If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

Hi,

I have been EBF my DD. She is 8.5 weeks and I am starting to go into the office a couple of days a week. I am noticing that I am not going to be able to pump enough milk during the day to get her through her next day feedings. I just don't respond as well to the pump. I have tried various things to increase it, but if I am lucky I get about 3oz when I pump. She needs about 4oz per feed so I am thinking I am going to need to give her some formula.

If you were in this situation did you give one full bottle of formula or should i mix the formula and BM for each feeding?
This will only be for the two days a week I am not at home - all other times i will just be BF her.

Thanks!!

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

I preferred mixing to giving just formula if I had to, but either way is fine

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

i mix formula w/ breast milk

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

I never ever mixed. I had supply issues so every drop of BM was precious to me. If she didn't finish a bottle of half formula/half BM I saw it as a waste of BM and that killed me.

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

I don't have any advice about supplementing but I think you could easily get an extra 2 oz in other ways. You can pump after the morning feeding or at night after she is down for the night. I NEVER pumped enough for DS the next day so I have been pumping on the weekends and at night to make up for it and have managed to keep up.

Good luck!

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

I exclusively pump because DS never latched. Try massaging your breasts when you pump so you express every last drop of that precious stuff!

I don't produce enough milk to EBF DS anymore; he will be 3mos on Friday. I supplement with formula and mix it with his bottles. I understand why some moms choose not to mix since breast milk can stay out longer and withstand your baby's germs once he/she starts to drink it. Formula has to be thrown away within an hour of feeding. I've been mixing though and it works for me!

Good luck!

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

Thank you for all the responses!

Tomorrow is the first day that I will be at the office so we will see how it goes and how much she winds up taking while I am gone.

I had a really good freezer supply, but then she developed a milk protein allergy so all that milk won't be good until she outgrows it (hopefully!). so i am basically starting from scratch. I also got a bad case of mastitis so the supply on my left side has been suffering a bit.

I will try adding a couple of extra pumping sessions and see if i can get a few more oz.

thanks again!

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

try fenugreek- one of the girls on here recommended it to me and swears by it.

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

There is another herb that is supposed to help for moms that don't respond well to the pump. When i get to my computer i will see if i can find it again and post it for you. Also, what kind of pump are yoy using? And i was told by a LC to look at a picture of DS when pumping, it helps with the let down.

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!

I almost always mixed the formula with the BM. I KNEW DS would finish it.....if I thought he might not, I would have not mixed it.

Re: If you were EBF and had to supplement - help please!