Does anyone supplement?

Lhand11 · February 2012

I am thinking about supplementing with one formula bottle a day. It would be his 10 pm feeding. I have given it almost 4 weeks and I am still not loving bfing. DH is so against formula, like we will do our son a disservice and ruin him if he gets formula. But I need a break and one bottle isn't a big deal and will let me pump, get some sleep, and/or fill Liam's tummy more so he can sleep better.

I feel like I am not producing enough and I am trying to build a stock of breast milk. I start coaching next week and I barely have enough milk stored for my son. I left for a meeting yesterday for 3 hours and he ate a 4 oz bottle. When I pump I do not make that much. It took me what seems like forever just to make that much. When the season starts I can be gone as long as from 2pm to 9 or 10. It stresses me out.

DH is in for a rude awakening this morning when I tell him. He always uses the fact that bfing helps reduce the risk of SIDS, but his @$$ still smokes (not around Liam, but he still brings it in on his clothes). Plus this isn't just his decision, I feel like I have no say.

Brit's Luna154 · February 2012

Are we married to the same guy? Haha.

My H is super pro breastfeeding and very against formula as well. Pretty early on, at maybe three weeks, I was also stressed that I didn't think LO was getting enough milk, my nipples hurt and were cracked and bleeding, it was just bad. I started giving her formula for one bottle per day. My H wasn't thrilled, so I mostly did it while he was at work so we didn't have to talk about it.

I tried out two different kinds, but she always spit up almost all of it. Think huge puddles on the floor and all over my front and back. Drinking formula also made her diapers pretty rank. I ended up going back to BM only.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this except that your post struck a chord with me because I feel like I was in the same place a month ago. Things are going much better for me now, with both BFing and pumping, so try not to give up hope. I made a deal with myself that I would take it day by day, but that I would not quit on a bad day. Usually after a frustrating day things go well enough the following day that I feel better about it.

Good luck and hopefully your LO will tolerate formula if you decide to go that route!

mom2jadjaxmay · February 2012

We supplement the 10pm feeding. We started because our little guy would/will cluster feed from about 5pm to 10ish & will still be hungry. I am exhausted from the day & DH gets off work @ 8pm, so it is nice for him to feed O. In addition, O's waking every hour or so @ night was killing me since we started with formula @ night, O has been sleeping better, in fact last night he slept from 11pm to 4am!!!! That is the longest night sleep session thus far & I feel great this morning I still BF all day & it seems to work for us. GL!

SmittyPants · February 2012

I'm sorry. I know what you're going through. My DH was adamantly against formula feeding too. I tried to breast feed for close to three weeks, but our daughter wasn't gaining weight, and since I was also battling a severe case of baby blues, the stress of it become too much and I finally put my foot down.

I told him that while I know his desire to have me breastfeed is coming from a place of love for our daughter, he needs to understand that my decision to formula feed is as well. I can't be as good a mother as I want to be if I'm constantly stressed out and unhappy. I explained that I felt it was more important for our daughter have a relaxed and happy mother than it is for her to have breast milk.

We now exclusively formula feed and my daughter is gaining weight, sleeping well, and an all around content baby. I'll be honest, I did experience a period of guilt over this decision, but in the end it was absolutely the right thing for us to do and I'm glad I listened to myself.

If you feel that supplementing with a bottle of formula will allow you to be a better mom in the long run, then absolutely do it.

Lhand11 · February 2012

Thank you for making me feel not so alone. I definitely don't want to go to strictly formula, just a relief bottle would make me feel so much better. I feel guilty about just doing that (that dang catholic guilt will get you regardless), but I feel more guilty about getting frustrated with DS when it is not even his fault! I cried for 3 hours last night because he was awake and I was so tired. I know it was just a bad night and they won't all be like that, but I don't want to resent providing for my baby boy!

I would like to see how DH would feel if he was the sole provider of nourishment for the baby!

Brit's Luna154 · February 2012

Lhand11:

Thank you for making me feel not so alone. I definitely don't want to go to strictly formula, just a relief bottle would make me feel so much better. I feel guilty about just doing that (that dang catholic guilt will get you regardless), but I feel more guilty about getting frustrated with DS when it is not even his fault! I cried for 3 hours last night because he was awake and I was so tired. I know it was just a bad night and they won't all be like that, but I don't want to resent providing for my baby boy!

I would like to see how DH would feel if he was the sole provider of nourishment for the baby!

Yes

FWIW, I was a formula baby and my OMGyoumustonlybreastfeed H thinks I turned out just fine.

HopingForOne · February 2012

Tell him that breastmilk doesn't prevent SIDS. Rather, as a generalization, breastfeeding parents are more likely to follow other SIDS-prevention tips compares with formula-feeding parents. At least, this is the explanation I've read several times.

Anyway, I HAVE to supplement - in fact, baby gets mostly formula because my milk supply is almost non-existant. Trust me, your baby will be fine if you add a little bit of formula in there.

megaloo27 · February 2012

I gave DD a "relief" bottle this morning. She went through her pumped milk so fast and was still starving. I have gone to pumping exclusively and I have been able to get to where I have enough going for the next day. I supplemented until I could get enough milk to start this schedule. I have three bottles ready in the fridge and about 10 oz in the freezer.

preggyamy · February 2012

I have supplemented from the start because I don't produce enought milk. I felt guilty for about a day. If you're breastfeeding at all, your baby is still getting the nutrients and antibodies he/she needs. Supplementing with formula can't undo that. Plus, the bottle at 11pm is given by DH, allowing me to go to bed around 10pm. He then puts her down for the night around 12 or 12:30 and she sleeps until about 5:30 am. Translation: I get about 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night, allowing me to be a better mom during the day. He sleeps until about 7:30, so he gets enough sleep as well. And baby is happy, so everyone wins!

bpwife&mama · February 2012

I have to supplement because I do not produce enough milk either. I was pretty upset at first but in all honesty I was not crazy about BF. I do still pump what I can and give that to him. My baby was not gaining enough weight though and now I have a very happy, chunkier baby!

shortstuff15 · February 2012

I supplement and I have since about 2 weeks. Usually she gets about 3 to 5 ounces of formula a day, but sometimes it's less. I do it mainly for relief for me (like you would be doing) but also because my first daughter had weight issues due to my milk (I produce skim) and so I started at 2 weeks because I just felt more comfortable doing that this time to ensure we didn't have the weight issues with this daughter. I also am one of those who literally hates breastfeeding and for the past couple of weeks have struggled with feeling depressed that I am still breastfeeding, but I set a goal of making it to 6 weeks and that end date keeps me sane! I may still keep breastfeeding during the night until she drops her night feed (she's down to one wake up a night) but I'll take that as it comes and decide then what I want to do.

Sascha3 · February 2012

I supplement. I supplement the formula with the pathetic one ounce of breastmilk I am able to pump per day. I have been on fenugreek for 2 weeks and I still get a half ounce per pumping session.

FarmvilleLover · February 2012

We supplement too. I have a low milk supply and even with taking Reglan and Fenugreek, I am still only producing about 15 to 20 ounces total per day. I felt so guilty for a while but honestly I had to get over it. A great LC told me something that helps me put in perspective - even just a LITTLE breastmilk will give your baby the benefits that a full breastfed baby has. So, exclusively pump to be able to give him whatever I can. I try to put a little in each bottle, and I freeze some each day so I can prolong the time I can give him a little each day.

It's a huge labor of love to pump and I don't think giving baby formula undos that. Hang in there babe and don't feel bad.

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