Has anyone here had to supplement breastmilk with formula? How long was it before you went to only formula? I'm doing it with Preston right now beacause he'll nurse an average of 45 min, and is still hungry after...It's starting to make me :nutts

Trent was the same way with nursing so long. 30-45 minutes each side. That is normal. we never used formula. Hope you get the help you need before you go :hairout :hugs

He had weight gaining issues so we had to supplement :neutral

we had to do it with ellie cuz my milk never was enough for her. she was eating 4 oz, i only had 3....so we started to supplement first when she was 5 days old cuz my milk hadnt come in yet, then i pumped and she ate what i could give her during the day and formula at night. i had to stop completely when she was 3 weeks old cuz i had to have 2 surgeries and was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks.

I only supplemented about 1ounce while still in the hospital. I cam close a couple of times once we got home because he would literally nurse for an hour. :banghead But after about 2 weeks of him doing it he got back on schedule.

Is he going through a growth spurt?
Are you giving him a pacifier that could confuse him between nursing and just comfort sucking?

Yea...he kinda became dependant on the paci thanks to DH :vent There's always milk going in his mouth when he nurses though.

Do you want to go to formula only? If not then try everytime he gets fussy instead of giving him the pacifier let him nurse. The only time Sy had a pacifier was when he was sleeping because he wanted to sleep while nursing :nutts Once he got over the confusion, he was fine and would nurse 'normally'.

Also try www.kellymom.com for some more tips on it. There is alot of info to read and a forum to read through. I found it very helpful

I want to continue kind of doing both because I like being able to give him formula when we are out because I can't do the whole NIP thing. It seems the only time he gets enough when he's breastfeeding is the first feeding of the day when I haven't fed him all night.

Have you talked to a LC about it?
Are you pumping during the day when you are not nursing? pumping will help increase/maintain your milk supply
Have you looked into supplements, like Fenugreek or Mother's Milk, to help you increase your milk supply?

If you can build your supply back up then you could still feed him a bottle of BM when you go out if you aren't comfortable with NIP. Sy gets bottled bm when I go to Bible study or when we go on date nights.

Sorry if Im asking too many questions.

Thats a great suggestion Michelle, and Amanda I've got the phone number of the best LC at the naval hospital. Let me know if you want it.

Well right now I nurse him basically every hour and a half...I don't really pump though. I only get like 3/4 of an ounce from each breast and most comes in the first 5-10 min...after that barely anything comes out, but when I put him on, he can get milk out. Where do they have the supplements?

It's recommended that when you pump you pump for the same amount of time that they nurse for.

You could also try pumping the side he's not nursing on. Like for a while when my left got cracked and sore, I nursed from the right only and pumped from the left until I got better.

I get Fenugreek at Henry's but GNC sells it too. Henry's also got Mother's Milk too.

You will always get less when you pump then if he is nursing. NEVER measure the amount that you make by the amount you pump!!! You will always get false results.

Good Luck Sweetie :)
I'm sorry I have no advice since I never Breastfeed Jerron...

I was forced to supplement due to a low milk supply.

Unfortuantly my son did NOT take to supplementing. And ONLY wanted me. He REFUSED formula and since I couldnt give him what he needed...Even after nursing for hours, every time he wanted it etc, I was forced to wean him at 4.5 months. The LC determined it would be for the best since he was not gaining the right amount of weight, didnt have enough poopy diapers etc and was refusing to be supplemented.

So essentially I went to full formula at 4.5 months

I did w/ my 6yr old when he was 6months but Im hoping not to at all with her.

try eating alot of oatmeal, drinking enough water....your urine should always be clear and try things like blessed thissel that you can buy at health food stores to increase your milk.

I had to start doing it at around 3 months cause my milk supply wasn't enough for Ryan and no matter how long he nursed my supply never increased, I only gave him formula when he seemed to still be hungry... about once a day and some days none at all.