Is he hungry or teething???

[Tryharder]

Have hit another bf snag. DS2 is now nearly 16 weeks and doing well with bf but also has 1 -2 small bottles of formula or formula/ebm each day. Have tried and tried to increase my supply but can't seem to manage it.

The last couple of days he has seemed really discontent and is constantly chewing on his fists and fussing as if he's hungry. I have offered him the breast but he refuses to latch on or latches on and comes off again after a few seconds. One of the problems I had at the start which led to me offering topups was that DS2 would not latch on well and no-one, not even the LLL bf counsellor could get him to open his mouth wide enough. I thought we had the problem solved but he's reverted to nibbling on the nipple again. Once he's on the breast, he sometimes cries during the feed. I know the problem is not oversupply as slow letdown is my problem!

My DP is being very unsupportive and says I should give DS2 more bottles as he's obviously not getting enought milk from me (although he phrases it in a nicer way than that)! I do not have much confidence re) bf anyway and this is really undermining me. I have explained to DP about the benefits of bf but he believes it's better for DS2 to be full from formula and thus content rather than constantly fussing all day for feeds which is what DS2 tends to do.

It's occured to me that he might well be teething even though he's still very young. Anyone got any advice or hints? I know I have done well to get this far but I just feel so crap at bf - my supply is crap and my baby is always hungry and I'm still feeding every 1 - 2 hours plus at least 3 times during the night. There are no issues re] weight gain btw which is good. Sorry for long post and thanks for reading.

just thought id send you a virtual hug.
Well done for keeping going even though it has been tough for you. I am a breastfeeding peer supporter. It would help if you could get in contact with one in your area if there is one as it is someone just to talk to and download who has been in your circumstances. x . What area are you in?
I often suggest going to bed for a day with little one helps letting them feed as and when they want. It comfortable lets you catch up on some rest and the more they suck the more milk you make. My DS never opened his mouth wide enough unless I used the rugby hold.
sorry not much help but wanted to give a bit of support

Thanks Feeble. I'm OK really - just been a bad day! I actually go to La Leche League meetings and they have been very helpful to me in the past few months. I just wish my DP was a bit more supportive. It's difficult for me to go to bed during the day due to DS1 but I think I might pack DS1 off to his grandparents this weekend and put in a few extra hours bfeeding DS2.

That sounds a good idea Try!
You are not crap! You have done brilliantly and it is a shame your dh can't be more supportive. You know also that the only way to increase supply is to feed more don't you?

Formula will undermine your supply.

Take a deep breath, relax and focus on this. Get others to help you by taking on other stuff. It will pass nad you will get through it. You've done the hardest bit, which is getting b/feeding established.

Moondog or indeed anyone else in the know, If I cut out the formula and just keep putting DS2 to the breast, how long will it take for my own supply to catch up? And once my supply has caught up, will that mean that he will be able to get all the milk he needs in one feed shorter feed rather than from a protracted cluster feed (if you see what I mean). I am feeding loads and loads at the moment - literally every 1 - 2 hours and I often cluster feed throughout the afternoon and evening but my supply still seems short. I tried fenugreek but it didnt seem to make a difference and I asked my doctor to prescribe me a galacta-thingy but he wouldn't. Because DS2 is gaining weight, I am presumed not to have any problem at all.

I had the same problem with DD not opening her mouth wide enough, so I really feel for you. Not sure what will be best for you and your LO but here's what I did...

I tried all sorts of things and got advice from BF counsellors etc but eventually got to the end of my tether (and my nipples were v sore) so decided to express for a couple of days and have a think about what to do.

I also struggled to produce enough as the day wore on, and she'd get increasingly frustrated - pummelling my boobs (especially the left one). I felt like I was doing nothing but feeding, and each time it was stressful and agitated (her and me).

During my couple of days off, I used Tommee Tippee Close to Nature bottles to feed DD EBM (and used formula for the dream feed at 11pm, after much soul searching). I wanted the option to go back to BF if I could so thought the boob-shaped bottles might be better than using normal Avent ones.

Amazingly, after a few days off and bottle feeding EBM, I put her back on the boob completely spontaneously because I felt like one side might be getting blocked up and I knew she'd be the best way to clear it. She opened her mouth perfectly and sucked like a dream. I think the TT Close to Nature bottles had actually re-taught her to open her mouth properly in a way that all the other tricks I'd been shown didn't. Also, I didn't bother about carefully positioning her and I just plumped her on a cushion off the sofa on to my lap and away we went. Before, we'd got to the point where it seemed I had to precision position her for a good latch or I'd be sore.

I think just having a break, her remembering how to open her mouth, and me just feeling like I didn't have to BF if I didn't want to made the whole thing less fraught.

We now do a BF every morning and she has 4 further feeds. The other 4 feeds are 2xEBM and 2x formula (200ml each feed). Sometimes one of the 4 bottle feeds is replaced with a BF if I'm out longer than I planned and can't go home to express. If I BF more than twice a day I do get a bit sore, so the latch hasn't been fixed entirely, but it's definitely better than it was.

And the early morning BF there's always loads of milk so I don't ever worry that she's not got enough like I used to.

Sorry for long post. Hope that helps a bit. Good luck, you're doing great. I know the ideal is to exclusively BF til 6 months but I have to say, once I made the decision to mix feed everything fell into place and it's transformed my life. Now if we could only get her sleeping properly...