should I supplement w formula?

Question

Looking for some advice from other moms... my LO is 8.5 months old. She's always been given BM (EBF and now pumped milk when I'm away and nurse when I'm with her).

She's always been on the leaner side & is slow to gain weight. Developmentally she's great - meeting milestones etc. & is pretty active- always army crawling everywhere.

I know that my breastmilk is pretty "thin" and not creamy which is probably why she's still skinny. She also still wakes up 1-2x at night to nurse.

I want to give her a bottle of formula before putting her down in hopes of keeping her fuller and also so that she puts on a bit more weight. What do you guys think of this idea?

Sorry for the long post!

Answer

Waking up 1-2x a night is totally normal at this age. If your baby has always been on the lean side that is likely just her body type. My little chunk has always been above the 90th percentile for weight and my breast milk also looks super thin (like watery skim milk). You can always try supplementing if it will give you peace of mind but pump after so it doesn't affect your milk. Good luck :-)

Answer

It's 100% personal preference so please don't take this as me telling you what to do. 
I've been advised against topping up with formula if you plan on continuing to breastfeed. The reason is that the act of feeding/pumping tells your body how much milk to make so when you give formula your body isn't getting the message to make more milk.
That being said, you've done an amazing job to get this far because breastfeeding ain't easy! So do what you're comfortable with and will keep you and Bubs happy.

Answer

I topup with formula NanPro stage 2 during the day @ nursery and breastfeeding at night. And she also eat whatever we eat. So..
Topup your baby if you think you need to. I had a pretty thin milk previously until I took tablet calcium lactate 600mg per day.

Answer

I went through this.... my son stopped breastfeeding frequently on his own. He wants to drink out of a cup. He never took a bottle but loves a cup. During the day he will only nurse before his two naps and bedtime. Then he nurses throughout the night, (which my doctor just said I need to train him to sleep through the night instead but that's another story). So my supply naturally went down and I tried to pump at night but could only get a couple ounces. It was causing me stress and o would get up to pump instead of getting the important sleep. So.... I asked around and other friends had supplemented with formula so I made peace with it. I pour formula into his sippy cup and he drinks it at meals, during play, when out, etc. It has been a lifesaver! I know he is getting enough nutrition when weaning himself from me. I use ready-to-pour formula so it's easier for me. Good luck!

Answer

I'd say pump and give little bottles before. I do this, but my daughter is still little. She's just petite.

Answer

Do it! You'll both get a full night's sleep and it'll help her gain a little. Why not?

should I supplement w formula?

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