How much is too much?

[happyspider]

I have a 3 weeks old baby boy who's constantly hungry. I breastfeed him, but he also needs a top up with the bottle.

Lately though he's been demanding more and more formula milk, even though he still gets milk from my breasts at every feed.

I feed him every 2 to 3 hours and he normally gets through 150 ml bottle at every feed, sometimes even 180ml(that is 6 and half ounces!), otherwise he won't settle or sleep.

I am worried he's eating too much as he's so little and was tiny when he was born.
He's putting on weight and has never been sick so far, but I wonder how much is too much for a baby so little like him?

happyspider, that's great news. I had forgotten about fenugreek - it used to be mentioned regularly on misc.kids.breastfeeding newsgroup.

Since domperidone (am I the only person who thinks of champagne when I type that ) is one of the drugs that may be recommended for my daughter's condition, I checked out fenugreek too and as well as increasing milk supply it can enhance gut motility. Might have a talk with some people.

The main thing kaz is to be totally happy with your decision. Only you know the dynamics of your family and what you will feel comfortable with. As you know I truly loved breastfeeding and would have been devastated if it had not worked out. However, I do know that breastfeeding is not as easy for others as it was for me. Best wishes for whatever you decide to do - you might find that with more assistance you might want to give it another shot. You will still be able to stimulate your milk within this short time frame. If you are happier bottle feeding, then that is what you should continue to do. Well done for all the effort you put in and enjoy your family

May I piggy-back onto this thread, please? My dd is 6m old, breastfed plus top up formula last thing at night, and loves her solids. Since we introduced solids, and especially over the last couple of weeks, she has seemed to fight the boob more and more, sometimes rejecting it completely. This last week or so she has effectively skipped so many feeds that I worry that my supply has diminished, and if (when!) she gets interested again I won't have enough. My quesion is, what can I do to increase/maintain my supply, given that madam refuses to suckle properly more than twice a day, and that I can't express?

By the way, happyspider, I too used fenugreek at about your stage and on/off for a couple of months, successfully I'm certain. I wonder whether it will still work now?

Have you tried B/F her before giving solids, or B/F inbetween solid meals? Make sure you are not giving her too much solid food - it is OK to cut back a bit. Since you have been feeding for 6 months, your baby is capable of getting milk out so therefore you are capable of expressing. You just haven't mastered the technique. Try hand expressing in the bath first. Massage the breast gently from the back forward towards the nipple. Work your fingers gently towards the nipple till you feel where the milk is stored in resevoirs. Some women say it feels like little peas. It may be just under the darker area ( areola) or a little further back. You will feel the difference in the breast. With you thumb on top and first 2 fingers below, gently squeeze. Keep doing that until you see milk. When the let down starts it will flow freely.Expressing is a bit of a mind over matter thing. Try it and let me know how you get on.

Thanks mears; I had been bf her 1st thing in the morning, before breakfast, but today I tried after breakfast and she was more interested than usual. Still had a very thrashy and incomplete feed. I'll try reducing slightly the amount of solids she has.

The only time I've ever found that I could express was immediately after an incomplete feed, with a warm pump and baby pictures to help me along (2oz total causes great jubilation!). I've never managed to get a let-down otherwise. I get more with my fingers than with a pump, but after 5-10 minutes my areolae ache too much to continue - perhaps my technique is wrong, although I think I do what you describe.

Happyspider - was tidying my bedroom today and came across this info that I promised you. You probably don't need it any more but the surgeon I was talking about is Gordon McKinlay, Paediatric Surgeon, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh.