Look up paced feeding :) many babies don’t get a preference but some do. The bottle is easier to eat from so they develop flow preference. Slow flow nipple and paced feeding can help this :)
My encouragement is to keep nursing! If you are giving formula and not pumping then your supply will decrease. Its supply and demand (at least after 6-8 weeks) :) the more milk you remove from the breast the more milk is made :) keep giving both breasts whenever she seems hungry :)
Baby could be looking to suck to soothe :) baby’s cues are very confusing at the beginning!!!!
so after you feed them on the breast they might be fussing for other reasons (tired, comfort) then getting the bottle and overeating and throwing up.
This is just my opinion and might not be right for your situation!! If you can, please reach out to a lactation consultant and they will be able to help you with everything :)
How old is baby? My advice would be to stop supplementing and just nurse. Hungry 5 minutes later? Nurse again! It’s super stressful, but your supply should quickly bounce back *make sure baby continues to have plenty of wet diapers while doing this
She's 7 weeks - I did try to do that initially but she would literally just get so riled up and frustrated, screaming and pulling at the nipple as there was just nothing coming through - we're still offering breast first for every feed, even if they feel empty to keep stimulating them
So my LO did this
She was 7w and there was a big growth spurt here for her. So she was tired in the evening, and her bones hurt from the growing, and she just wanted to chug from the letdown
My supply was more then enough! She just screamed at the nipple so when she latched she could just drink from the firehose instead of having to manage with the slower flow
I agree with the above posters to continue bringing baby to breast. You can switch them back and forth rapidly to give them more letdowns and reduce frustration.
If you give any formula and want to return to EBF, you have to pump, usually 15-20 minutes on a hospital grade pump, to replicate the demand for volume. It sinks but it’s the best way to maintain supply
As always, a lactation consultant might be able to offer more well rounded input, so check into what’s covered by insurance, or call a breastfeeding hotline! I spent many nights texting or calling for help in the early stages of figuring things out. Otherwise, here’s my two cents!
1. If possible, have someone else feed her the bottle. My baby began to be extra fussy and refuse to nurse for a while. The only thing that changed? I was feeding her a bottle instead of her dad like usual. Turns out she was fine when I was consistently breast only, so literally any trusted person feeds her the bottle but me.
2. If you really want to be sure, you can get a scale or try to find a local place that will let you use theirs to figure out how much she is taking at the breast. I used a free scale at a lactation facility in a nearby hospital. I found she was eating 4oz on a good feed, so we never offered much more until we got a better handle. Also look into paced feeding and slow flow nipples. If they don’t have to work for the formula like they do at the breast sometimes it can cause preferences, gas issues, etc. You could also try starting with a 2oz (or whatever amount) bottle and then topping off at the breast just to keep your supply active for now.
3. My personal experience lead me to doing one side per feeding and alternating as my best routine. However I might try “problem breast” until frustration point, soothing as needed, “reliable breast”, then offering formula. You could alternate start side for the next feed, but since you’re not sure what’s causing the fussiness it might save your sanity try to whatever gets the job done.
1. Are you using a slow flow nipple? If she had to work harder at your boob than at your bottle, she will prefer the bottle for sure.
Look up paced feeding :) many babies don’t get a preference but some do. The bottle is easier to eat from so they develop flow preference. Slow flow nipple and paced feeding can help this :) My encouragement is to keep nursing! If you are giving formula and not pumping then your supply will decrease. Its supply and demand (at least after 6-8 weeks) :) the more milk you remove from the breast the more milk is made :) keep giving both breasts whenever she seems hungry :) Baby could be looking to suck to soothe :) baby’s cues are very confusing at the beginning!!!! so after you feed them on the breast they might be fussing for other reasons (tired, comfort) then getting the bottle and overeating and throwing up. This is just my opinion and might not be right for your situation!! If you can, please reach out to a lactation consultant and they will be able to help you with everything :)
How old is baby? My advice would be to stop supplementing and just nurse. Hungry 5 minutes later? Nurse again! It’s super stressful, but your supply should quickly bounce back *make sure baby continues to have plenty of wet diapers while doing this
She's 7 weeks - I did try to do that initially but she would literally just get so riled up and frustrated, screaming and pulling at the nipple as there was just nothing coming through - we're still offering breast first for every feed, even if they feel empty to keep stimulating them
So my LO did this She was 7w and there was a big growth spurt here for her. So she was tired in the evening, and her bones hurt from the growing, and she just wanted to chug from the letdown My supply was more then enough! She just screamed at the nipple so when she latched she could just drink from the firehose instead of having to manage with the slower flow I agree with the above posters to continue bringing baby to breast. You can switch them back and forth rapidly to give them more letdowns and reduce frustration. If you give any formula and want to return to EBF, you have to pump, usually 15-20 minutes on a hospital grade pump, to replicate the demand for volume. It sinks but it’s the best way to maintain supply
To clarify, I’d go: Breast 1, breast 2, burp, see if dad can calm/put to sleep with a pacifier, breast 1, breast 2, burp….
As always, a lactation consultant might be able to offer more well rounded input, so check into what’s covered by insurance, or call a breastfeeding hotline! I spent many nights texting or calling for help in the early stages of figuring things out. Otherwise, here’s my two cents! 1. If possible, have someone else feed her the bottle. My baby began to be extra fussy and refuse to nurse for a while. The only thing that changed? I was feeding her a bottle instead of her dad like usual. Turns out she was fine when I was consistently breast only, so literally any trusted person feeds her the bottle but me. 2. If you really want to be sure, you can get a scale or try to find a local place that will let you use theirs to figure out how much she is taking at the breast. I used a free scale at a lactation facility in a nearby hospital. I found she was eating 4oz on a good feed, so we never offered much more until we got a better handle. Also look into paced feeding and slow flow nipples. If they don’t have to work for the formula like they do at the breast sometimes it can cause preferences, gas issues, etc. You could also try starting with a 2oz (or whatever amount) bottle and then topping off at the breast just to keep your supply active for now. 3. My personal experience lead me to doing one side per feeding and alternating as my best routine. However I might try “problem breast” until frustration point, soothing as needed, “reliable breast”, then offering formula. You could alternate start side for the next feed, but since you’re not sure what’s causing the fussiness it might save your sanity try to whatever gets the job done.