Should I bother trying to increase my breastmilk supply if my baby is 8 months?

Question

since my baby was born i have always supplemented her with formula b/c she would always be fussy after breastfeeding. She is now 8 months and I have been keeping the same routine. Breastfeed first then formula feed. I'm just afraid of my milk drying up before she turns 1. should I even bother trying to increase my milk supply? and do you think its still even possible to breastfeed 100% after 8 months of giving birth?

Answer 1

mixing formula and breast milk is fine..I did it for a few months. You may be able to increase your milk supply by nursing or pumping more but with your baby sleeping through the night (hopefully) it may be hard to increase but rather maintain what you have. It's definitely a lot of work and women should be given more credit for it!

Answer 2

I know it is possible to breastfeed 100% after 8 months. I never used formula, and I never weaned my kids until around 15 months off of breastmilk. I know of families who never even offered solids for at least the first year.

There is no reason that your breastmilk should dry up unless you start nursing less frequently (only exception is if you are on certain medicines). Breastmilk is cheaper and better for you baby. Make sure that your baby is nursing for at least 15 minutes on one side. Then you may want to switch her to the other side for at least 15 minutes if she still seems hungry. If she still seems hungry after that, you could maybe try a few ounces of formula, but at 8 months she may not need the extra food that she did as a newborn.

Breastmilk works on demand and supply. The more often a baby nurses it sends a signal to your body to make more milk. Now some people get confused by breastfeeding because breast milk digests more easily so a baby will often have to eat more often. Also, as a baby prepares for a growth spurt, it will appear to become ravenous and want to eat more often. An in-experienced mother will often worry that this need to eat more often is because the baby isn't getting enough to eat from the breast when it is really the baby's way of stepping up the milk production for its growth spurt.

You also may want to start offering her solid foods instead of the formula after you nurse her at least three times a day. She's definitely old enough for baby food, and she can try some snacky things like Gerber puffs and wagon wheels. If she already has some teeth you try some toast with a little jam or peanut butter and some cheerios. You could also try some table food like shredded meat (chicken, lunch meat), mushy vegetables, and finely cut pasta. The solid food should supplement any residual hunger after nursing.

You could also start offering a little bit of water or apple juice (no more than 3 oz a day) mixed with water in a sippy cup. This will also make it easier to get your daughter off the bottle if she learns that tastier things come in a cup.

Good luck!!

Answer 3

If you are still producing milk, then you still can get your supply back up.

I'd really advise getting some good support via a Lactation Consultant (call the hospital) or your local La Leche League, a support group for nursing mothers (www.llli.org)

Milk production is simple. It's basically supply and demand. The more the breast are stimulated to produce milk, the more milk they produce. So that means getting the baby on the breast as much as possilble and cutting back on supplimenting. You can also use a special supplimentor that gives the baby formula through a little tube while they are nursing at the breast. That way baby is stimulating mom to make more milk instead of using a bottle. There are also herbs and medications you can take to boost your supply, but again a Lactation Consultant would best the best to advise you on that.

You can do it, but it may take a bit of a commitment. Good luck!

Answer 4

I guess it just depends on what you want to do. My now 10 month old decided at 8 1/2 months that she no longer wanted to nurse, so that was that. She's doing just fine on formula now. If she's still nursing, then continue doing what you're doing. Don't know if you've tried, but you could attempt to pump after nursing to increase your supply. Or you could nurse, and then feed solids. Try a couple of different options, and pick which one works best for you. Really it's up to you and your baby. I do think it's possible to bf 100% until your baby is much older than 1, just depends on if your baby wants to... Goodluck!

Answer 5

I think it is possible to feed 100% breastmilk in your situation. I assume your little one is taking some solids so that should relieve some of the demand. See the kellymom website. There is lots of good info...
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#increase
This page is clearly aimed at those with small babies but just adapt it to your needs.

Should you try increasing your milk supply is another question? I think you should try because it may be easier than you think. If it proves difficult than it is up to you to decide how much stress you want to put yourself through.

Finally, you may not need to increase your milk supply. It is possible that you don't have or never had low milk supply.

"The following things do NOT mean that you have a low milk supply:

* Your baby nurses frequently. Breastmilk is digested quickly (usually in 1.5-2 hours), so breastfed babies need to eat more often than formula-fed babies. Many babies have a strong need to suck. Also, babies often need continuous contact with mom in order to feel secure. All these things are normal, and you cannot spoil your baby by meeting these needs.
* Your baby suddenly increases the frequency and/or length of nursings. This is often a growth spurt. The baby nurses more (this usually lasts a few days to a week), which increases your milk supply. Don't offer baby supplements when this happens: supplementing will inform your body that the baby doesn't need the extra milk, and your supply will drop.
* Your baby nurses more often and is fussy in the evening.
* Your baby doesn't nurse as long as she did previously. As babies get older and better at nursing, they become more efficient at extracting milk.
* Your baby is fussy. Many babies have a fussy time of day - often in the evening. Some babies are fussy much of the time. This can have many reasons, and sometimes the fussiness goes away before you find the reason.
* Your baby guzzles down a bottle of formula or expressed milk after nursing. Many babies will willingly take a bottle even after they have a full feeding at the breast. Read more here from board-certified lactation consultant Kathy Kuhn about why baby may do this and how this can affect milk supply. Of course, if you regularly supplement baby after nursing, your milk supply will drop (see below).
* Your breasts don't leak milk, or only leak a little, or stop leaking. Leaking has nothing to do with your milk supply. It often stops after your milk supply has adjusted to your baby's needs.
* Your breasts suddenly seem softer. Again, this normally happens after your milk supply has adjusted to your baby's needs.
* You never feel a let-down sensation, or it doesn't seem as strong as before. Some women never feel a let-down. This has nothing to do with milk supply.
* You get very little or no milk when you pump. The amount of milk that you can pump is not an accurate measure of your milk supply. A baby with a healthy suck milks your breast much more efficiently than any pump. Also, pumping is an acquired skill (different than nursing), and can be very dependent on the type of pump. Some women who have abundant milk supplies are unable to get any milk when they pump. In addition, it is very common and normal for pumping output to decrease over time. "

Answer 6

Hi,
I am Areana from Germany and 2 years back I was hopeless as you are now. Breast is one of the most imp part of a girls's life. Few years back I was like having a

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Cheers! Hope you will attain your self esteemed back :)

Answer 7

My milk always came in to meet the demand of my daughter so I think it might work. Start giving less and less formula so your baby doesn't feel hungry and let her nurse longer and more often. Good luck! I breastfed 100% for almost 15 months - of course, still introducing solids and so forth as normal, but no formula.

Answer 8

well, my doctor told me that doing a mixture of breastfeeding and formula is not good.. because they are two totally different things, and its harder for your babys body to get used to it... shes 8 months, shes only gonna be drinking that stuff for 4 more months.. might as well just keep doing what u are doing...