Is it ok to give baby formula if i find my breast milk isn't satisfying my new born?

Question

my baby eats from the breast for almost an hour and i think that's too much and even then when he gets off hes screaming bloody murder because he is still hungry. i give him 60 ml's of baby formula (s-26 gold alpha pro)and then it calms him down. when he eats from the breast it often takes an hour and also he'd only sleep maximum half an hour and then he will wake up because hes hungry again. what is the best option? and yes he has latched on properly,

Answer 1

I always worried about that too, especially my first daughter. She would nurse for ever and never seem to be satisfied. What the doctors and nurses didn't tell me was that it was okay to nurse her on demand, for as long as she needed. So, I supplemented with formula. She had a hard time with it and I needed to keep looking for different formulas that didn't upset her stomach. Also, since we know that our breast milk is produced because of demand, I unknowingly depleted my milk supply by supplementing. So, the second baby was much easier and I just learned to relax and let her nurse whenever she wanted. It's not always best to try and push a rigorous nursing schedule on a newborn. They establish their own patterns. What we have to remember is that breast milk is best for babies and whatever we can do to preserve their nutritional supply will all be worth it in the end. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty about supplementing. I hated when women tried to make me feel bad when they didn't realize I had NO idea what I was doing in the first place. Just listen to your heart about it and remember that you're a good mom, no matter what you decide! Enjoy that little guy! Most of all, relax and cherish the short time you have to nurse him. God bless you!

Answer 2

Sorry to say but this is normal.  If he is just a couple weeks then he is going through a growth spurt and will eat every 1.5 hours.  Nursing for an hour is also normal.  This is what I was told at the hospital anyway.  30 minutes to an hour is what he should be doing.  If you feel better about giving him a little extra by subbing formula then I think that's fine.  He'll just get the best of both worlds.  This is the time that makes breastfeeding so hard.  If you find you are miserable then either pump or switch completely to formula.  Breast is best but if Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  You count too so don't feel bad about any decision you make.  Congrats on your little one.

Answer 3

how old is ur baby??  anyway I asked my health visitor the question of mixing breast milk and formula as I struggle to express milk and if there are times we need to leave him with someone then I know that he will be ok.  She said that as long as my milk flow is established which can take at least 2 months then it isn't a problem.  My son is now 7 and half months and have only tried it twice where when we leave him with my mum she gives him formula but he didn't like the taste of the formula so ended up not drinking a lot anyway and just waiting until we got home then he super drank :)  when my son was just born until approx 2 and half months he was constantly attached to my breast - he was just hungry all the time and would feed for ages but the way i see it is that because i have chosen to breast feed him then I need to stick with it and convinced myself that it would get better which it did.  just check with ur health visitor first that u won't be limiting ur milk supply by supplementing with formula.  In the end you need to do what is right for your baby and as his mum you need to tune into your instincts and you will know what is right for him.  Why do u think it is to much if he feeds for hours at a time?  Is it a case of u not being able to sit with him for such a long period?  Do you feel that u are not capable of feeding him constantly?  if u are comfortable and calm then ur baby will be calm.  good luck and always ask a qualified person i.e. doctor or healthvisitor for advice if unsure about anything....

Answer 4

I had the same thing with my son.  He would latch on and then eat constantly, sometimes napping at the breast and then i would take him off and he would scream the house down :(

One day I sat down and I was there from 8 am until 4pm because he would feed all the time.  I told my Midwife this and she dismissed it like I was insane and I was convinced my baby wasn't getting enough from the breast. After 5 days I put him on formula much to the disgust of my Midwife but it put my mind at ease because I was fretting so much. He thrived with it and when he was weighed it wa found he only lost 2 oz of his birth weigh which my midwife was shocked about and then said she now believed that I was feeding for hours on end :(

Do what you think is best for you baby, I would go with that each and every time your his mummy and no matter what in the end I feel mums always know their baby best.  

Answer 5

I had the same with my son. It started around 6 weeks old. So I gave him a bottle of formula and he was so happy (he also had infant reflux at the time which made breast feeding much more difficult for him)

Now he only breast feeds at night and early in the morning (he's 4.5 months old now)

I would advise you to keep trying to combine both if you can manage so he gets all the good stuff from you and a good full tummy from the formula.

Don't let anyone make you feel bad and don't feel like you've failed your son, because you haven't. You're doing whatever you need to do to make and keep him happy and healthy and that's the main thing.

Good luck!

Answer 6

This has happened with all of my children.  I ended up formula feeding them all.  This is ok and don't let your self feel it's not. If you want to produce more milk you can but getting natural herbal supplements to help and this would bring in more milk to satisfy him other wise formula is the next best thing.  You could also talk to a lactation consultant and they will help but there is nothing wrong with forumla. My kids were formula fed from about 3 weeks, I just could not keep up with them.  If you are still unsure talk to your doctor or local chemist as they are always a wealth of knowledge.  Good luck and hope it all works out for you but formula is OK.

Answer 7

Yes, mam if you don't think your child is being satified by you, its ok to give him baby formula, but  it should be the mildest formula, because he's used to getting it from you.

Answer 8

formula is perfectly fine to give to baby, It may just be that some babies are on the breast and not actually getting any milk, you can always express breast milk using a pump putting it in a bottle and at least that way you can see how much he is taking in any one go, none of my babies latched on very well so i did some of the pump to start with and then went onto formula, all of them were perfectly happy, hope this helps a little

Answer 9

Your baby needs to eat and if he is not getting enough from you than its OK to give him formula.  However your body should be producing enough for your baby.  Your milk supply should adjust to his needs.  The first time I was unable to supply my baby enough I felt guilty giving him formula however I had to go back to work and pumping was not keeping my supply up.  

Answer 10

I think you should try expressing and that way you can see just how much he is getting.  A baby is more efficient than a pump so if you express a good amount then there is nothing wrong with you.  Next I would check your baby is actually latched on correctly and burp him between breast changes.  If you are not pumping enough then I don't see anything wrong with supplementing with formula but give yourself a chance first.  What are his poops like?  Are they like peanut butter?  If so he is getting good hind milk from you.  If they tend to green then he is not getting enough hind milk.  A baby really should be getting enough from you in 10 - 30 minutes.

Answer 11

Don't worry! I had the same problem with my little boy all i was doing was sat down constantly feeding him and i hated it! i couldn't have a shower until my partner got home from work my daughter was insanely jealous cos he was constantly stuck to my boob & the same as you he was eating more than enough he didn't lose any weight at birth in fact he put a pound on in 3 days!

So i decided that i was still going to give him my milk but from a bottle (i now only express my milk no more boobie feeding) and give him 2 lots of formula milk a day and it has worked he is sleeping longer at night and is getting 5 oz at once rather then slowly from my breast

Go with what ever you feel is right at the end of the day you have given him the first lot of milk which is the most important bit!

Hope this help's

L xx