Baby constantly hungry after breastfeeding

[dreamerkr]

Hey guys, DS is almost a month old and I’ve been mixed feeding. This is because he had a lot of difficulty latching on at the start, and then I got really sick with mastitis and the worst fever so we’ve been giving him formula along with breastfeeding which I now know isn’t the best idea. Now I’m trying to mainly breastfeed, but he always seems hungry after a feed, even if he’s been feeding for an hour. I give him a formula top up because no matter how long I breastfeed him for, he’s still hungry. I feel like I’m not making enough milk for him which is why he’s always hungry and he never seems satisfied. I don’t know what to do, any help guys? 😩 I really want to breastfeed him, but what am I meant to do if he is still hungry after a feed?

I feel so guilty and so bad that I’m not able to breastfeed properly and I have no idea what to do. I don’t want to keep giving him formula top ups but what else can I do if he’s not satisfied after breastfeeding?

Is he latching well?
It might be that he's not effectively removing milk.

I had to give top ups until DDs tongue tie was cut and I managed to reduce them right down to 1 top up per day by offering both breasts at each feed and then I just kept swapping breasts until she literally wouldn't feed anymore and only then did I top her up.
Now I've got mastitis so we're back to square one🤦‍♀️

He is latching well now, and I do offer both breasts at each feed but he still is hungry. 😩 I have to give him a formula top up because he’s constantly hungry. Mastitis sucks!

Can you access any breastfeeding support where you are? They should be able to check if he's latching well.

Try not to be too hard on yourself, however you're managing to feed him, you're feeding him.

It could be that its easier for him to bottle feed and he's taking the easy option.
Make sure the bottle has a slow flow teat and pace bottle feed him so he has to work for it.

It takes a while to increase your supply and not everyone can produce enough to fully feed a baby.

You need to check latch is ok and that he's sucking effectively, then latch him on as much as possible to stimulate more supply. It's fine to do the top ups - it's really important that he isn't hungry so keep a close eye on weight gain. You can also pump after some BFs to tell your body to produce more, but this is exhausting and not recommended longterm - it should increase supply within a few days if it's going to.

I have friends who managed to get to EBF after 6-8 weeks of a difficult birth causing delay/low supply initially. I have underlying medical reasons for low supply so was never going to be able to EBF but did BF for several years alongside formula for the first year.

Definitely see if you can access the infant feeding team at your hospital or a local support group. In person advice and support is the best idea.

Have a look at using a supplemental nursing system for your top ups- your baby can drink the supplement from a thin tube while breastfeeding from you. Great for more stimulation from the extra time at the breast, and helps reduce bottle preference.

I would definitely try to find some in person breastfeeding support. Can be worth getting his latch checked anyway to be sure he is removing milk effectively. I was recommended to try breast compressions to increase the amount of milk baby is getting which did seem to work. Another breastfeeding councillor recommended triple feeding (feed off both breasts, top up with formula then pump at every feed). I couldn’t hack that even for a short time as it would have left no time for sleep or anything else.

How often are you feeding?
It maybe that you could feed more frequently to encourage more milk production.
Are you taking care of you? Eating, drinking and resting as much as possible.

Be kind to yourself, it sounds like you've had a rough time.
You will never really know how much milk you are producing or how much baby is taking as it just can't be measured.

Is he genuinely 'feeding' for the hour or is he sucking and soothing for some of it? Does he fall asleep while feeding or is he actively engaged in feeding? An hour is a long time and it must feel so hard to be constantly having baby on you. If you feel he is soothing ( and you don't ant him to sleep) then you can tickle his back or feet to wake him up a bit.or unlatch him and burp, then try again.

How is he signalling he's still hungry? Could he just need to suckle for comfort or is he greedily gulping the bottle down straight away after feeding?

As others have said ask for some practical help.

I would say that health visitors can actually be more of a hinderance as then focus on the red book charts which are based of a very small sample of bottle fed babies not breastfed. So don't let them (or anyone else) make you feel bad about your parenting be that how you feed baby or anything else.