Had to give my baby formula for the first time :(

[@llli*hudsonsmom]

AHHH I need help! My son is 2 months old, I work outside the home but am able to pump about 4 times a day and nurse him about 4 times a day(not including the middle of the night feeding). I'm struggling. I can only get about 9 oz in the day if i'm lucky and he takes that in one sitting. I started taking fenugreek, goats rue and blessed thistle as directed. it seemed to up my production a little bit but not enough to satisfy him while I work. I am a preschool director and he comes to work with me but im extremely busy and cant go in his class on demand. Im frustrated and feeling like a complete failure when I research organic formula options. I DONT WANT TO SUPPLEMENT but I will do what I have to. I have even started waking up in the middle of the night to pump and im exhausted. I dont know what to do. Im worried that if I supplement he may not like it, I may dry up, it wont be good for him... Im a first time mom and a worry wart. Any advice or kind words would help. THANK YOU

[@llli*still.here]

Mama, if he's taking 9 ounces in one sitting, your problem is not that you're not getting enough. It's that he's being drastically overfed. Your baby, at 2 months, shouldn't be eating more than 2-3 oz at a time. Most breastfed babies never take more than 4 ounces max, even at a year old or more. The general rule is 1-1.5 ounces for every hour you are away.

Here's an article about how much milk your baby needs when he is away from you.

Are your caregivers in the infant class familiar with caring for breastfed babies? Here's a great resource to share with them about how to bottle feed a breastfed baby. Maybe that will help them learn ways to feed less.

[@llli*littleturtlelove]

ITA with PP, that is WAY too much for a 2 month old! Does whoever watch your baby feed him every time he cries? I found out that my mom was doing just that when I was working. I couldn't keep up!

[@llli*joshuas.mommy]

Yes, 9 oz at a sitting is about 3x too much!! Eeek! Of course you can't keep up with that. Who is feeding the baby and how long are they going between feedings? What kind of bottle, and bottle nipple, are you using? You should use the slowest flow nipple available, and it should not drip when the bottle is turned upside down...if it drips, the hole is too big and the nipple is worn out and needs to be replaced.

As far as your pump output, pumping 4x per day is great (good for you!) but 9 oz is a bit on the low side for output. We can help trouble-shoot your pumping strategies to help you get a little more. If you are separated from your son for 8 hours per day, you would expect him to need a total of 8-12 oz of breastmilk during that time (1-1.5 oz per hour he is away from you) so if you could up your output by just a couple ounces, you'd be where you need to be. There is a lot you can do in order to pump more, including using a better pump (what kind do you use? you need to make sure it's a good quality pump), pumping for longer so that you get a second let-down (some moms can't get a second letdown while pumping, but many can), making sure your breast shields fit right, adding breast compressions while pumping, adding hand expression at the end of a pumping session...here's a link to a great video about how to get more while pumping. You might have to register with the website to see the video but it's worth it: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastf...roduction.html

Give us some more information and we'll try to help. In the meantime, don't feel bad about supplementing with a little formula if you have to, I know you'd rather not but don't let the mommy guilt get to you, you're doing the best you can. There's a very good chance that with a little fine-tuning of your pumping situation and your baby's feeding situation you can get back to giving him 100% breastmilk!

[@llli*djs.mom]

What you are pumping is very very good. You are supposed to be mimicing what the baby would get from the breast when bottle feeding. The baby would NEVER EVER take 9oz from you. Your Baby should be fed 3 3oz bottles while at work. The rule of thumb is 1-1.5 oz of milk for every hour a way from you. So work out how long your intervals away from him are and be VERY VERY firm about how much is fed at once. I assume that since you are on site you are at least nursing on your lunch break? Is that right? So figure out what the length of time is that you go in the morning between feeds and measure out oz appropriately. If you are making 9oz a day than make it 3 3oz bottles. But even if you were making 15oz a day you would NEVER put more than 4oz in a bottle because that would be the outside MOST your baby would be getting from you are one sitting. And that would be A LOT.

[@llli*hudsonsmom]

I dont think that limiting him would make him too happy. I tried just 5 oz from the bottle and he screamed for more, I felt like I was starving him. I have worked with children for a long time and I know that they cry and that its ok, but he cried for a good amount of time. He is almost three months and weights close to 13lbs and very long. I just don't want to under feed him and I was told to feed him until he is full. The people who take care of him at work have two other newborns in the class who take about the same amount and those moms have no problem pumping enough to keep their babies satisfied. I never thought that I would be over feeding him and I dont know how to cut it back without really upsetting him. I will give it a shot but im extremely nervous about it. Also, I have a mi pump by first years and I use the breast flow bottles that come with it. Does anyone use this pump? I cant really afford 300 dollars for a medela pump when mine seems to work just fine. I was home with him for 6 weeks and had no stress so I had no problem pumping. Im just so frusturated and I dont know who to listen to.

[@llli*mer.mer]

Hey I noticed you are from Texas. hugs from the lone star state too.

Please check out the link about how to bottle feed a breastfed baby that still.here provided...

Do you do pacifiers or anything like that? Just a questions not a suggestion. Babies that age tend to need to suck a lot so the bottle feedings need to mimic the timing of BFing too not just the quantity of milk.

[@llli*hudsonsmom]

After some research I have come to the conclusion that I am over feeding him!! I cant believe it! I was thinking about it and the babies in that room are obese so i did some research and im going to cut him back. I just hope that the struggle isnt a long one and that he is satisfied with this. Ill let you know how it goes.

[@llli*hudsonsmom]

we do use a pacifier but he tends to get angry if you give it to him when he is hungry lol

[@llli*tallmadre]

If he's upset about getting less food, could you cut it back gradually, like instead of 9 oz per feeding, take it down to 8 for a day, then 7, and so on until he's eating a regular amount.