Supplementing with Formula???

[guyshahar]

Hi

Our one-month old baby, Daniel, seems to be hungry all the time, staying on the breast for hours. When he is on, he often gets frustrated and angry. Even when he sucks, he hardly swallows, and almost never has a milky mouth (though he did in the first week). We are starting to think that Oksana (my wife) is not producing enough milk for him.

We cannot see him hungry all the time any more and are seriously thinking of starting to give him some formula milk from today. We really wanted to avoid this, but it is better than having an unsatisfied hungry baby.

We would like a formula milk that will be as good for him and as natural as possible, with as few chemicals and preservatives as possible. Can anyone reccommend which would be best. (or any other advice that might help in this situation).

Thank you.

Guy

First, congratulations on the birth of your son! The first few months are hard work.

If you introduce formula now, then it is possible that your wife will find herself stopping breastfeeding earlier than she wants to.

It sounds like his latch may not be ideal. Has she had any help with breastfeeding? Fixing the latch could help Daniel to feed more effectively, which would trigger the production of more milk, making everyone happier.

And as PrincessToadstool asks, is he gaining weight? How many wet and dirty nappies is he making? How was his birth? How is his health otherwise?

i'd suggest she sees a Breastfeedign counsellor )NCT, La Leche League or a NHS one at a breastfeeding cafe, ask HV if you havenlt found one yet) before she does . She needs to have a feed observed. It may be as simple as adjusting the position and latch, to make his feeding more efficient, but if he is gaining weight and settling between feeds it could simply be normal newborn behaviour which formula won't change and passes in its own time. btw there is no "natural" formula despite claims by maufacturers, it is really down to availabiltiy and whether it suits your baby .

NCT, LLL, ABM, or BFN, actually, LIZS.

Oh, and guyshahar, there isn't much information available about the 'best' formula milk for your child. The best advice I've heard is to buy whatever they sell at the nearest 24-hour shop, so you can get more easily if you get caught out.

But better still if you can keep your son on breastmilk for the near future ...