Have introduced some formula and having the wobbles about it - feeling down and just need some reassurance I think!

[alana39]

Well that almost says it all - have posted before about weight gain concerns and when DS3 was weighed this week he is down to the 25th centile (and was a big boy at birth) and has been putting on weight very slowly. He's 9 weeks now btw.

Decided to give HV advice a go and top up - for last 2 nights have given a carton of formula, half at 7ish and half at 11ish.

He still bf before and between and after the second bottle before going to sleep. He also gets through this 100ml in about 3 minutes whereas he will bf slowly (and sleepily) forever.

Head tells me this is the right thing to try, but emotionally I'm a bit all over the place about this and just need a bit of handholding I think (not criticism please ). I intend to carry on bf apart from these top ups and have done some mixed feeding with DS2, but didn't start that so early which is perhaps why I feel bad about it this time.

I'm mix feeding my 13 day old DD, I can see why you might feel bad about not being able to feed your DS fully yourself, but I don't agree that you should.

I had to totally formula feed DD1 because I wasn't producing nearly enough milk for her, and the same seems to be happening with DD2. I express twice a day and can only get a pithy 2oz for her, which she just can't survive on, so if you can't produce enough for your baby you shouldn't feel bad about finding another way of feeding them IMO.

The fact that you're able to give any of your milk to your DS is a good thing, I was happy that I was able to give DD1 some colostrum even though she got not a lot else.

There are enough things to worry about having such a tiny person relying on you, if they're full up and not crying with hunger that's got to be a plus

Growth slows down, it's a fact and being at the 25th centile is no cause for alarm. Not eveyone could or should be high up the chart.
If you want him to eat more, tha answer is in your body.Breastfeed more.The more you feed, them ore milk you make.

You are free to do as yuo please of course but an informed choice is important. Many women are left with the feling that they or their body is letting the baby down when nothing could be further from the truth. Your body made a baby which is a miracle in itself, so the feeding bit ir ralatively straightforward relatively speaking.

Did you HV not talk other options through with you other than suggesting formula? If not it suggests she is not clued up on how to support breastfeeding.
It may help to talk it throguh on one of the helplines.Do you want the numbers?

moondog is right

if you want to exclusively breastfeed then you can. the more you feed him the more you will make.
giving a formula feed is really no different to just giving another breastfeed. I believe that calorie wise there is little difference (formula is, after all, based on breastmilk!)

if he is putting on weight that is good, it doesn't really matter too much how fast he does it. and some babies do drop (google catching down in relation to bf babies)

both my girls were on the 75th centile when they were born but soon dropped onto the 25th centile and stuck there faithfully...it was just their natural growth curve, dd1 with mixed feeding and dd2 with exclusive bf...so maybe your boy is the same?
of course formula feeding is not the end of the world-so please don't beat yourself up over it- but you might find it actually doesn't make that much difference to his weight gain (dd2 actually gained weight slightly faster than dd1 to begin with despite starting out as a very slow sleepy breast-feeder)

Yes please if you have them to hand Moondog otherwise will look up when I am not feeding later (one handed at the moment). Thank you.

If you aren't sure then I think I personally would keep B/feeding, taking it day by day. If baby is happy on the 25th centime there's nothing wrong with that. If it keeps
dropping then I'd rethink ...

I really sympathize. My ES dropped from 75th to off the chart in 6 weeks. And I did start using formula then because I wanted him out of hospital/ I wasn't producing milk/ I was a first-time mum and scared.

I still feel guilty ( i went OTT weaning him) but he's 4 and happy/ healthy etc. Still a slim kid but so are we. It's hard to know what to do for the best but take advice - decide a tactic that you feel happy with be give it a go. You can change tactics if it's not working.

Good luck.

Alana they are listed on the right on this great website called How Breastfeeding Works, run by a well loved and respected MNer.

Alana - my ds is 18 weeks and is now at the 9th centile after sitting between 25th-50th at birth and in the couple of months after. I too have toyed with the idea of mix feeding, but have more confidence in my body than I did when feeding dd, and will stick with the ebf.

My son is happy, healthy and thriving - and I have learnt not to worry too much about growth charts. At his last weigh-in, the hv discussed possible weaning - I think there is just a general lack of awareness of bf amonst a lot of hv, who also may not have the time to spend with new mums to help them.

Please do not feel guilty about mix feeding if that's what you have chosen to do - it's your choice for your baby. However, if you want to exclusively bf, it is possible. Good luck.

Hi Alana, my ds was on the 50th centile from birth til about 12 weeks when he dropped to the 25th and has stayed there ever since, he's now 12 months. We're both slim so think this is his natural weight. Thankfully my HV reassured me re this and as he seeemed happy and healthy we carried on with EBF. I think the danger with topping up is that your baby will take bigger feeds and so may want to feed less often which can lower your supply even more. As others said earlier may help to try to feed more often for a few days and see if it makes a difference. Hope you're not made to feel bad if you choose to mix feed your baby, got loads of friends who have done this very successfully. Best of luck x

Alana - I've seen your posts before, and I'm in a similar position. My DD has been on formula top ups for a week, and I have felt totally devastated at the idea that my supply would diminish further, so I can truly empathise. No matter how many times people tell us that we've done really well to have got as far as we have, I have an underlying feeling of having failed my baby

She dropped from 91st centile at birth to under the 9th at 13 weeks. She was acting hungry, but wasn't happy on the breast as it was flowing too slowly for her. One week later, she's back close to 50th, is generally more settled (although the formula is making her even windier than normal) and has regained a healthy roundness to her figure

Ideally, I would like to get back to exclusive BF, but we should be reassured that we are doing the best for our babies - formula isn't really the baby equivalent of mcd's

Minshu thanks for that, I remember you from earlier thread. Glad to hear things are getting easier for you and your dd. Have used formula for 2 evening feeds - well, 2 parts of the cluster would be more accurate as I bf before and after the bottles - and DS has gained 9oz whereas it was only 1 or 2 oz per week for the previous month. I am actually bf the same number of times a day, and only the last feed ast night is any shorter so really does feel like a top up rather than replacing bf.

I wasn't prepared for how bad I would feel doing this initially - but although it's early days it does seem to be helping which makes me feel happier about it.

just wanted to say that i think every mum feels think guilt and inadequacy when they switch to formula. i know everyone in my ante and post natal group did who switched!
if you are doing what you feel is right for your child then that is all that matters.
BF does not work out for everyone - no matter how much support they get and if you are one of those people (like me) then please don't feel bad about it.
i agonised for weeks with the box on the kitchen counter before i opened it but 9 months on my ds is happy, healthy and thriving and doesn't seem to be any more sicky etc than a BF baby.

9 weeks exclusive BF is FAB! they get lots of goodness from those early feeds so you've given him a great start. do what you think is best for you and your baby!