Question for EPers and Formula Feeders

amwhite08

So, if any of you have seen my recent posts, you know I have had my fair share of BF issues. Well, I decided to pump and give B a bottle and I loved it! He seemed fussy about the bottle but eventually got it. So I think I'm going to EP for a few days and supplement with formula if needed.

Do you girls have any tips for bottle feeding? How often a day, how many ounces? LO is 4 w, 1 day. If I want to implement formula, do you mix it in? How often a day do you pump? Do you pump at night or not and implement formula?

I also have a terrible clogged duct. It hurts so bad. Hopefully the pump will help unclog it. I've had it for 48 hours.

Thanks ladies! I already feel happier.

ironmom5

First, good luck!

By 4w, LO should be eating around 24oz a day, but some babies need less and some need more. As long as he seems satisfied, don't stress about how that is distributed. Just keep in mind that babies have tiny tummies, so if they eat more than they have room for, it's going to come up. The norm at this age seems to be 4oz at a time.

For your clog, I would invest in some heat packs. I have one with rice and buckwheat that I can microwave and lay over my chest for a half hour before pumping. It really helps. Also, be very careful not to let the clogged side get engorged.

angielayne926

L is FF.  He is almost 6 weeks and eats 4oz every 3-4 hours.  I don't know about mixing formula with breastmilk.  I would give him the breastmilk first and then if he's still acting hungry, I would give him formula. 

marionthelibrarian

I EP and I feed DD on demand which is about every 2 to 3 hours during the day and every 3 to 4 hours at night. She eats anywhere from 2 to 4 oz and she is almost 6 weeks. 

 

We had to supplement with formula and the beginning and we were told we could mix it with BM but we didn't end up doing that because if she didn't eat the whole bottle we'd have to dump it because you can only keep made formula for an hour.

 

In the beginning I was pumping 10 times a day to build my supply but I'm now down to about 7 to 8 pumps per day because I have a bit of an oversupply. I know the general advice on this board is that you really should pump whenever LO eats (so even if LO is getting a bottle of formula, you need to pump to tell your body that you need that milk). This includes pumping through the night (which totally sucks but I'm down to 2 pumps at night...just like DD is down to 2 nightly feedings).

 

Hope this helps! Good luck! EPing is hard work but I find it completely satisfying that I am giving DD 100% BM now (especially since I had planned to EBF but we ran into major issues with BFing that were making both DD and I miserable). Give yourself small goals...it makes it easier to get through when you take it a week or two at a time rather than saying I'm going to EP for a whole year right off the bat.  

Desmarie13

Every baby is different but the wvg baby eats 24oz at that age. That increases when lo is going through a growrh spurt and may decrease. My lo prefers to eat 3-4 oz at a time. I make an 8oz bottle, pour 2oz into a smaller bottle, once he finishes that i give him another oz, if he sucks on his hands or rubs his cheeks ill give him another oz. Usually he starts to fall asleep when hes getting full. I call it a milk coma lol good luck.

LuckyMissus

Aww I'm Sorry about your clogged duct! I've been through a few of those. I strongly believed pumping really helped. Massage behind the clog while you're pumping, I also try to lean forward to use gravity. That really helps me.

I don't know what your supply is like, but if you're probe to it, be careful not to encourage an oversupply with the pumping. That can complicate the clogged duct situation.

Ditto circa 4 ounces. I also try and pump whenever he eats, I feed him while I pump at night. I really recommend gettig a hands free bra, or makin one by cutting holes in a sports bra.

For supplementing. I don't mix with bm, I do it separately. I also find that he eats about an ounce less of formula than he would of bm. We're using enfamil newborn ready to feed.

ETA: I only pump at night when he gets up. But, if i was clogged up, id be nervous about goig too long between sessions, so id get up if he slept lknger than like 4 or 5 hours.

The rhythm I try to get inius staying one bottle ahead of him. I currently fall about one or two behind bc he wants to eat a ton in the evenings. So I supplement for those feedings. There's no reason why I wouldn't do the supplement feedings at night. A lot of it is probably that I would hve to go downstairs to get the formula, and I'm lazy at 3am.... Haha!

kerrigrooves

Ive also heard wrapping cabbage around your clogged breast can work too, I guess you can google it...

We are BF first for 10 min on each side and I am supplementing with 2.5 - 3 oz formula afterwards.  She is now 5.5 weeks and Dr said by the end of month 2 she should be at 3 oz.  I try and pump btw feedings during the day and I slack at night (I love my sleep!) 

She has been hungrier more often over the last two days so I think there's a growth spurt occuring.