Is my milk supply dropping?

[ScullyLyf]

My LO is about to turn 5 months, almost EBF but will have a bottle at bedtime when husband is home (works away). The last few days around the 4pm feed baby is really crying after, I give her a bottle of formula and she’ll down almost 7oz.

Is this the beginning of the end of my BF journey already? I’m actually sadder at the thought than I thought I’d be.

Giving a bottle will sabotage your supply. He may be fussy for a variety of reasons but to keep your supply going, you need to breastfeed directly. Ditch the bottle now.

I'm still BF at 11 months and babies do go through periods of having less or more (teething, illnesses, growth spurts) and you have to just ride it out. It's worrying and stressful at the time, I know.

If you want to move on to formula, that's a perfectly valid choice.

But if your goal is to breastfeed, you have to do just that.

Also, early evening time is when your supply is at it's lowest. So if your DH has been giving a bottle at this time, your supply then would have dipped even more, which is why baby is struggling. Just put him on the breast. Baby will need to work a bit harder but he'll be fine.

It could also be teething FYI. Mine cut his first tooth at 6 months and he was extremely fussy in the 2 weeks before hand. To this day, he's just a massive little fuss pot regarding teething, he doesn't take it well at all and every tooth takes aaaages to come through. He's been working on tooth no.8 for a week and he's so so miserable, I can see it under the gums but it just won't poke through. It puts him of breastfeeding a bit as well.

Thank you! And got it - ditching the bottles!

Nope, just feed her on the other side again and repeat. You’ll keep making milk if she wants it. But do make sure you’ve had plenty of water in the afternoon.

If you partner wants to bottle feed, you just need to make sure you pump the feed you have skipped (if this is something you want to keep up). As PP said if.you miss a feed and replace with formula it can effect the supply. If they are still hungry after bed time bottle I'd then offer breast, even if you have pumped. Giving the formula is what makes it a tricky business.