ANOTHER breastfeeding/ formula question

catycate

Gawd, breastfeeding is so much more complicated than the books ever tell you! My 2 week old son has trouble latching on- he'll do it, eventually, but sometimes it takes up to 10 tries in the dead of the night. He seems to be a little better during the day. Or maybe it just feels like he does better. I can cope during the day, not get stressed out and just keep trying, but at night I get SUPER stressed and frustrated- and so does he and we end up vibing off of each other and both in tears. I'm ready to try a bottle just to take some of the pressure off, but would like to continue breastfeeding. Pumping enough to keep up a bottle supply is not really a viable option- I am only able to pump about a bottle's worth a day and would like to build that reserve for daytime feedings when he starts daycare. So, my question is: Can we supplement with formula only at night, with me breastfeeding during the day? Will this kill my supply or wreck what little ability we have to latch? Thanks in advance, ladies!

jcole32444

You can feed formula at night if you want to. But i would definitly pump after every feeding to help keep up your supply. When you choose a bottle i was recomended to choose a nipple that was similar to mine. Just choose somthing that says its for breastfed babies. We used the playtex wide nipple. But i hear alot of people your Dr. Browns. GL. Dont give up on trying to breast feed at night everything gets easier with time.

drea_raye

Dad gives a bottle of expressed BM at the 2am feed... while I pump... we are still working on latching, and I can't handle it at 2am, while my boobs are full, and I am half asleep, etc...

You will need to pump to keep up your supply... and this way you will have more to feed when you choose...

kellymom.com has lots of info about all sorts of situations...if you haven't checked it out already...

ttarnold23

This post is baby and I exactly.  The day is fine but at night, she gets all frentic and roots around with nipple in the mouth but keeps popping off, crying then rooting...it's extremely frustrating.  (hello 2am colic session)  Then she'll only drink for about 8-10 minutes on each side.  I'm trying to keep it up, monitoring output, weight, etc. but I feel your pain.  I didn't know they could have both formula and breastmilk?