Supplementing moms

kmadison70

My breastfeeding journey is not what I thought it would be. When we got home day 3 I freaked out because she wouldn't take my boob even though she latched perfect at the hospital. Ended up giving her formula that night and now I've been using it in combination with pumping. So much work just to pump. So what I was doing before was giving her my breastmillk during the day and at night giving formula to keep her full longer. Now it seems my breastmillk isn't keeping her full so I'm trying out 2 ounces of breastmillk and 1 of formula every 3 hours. Is it okay to do that? Any advice on how you supplement . Hate seeing her hungry!

allieb0421

We have been supplementing since we came home from the hospital as well, since my supply is not sufficient enough, even with pumping. He is now going to be a month old on Sunday.

So, I pump after every other feeding and keep a running stock of breastmilk in the fridge (I get between 1/2 an ounce and 2 ounces each session). Then, once I have 2 ounces worth, we use that for supplementing after he nurses. When I don't have 2 ounces of breastmilk, we use formula instead. This way, he gets at least 2 times a day/night when he gets breastmilk as his supplement, and the rest of the time he gets 2 ounces of formula as his supplement. We just had his lip/tongue tie corrected, so I'm hoping we can start weaning him off of the supplement as he learns how to nurse more effectively, but this system has been working for us.

beanie1977

My journey has been long and hard too! He's mostly getting formula as I can't pump much at all (just an ounce or two a DAY!) I breastfeed for comfort - the lactation consultant called it an appetizer- then feed two ounces (a full serving) of formula. If he doesn't take it all I figure he got more from me than expected.

I think you shouldn't worry about the times and amounts. If she needs more give her more. She will be much happier. Our LO was a screamer and very unhappy- always arching his back and pushing away. On formula he's a content little fellow who sleeps and cuddles.

I've been on demand feeding formula (buts it's mostly on a 3 hour cycle anyway) and he went from dropping 11% of his birthweight in his first few days- which is why we began supplementing- to exceeding his birthweight by several ounces in just two weeks.

Also: our lactation consultant said a serving of formula is 40-60 ml and a serving of breastmilk is 60-90 ml.

kmadison70

Thank you! I definitely don't feel like my breastmillk is enough for her even though I get 4 ounces when I pump.