Supplementing

I had to exclusively pump for my little one his first 12 weeks as he was hospitalized and here's a trick that worked for me to get a let-down. I would use visualization that little flood gates were opening and milk was flowing out. That worked well along with being relaxed and comfortable where I was pumping and I would also use breast compression toward the end of a pumping session. I found the more I wanted the milk to come out the less that actually came out. Once I tried the above things it went very well. Good luck and great job!

Hi L.,

My baby boy is 10.5 months old and I still BF him. It was really hard to start him on formula (when he was around 6 months old). The best solution for us (it was the most expensive one) was to mix ready to drink Similac formula with breastmilk. Gradually as other mom's mentioned, you reduce the ratio bw breastmilk and formula, after a while he started accepting powder formula. Something that was very effective and made pumping much easier was the Medela Softfit shields, they made the suction more effective. Good luck!
http://www.amazon.com/Medela%2527s-SoftFit-mm%252e-Breast...

hi there
this may sound crazy and know it does.. but her eit goes.. everytime my baby cries.. i feel my breast led down milk.
try pumping when your cries.. it may help. i dotn know if anyone else has ever experienced this..natures way.
also get in the hot shower that helps bring milk down..

L. I just had to use formula for a few days after 6 months of breastfeeding only. My daughters doctor was a great help and even gave me some samples. She recommended Similac Early Shield (in the blue container) We gave her some of the premixed formula and my daughter never even flinched - drank it down without any issues. Just remember unlike breast milk you can only leave formula out for an hour.

Good luck
- ShawnaC

Hi, L.. Well, you can go half and half, half breast milk and half formula, so that your little guy can taste the two together, and then use less and less breast milk until it's all formula. That's something I was told to do for my son's first foods -- mix in formula or breast milk so that he will recognize this strange new taste as food. That's what I would do. I always supplemented breast feedings with a relieft bottle at least a couple of times each week with my son (he was a tremendous eater!), so he was used to the two different tastes.

Back then, the best-tasting formula was Similac. I wouldn't know what to recommend now.

I was never able to do very well with pumping my breasts at all, even though I produced a good amount of milk, so I was forced to use formula always for relief bottles. I could never store up enough breast milk to matter. My baby did fine.

I hope it all works out perfectly for you and your son.

Peace,
Syl

L.,

The first thing to do would be call a certified lactation consultant and get some professional advice ASAP. The ones at Morton Plant in Clearwater are FREE (whether you delivered there or not) and can provide helpover the phone or set up an in-person appt. ###-###-#### There shouldn't be any reason she can't help you set up a good pumping routine to be able to pump enough out for one bottle a day.

Are you immediately after the first morning feedings? The first couple feedings in the morning would be the best since you produce more milk in the am. Are you consistentlypumping at the SAME time every day? You body gets used to the time of day that it thinks your baby needs the extra and makesit for that time, thus consistency is key. Are you pumping during the feeding that the baby gets a bottle? I would also continue to pump then, otherwise your body is redcing it's production at that time, thinking that the baby doesn't eat then.

Is there a reason the baby MUST drink from a bottle at the bedtime feeding? If it came down to choosing between nursing and giving formula, you might consider having him nurse. Nursing draws so much more milk out and manitains production much better. As soon as you start replacing the need for your milk with formula, your supply will drop since you are then actually nursing less.

Have you tried taking fennugreek? You can get it at a health food store and can take 3 capsules 3x a day and with most moms it really increases supply within a short time. You could also drink coconut milk (mixed with a fav drink or smoothie too!), red-raspberry-leaf tea, and eat oatmeal....plus drink LOTs of water to stay really hydrated.

I think once you connect with a lactation consultant you will get on the right track to maintain all the milk you need to keep nursing. Your little one is only 7 months, so all of the consultants help will be very supportive for months to come :-) Best wishes.

Personally, I would try to avoid formula. If he is nursing during the day and perhaps other times at night and still getting the calories he needs, perhaps the bedtime bottle is extra that just helps him get to sleep. In which case, I would mix a bottle half and half pumped breast milk and water and add a small amount of rice cereal to replace the lost calories in the water portion. As long as he is nursing enough at other sessions to get his nutrition, doing one bottle a day like this is far safer than the chemicals in formula in my opinion. (Not to mention, formula can often trigger food allergies and digestive troubles.)

Nursing is hard work. Keep at it and consider calling someone at La Leche League for more suggestions. Pumping can be stressful, especially if you're having difficulty, and this just creates a cycle that keeps escalating.

Best wishes and God bless!

Oh no don't go to formula! Not after 7 months of awesome breastfeeding! At this point, too, your son may not tolerate the taste- after all, he's had the good stuff for 7 months. :)

If you are having trouble letting down to the pump, you can try playing some relaxing music, looking at a picture of your baby, or doing breast compressions-- check out this webpage and scroll down the section on encouraging the milk ejection reflex: http://www.kellymom.com/newman/27expressing_milk.html

This site, Kellymom, is fantastic for all things breastfeeding.

I also surprised that your son doesn't want to nurse at nighttime. Have you tried lying down with him to nurse? He may be used to taking the bottle at that time, but you might "talk" him into a new routine. Another suggestion is taking a warm bath with him just before bedtime and encouraging him to nurse then. Something about those baths seems to do the trick with temperamental nursers.

Anyway, good luck, and I wouldn't go to formula yet, especially when you have a freezer full of milk. Browse kellymom for some more strategies and keep in mind that formula can wreak havoc on a baby's gut. The last thing you want is a child who is screaming at night from gas pains or having blood diarrhea (that was mine) when all you wanted to do was make things better for him.

The typical transition is to introduce formula only an ounce at a time - same with switching any milk - like from formula to cow's milk...My personal feeling is that anything in a can, from milk to vegetables to tuna...is gross.
So, add the formula of your choice (could be a powder that you mix with water, or cow's, soy, almond milk...but add vitamins to it for nourishment) a bit at a time to your breast milk. Sorry to read that expressing isn't easy. I used to lean over the bottle and milk myself like a cow...not pretty; but it sure relieved my breasts of that pressure...
Blessings, S.

Contact your local La Leche Legue and eat lots of green leafy veggies. Stay away from drinking cow's milk as that helps to stop milk production in humans. No, I'm not saying that if you drink the milk from a cow you can not produce human milk in your body, its just unhealthy to do so and therefore those with problems will find this as part of a solution. Cow's milk is meant for baby cows (mama cows make it for THEIR offspring just as we make milk for ours). Good for you that you're nursing, keep up the good work and don't introduce artificial breast milk.
I nursed my daughter till her 4th birthday, I never introduced artificial breast milk. If you eat a diet as cows do you will be fine. Cows eat grass, you should eat kale and stuff like that.

Peace!

My daughter was in teh NICU for 5 days. So she got formula before my milk came in. but the nurses mixed formula with what little breast milk I had at the time. My daughter was on Enfamil. I bought pre-mixed at first ($$$$), the switched to powder ($)- which worked much better. I didn't produce much milk, even with herbs & reglan. Once the containers of powder are opened I think they are only good for 30 days. So start with a small one.

MY advice- go with powder. Use coupons. Most of the manufacturer's have websites where you can sign up & get coupons mailed to you.

I would ask your ped. what formula they recommend.

I know you already got a lot of answers, but I just have to say something. Sometimes I couldn't get milk out while pumping either. I found that sometimes I just had to wait about 20 minutes for let down. Doing it at the same time every night really helped me out. Okay, that's more than one thing, but here is what I really wanted to tell you. Once you feel let down, start rubbing or massaging the breast. I would start from the outside and end at the areola. You'll be able to feel where the milk is, and you can rub those areas most. Even after your let down is over, you can get tons of milk out that way. It really helped increase the milk I got out of pumping.
Good luck.

I found the best way to introduce formula was to mix half breast milk and half formula. Don't make a huge bottle at first of the 50/50 because if he doesn't like it you will be wasting valuable breast milk. He might not care about the switch and it may not be a problem. I used Similac, my doctor's recommendation. Good Luck!

Hi L., you have a lucky little guy. I am still breastfeeding my almost 18 mos old. Between 5 1/2 and 7 1/2 mos, I had to supplement with formula as well because I could not pump enough to keep up with him (I work during the day and he was drinking about 24-30 oz of expressed breast milk between 9am & 5pm). I used Similac Organic without any problems. I hated to go to formula but I thought maybe the organic would be the best choice. I mixed 1/2 formula and 1/2 breast milk and I was actually surprised by how well he took to it (no reaction at all). Just remember that formula has a short life once mixed. So he must finish the bottle within an hour (double check the label, this is by memory) or you need to toss it out. I hated tossing out the breast milks that I worked so hard to pump. However, if you are only using this to get him to sleep, it may be a non-issue for you. Around 7 1/2 months he slowed down drinking a bit and I was able to keep up with him again and quit the formula.I used fenugreek a little and that helped me..but my problem was supply and your's seems to be expressing it. Possibly a lactation consultant may have some suggestions. Even if you have to give a little formula, he is still reaping the benefits from your breast milk the rest of day. Good luck.

"pumping" never worked for me, when I was nursing my son
(and going to school, and working)
but my midwife suggested a glass of wine
or a beer to assist let down when baby was not involved
(and no, I dont drink, but followed her advice with success).
Once the milk came, I didnt usually find any reason to finish the drink.

Hand expression directly into a bottle was easy
once I was at ease, truly.
He never did have to go to formula.

First of all, great job on breastfeeding! It can be hard work sometimes and breastfeeding mamas deseve acknowledgement (really all mamas do)! :-)You have come so far, I wouldn't introduce formula. Try might try putting him to bed earlier so that he will be alert and patient enough to nurse. Also, you can try to pump more frequently, at least for a little while to build up your supply. I used the Medela Pump in Style and it was awesome!!! Also, contact your local La Leche League. I went to the one in Boynton (not sure where you live) when I had similar questions, and they were hugely helpful. I had a similar situation and was able to figure it out and get through it with support! Good luck! You will figure it out.

Try pumping your breasts when in a hot shower. The heat helps make the milk flow easier. If that doesn't work pump one breast when the baby is nursing on the other.
If you do have to use formula mix it with the breast milk to start with and gradually put more formula in and less breast milk. Some babies will get sick from formula after being on nothing but breast milk. It's best if you can relax and continue to pump.

You have received a lot of very helpful info. Everyone has an opinion and I just would like to say that you need to do what is best for YOUR FAMILY and NEVER feel guilty about it! I say this as a mom of 2 who were both BF exclusively for 10 mos. and 8 mos. At that time I needed to go back to work and my job did not allow for me to have adequate time to pump and maintain a good supply. So, I did switch to formula. I used Enfamil Lipil - Dr. Recommended. For my son, I mixed 1/2 and 1/2 and slowly decreased the breastmilk as I increased the formula. My daughter took the bottle with 100% formula the first time I tried. You just never know what will happen - so try different approaches. You are already ahead of the game if he will take a bottle - that's 1/2 the battle usually :>)Neither one of my kids has had any allergies, digestive problems, or otherwise. They are both very healthy and good eaters. People are amazed at the things my son will eat as a 3 1/2 year old!
All I'm saying is, if you want to keep BF exclusively, there are lots of resources for help. However, if you feel that you really need to introduce formula - don't beat yourself up! I did and it wasn't helpful to anyone. Talk to your Dr. about their recommendations for formula - they have history with your son and may have a suggestion as to what is best to try. Good Luck!

I am exclusively breastfeeding & pumping while at work for my 8.5 month old son - I want to encourage you to keep up with it - you can make it work I promise! I had a hard time keeping up with my son when his needs increased, but after reviewing how I pumped I was able to change a few things that made a HUGE difference.....one was that I used to sit in the bathroom at work (large personal restroom so it's not horrible) and play solitare on my phone to help pass the time, I later realized that if I sit there and relax - drink a bottle of water (yes in the 15 mnutes I pump) - maybe brush my hair bc it's relaxing to me that I yield a LOT more milk - I'm talking 3-4 oz more per session. Your breasts also have to get used to the pump so it will take a little bit to get into a routine - I have taken a weeks vacation twice and didnt pump the whole time and each time when I returned to work it took 2 days or so to get my boobs "working" again bc they had gotten used to just my son nursing. :) Good luck I know you can do it you've made it soo far already!! Kellymom.com has great tips - Fenugreek & blessed thistle helped me increase my supply significantly when I needed it as well if you think that is an underlying problem.....also when are you pumping - right after nursing? Can you try to pump one breast while nursing on the other? How long are you pumping for? It can take 10-15 minutes for alot of woman to get their letdown.

What type of pump are you using

I too have used Similac Organic. Definitely mix it with breast milk to start. I slowly increased the formula over time until the bottle only had formula in it. I took two weeks to do this, but that might have been overboard. You can probably do the change over in a week and be fine. You will know pretty much right away if your son has issues with the formula. My daughter never did.