Top Ups - Curious

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I was just wondering why so many of the ladies in my baby group bf and then top up with formula. I'm the only one exclusively bf and I don't dare ask because I don't want them to think I'm a smug breastfeeder - I'm not, I'm just curious.

Lots of people think their babies will be more settled on top ups and feel reassured that they can 'see how much they are taking'

I made the same mistake with DD and she was FF from 13wo and remained a very fussy baby.

DS OTOH had to be topped up for medical reasons but it wasn't too hard to wean him off and was excl BF again from 8wo, still feeding now at almost 14months.

But you can feel so shattered and demoralised you will try anything? I did anyway.

My friends who topped up did so either because their babies started dropping down the weight centiles and their HV recommended it, or just because they felt their supply was dipping and they didn't have enough milk.

I don't know their personal situation in enough detail to know this, and would never ask or assume, but often I think that the signs of a growth spurt can be mistaken for having low supply.

I'm always a bit embarrassed about asking anything to do with bottle feeding tbh. But I thought top ups can lead to a low supply in themselves.

Yes, top ups lead to lower supply.

I was advised to try it with my DS when he was 7 weeks old after he had not slept longer than 2 hours a night (in total I mean - not just at once!) for the previous 7 weeks! The HV (who is also an NCT bf councellor), and the bf councellor I spoke to said it was worth a try, because by then, anything was worth a try. I'd had a 3 day labour, complicated birth, and sever insomnia in the 3 months prior to the birth, so I was, understandably, knackered.

It made sod all difference to his sleep (tried it with EBM and with formula for 3 nights each IIRC), and we concluded that he was just a nightmare hungry baby. He is now managing to sleep 4 hrs on occasion! but will be 5 months next friday, so it's about bloody time too