Supplementing with a bottle after BFing?
gysberger04
member
So here's our feeding story the past two weeks: my daughter has been home from the hospital for just over two weeks and we are approaching her due date (Dec. 21st). When we were in the hospital I BF'd 1-2 times/day until the last two days she was in the hospital when I boarded with her and alternated BF and bottle feeding (all with my breastmilk), then when we went home they told me to only give her 2 bottles (fortified with Neosure) and BF the rest, and to feed her every 4 hours, unless she wants to eat earlier. Vada didn't gain much weight at all her first few two days home so the Pediatrician told us to up her bottles to 3x/day and to not let her go longer than 3-3.5 hours between feedings, and after we did that her weight shot up (gained 1/2 lb the first week home)! The Pediatrician then changed her feedings and told us to go back down to 2 bottles a day, which we have been doing for the past week. Vada got weighed again last week and gained another 1/2 lb so she is clearly eating enough, but I am wondering if she isn't getting enough from me.
When I BF, she eats for anywhere from 15-30 minutes, usually falling asleep while feeding. She gets fussy pretty quickly after eating (sometimes only 30 minutes later) and I'll give her a bottle (like 20-30ml) to top her off, which works well. I'm wondering if this is a good or bad thing to be doing right now? She's not quite at her due date yet, so I feel like it is ok to supplement with a bottle when she is too tired to keep BFing, but don't know if it is ok to keep doing this after her due date? I know there is plenty of milk for her to eat as I was producing more than 2x's the milk that Vada was eating while in the hospital, and when I pump right after feeding her I get 5-8oz, she just doesn't have the energy to keep eating until she is full from me (that, or she just gets too comfy laying next to me while feeding 
). Any thoughts?
Re: Supplementing with a bottle after BFing?
You may not have BF, but you are spot on! During DS "newborn" weeks (and with preemies that's forever!) it seemed he was constantly eating - but once we were EBF only at the breast. If you top off with a bottle they will eat even if they aren't hungry creating an overeating problem. Be patient because there were some days we never got off the couch - I just watched a ton of Netflix and nursed. It was a sweet, close time for us...I miss it...now he's a dine and dash!
GL
People commonly say that the bottle is "easier" than the breast, but I don't think that is necessarily true. For my DS the breast was easier because he could control the flow better and he always was more coordinated at the breast. However, he would frequently nurse for 15-20 mins and then doze for a while and then go back to it. I would also change his diaper after letting him doze a bit and then put him back on. Those cat naps seem to "recharge" him. Additionally with your great supply, I would keep your baby on one side for the whole feed so gets to the hind milk. We still do this and it's GREAT for weight gain- nature's 24 kcal milk! He's gaining 1lbs a week now!
Finally, have you thought about regulating your supply to your baby's needs a little more? I did this when we brought DS home and it's kept me sane because I got off the pump and could just nurse. I did this by decreasing the amount I pumped (watch those bottles and stop after 2-3 oz), dropping pumping sessions, and then block feeding. If you want more info, PM me! Sounds like you guys are off to a great start!
BFP#2 3/16/11, beta 138; 4/12 Baby/HB DS born 9/10/11 at 29w4d due to partial abruption and PTL
BFP#3 8/19/13 Another boy! 17P, modified bedrest and Nifedipine helped us have a termie! DS2 born 4/19/14 at 38w5d.
Thanks for the advice!
I generally feed her on one side for the whole feed, unless she falls asleep quickly (ie. less than 15 minutes) - in these cases I burp her then switch sides to try to get her to wake up and keep eating.
Haziedaze - I have thought about regulating my supply to Vada's needs, but I am very nervous about doing this and not being able to keep up with her as she eats more; I pump 2-4 times/day, depending on the day so it's not nearly as difficult as when she was still in the NICU, but still a pain to do. I have received mixed feedback on decreasing my pumping, with the majority saying to decrease it to maintain my sanity, but I'm scared of drying up. I also feel like I need to pump because if LO eats roughly every 3 hours and I feed her from only one side, then it is 6 or so hours between feedings on each breast and it starts to get painful if they don't get emptied.
What is block feeding?
I, too, heard that if I down regulated my supply to him that it might not increase again when he needed it. I was going crazy being home all day alone with him and decided that with a freezer full for back-up it was worth the risk. We're going through our 2nd growth spurt now, and I've had no issues making more when he's needed it. My LC has since told me that as long as I'm nursing him my supply will fluctuate with his needs.
Block feeding is how you deal with oversupply. You feed for 2 feeds in a row on one side and then switch (so the other side stays full for 6-8 hrs, sometimes more!). Yes, the other side does get engorged, so I would hand express a tiny bit just to take the edge off. This engorgement is what tells your body to make less milk. I also used some cool compresses and advil to help- it took about 2 days and then things were pretty normalized. I read about all of this on kellymom.com and la leche league. This was the quick fix method, you can also wean down your pumping amts and number of sessions more slowly over a few days/weeks.
I was pumping over 40oz on some days and most babies take 25-30oz/day from 1-6months, so there was no way I needed that much! Every time you pump 5oz your body thinks you need that much and makes more, when a BF baby rarely takes more than 3-4oz per feeding. It was a vicious cycle.
Just a thought- do what works, minimizes your stress, and keeps your baby BF for as long as you both want to. That's what is important!
BFP#2 3/16/11, beta 138; 4/12 Baby/HB DS born 9/10/11 at 29w4d due to partial abruption and PTL
BFP#3 8/19/13 Another boy! 17P, modified bedrest and Nifedipine helped us have a termie! DS2 born 4/19/14 at 38w5d.
I am still afraid of drying up - I think it comes with EBF'ing preemie territory. I have nightmares and when LO is fussy I think it's because I stopped making milk. ...but that isn't going to happen.
I also feed only one side at a time - the specialist we saw during the grand finale of nipple confusion suggested that method. She said my body would regulate and it has - somehow each side knows when it's up for duty. If you're double pumping you'll need to feed at both or you need to pump one side at a time. For the first few days it was painful and I'd get engorged, but I'd pump enough to take the edge off and finally my body just knew.