Supplementing??

[kandykane53]

Do you think it would be okay for me to supplement one bottle at night with formula instead of me breastfeeding so my husband can feed our 3 week old?

[nycmama]

Have you considered expressing some breastmilk and offering that? Any formula will mess with your supply especially in the early days...

[Shaunsmom]

It's certainly okay but...

your supply may be affected if you're not also pumping at the same time as the supplemental feeding.

why do you need to supplement with formula versus breastfeeding? Just curious. I know that the early days of nursing are sometimes very hard on a mama especially with sleep (or lack of).

Are you trying to wean your LO?

[bartondoc]

As a physician I have the opportunity to talk to many women about their experiences and though it is far from a scientific study, from my observations, women who supplement in the first months never succeed in nursing past the first few months. The first one to two months (especially that first one) are so exhausting and demanding. But it is that constant demand that lets you build up your supply. Once you get through that, it gets so much easier, I promise! I have talked to several people including myself who started supplementing a little after ten months who continue to nurse succesfully, but if nursing is important to you, I would say absolutely don't supplement during the first six months at least (unless a lactation consultant says you need to for the baby's sake).
I started supplementing at ten months when i resumed long shifts at work. I pump when I can but just can't get as much pumping as my son goes through. I work part time but in twelve hour shifts. He goes through about three six oz formula bottles when I work and after doing that for a few months, I had to start giving him about 8 oz of formula most nights even when I was with him and he was nursing all day because my supply went down a little. But I still nurse him round the clock aside from that and still consider myself a successful nursing mom. He is sixteen months now.

[Jacksmommy]

Do you think it would be okay for me to supplement one bottle at night with formula instead of me breastfeeding so my husband can feed our 3 week old?

It's wonderful to have a daddy who wants to be involved, and there are lots of ways he can be - diaper changes, burping, holding, bathing, etc. It's important that the feedings all come from the breast right now. Baby is telling your body how much milk to make by nursing. It's totally supply and demand. You also don't want to introduce artificial nipples before about 6 weeks because you don't want baby to develop a preference for the faster flow of a bottle. You also don't want to introduce formula before 6 months. It's really important that baby have only breastmilk for the first 6 months of life - nothing else. If you can avoid formula entirely, that would be best.

[peytiepie]

As much as I enjoy this site and as helpful as it was to me early on in my breastfeeding, I think that too often people are very black and white about things. Women who supplement NEVER succeed? If Nursing is important to you? Harsh, ladies!

While I had no problems feeding my little munchkin, I was not as successful with pumping until I returned to work this week. So there were a few days that she had formula. And yes, she even had formula early on now and then if circumstances arrived.

Also, I wish I had started letting my husband have that bonding in the evening feeding time. DD screamed for hours tonight again when I went to work. She needs me right now at night to calm down and go to sleep. This is not new for us. Nor is it fun! My advice would be to get the slow flow bottles and let Daddy feed her. You might want to wait a few weeks- maybe to the 6 week mark depending on what your return to work situation is. You know how you are doing and if you feel everything is fine, trust your gut.

[Shaunsmom]

As much as I enjoy this site and as helpful as it was to me early on in my breastfeeding, I think that too often people are very black and white about things. Women who supplement NEVER succeed? If Nursing is important to you? Harsh, ladies!

While I had no problems feeding my little munchkin, I was not as successful with pumping until I returned to work this week. So there were a few days that she had formula. And yes, she even had formula early on now and then if circumstances arrived.

Also, I wish I had started letting my husband have that bonding in the evening feeding time. DD screamed for hours tonight again when I went to work. She needs me right now at night to calm down and go to sleep. This is not new for us. Nor is it fun! My advice would be to get the slow flow bottles and let Daddy feed her. You might want to wait a few weeks- maybe to the 6 week mark depending on what your return to work situation is. You know how you are doing and if you feel everything is fine, trust your gut.

I don't think the advice given was harsh. One of the respondents is a physician...not sure what kind of physician. I'm sure in her training and whatnot in regards to breastfeeding, she has first hand experience in babies who were supplemented- even just in small amounts and a mama's milk supply.

Granted there are circumstances where supplementation is necessary...I'm not a fan of using formula to supplement. Again, every circumstance is different and I'm not a doctor either. When mamas ask for advice, I try to give the best possible answer that I know of. It's not meant to be harsh but a truthful answer.

There is no reason to get slow flow bottles and let Daddy feed her, IMHO. What if the OP's baby is one of the many breastfed babies who REFUSE to take a bottle from anyone including dad? There are alternatives to feeding a baby from a bottle.

My job is to nurse my baby. I know it's tiring. I know that it's hard work. It's what my breasts were intended to do. I know that I can make it succeed...I just have to find the right people to be supportive of being a mama who can exclusively breastfeed her baby. And I did do it. Hard hard work. Yes, I know. Been there, done that. I felt like quitting bfing a few times in the early days.

DD's own pedi was shocked that she never had formula supplementation. I was surprised at her reaction. A mama is usually quite capable of maintaining an adequate supply for her little one...yes, I know there are exclusions to that statement (breast surgery, etc.).

DD is now a happy healthy still nursing 17 month old. Yes, it can be done:)

[USAFeyez06]

I agree... I don't think the statements were harsh, either. I have found that to be true based on experiences as well. 3 of my close friends breastfed. One supplemented right away, against my advice, and her little one is 6 months old and she has been having supply issues for some time now and has to supplement. Another supplemented at 4 months and was completely done nursing at 6. I, on the other hand, did not supplement (with a small exception) my dd until she was over 10 months old (with hypoallergenic formula due to mulitple sensitivies) and I am still breastfeeding her at least 3-4 times a day and she 14 months old!!! (The small exception was I didn't get my milk in until the 7th day postpartum and had to supplement her since her weight dipped tremendously. I breastfed her before supplementing and pumped like crazy and my supply came in the next morning!)

I advise you to be extremely careful about supplementing. It can most certainly put a damper on your breastfeeding goals and cause supplies issues.

Breastfeeding is very demanding and exhausting for the first few months, but it does get better and much easier. Once we were past the early months, I began enjoy breastfeeding my dd and the bonding that we shared... a statement that I never thought I'd say in the early months.

Good luck, momma!

[juliekathleen2]

OK, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in here. It is BULLSHIT to say that "women who supplement in the first few months" will never succeed! and heaven help the newbie who might happen to read that statement and GIVE UP because she BELIEVES IT!

Sorry to be so angry, but I am just remembering the HELL that Kathleen went through - supply issues, nipple confusion and more; she was not even able to successfully nurse her DS until he was 4 months old! She HAD to supplement with formula because she couldn't get her supply up (even with pumping and herbals, etc) and it was just horrible!

Thank God for this forum and the people on it who kept us going by cheerleading and encouraging her to KEEP TRYING and to look for answers until she found some that worked!

P.S. I have to agree with the other advice - if you really feel that you want your DH to give her a bottle, EBM is a better option and waiting until she's established a strong nursing pattern is a good idea as well. You do NOT want to have to deal with nipple confusion on top of everything else - trust me!

[peytiepie]

OK, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in here. It is BULLSHIT to say that "women who supplement in the first few months" will never succeed! and heaven help the newbie who might happen to read that statement and GIVE UP because she BELIEVES IT!

Thank God for this forum and the people on it who kept us going by cheerleading and encouraging her to KEEP TRYING and to look for answers until she found some that worked!


Thank you! That's all I was trying to say. Nothing is black and white about breastfeeding. And not everything is perfect for everyone.

BTW, I happen to think that 6 mos. is pretty successful for breastfeeding. Not everyone is made to go a full year. Is it the gold standard we should try for? Absolutely! Should you experience be considered a failure if you don't? I sure hope not, b/c I'm not currently planning to go much past 6 months.

[MrsKitty]

Not everyone is "made" to go a full year? You mean some moms biologically switch off before that? I don't get what you mean.

[peytiepie]

I'm just saying that "what might be right for you, might not be right for some". I don't know how I'll feel at 5, 6, 7, 8 months. It maybe right for us to stop breastfeeding. And I refuse to feel like a failure because of my decisions.

I'm certainly not suggesting some magical switch. geesh.

[juliekathleen2]

Just another quickie - Kathleen originally figured to BF for 6 months... BUT, since she wasn't even able to START BFing until DS was 4 months, she adjusted it and thought perhaps she'd go about a year... especially since DS was starting to bite (hard) and she couldn't break him of it... BUT, then he went on a nursing strike and wouldn't nurse AT ALL for more than a week!

She figured he was self-weaning and she was even to the point that she was willing to have him bite her if only he would nurse.

Oddly enough, he's 14 months and now back to marathon nursing, no biting... and she's decided to nurse him for as long as possible!

P.S. I nursed Kathleen and her older brother for 2+ years each; my youngest self-weaned at 18 months.

Peteypie, I encourage you to do what works for you. And you're completely right, you'll know how you feel when you get there - in the meantime, enjoy what you've got!