So confused...BF

spring_time

BF seems to be going well for us, but I cannot figure out what is going on at night.  DH gives DS a bottle of formula at the 11:00 feeding at night.  This is the only formula he gets and it seems to make him sleep longer.  He sleeps well from about 11:00 to 4:00.  At 4:00 I get up and nurse him.  Last night, he ate for about 15 minute and then refused to eat any more.  This is my confusion.  He wakes up again at 6:00.  According to DH, when he gets up at this time he is starving.  This morning he ate 6oz.  I am fairly certain he is not getting 6oz from me, so why does he stop eating at 4:00?  Why is he waking up after only two hours after nursing when he goes three hours during the day?  This has been going on for a week and is driving me nuts.  It is really making me think about giving him a bottle in the middle of the night, but I am hesitant to have to give a bottle AND have to pump so early in the morning.  Every time DH tells me he feeds DS in the morning, I feel like he is accusing me of not giving him enough food at night.  I am reading into his words and I really don't think he is saying that, but I feel like I am not good enough.

2bMrsAnderson

I had the same problem. So here is want i'm doing... dont know if its right or wrong but it works for us 

I nurse all day and give LO a bottle at night (usually sometime between 11 and midnight) and then he sleeps until around 5 amish. (at the night feeding I pump).  Then when he first wakes up he gets another bottle and i pump. And i can usually get him to sleep for about 2-3 more hours. (otherwise he takes an hour to eat and wants to eat again in an hour or two) then the rest of the day he nurses every 2.5-3 hrs. My LO is a slow eater so giving a bottle and pumping usually takes the same amount of time than just nursing. Also between the 2 pumpings i have enough for the 2 bottle feedings.

I figure after going so long without eating that he's hungrier in the morning.

itkatydid@gmail.com

Sometimes babies eat more in the morning so I don't think that is an issue with the morning feeding. Maybe you can give a paci at that time (4) instead of nurse and DC will go back to sleep with just that and then nurse LO for the morning session which will help your supply.

Are you having supply issues that you are giving formula or are you working to transition to formula? As you said that the formula helps LO sleep longer, are you just giving it for that reason or so you can get a break? Which both are okay but if you are looking to nurse long term I think that you should work on upping your supply and only nursing. Your body makes milk based on  your horomones until 3 months after that it is a supply and demand system and it is much harder to keep it up if you are pumping a lot of giving bottles of formula. I'm not trying to be judgy or snarky! I have struggled with some supply issues and it is so frustrating. I wish that I had actually pumped more and never gave a bottle so I would have more backup now that I am back at work and baby is over 3 months for many reasons.

GOOD LUCK!

kls621

Remember that a baby does a lot of growing while they sleep. In all honesty, I wouldn't be  surprised if you can produce 6 oz in the morning. I had a tough time with BF at the beginning, I pumped now and again to give my nips a break. My DS was about the age your LO is now when I pumped one morning and got 7 oz. My DS took the whole thing! I was shocked. The rest of the day when I pumped I didn't get nearly that much, but DS was satisfied with less during the day.

I am sure you are producing when he needs it. Don't feel bad. Someone told me that milk production is highest during our sleep as well. For the most part your body will produce the amount your LO needs. Hang in there! You are doing great!

spring_time

I do not think I am having supply issues because DS seems to be satisfied during the day.  We originally started the formula at night to give me a break.  Then, we realized it made him sleep longer so we kept doing it.  I have read that it is myth, but we have really found it to be true.  I pump at the 11:00 feeding to help build up my freezer stash.  Even in the past week when DH has given a bottle in the morning, I have pumped.  I am always concerned, though, because I only pump about 3oz total at a time.  I know that babies are more efficient eaters than a pump, but I doubt he gets the 6oz he takes from a bottle if I am only pumping 3oz.

2bMrsAnderson

try pumping more in the morning. My supply goes down at night. But when I pump more in the mornings and then gave that to LO at night he still slept great  So we knew he got 4 oz right before bed but I was only able to pump 2-3 oz total at night for wks. it may not be the formula (which is harder to digest and stays in tummies a little longer) but that LO is getting more oz from the bottle than from nursing. Try nursing at night and then after nursing offer a bottle and see how he sleeps.

IrishBrideND

spring_time:

I do not think I am having supply issues because DS seems to be satisfied during the day.  We originally started the formula at night to give me a break.  Then, we realized it made him sleep longer so we kept doing it.  I have read that it is myth, but we have really found it to be true.  I pump at the 11:00 feeding to help build up my freezer stash.  Even in the past week when DH has given a bottle in the morning, I have pumped.  I am always concerned, though, because I only pump about 3oz total at a time.  I know that babies are more efficient eaters than a pump, but I doubt he gets the 6oz he takes from a bottle if I am only pumping 3oz.

 

disclaimer: I do not judge those who FF. At all.

But doing so at one feeding just to get a break isn't smart. Its going to mess with your supply. I know its tough, and you might get an hour less sleep, but if I were you I would try to EBF at first. Then, after your supply is established, you can pump so your DH can feed LO and you can get a break.

itkatydid@gmail.com

spring_time:

I do not think I am having supply issues because DS seems to be satisfied during the day.  We originally started the formula at night to give me a break.  Then, we realized it made him sleep longer so we kept doing it.  I have read that it is myth, but we have really found it to be true.  I pump at the 11:00 feeding to help build up my freezer stash.  Even in the past week when DH has given a bottle in the morning, I have pumped.  I am always concerned, though, because I only pump about 3oz total at a time.  I know that babies are more efficient eaters than a pump, but I doubt he gets the 6oz he takes from a bottle if I am only pumping 3oz.

yeah sometimes I wonder if it is true about formula becasue it seems like many babies around us who are FF are sleeping longer stretches but either way my motto is WHATEVER WORKS!  It really sounds like you are doing everything right then. You are pumping when DH gives bottles to keep your supply up and that is important. I think you are doing just fine! Like I said maybe try to just give that paci at 4 and then nurse in the morning. I pump about 30 minutes after I nurse LO in the morning and I usually still get about 3 oz. The rest of the day I get about an ounce per hour since I've last pumped or nursed. For example if I pumped at work at 8 and I don't pump again until 12 I get about 4-6 oz total.

Going back to work and LO getting so many bottles has been so challenging for us. I was freaking out about my supply because I would pump 10oz at work and he would eat 15-20oz in DC. Now, I nurse more and it is so much better. I drive to the babysitters at lunch and nurse and this keeps the babysitter from overfeeding him and keeps my supply up so it really has taken the pressure off me.

Have you tried side lying nursing in the morning? It is so relaxing and makes the morning feeding such a great way to wake up! I couldn't do it until my LO was about the age yours is now because it was too hard when he was so little. At first I put a pillow behind his back to keep him a little sideways so he could latch.

Again Good Luck and you are doing a great job!

ChristinaD09

Actually its totally possible that he is taking 6 oz but you can only pump 3.  I generally pump about the same all day regardless of whether he's eaten or not (a little bit more when he hasn't, but maybe an ounce more, though he actually eats 3-4 oz because we've weighed him at breastfeeding support groups before and after eating).  But pumping can mess up your supply so its also possible that you aren't producing as much as you would have been when nursing him and that he's noticing the difference.