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March 2013 Moms
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Curious

stephrodgers07stephrodgers07 member
in March 2013 Moms
I'm incredibly curious to see how my LO will do if I give him formula. He is an incredibly fussy baby and just seems hungry. I'm just tired of him screaming to find that he wants more food. Like I'm not feeding him enough. I truly wonder if formula is better for him

Should I try a little bit of formula with breast milk? Or should I just go ahead and give him formula for a day or half day and see?
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Re: Curious

  • lkm2006lkm2006 member
    Unless your wanting to switch completely, I wouldn't do the all formula for a day. Even if you are wanting to see if its the BM making him gassy, that could take up to two weeks for it to settle.

    I would nurse as you would normally and then offer formula.

    ETA I'm completely switched to formula so this might not be the best advice. Just wanted to add a warning, haha!

     

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  • youenjoymyselfyouenjoymyself member
    Talk to your pedi first, of course, but we had to start supplementing. LO would be in the breast all day and still not be full. I was told to offer 2 oz of formula after she pulled off the breast. It worked for us, and LO started gaining weight finally.
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  • lightgetsinlightgetsin member
    I would just keep feeding him personally.  Eventually your supply will get where he wants it to be.  I think that if you give him formula, you will end up quitting breastfeeding because your baby will seem more full on the formula.  It is so expensive!!  Keep on doing what you are doing.
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  • guilletskichukguilletskichuk member

    imagetmsgrl:
    I would just keep feeding him personally.  Eventually your supply will get where he wants it to be.  I think that if you give him formula, you will end up quitting breastfeeding because your baby will seem more full on the formula.  It is so expensive!!  Keep on doing what you are doing.

    I completely disagree with this. If your baby is fussing and seems hungry, I think you should give what he needs.

    I was breastfeeding my LO during his first week and he had a night where he was feeding all.night.long. He was fussing and unhappy. I didn't realize that he probably wasn't getting enough to eat until my public health nurse came over the next day. She suggested that I get a pump (I hadn't purchased one yet) and also that we should offer LO some formula. I pumped and discovered that my supply was quite low. We gave LO formula right away and he was instantly a different baby. He was calm and content. I continued to breastfeed from time to time afterward and continued to pump to try and increase my supply (although I didn't pump as much as I probably should have due to extenuating circumstances).

    I was sad that I wasn't able to provide my son with the nourishment he needs directly from my body. However, it is more important to me that he gets the proper quantity from an equally good source than it is for me to have the satisfaction that he's getting it from my breasts.

    If your supply is decent enough, I would suggest supplementing in order to fill him up. It's not necessary to quit breastfeeding completely if you have an okay supply.

    Happily married to my Snorkelbutt - 07/31/10

    BFP #1 09/02/11  M/C 09/12/11 8w6days
    BFP #2 07/18/12 Baby S born on his EDD 03/23/13

    SS - age 12...SD - age 8...DS - 13 mos.
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  • Runaway22Runaway22 member

    Pumping yields =/= actual amount baby is getting from BF. That's not always a very accurate measure of your actual milk production. I'd definitely do a weighted feed before assuming baby's hungry and supplementing. You'll find out for sure if baby isn't getting enough this way. There are lots of reasons why babies pull away from the breast and fuss. For my LO it's usually because he is gassy (either needs to burp or toot), and sometimes he just wants to snuggle and be held upright. 

    In the mean time, do what you can to up your supply - I hear oatmeal and LOTS of water help. I know my supply is better on days I chug water vs. when I forget to.

    If you do end up supplementing, I'd suggest BF first, then offer a bottle (not sure if mixing it or giving it straight up is better). That's another way to determine if he's really not getting enough to eat.  

    You might also want to ask for some tips from the Breastfeeding board. They're very helpful and knowledgable over there :)    

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  • homemaker5711homemaker5711 member
    How old is your LO? If he is anywhere near 6 weeks and the growth spurt that changes everything! My dd was so fussy lately and I didn't know what to do. It seemed like she kept crying "neh" baby language cry for hunger. I thought she couldn't possibly be hungry, we just finished nursing! Well thankfully I read some articles about the growth spurt. A baby feeding constantly is your baby's way of getting your body to produce more milk for growing demands. Feed on demand, give the boob a lot, and this will help you avoid low supply and a fussy baby. Good luck!
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  • lightgetsinlightgetsin member
    imageguilletskichuk:

    imagetmsgrl:
    I would just keep feeding him personally.  Eventually your supply will get where he wants it to be.  I think that if you give him formula, you will end up quitting breastfeeding because your baby will seem more full on the formula.  It is so expensive!!  Keep on doing what you are doing.

    I completely disagree with this. If your baby is fussing and seems hungry, I think you should give what he needs.

    I was breastfeeding my LO during his first week and he had a night where he was feeding all.night.long. He was fussing and unhappy. I didn't realize that he probably wasn't getting enough to eat until my public health nurse came over the next day. She suggested that I get a pump (I hadn't purchased one yet) and also that we should offer LO some formula. I pumped and discovered that my supply was quite low. We gave LO formula right away and he was instantly a different baby. He was calm and content. I continued to breastfeed from time to time afterward and continued to pump to try and increase my supply (although I didn't pump as much as I probably should have due to extenuating circumstances).

    I was sad that I wasn't able to provide my son with the nourishment he needs directly from my body. However, it is more important to me that he gets the proper quantity from an equally good source than it is for me to have the satisfaction that he's getting it from my breasts.

    If your supply is decent enough, I would suggest supplementing in order to fill him up. It's not necessary to quit breastfeeding completely if you have an okay supply.

    How can you completely disagree with this when you did in fact supplement and then quit breastfeeding?  I have had many nights where my children fed all night long.  That is what babies do to increase your milk supply.  That is the way it is supposed to work. It is hard for the mom, but it doesn't last forever.   If you start supplementing, and quit nursing, your milk supply will decrease and you will have the false impression that you just couldn't make enough milk for your baby when in reality, you could have if you just would have fed him and not supplemented with formula.

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