Is supplementing worth it or should I just throw in the towel?

Re: Is supplementing worth it or should I just throw in the towel?

• AndieTessie member

  November 2015

  You should do whatever makes you happy, but as long as baby is healthy, I'd keep going! If it was me if maybe nurse a few extra times if you're really worried, but I don't think I'd do every two hours since she's in the normal range. I also have a tall and skinny baby, I take those charts with a grain of salt because a lot of doctors chart formula and breast feed babies together. You can't expect a breastfed baby to gain as quickly as a formula fed one. It sounds from this that you are doing a great job as is.

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• Petunia21 member

  November 2015

  Maybe you can nurse extra/pump to increase your supply. If breastfeeding is going well, I'd stick with it! Sometimes I pump 2 bottles a day, and mix half formula and half breastmilk.

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• lolad5 member

  November 2015

  @AndieTessie it's not like he gave me a failure to progress and asked to see me back again to see how fast or slowly she is progressing. It makes me feel like crap though that she hasn't doubled her birth weight like she was supposed to. I guess it's true that every little baby is different.

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• lolad5 member

  November 2015

  Petunia21 said:

  Sometimes I pump 2 bottles a day, and mix half formula and half breastmilk.

  I did buy some formula today just to have on hand. Have you noticed a difference? How long have you been doing it?
  
  

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• AndieTessie member

  November 2015

  I know it's stressful! We've been on the slower side of gaining too, 10lbs and 23.25in at her two month checkup. Any comments from the doctors about weight I take so personally because it's all dependent on us with breastfeeding. In the beginning we got the nurse every two hours advice as well and it didn't last long. As long as she stays in her percentile and had enough diapers I'm just sticking with our regular routine of feeding on demand. It's totally ok if you need to throw a bottle of formula in here or there, just trust your gut, no one knows what your baby needs better than you

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• mel0601 member

  November 2015

  My daughter has been on formula from around week 3 or 4.... She was only 9 pounds at her 2 month check up.... So it could just be your bubba is slight. Everyone is built different!

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• meggipi5 member

  November 2015

  AndieTessie said:

  I know it's stressful! We've been on the slower side of gaining too, 10lbs and 23.25in at her two month checkup. Any comments from the doctors about weight I take so personally because it's all dependent on us with breastfeeding. In the beginning we got the nurse every two hours advice as well and it didn't last long. As long as she stays in her percentile and had enough diapers I'm just sticking with our regular routine of feeding on demand. It's totally ok if you need to throw a bottle of formula in here or there, just trust your gut, no one knows what your baby needs better than you

  This. Also consider your breastfeeding goal. If you start supplementing, LO may start demanding less from you, and your supply could take a hit. Around 3-4 months, most babies seem to get more efficient at nursing, so she may not take as long to eat or may eat more at each feeding. I would feed on demand and stick with it. At 6 months solids come in to play and in the blink of an eye a year will have gone by.

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• caityrose member

  November 2015

  We were exactly at 9 lbs at our two week check up too. My supply plummeted after some infections and some other issues and I thought we were regaining strength so I slowed down supplementing but she had a stuffy nose so her nursing was slacking which I didn't realize. Bad combo. I felt so guilty when the doctor said she was only in the 5th percentile. I've been weighing her feeds and supplementing more. Between the two first feeds of the day she gets 8 from me but after that it's consistently about 2-2.5 oz each feed from me which is just not enough. I struggle with the decision of quitting but I'd rather just keep supplementing if I have to because the nursing is worth it. In a month I might transition to nursing only a handful of times a day and giving bottles Inbetween but I'm hoping I can maintAin some sort of substantial supply without terrible engorgement to make that work. Anyway the point is I don't think it has to be all or nothing but there's no shame in giving bottles to supplement for the sake of her health and your sanity. I also struggle with feeling guilty like I can't give her enough and what am I doing wrong but I'm seriously trying everything.... Pumping after feeds, fenugreek, even domperidone, oatmeal in the morning. Lots of water. There's not much else left and really if none of that worked why would anything else. Idk what happened but I'm guessing my boobs just took too much trauma from mastitis and an abscess and not sure they'll fully recover. Feel free to pm me. There's also someone else on this board going through something similar I have talked to. Maybe we can all connect on Facebook to support each other. In the meantime hang in there. Don't give up on a bad day (that's the advice I've heard! )

  
  

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• lolad5 member

  November 2015

  Thank you ladies for your advice. I'm so happy to not be alone in this. I pray it will work itself out and maybe I can throw in some extra feedings in there. They say the more you nurse the more you produce so maybe that can help. But I really have tried to boost my milk like you @caityrose with lactation cookies, and fenugreek. All I got was a disgusting after taste and smelling like maple syrup! Lol. I couldn't keep up with it because I didn't notice a change.
  
  

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• monicaP member

  November 2015

  I had not heard they are to double birthweight by two months. My LO gained about 5 lbs since birth and both the doctor and I thought that was fantastic. Her older sister was always on the bottom percentile for weight and mid range for height. My doctor looked for consistency. I never supplemented not did I change her feedings. She is a very healthy just about 4 year old now.

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• ForeverEverAfter member

  November 2015

  Doubling birth weight is no longer a milestone-meaning there is no date they need to do it by. DD1 was 7 mo when she doubled. She was a slow gainer, and I was told at 4 mo to supplement. But I saw a LC instead who helped me feed more efficiently and get more hindmilk, and I never did supplement. She eventually gained weight, and is a pretty average toddler.
  
  I would get a second opinion before supplementing, as it sounds like weight is the only indication (no weight loss, hitting other milestones, etc).

  

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• Petunia21 member

  November 2015

  lolad5 said:

  Petunia21 said:

  Sometimes I pump 2 bottles a day, and mix half formula and half breastmilk.

  I did buy some formula today just to have on hand. Have you noticed a difference? How long have you been doing it?
  
  

  I've been doing it since he was about 6 weeks. It makes me feel better to know that he's getting 2 full feedings. I usually give him the bottles right before bed, and for his MOTN feeding.

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• jennsammut member

  November 2015

  We do a rotation of Breast and bottle.

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• Dot30324 member

  November 2015

  I do breast bottle and formula. It is easier on me and she still gets the BF nutrients most of the day. Don't stress honey!!

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• Dot30324 member

  November 2015

  I do a bottle of 4os before bed!

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• lolad5 member

  November 2015

  I did a little mixture this morning, half and half and she loved it. It hurt me a bit. But honestly, I'll do it if she needs it. I'm also going to switch her to a different Doctor just to get a second opinion. It can't hurt.

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• mariessa02 member

  November 2015

  Keep breast feeding mama! You can do it :] and try not to be too hard on yourself! Whatever you decide, you are taking good care of your LO. My baby girl was 8 1/2 lbs. at birth and at her 2 month appt. yesterday she was 10 lb. 13 oz. The doctor said she was doing well. No mention of supplementing. However, I do use formula once, sometimes twice a day and some days I don't use formula at all. I just go off baby's cues. If she nurses until I'm empty and is still trying to nurse and gets frustrated/starts crying, I'll give her 2 or 3 oz. of formula. She is healthy and happy and getting a huge majority of breast milk - which is the very best for her. If you decide to use formula though, I suggest you do some research :] I ended up opting for a German formula called Holle. Check out this website: https://organicmunchkin.com

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• BrianaJ0917 member

  November 2015

  It is very stressful and I know as mothers we constantly question what we do and wether or not we're doing everything we can for our LOs. When we went for our 1 month checkup and LO hadn't made it back to his birth weight yet the Ped suggested we supplement and I was heartbroken like I wasn't a good enough mother because I couldn't give my baby what he needed. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that just because I needed to supplement didn't mean that I was a bad mom but actually just the opposite...if I supplemented then that meant that I was willing to do everything I could to get my baby what he needed. I bought a can of supplement formula (gerber good start for supplementing) and let it sit in the cabinet a while to kinda get used to the idea. At around 6 weeks we went for a weight check and LO was just an ounce over birth weight. He was not unhealthy but I felt like I was depriving him of something because he wasn't doing as well as he was supposed to. I pulled out that can of supplement formula and cried while I made that first bottle but slowly LO started to gain and thrive. We supplement 2 bottles a day (one before bed and one before his afternoon nap) it has helped him to gain some weight and also to sleep more at night (now about 8 hours vs waking up every 3). Once I came to terms with all of it I realized that it was what was best for LO and that just because I needed to supplement didn't mean I was giving up. We still BF the rest of the day (I pump and bottle feed breast milk now that I'm back at work). Bottom line....do what you can live with and don't let anyone guilt you into something. You are the only one that can make that decision and you know what's best for your LO!!

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