Baby drinks breast milk and then drinks 5oz of formula is this normal?

Question

Hello,my daughter is 4.5 month old , been breastfeeding her since she was born,about 2 weeks ago my milk supply start to diminish , i was feeding her and she kept on latching on and off while crying . So i gave her some formula and she drank 8oz!! I couldn't believe it.Ever since then i can only breastfeed her 1/2 and have to give her both breast and sometimes she still cries and drink 3 more oz of formula.She still sleeps her nights and now she's chewing on my fingers . She's about 15 pounds too.Should i just switch her to formula step by step because it doesn't seem that my milk supply is high enough for her , since she's still hungry after.Also she can turn her head very well,opens her mouth when i'm eating

If anyone have suggestions or opinions i would really appreciate it

Answer 1

THe first question is, why is your supply dropping?  Or rather, IS it dropping?

If you have been nursing regularly, your supply should NOT drop.  Sometimes a baby will be fussy for other reasons, and mom will give a bottle, certain baby is hungry. Baby takes the bottle because the sucking comforts her -- and mom is then even more sure that her supply is low.  THen, because baby gets bottles, she nurses less, and the supply DOES drop.

I would try stopping the formula and just nursing. If she cries after eating, put her back on the breast.  YOu WANT her to be hungry, because hungry babies nurse vigerously and that's what stimulates your supply. If you've been giving her 3-8 ounces after every feeding, at this point your supply is low, so you need to get it back up.  Offer the breast every 2 hours or so during the day, and every 4 hours at night.  DON'T let her sleep the night. She needs the milk and your b*****s need the stimulation.  You can also try things like taking fenugreek capsules, drinking Mother's Milk Tea (it's a commercial product), and being sure you are eating well and taking in enough fluids.

You might also consider pumping after feeds.  It will stimulate your supply further, and you can offer the pumped milk by bottle if baby refuses to nurse as long necessary to be satisfied.

If despite your best efforts, your supply stays low (baby is losing weight or getting dehydrated), you will need to supplement, but it's best to keep nursing as much as possible. Any breastmilk is better than no breastmilk.  

Answer 2

dnt stop feeding! ur supply is going down cos ur resorting to formula! its prob a growth spurt and will take a short while to adjust to it. keep breastfedding and pumping if so! i completely understand cos my son is only 10 weeks and went through that n i also gave him formula but whilst i got him to slp i kept on pumping whilst at my computer (so that i can keep the milk up but at the same time have him settled). if u keep giving formula then ur milk is goin to go down and you will end up not havin enough even for one feed! this is how many ppl end up havin to go on formula, dnt give up. im also a BF mum n im 19 so i know im no expert though im tellin u from experience.

n dnt put urself down if u end up goin on to formula but dnt give up easily, my son is constantly feeding n im exhausted though i dnt wna give up either.

make sure that ur eating right (an extra 500calories) and drink plenty of water even if ur not thirsty! make sure u r absolutely CALM cos it effects ur supply! cut down on smoking (if u r!--im trying to).. i also heard that a beer a day helps (lol i drink 1 once in a while). get a healthy diet plan (i am not saying u dont have one dnt wry!)

com on u can do it :)

good luck! x

Answer 3

I mix-fed mine, bottle and breast (there wasn't enough milk for just breastfeeding), but the bottle eventually took over as it was just easier for me (they used to feed for about an hour on the breast and only about 15 mins with the bottle!).  

I also began feeding them some baby rice at 4 months.  This was the norm when I had my kids, which was only 8 years ago, but apparently guidelines suggest 6 months now..........however, as with anything like that, you know your own baby best and if she's hungry, then she might be ready for some food.  You could talk to your health visitors or doctor about this and see what they say, but babies do get to a point around this age (and it's different for each baby) where milk just isn't enough to keep them satisfied.

If you do try some food - do it at lunchtime rather than the evening, as they only need a spoonful or two per day at first.  Babyrice is very bland but if you ever try new food, it's best to do it at lunchtime in case something disagrees with them.

Answer 4

One of the best indications that a baby is getting enough breast milk is a sufficient weight gain. I don't know what she weighed at birth, but the fact that she is 15 pounds at four-months old, indicates that she is gaining well.

As others have said, it may be that she is going through a growth spurt. In that case, it may take your body a little time to adjust to the increase in demand, but it will adjust if you keep nursing. Giving formula is only going to interfere with that.

Assuming you want to keep breastfeeding, I would stop the formula right now. Nurse frequently and for longer periods of time to help get your supply back up.