I decided to breastfeed my 5 week old because she had problems at birth w/swallowing maconium. i am no longer able to pump that much milk (i pumped and bottlefed, only breastfed at night.) to feed my baby. her tummy is so sensitive that she cannot take formula well. i have been mixing whatever breastmilk i can pump (about 2 oz. every 2 hours) w/2 oz. of Enfamil for fussiness and gas formula. she hates it. She barely drinks that, she screams at night of colic. the drs. are not helping me in this much. I am at wits end. what can i do to help my baby w/this transition? what formula can i use for my sensitive baby that she can and will take? i am ready to rip all of my hair out! she seems so miserable. she was so happy when she was just on the breast milk. i don't know what to do anymore. please help me........
2006-11-23 12:20:35 · 11 answers · asked by Brooke's Mommy 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Work on boosting your supply so you can keep her on just breastmilk. Pumping and nursing more often will help you to make more milk. It's all about supply and demand. The more you tell your breasts to make milk, the more they will make.
What kind of pump are you using? Electric or manual? Single or double?
When you pump, if the flow of milk slows or stops, take the horns off and slightly reposition them on your breasts. This may help you to get a second letdown and empty different milk ducts.
Have you talked to a Lactation Consultant or a La Leche League Leader?
Is there a particular reason you are using a bottle during the day and nursing at night? Your baby is more efficient at getting the milk out than even the best pump. If you put her to the breast, as long as she is nursing properly she should get more than you can pump.
If nursing and pumping more often doesn't do the trick to boost your supply, there are other things you can do.
Eating oatmeal for breakfast every day seems to boost supply for some moms.
There is an herbal supplement called fenugreek that is great at boosting suppply. 3-4 capsules 3x per day is the typical dosage. If you are taking enough, you'll probably smell like maple syrup. Check the link below for more info. Fenugreek is safe for most moms, but there are a few medical conditions that make it a bad idea, so be sure to read the link to make sure it's a good choice for you.
Hope something here helps!
2006-11-23 12:37:01 · answer #1 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Are you trying to stop breastfeeding because you don't think you are producing enough? If that is the case I would say pump in between feedings and your body will catch up. I don't know about formula I never used it. Good luck this will be tough.
If you really want to quit I would mix about 1/4 formula to 3/4 breast milk for about a week then do half and half then 1/4 breast milk and 3/4 formula. I would try doing all of these for about 1-2 weeks each. Maybe it will work. Have you tried soy formula. ... It might work. .. Just a thought
2006-11-23 12:28:10 · answer #2 · answered by Mrs. Always Right 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your baby will be able to get more milk from you than you will be able to pump. Don't use that as a way to tell if you are making enough milk. Right now it is important for you to nurse as often as you can to get your body to produce milk. You don't need to mix formula with your breast milk. If you are wanting to supplement try switching to Similac or another brand. My son refused Enfamil but would drink Similac (I think it was sweeter!) She may have a lactose intolerance which is causing the gas and colic. You might try a lactose free or soy based formula. Try giving her mylicon for gas. Since you are breast feeding, something you are eating might be offending her. If I ate beans, broccoli, or anything spicy or lots of garlic my son was colicy and gassy. She might also be going through a growth spurt. During these spurts, they want to nurse more often which helps increase your supply. If she is not doing well on formula I definitely suggest trying to breast fed her without supplementing. Some babies just can't tolerate formula and do better on breastmilk.
2006-11-23 12:33:08 · answer #3 · answered by ssstinagail 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Just do everything you can to produce more breastmilk. Remember, the more you pump or breastfeed then the more breastmilk you'll make. If you only pump a couple times a day then you won't produce much but if you start doing it 2 or 3 times a day and do that everyday then your milk supply will increase. There are tons of tricks and things out there to help you produce more milk. I would try everything I could to get more milk before I tried other formulas. Good luck and I hope it all works out well :-)
2006-11-23 12:32:11 · answer #4 · answered by CelebrateMeHome 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
oh geeze, you poor thing. i feel for you. my baby suffered from colic very badly too and it was terrible. unfortunately, there is still not a lot known about colic, but there are drops you can buy from the chemist, some better than others. there are also a number of massage techniques. eventually, her little tummy will start to tolerate the formula milk a little better as she gets older. in the meantime, all you can really do is help to reduce the colic. also, try feeding her for say, 2 minutes, burp her, then resume feeding again, if she is 'gulping' her milk do this each feed. good luck! try this website.
n.b i breastfed my baby exclusively, yet she still suffered from colic. just some babies are more prone to it than others.
2006-11-23 12:29:15 · answer #5 · answered by leolady0765 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My advice would be to drink at least 80 oz of water a day to help with your milk production. Stop pumping and offer your baby the breast. Your baby will do a better job at getting the milk out and in turn, your body will produce more.
I've been breastfeeding for 7 months straight now. I only get 2 oz. out now because I don't drink enough water. But when I feed my baby she is full and can get more out.
2006-11-23 12:27:46 · answer #6 · answered by Tamika G 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Hi, I feel for you because it can get so hard at times.
I had twins (boy and a girl) and I wanted to breastfeed because that's was boobs are meant for!
I succeeded doing twin feeds for the first 4 weeks, both at the same time. But my girl wanted more and my body somehow wouldn't make more.
I tried to do half feeds, change to formula on every 2nd feed, for both but my boy would throw it straight back up.
My daughter thrived on formula so she stayed on it and I kept my son on the breast for 5 months.
I had to ease him onto formula which was tough but I got one for sensitive tummys and it worked a treat.
Ask around and read the labels. Just don't swap from 1 to another to another. Ease her into it.
The more she suckles inbetween feeds aswell, your body will think "Wow, I need to make more", hopefully this may work for you, though it didnt for myself.
Goodluck, it's hard but in a year you'll think - Gee that went quick.....
2006-11-23 12:43:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
See a lactation consultant as soon as possible! They are very helpful. I saw a lactation consultant for 4 months when I had my daughter. They were a tremendous help! You can also contact the La Leche League in your community! Bottom line...get help from someone who supports and understands breastfeeding! Visit the website I have inserted below, it has helped me on countless occasions!
2006-11-23 20:52:25 · answer #8 · answered by Stacey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she maybe lactose-intolerant you should try a soy based formula if you can no longer breastfeed. the soy formula might even help with the colic. i feel for you, good luck to you and your little lady
2006-11-23 12:32:42 · answer #9 · answered by nelly78 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Good start is a really good formula i used on one of my kids
2006-11-23 12:48:37 · answer #10 · answered by daisy322_98 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋