Do/Did you? (Poll)

DD is 3 weeks and my breastmilk supply seems to be dwindling. I exclusively pump...

So do/did you exclusively breastfeed, pump, formula feed, or breast/pump & formula feed?

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

For both kids I EBF for the first few weeks/months, then I gradually built up a stash and used formula for night time (3 am only). I would pump while DH gave formula. I would say that for the first 6 months my kids got BM 90% of the time with formula for the other 10%. DD had formula from 6 months on due to circumstances out of my control. DS got BM until he was a year old. I would say he was a 50/50 mix of BM and formula at 6 months old. HTH

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

EBF (nursing) for about 2 months, then mixture of BF/Pumping until about 8 1/2 months.

I was able to increase my supply by nursing on one side and pump on the other side at the same time. There are also oatmeal cookies you can make (it has flaxseed meal and something else) or take fenugreek to increase your supply.

HTH

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

i BF, pump and formula feed.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I did BF and pump - DS would not take formula.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I mostly BF, but gave one formula bottle at least 4 times a week till 6 months then I went straight to formula. I tried to pump but just couldn't get the hang of it.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

DS had some latching issues when my milk started coming in and just refused the breast. BF was really important to me, so I started to pump and I exclusively pumped for the first 7 weeks. When he was 7 weeks old I tried to BF again and he finally latched and I've been BF ever since. He is now 8mo. My supply has started to take a dip, so he gets 1 formula bottle a day when necessary.

Message edited 8/14/2011 5:33:30 PM.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

Formula fed from day 1.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

EBF 14 months with some pumping.

Message edited 8/14/2011 5:48:12 PM.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I chose other because I breastfed/pumped but never gave formula.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I started out EBF, but DD developed jaundice the day before we left the hospital and they made me pump and mix what little milk I had with formula because she basically had to poop it out. I went back to EBF when we left, but DD continued to lose a lot of weight. I tried EPing for a bit to see how much she was eating and she continued to lose weight, so I was forced to go back to supplementing with formula. Now I am weaning her of the BFing because I'm not producing enough.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

EBF - never any FF for us. DS still nurses and he's 22 months old!

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I exclusively BF. I also pumped to increase my supply and create a freezer stash because I was going to be having an inpatient procedure done and would be away from DS for a night and would be on meds so he needed to have enough milk.

Why are you saying your supply is dwindling? How often are you pumping. You must pump every time you feed your little one because at this point you need to establish your supply. I was EBF my DS every hour and a half to two hours for the first six weeks. Also, sometimes it helps if you massage your breasts as you are pumping to help the pump along.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

Have you tried putting her back on the breast?

I EBF/pumped until Aa was around 7 months, then started supplementing with some formula.

He has mostly breastmilk, maybe 10 ozs of formula a week at the most now.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

Exclusively for the first 2 weeks and then supplemented for a little while longer and then stopped completely

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I think it's very interesting that in the poll a lot of people admit to exclusively formula feeding, while in real life and in the responses in this poll a lot of people don't say they exclusively formula feed...

IMO people don't want to admit they formula feed.

I am exclusively formula feeding my newborn, and am not afraid to admit it.



eta: I just am now seeing the other thread on breastfeeding but haven't read the whole thing yet..hopefully i'm not repeating something that was just discussed...

Message edited 8/14/2011 7:34:52 PM.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

are you using a hospital grade pump?
if not that might be why your supply is dwindling at 3 months.

DD is 3 months today. my supply has increased sllllooooowwwlllly over the three months. i BF and pump and FF.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I use the Medela Freestyle, I have not tried to go back to EBF cause she would stay on for hours. She likes to suck a little, sleep a little, suck a little etc... It was wayyyy too time consuming for her to feel full, so I started to only pump. I had a great supply but for some reason it's less the past couple of days, or maybe it's normal and I was just used to pumping a lot more...

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

EMF for 9.5 months, returned to work and did a combo of BF, pumping & FF (couldn't pump enough). I EBF when I'm with her. Now weaning her from formula & pumped milk to non-dairy milk so no more formula and, much more importantly, no more pump!

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I started out EBF did it for almost 6 weeks than I had to go on two weeks of antibiotics for bronchitis and ear infections, I just pumped and dumped for those weeks but I never could get a supply back. So we just had to ff from that point on.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

When DD was 3 wks old, I EBF. Having her suckle kept my supply up. The minute I started pumping ( at 12 wks when I went back to work), my supply started to dwindle.

I would recommend putting her on your breast. It may help your supply.

Re: Do/Did you? (Poll)

I formula fed all 3. I'm shocked based on the poll that that is what most people did. I thought most breastfed.