feeding question?

Question

my daughter will take a bottle, but i can't seem to pump enough milk.... usually only an ounce at a time. i want to continue breastfeeding, but need her to take bottle sometimes when i am not able to be around. if i use formula once or twice a day will my milk supply be drastically changed? will she be constipated? also, i am not sure what formula to use.

she is only 3 months old

Answer 1

I had trouble with pumping too. Here is some handy tips...
first... make sure that you wet your breasts before you try to pump... (it makes a big difference)

Drink plenty of water,,,, a beer will help you product more milk

try to think of your baby crying when pumping... maybe you need to look at her.
You must be fully relaxed and not stressed about pumping or you will not be able to let down.

think "down and out" ... this will help you.. dont look at what you are pumping... just relax and look at the baby.

Good luck..

Answer 2

How often are you pumping? Do you feed on demand? When you feed on demand it's a bit different then having your baby on a schedule. When you breastfeed and can't be around a schedule is a lot better. I have a 6 months old and I'm an active duty military mom. I feed her every 3 1/2 to 4 hours. It's not that strict. It gives your breast a break and you can have a consistent amount of milk come in. I pump 6.5 to 7.5 ounces every time I pump. Which is every 4 hours. My daughter is in daycare and it doesn't throw my milk flow off if she's fed 30 minutes early. What kind of pump do you have? Just make sure you continue to pump that is important. When you're not around her. She may not take formula, but you can try. I would do half and half so she still gets the taste of your milk and not reject it later. Constipated... There is always a possibility. Good Luck

Answer 3

You may not need formula. Your babywill be better off without it in the long run.
It may constipete her, she may have an allergic reaction, it may make her irritable and gassy.
Please give her only your milk for as long as possible.

Try some other things first:
Only leave her for a few hours and nurse before you leave and right when you come back.
Pump one side while she nurses the other.
Pump first thing in the morning, or in the middle of the night, when your breast are fullest.

Pump more often and stockpile small amounts.

I could never pump more than and ounce and a half and my son NEVER had formula, even when i was at work. I just added up every little bit and pumped in my car during intermission (it was at an outdoor theatre.)

Answer 4

I breastfeed my daughter and have been supplementing with formula since birth. I don't produce enough milk to only nurse, but I think its "the best of both worlds" if you are doing both. Some people are really ridiculous about only breastfeeding or only bottle feeding, but both is the best. Other people are able to feed your baby and your nips get a break sometimes too. Pumping never produces as much as your baby actually gets from feeding off the breast. You could speak to a lactation consultant, that helps. You could be stressing yourself out and making yourself produce less milk because you have to be relaxed while pumping to get the best results, and I can't stess enough what a HUGE difference a high quality breast pump makes. I bought the Medella one, and it was about three-hundred dollars, but it is worth every penny. Another place that helped me was the Gerber hotline, 1-800-4-gerber. Its always open 24 hours and I have called at 2 am and they had a lactation consultant on call and she called me back in less than 5 min. Hope that helps, congrats on the baby!! I supplement with Isomil Advanced ready to feed, its soy formula which is more agreeable with my princess. It was trial and error with choosing formula and finding one that worked for us.

Answer 5

The more you breastfeed the more milk you will have. Put her on your breast as often as possible, maybe every hour or so, that will send a message to your body that your baby is eating alot and will need to produce more milk. My baby is 6 weeks old and I do breastfeed but I also use formula once a day, usually at bed time. He has not had any problems at all, he is not constipated and I have not lost any milk supply. If you do not put your baby on your breast at least pump every hour. I use Similac Advanced with Iron and DHA&RHA, it seems to work fine for him. But remember, some breast milk is better than no breast milk at all. So if you pump an ounce at a time, give it to her.

Answer 6

If you replace a breastfeed with formula then your milk supply will drop because it is a supply and demand thing. It is easier to pump milk once you have experienced the "let down" of the fore milk. So (as someone else suggested) pump milk after a feed as the milk has already let down. The more milk you can take, the more you will produce so she won't miss out at all.

Answer 7

If you skip just one feeding, your body will be expecting her to feed, so you will have enough milk when you pump. If you pump, you will still be telling your body "the milk is being used, so make more." As long as you dont constantly give her formula without pumping, you should be fine.

The aap reccomends enfamil with lipil (the gold label)

Answer 8

Continue to nurse her, then pump after you nurse. This will tell your body to make more milk (more demand creates more supply). Store the extra milk, and pump when you're away from her so your body doesn't think you're weaning.

Answer 9

What kind of pump are you using? Is it electric? You should be able to get more than an ounce. Don't give her formula - instead try putting her to breast more often to build up your supply. Formula's wicked stuff and you want to keep her off it.

Answer 10

I wasn't able to breastfeed and/or pump enough milk for my baby, so I supplemented w/ formula as needed. I use Similac Advance. It has nutrients found in breastmilk. My son didn't mind having both... but now I just formula feed. Good Luck!