Tell me about supplementing

Hey ladies. 👋🏻

My DD is just 3w2d old but I’m struggling with handling ALL the feeds. Unfortunately I only seem able to pump enough for my DH to handle one of her feeds, so I naturally give him the witching hour 😅 but I also really need more sleep. It would be great if I could pump for two feeds, so that he could take over just one of the night feeds as well. However I just don’t seem able to pump enough for that. Even when I use a haakaa.

So I’ve been thinking about giving my DD just one formula feed per day, which would be so that my DH can take a night feed. She will continue to be breastfed all the other feeds, apart from one bottle feed (breast milk) and one formula feed. This is to give mummy a bit of a break/more sleep and make breastfeeding more sustainable. At the moment my lack of sleep is affecting my ability to be the best mother and wife. I know it hasn’t been long (she’s only three weeks old) but I can already see the warning signs and hear the alarm bells, so to speak.

I just feel like, if I keep going like this, I’ll quit bf altogether, and sooner rather than later. But if I supplement just a tiny bit, I might be able to go the distance, and breastfeed for as long as she needs.

So I wanted to hear from other mums who might have decided something similar. Just a little supplementing. I’m a ftm so I’m open to all information. She’s still ebf at the moment I haven’t enacted on this plan yet. 😉

Thanks for reading!