or something like that. Full of very knowledgable women who have low supply, and there's loads of resources about how to work out the supplement amount your baby needs which might be helpful. In my case DS is wholly formula or donor milk fed as my supply is about as low as it can be, but he has most of his feeds supplemented at the breast with a supplemental nursing system, so he gets my breast milk and all the lovely things of breastfeeding. And less time with breastfeeding then bottle feeding afterwards.

They also have tips on things you can do while pregnant and what blood work to ask your GP for if you would like to try and increase your supply if you become pregnant again.

If you do genuinely want to stop BFing altogether, I'd call one of the BFing Helplines and ask the BFC if she can help you to come up with a plan.

My sons 4m so a bit younger than your baby but I’ve mix fed him since 1 month old and there was a period around 3months old where he was suddenly useless with formula. Same as yours, fussy, never finished a bottle etc.
I upped his teat size and after a couple of goes (initially it seemed too fast for him) he started getting better at finishing them.
He also got loads better when I dropped more BFs and stuck to a pattern. He now only has BF at our dinner time(his bedtime), mid morning and if he wakes up in the night. I think the pattern being fixed has meant he’s more settled in a routine and he seems happier for it, plus still gets boob comfort at his sleepy times of the day.

You'll probably find you can start dropping feeds in the next couple of months, it depends really on how happy they are with solids. It sounds like a right faff