Some is better than none, right?

Question

My daughter (Olivia) was born via c-section on September 5, 2018 - BEST day of my life! 
She was exclusively breastfed for the first week of her life.. & sadly, didn’t gain any weight (didn’t lose any weight either)! So I began to make her bottles with half breastmilk and half formula and I’ve  been doing that for almost two weeks now. 
Fast forward to the last two days - I pump and get MAYBE 1 ounce of formula every 3-4 hours. I’m starting to get very discouraged and I want to give up breastfeeding but I can’t bring myself to do it.. I know that they said “breast is best” and whatnot, but what the heck?! I feel so guilty about wanting to stop and I’ve been beating myself up about this all day long.. to the point where I’ve been ugly crying! #noshame 
I just want the best for my daughter.. hopefully her picture will brighten your day as much as it brightens mine! 💕

Answer

#1 babies lose 10% in 2 or 3 days,  and gain it back by a week old. She did exactly what is to be expected. I don't think there's any need for you to pump (unless you want a stash) 
#2 formula supplementing will kill your supply, which is based on supply and demand
#3 formula gets most of the basic nutrients. It supplies basic necessities. But it does not help your body hall, reduce your chance of women's and breast cancer, doesn't craft antibodies and build the baby's immune system. These benefits are why breast is best. Formula gets the job of feeding done. But it doesn't do anything else like breastmilk does.

Answer

Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand, the more you pump/nurse the more your body will produce. Supplementing hurts your supply, I would suggest pumping every two hours to get your supply back up and store milk in the freezer. It may take a few days, but your supply should increase.

Answer

@Isabel

Answer

Thanks so much for all the information, ladies! ❤️

Answer

Baby is always able to get more out than you can pump, so what you pump is not an entirely accurate amount. Her stomach is still so small too, so she doesn’t need much. Are you exclusively pumping or are you also breastfeeding? Getting her latched and sucking will help stimulate milk production. You could also ask the pedi or a lactation consultant if her latch is an issue. My LO has issues with weight gain at the 1 and 2 week appointment, I had to breastfeed and supplement. I had a complete meltdown thinking I wasn’t producing enough but by 1 month he was back to where he needed to be. Now he is a little chunker and breastfeeding like a champ. Keep at it if you can, those first weeks are rough. And if it’s not working for you then always remember that fed is best!

Some is better than none, right?

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