6 months and not pumping enough for daycare - what to do?

ktwdw129

So DS just passed the 6 month mark, and I am just about out of my extra stash of breastmilk that I built up....Up to this point I had been sending him with BM only bottles to daycare, frequently having to utilize a little of my stash, but he's up to eating four 6 ounce bottles a day, and I am not pumping that much (usually about 1/2 or 3/4 of that if I am lucky and it's a good day).

Aside from trying to increase my supply (which I am still trying to do) what did you do when you had this issue? Did you send BM and formula bottles seperate? Did you do 1/2 BM and formula in the same bottle? Is there something I am not thinking of?

Thanks so much for any suggestions you have. I'm sad. I can't decide if this is a sign that I should start weaning....or if I should still consider that some BM is better then none at all...or what I should think. Love your thoughts.

rssnlvr

Any breast milk is great. Don't wean if you don't want to! I even knew a woman who would breast feed only every other feeding and give formula every other feeding just so that she could get a break. The point is, it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

I add an extra pump session at night before going to bed to get a few more ounces every day. 

MrsShackleford

I started sending some BM bottles and some formula bottles.  I would tell daycare to use the BM bottles first as DD's appetite varied widely. 

DD didn't seem to mind the formula bottles during the week and BM on the weekends.

The drop in supply didn't lead to weaning as DD is still (yeah, still)  a boobaholic.  These days I only allow one session when she first wakes in the morning.

GL

txmom2011

my little guy gets 3 bottles at daycare of between 6-7oz.........I am only able to pump about 12-14oz, so I actually mix in some formula to make up the rest.  It ends up being about 4-5 oz of formula in one bottle mixed in with breast milk.  I figure he is getting mostly BM and I am good with that........this is not a reason to have to wean......keep breastfeeding and maybe just add another pumping session at night or on the weekends.

 

 

jml5q

i definitely wouldn't see it as a sign to start weaing, unless you're ready. it's normal to not be able to pump as much as they eat in bottles.

i would send the bm and formula bottles separately. unless he just won't take the formula, i liked to have the separated in case for some reason he didn't drink all the bottles, i wouldn't have to throw out any bm. formula is only good for 24 hours.

SarahPLiz

I'm going through the same thing. I have less than a week of stash left. Starting at 3.5m we sent 3 bottles of BM and 1 clean bottle for them to make formula (we send a can at a time). Now he's at 2-3 bottles of BM, depending on how much I can pump (which depends on how well he sleeps at night) and they make up the difference in formula. He also gets a formula bottle before bed most nights because he would have just nursed an hour earlier when we got home and gets really mad at my boobs when they don't have anything in them. 

sozay23

we had to address the same issue last week. I talked to DD daycare teachers and they recommended doing some 50/50 bottles before doing straight formula. They said in their experience it made for an easier transition for the baby both tastewise and stomach wise. We introduced formula last saturday and did two 50/50 bottles that day and then all day sunday we did bottles at every feeding 50/50 just to see how she would do. She did great! The only feeding she insisted on the boob was her bedtime feeding, to be expected. This week at daycare all her bottles will be 50/50 then this weekend we will introduce pure formula bottles and work on the transition from there. I don't plan on 100% stopping breastfeeding right away but honestly I'm ready for the transition and feel comfortable with formula at this point. I'll leave it up to her for the next couple weeks and see how she does before making any big decisions.

flymansWife

i started supplementing with formula about  a week or so after DS hit the 6-month mark. I always manage to pump enough for at least 1 bottle of breastmilk so he has that bottle first thing in the morning at daycare and they give him formula bottles the rest of the day.