Breastfeeding moms who supplement?

Question

My son is 5 months old this week and doing excellent with breastfeeding. However, he eats so much and I work part time 20 hours a week. I pump milk for daycare but many times he runs out before I pick him up and I'm barely pumping enough for the next day's use. His ped. said I could supplement with formula in emergency situations and when needed, I have tried pumping and storing extra milk but I pump enough for 1 day in advance and my son eats the rest. He's 18lbs already! He is on solids as well, rice and oatmeal cereal as well as veggies and fruits.

I was wondering what formula would be best to purchase for these situations. I have heard Nutramigen would be best. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm also wondering how your infant handled the transition? Gassy? Irritable?

I use a cheaper electric pump. Pump at 7am and get 3-5 oz and at 3pm everyday and average 4-6 oz. I cannot pump at work. I asked about Nutramigen because my son gets very gassy and irritable if I drink cow's milk.

Answer 1

I had to start supplementing at 6 months and I was very upset about it, but it has gone fine. We use Enfamil Lipil and it iworks great for him. He was not particularly fond of formula at first, but now he doesn't have a problem with it. He does not seem gassy or irritable at all. All babies are different, but he will probably transition just fine. Good luck!

Answer 2

How the baby will handle the formula will vary based on his sensivity levels. If you've had no problems with breastmilk (such as having to watch dairy in your diet), you probably want to try a standard formula first, as Nutramigen (and its fellow hypoallergenic formulas) are expensive and can often give a baby runny stools if they aren't used to the formula's unique formulation (which has been more chemically altered).

If you try a formula and it causes problems such as gas, crying, diarrhea, constipation, or so forth, try it's competing brand. Each major brand has a different formulation of milk protein which is why some babies can drink one brand, but not another. Plus the additional ingredients such as corn syrup that can irritate baby.

Good luck! With my daughter, we had to supplement due to hypoplasia, and she was sensitive to everything we tried (screaming, vomiting, etc) so I just pump like a madwoman and am grateful she's now on solids. If you can afford Ready-to-Feed versus powdered, the RTF is often a gentler formulation for the stomach.

You might also check your pump, which might not be powerful enough to get enough milk for you. I use a double electric Medela PIS, which nets me 1.5-2oz per 10-15 minute pumping session (which is about average).

Make sure your daycare isn't overfeeding baby as well. They often try to feed breastfed babies just like formula fed babies, not realizing that they don't need the vast amounts that a formula fed baby needs.

Answer 3

Are you doing tandem pumping in the morning? At the first feed of the day, I nurse one side and pump the other. That covers the spread between what I pump while I'm away and how much he's feeding. If I do the tandem pump on the weekends, I usually have plenty of extra for the freezer. I never had to supplement because I followed that program. Good luck!

ETA: To G-Butter, formulas are NOT regulated by the FDA/Government.

Answer 4

Can I ask why you'd bother with solids at all? It seems it would be best for the caregiver to just offer a bit more real food.

"There is no advantage to giving artificial baby milk (formula) and there may be some disadvantages, especially if it is given by bottle. The baby who is not satisfied completely at the breast may start to take more and more from the bottle, and end up refusing to take the breast.

The breastfed baby digests solid foods better and earlier than the artificially fed baby because breastmilk contains enzymes that help digest fats, proteins and starch. As well, breastfed babies have had a wide variety of tastes in their lives, since the flavours of many foods the mother eats will pass into her milk. Breastfed babies thus accept solids more readily than artificially fed babies."

http://drjacknewman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=127&Itemid=170

Answer 5

nicely i'm presently pregnant and that i've got a 7 month previous son who's solely breastfed besides. i did not decelerate on feedings or something like that. I endured to nurse my son as widely used or maybe had an IUD. I grew to alter into pregnant besides. I even have endured to nurse my 7 month previous son via this being pregnant and my milk has not lessened. He additionally nonetheless nurses during the night 3, 4, and perchance as much as 5 situations. i've got not had to chop back his breastmilk intake whatsoever and my being pregnant is going alongside somewhat nicely. I recommend you nonetheless try to see what happens. in case you opt to complement in one day, that could be great! in case you think of it would help your fertility, then do what you think of is maximum suitable! i comprehend that having yet another infant and nursing your infant this is right here now are actually not comparable. it is not approximately if one is greater important than the different. she can nonetheless stay nursed, so what's the harm in some bottle feedings? I choose my son might take a bottle some situations an afternoon! stable success!

Answer 6

Nutramigen is VERY expensive and really only used for babies with acid reflux. No need to use it if you don't have to. All baby formulas are regulated by the government, so they are essentially all the same. Ask your pediatrician what he/she suggests to give your son. Otherwise, use whatever brand you trust. I use Enfamil Lipil with Iron. All three of my kids have done wonderful with it. They transitioned VERY easily with no problems at all.

Answer 7

Askped for best formula to supplement, i hear enfamil with DHA is the best, thats what i have at home just incase, but we havent had to supplement yet, , sucks you cant pump at work, thats why your not able to supply enough milk for your son... Your son is adorable.. i love the picture on here..
good luck!!

Answer 8

Congratulations on combinging working and breastfeeding! Many moms find it challenging to pump enough milk while at work. You might want to try some ideas to boost the amount of milk you can pump before offering formula. There are risks to introducing dairy or soy at such a young age.

What type of pump are you using? A double-electric pump is the most effective. You'll probably need to pump at work at least as often as your baby would nurse (every 2-3 hours). Some working moms pump first thing on getting to work and last thing before heading home. Don't be afraid to pump when you know your baby will want to nurse soon; no pump is as effective as your baby and there will be plenty of milk for him! You can also add extra pumping sessions at home - pumping on one side while your baby nurses or pumping 1/2-1 hour after you feed him. This works best if you pump every day, not just try to squeeze in a random session every so often. You won't get much milk at these sessions at first, but you're telling your body to increase milk supply. Another trick is to pump consistently at the same time every day (even days when you don't work) so your milk supply adjusts to having more milk at that time. You can also increase the amount of nursing your son does when you're together by waking him to nurse before you get ready for work, nursing him at daycare when you drop off and pick up, wearing him in a baby sling so he can nurse frequently throughout the time you're together, or sleeping with your baby so he can nurse freely at night. A 5 month old baby could actually go 4 hours without nursing when you're at work, especially if he's being offered solid foods.

I wonder how much milk your son is being offered at daycare. Breastfed babies eat about 28 ounces of milk in 24 hours - that amount doesn't change from birth until starting solids, and then it actually starts to decrease. Your son should be getting the majority of his milk from you when you nurse him. Most breastfed babies will need about 2-4 ounces every 2-3 hours. But many care providers will give much more milk to soothe a fussy baby or because they're used to formula-fed babies, who need more. If you're apart from your son for 4 hours, he'll only need one or maybe two bottles (a total of 4-8 ounces of milk; if you work 8-hour days, then he'll need 8-16 ounces). Your daycare provider may need some guidance on how much milk to give him and some ideas on soothing him that don't involve feeding. SInce he's getting solid foods, you might have your daycare provider give him his cereal and fruit/veggies instead of a bottle. Then, you can focus on nursing at home instead of filling him up with solids. When you do feed him solids at home, nurse before offering solids. This will help keep your suppy up and make sure he's filling up on your milk, not less nutritious solid foods. Your milk should make up the majority of his diet until he's at least a year old.

Good luck! Remember that as he gets older and gets more of his calories from solid foods, this will get much easier! You might want to connect with other breastfeeding moms on-line or through your local La Leche League so you have more support for working and breastfeeding.

Answer 9

hmmm.

When I was in that situation I just let the care giver give him another thing of veggies or fruit to hold him over. He would nurse extra when he got to me, and it helped up my supply.

I was told the same about supplementing, but I just didnt want to mess with it.