We've started giving DD a bottle once a day and it's not going great so I don't pump while she's getting the bottle. She only takes about 2 ounces from the bottle and wants to eat again after only an hour or so. I think this is causing my milk supply to decrease. I know I should be pumping while she gets her bottle but until she starts eating more of the bottle, I'm not comfortable with pumping. She's STTN and I have to pump for a few minutes once during the night just to take the edge off. I think her STTN combined with my not pumping while she gets a bottle is really hurting my supply. Should I pump more at night to get it back up? Until she starts eating at least 4 ounces from the bottle during one feeding, I don't think I want to pump during the bottle feeding. Any thoughts?
Re: Introducing bottle = decrease in milk production
Why are you doing a bottle? Is it formula or BM?
Why are you not comfortable with pumping until she eats more from the bottle?
The more you pump, the more milk you will produce, not less. It will help build your supply up, as it mimics when LO goes through a growth spurt and eats more, signalling your body to produce more.
We've starting giving her breastmilk in bottles because I'm going back to work in three weeks. She's only eating about 2 ounces of the bottle and starts screaming and crying and refuses to eat more and then wants to eat again an hour or so later so I BF her. I'm worried about pumping while she's getting the bottle and not having enough milk in my breasts to feed her.
She is more efficient at getting the milk out than the pump is.
Try BF'ing immediately after the bottle. I pump every morning, and then feed DD about 30 minutes after pumping a 12 oz bottle and she is full until about 3 hrs later.