Breastmilk...formula??

she might be ready for a little baby cereal. not much and very thin. Sometimes she just needs something more filling.

All babies eat often at this age. I know it seems now that feeding her is all you do, but this will pass. Enjoy the relaxatioin of it, it won't last long:)

You could try to feed off only one side each feeding, then she will be getting more of the hind milk. Just a thought.

GL:)

Have you tried to pump? My Dr recommended I pump primarily to see just how much I was producing each time. Just store what you pump and feed it instead of formula. You'll build up your supply in the process. When I did this, I tried to pump while she was sleeping so I would have produced some more in case she was hungry when she woke up.

Any amount of formula DECREASES milk supply, so advice to use herbs or pumping to increase milk supply that include adding any formula at all will be counter productive. It's simple supply and demand. The more the baby nurses, the more the body makes. Many women inadvertently wean or end up thinking they couldn't produce enough, when in reality, they were just given really bad advice that wasn't based on the physiology of the lactating breast.
Formula is not digested completely (that's why the baby's poop stinks so bad in formula fed babies), so it sits in the intestines. The logical assumption is that the baby is 'fuller' with the formula, but really what's happening is that they are getting less nutrition because they are full of something they cannot fully digest. Breast milk is digested easily and completely, so sometimes babies need to nurse more, as before a growth spurt. The baby is using up all that she is getting AND it builds mom's supply. It's a very symbiotic relationship. Especially during this time, it is a good idea to nurse on one side until the baby comes off the breast on her own, then switch sides, nurse on the other side until she comes off on her own. She may not want much on the 2nd side (or she may if it is a growth spurt), but by nursing as long as she wants on the first side before switching, it ensures she's getting hind-milk, which is richer in fat and satiates longer. Many women are told to switch sides after 10 min., but not every baby has reached the hind-milk at 10 min., so if a baby has just gotten fore-milk from each side, and maybe a little hind-milk from the second side if the baby is nursing as long as she wants, they seem to be hungry all the time and the assumption is mom isn't making enough. She is, the baby is just getting mostly the watery fore-milk that is meant to satiate thirst, not hunger, and baby digests it very quickly. A very good book that explains this well is Bestfeeding by Renfew and Arms.
Good luck! Keep up the good work! Of all the things I miss about having a little one, that special relationship where I was providing liquid love that no one else could provide is the thing I miss most.
K. Wildner
www.kimwildner.com

Your body is fine! It produces just what your baby needs. Right around 3 months the baby is going through a growth spurt (another one will happen at 6 months)and will seem like she needs to nurse constantly...let her nurse! You may feel at these points in your relationship that you will be happier never getting dressed and just laze around with each other...it is easier. But stressing will only make it worse.Just enjoy the ride...it is the sweetest one in the universe!

Kids will pig out right before a growth spurt so that your body is ready for the extra amount they're going to eat. I also breast-fed and supplemented with formula for all three of my kids, but I've always had a hard time keeping up with their appetites. If changing your diet and upping your fluid intake isn't helping, you could try Fenugreek to increase your milk supply. You can get it at any health food store, and I even found mine in vitamin aisle at the grocery store.

Hi J.,

I had the same problem with my daughter. I started off breastfeeding and felt like I was feeding her all of the time because she always seemed hungry. About 2 weeks after she was born, I had to be away from her for a few hours so I pumped for the first time and only got 2 ounces after pumping for over 30 minutes. That was the first time I realized that I was probably not producing enough milk for her so I started to suplement her with formula. It was a really hard decision for me because I felt like a failure for not being able to produce enough milk to sustain her. I finally had to rationalize that I wasn't doing her any favors by having her hungry all of the time either. You will hear from a lot of people that your body will always produce enough milk to satisfy your baby but I firmly believe that that's not the case with everyone. In my case, I think I lost too much weight too fast and it really affected my milk production because I wasn't taking in enough calories to produce like I needed. I'm sure there can be many different reasons. The bottom line is that you know your baby best and if you think she is not getting enough food, you are probably right. Don't let anyone make you feel bad about your decision and do whatever you think is right. A full baby is a happy baby!

Great question! Many moms have this concern.

Two month old, breastfed babies eat often. The stomach is very small in a baby at this age and breastmilk is custom-made for human babies to digest,i.e., it is digested easily/efficiently and therefore more quickly. Because of that she wants to eat more often than a formula fed baby which is the norm we grow up with. This is absolutely normal and is in no way an indication that you do not have enough milk.

Milk supply goes by the supply and demand concept. The baby nurses, therefore your body releases a special hormone called prolactin that tells your brain to produce more milk. If the baby doesn't nurse as often, that hormone will not be released as often and less milk will be produced. Be very careful with your use of formula. Formula lasts longer in her system so she is not going to nurse as often therefore you will see a decline in milk production if your not careful. You want more milk? Allow your baby to nurse on demand with no formula supplementation. If you are concerned that there isn't enough milk still, trying buying fenugreek tea or tablets at a health food store. Fenugreek is an herb known to increase milk supply in women. I have personally tried and benefitted from it.

If you decide that it is important for you to use formula sometimes, consider how it will work with your body and nurse accordingly.

Enjoy your nursing relationship and trust your body, it was designed for this purpose. If you have more concerns about your nursing, La Leche International is a very helpful resource for nursing moms. Via www.llli.org you can find on line assistance, lists of local leaders to call and group meetings and the number for their 24 hour hotline. They helped me tremedously several times.

My advice educate yourself and then make the best decision for you and your baby.

Your body is giving your baby what she needs, most children this age seem to eat all the time anyways, the difference is formula is slightly heavier that breastmilk, I formula fed and still had this problem, thats all they seem to want to do! I tried to BF but they just wouldn't go for it, so if you can continue to BF I would and maybe you could throw 1 or two bottles of formula in, like right before bed and in the morning after she has had "breakfast".

J.,
I don't see anything wrong with using formula at times. I did with both of my two girls. They were able to nurse and use the bottle very well. I thought the same way about not being able to produce enough milk. I tried drinking tons of water, pumping and other methods to produce more milk. Both my girls fussed. I was very hard on myself at first when I supplemented with formula. But I just didn't like to see my girls fussing so often because they were still hungry.
Both of the girls are very healthy. They have never been seriously ill or taken to the hospital.(knock on wood)
Listen to your child and follow your motherly instinct.

Hi, J.. My advice would be to stop giving your baby formula. Your milk is produced by demand. Your baby could be growing through a growth spurt, where she needs to nurse very often to increase your supply or maybe you are just having a slump in your supply. Either way when you supplement formula that is less time they are breastfeeding and therefore in the long run your going to hit a major slump with your milk supply. I think all moms that breastfeeding can agree that sometimes it is frustrating when you feel like they live on your boob :), haha. And I remember also being there and thinking this kid can not possibly getting enough milk but it goes get better. It does get better and sounds like she is just building up your supply. So let her nurse like crazy and build your supply. Also, as someone else said below babies do get fuller of formula but its because its harder to digest. Thats why breastfed babies have to eat more. Way to go on giving your child the best start on life. you should be proud.

I dont know how long you have her on each breast but when I had that same issue with my daughter I added 5 extra minutes to each breast. The amount of milk you give out is based on her demand. So have her spend a couple of extra minutes on each breast and hopefully in a couple of days you will produce enough to satisfy her. If that doesn't work for a couple of days alturnate between breast and formula. When she is eaing formula try pumping and save it so later down the road if she is still hungry after she breastfeds you can give her your backup milk rather then formula, if breast feeding is important to you. Good Luck and let us know what you decided and what worked for you.
M.

Hi J.,
Both of my babies were c-section babies & I had to start supplementing with formula in the hospital. I was told my body would produce enough milk to keep them filled but that was not true. My first baby cried a lot & was losing weight even though I thought I was doing everything right. I think he was hungry but I didn't have enough experience to know. My 2nd baby I did a bit of both, BF & formula but ended up switching to formula only because it was easier for me.
Hopefully you can figure something out! Good luck!
T.

She should be nursing every 2-3 hours- that is normal. If she is wetting diapers regularly, she is getting enough milk.

Try not to mix in formula into her diet with breastmilk, as it is digested differently by her tummy and may make her uncomfortable. Formula should be a last resort.

I think that they do this to build up your milk supply because pretty soon she'll be taking more in at each feeding and going longer in between feedings as she gets older, so this gets your body prepared to produce more milk. Also, I had a little girl who seemed to be hungry all the time and I think I figured out later that it was a comfort thing like a paci. So hard to tell when they are that little. Anyway, stick with BF as much as possible, that way your body keeps up with what she needs.

Try nursing her every two hours. My son was quite the pig and I couldn't get him on the every 3 hour schedule until he was around 3 1/2 months old. Your milk will keep up with you, and if it doesn't you'll have to supplement with formula, but every 2 hours might be just what she needs :)

Everybody said it just about all I did not read all the responses so I don't know if anybody said this. Formula is very hard to digest & breastmilk is completely digestible. Formula usually takes about 4 hours to digest while breastmilk is pretty much 30 min-2 hrs at this age. Also babies grow through growth spurts at different times 2 months is one of them. You just have to have faith in your body. My son nursed constantly & many people made me doubt that I had enough milk for him. I even started to doubt it a little myself because I never leaked & could barely pump a couple of ounces. But he was 19 lbs 10 oz at his 4 month appointment so he was definitely getting enough. Nature knows what is best just have faith in it. Humans survived for millions of years on breastmilk alone, remember formula has only been around for about 100 yrs!
Brekka

the more you nurse, the more milk you will produce. sometimes it may seem like she isn't getting anything. and, even if she isn't, she is triggering your body to produce what she needs.
If you keep giving her formula, you will eventually stop producing milk altogether. If you are okay with that, then why not? But, I have known a lot of women who wanted to nurse exclusively that supplimented with formula and were really upset when their milk production slowed and then eventually stopped.
My baby is 9 months and I have breastfed him exclusively. even now, I can tell he isn't getting anything, and then after a few minutes it all comes out to him. I say keep trying, but do what you feel is right. I'm sure the last thing you want to do is pump if you feel you are nursing all the time. so see if she will nurse for a little longer, or if she needs a short break and then nurse again, give it to her.

First of all, congratulations on nursing your baby! You should feel proud of yourself. I agree with most of the advice on this. Do what feels right to you. Supplement with formula if that feels right to you, we did and it worked out fine. Just understand that if used too often, it will reduce your milk supply as it is a supply and demand relationship. If you are still worried about not providing enough milk, and you really would rather not supplement, you should seek help from a lactation consultant (usually free at the hospital you delivered at) or from La Leche League. They were both EXTREMELY helpful to me. Whatever you decide is fine and your baby will be fine whether you continue breastfeeding, formula feeding, or do both. Do what is right for you.

Oh my gosh, do I remember those days! Don't worry, it has nothing to do with not being able to produce enough milk, I'm sure your daughter is just going through a growth spirt. The reason why she seems to eat more when she nurses is because her body is able to more efficiently digest your milk. Somedays it just feels like you're nothing but a boob, and I think it's all right if you supplement a little formula just to get a break. I know I did! Hope this helps!

The more/longer she nurses the more milk your body will make. It is EXTREMELY rare that a woman cannot make enough milk to feed her baby, like less than 2% of women from my reading and it's generally a problem from birth.

Also at two months she is getting ready for a BIG growth spurt so she's going to want to eat more frequently and nurse longer sessions. THAT"S OK that's what she's SUPPOSED to do.

If she's still hungry after emptying both breasts go ahead and latch her onto the first one again...you may be suprised that your body has already refilled...just enough to top her off. :-) When my babies are in a growthspurt I end up nursing on 4 sides (both breasts twice LOL) before they are satisfied.

I was cursed with a very low milk supply and two very ravenous daughters (the girls were eight years apart, thank god, lol!). What I did was buy a breast pump (double pump with both electric and battery power is best) and pump in between feedings to build up my supply. I also had to supplement with formula at first, I would let them nurse for about 30-45 mins. each side per feeding, and I fed on demand. If they still seemed to be hungry, I finished the feeding with formula (or expressed milk from previous pumpings). Then I would wait about an hour and pump until I couldn't get another drop out. I also made sure that I drank A LOT of water. It was alot of work, but after about 2-3 months Baby was completely satisfied with the breast, and I could cut down on (and eventually discontinue) pumping. Good luck!

J.,
I would recommend using Mother's Milk Tea. You can get it at some grocery stores and at Campbell's. You need to drink at least 5 cups per day, but it will help increase your milk supply. Also, you can pump 2-3 times a day for 20min. at a time to start increasing your supply. Pump after your baby nurses, you may not get much at first, but it will increase. There are other herbal supplements out there that can help increase supply also- fennel is one. Don't give up nursing!

Hope this helps.

I am no expert on this, but I was wondering if you are giving her a pacifier? Babies have a natural need to suck, and although you may think she is acting hungry, maybe she just want to suck. Also, I believe that at 2 mo. they go thru a growth spurt and I remember my son, i felt like I shouldn't even put my shirt down, because as soon as I did, he would be hungry again. Formula does sustain their appitite longer because it is made from cows milk and it is harder to break down. If she does well with the formula, I don't see why you couldn't supplement with it so that she is happy, just remember to pump if you are give formula for a feeding instead of breast feeding. Good Luck!

Have you tried taking the herbal supplement Fenugreek? I took it with both of my children when my supply seemed to decrease and it really helped. My lactation nurse suggested it. Start off by taking 3 at each meal, and then you can decrease as you need to. If you want to try some, I have some leftover. I could mail you the rest. Otherwise, they sell it at vitamin stores. Good luck!

A.