my son is 10 weeks old i breast feed him n also give him formula milk should i wean him?

Ana - posted on 02/14/2011

continue breast feed him and also formula........your milk increase if you are more often if you stop the milk will stop too .your baby still little and he needs the milk from you.....

Kate - posted on 02/14/2011

I was just reading through all these posts, Bhakti, has anyone actually asked why you are mixed feeding? and why you are wondering if you should wean? Everyone can put in their advice and tell you to do this and that, but what is your situation? I know there are so many out there that are fanatics with the breast feeding, i know i was one of them, untill I had a child with breast feeding problems, but knowing your reasoning could give people a slightly better reason as to y u are wanting to wean etc

Hellen - posted on 02/14/2011

if you pump your milk and feed him you will make more milk don't give him formula also he will ween himself of by himself if he wants the formula more. breast is best.

Heather - posted on 02/14/2011

Keep breastfeeding. It will keep your child healthier, and also a bonding experience.

Jennifer - posted on 02/14/2011

oh, i forgot to mention in my first post that if you are going to supplement with formula, look into using a SNS (supplmental nursing system). this will mean that little one isn't prefering the bottle, and it means that your breasts are still being somwhat stimulated even when you are giving formula. if you do not want to use this, you need to be pumping every time you offer formula to help make sure that you are recieving stimulation. if you do pump, do not pay attention to how much you are able to express. pumping output is NOT an indicator of how much milk you are producing because pumps do not get milk out as well as a baby does.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2072795_use-supp...

Kristina - posted on 02/14/2011

If I were you I would ask your local lactation consultant about natural ways to increase your milk supply. In the mean time keep breast feeding and suppliment with formula as needed. Always follow what your pediatrician recommends for your child. Only they know what your baby's specific needs are. Good luck!

Surata - posted on 02/14/2011

I would give up the formula and just do breast milk. The formula is why your milk is drying up. Drink a lot of water and offer breast every 2 hours or so. Go to www.motherlove.com they have safe herbal supplements you can take to increase your supply. Eat often, drinking warm teas like chamomile or red raspberry, or nettle will also help increase supply and relax mommy. Def, give up formula if breastfeeding is what you want to do.

Lisa - posted on 02/14/2011

I am now nursing my third baby and I have had to supplement each baby with formula. My newest is 3 weeks old and I had to give him a little formula already on Saturday. There is nothing wrong with breastfeeding and formula feeding. Continuing to breastfeed will give your baby wonderful nutrients that are important to his growth and will help financially in keeping the cost of formula down.
I do not agree with the women who say, "Just nurse more and you'll produce more." In reality, that is what is supposed to happen but unfortunately it doesn't happen for all of us. Before Saturday, I spent 5 nights letting my baby eat for 5 out of 6 hours and during the day we were doing 2 - 2 1/2 hour feeds and he was still hungry. In the past, I've tried pumping after every feed and all that did was assist in DECREASING my milk supply. I've tried fungegreek and my first two kids did not respond well to it. I've tried Mother's Milk tea and every other trick in the book including nonstop nursing. Unfortunately, there comes a time when my body CANNOT produce enough milk to keep my children satisfied.
On Saturday afternoon, I was in tears because I was exhausted from nonstop feedings, my baby was still hungry and now extremely upset, which only made me feel worse and more upset with myself. My hubby made a bottle of formula and I feed him 1 ounce of formula and he slept for 4 hours. I will still continue to breastfeed and we’ll supplement with formula as needed.
You know what’s best for you and your baby. Best of luck!

Kristina - posted on 02/14/2011

Unless your pediatrician is concerned with the baby's weight gain, continue to breast feed as long as you can, IF you can. In addition to making sure are eating enough protein (nuts, nut butters, meat, cheese, milk, yogurt), make sure you are drinking lots of water! If you are anywhere near even a little dehydrated, your body will think it is in danger of starving or dying and will do all it can to keep YOU alive and healthy and will shut down anything extra like breastmilk production. Talk with your doctor, or a lactation consultant (if you have one at your medical facility), or a midwife - there are supplements you can use, such as teas made with fenugreek, brewers' yeast, and some other herbs, OR, there is a product you can get at a location such as a Whole Foods, or anywhere that sells natural remedies called "More Milk Plus" that is a tincture you take 3 times each day in addition to increasing your water.
With my first I didn't try very hard to nurse and stopped after less than 6 weeks. He was exclusively formula fed from then on. He's fine, no developmental or immunological issues and is almost 5. My 2nd was a mix of both, is also fine and is 3. Our 3rd is almost a year and is exclusively nursed (she just started taking juice from a cup about 2 months ago) and she'll be 1 in 3 weeks.
Each baby is different and each mother is different. You MUST do what is best for you and the baby. No matter what others have said here about not supplementing. The more the baby nurses, the more your body will produce.

Talk to your doctor and make sure the baby is gaining weight at the rate they like to see, and ask them if there is any reason to stop supplementing. Yes, breast milk is best for the baby, but only if the Mom continues to be physically and mentally healthy enough to continue caring for herself and the baby.

My friend tried nursing exclusively, had trouble no matter what she tried, and finally had to stop because she had medical conditions she never knew she had.

Do NOT assume that because you have breasts and had a baby that you will NOT have issues with nursing.

Trust me - been there, done that and almost drove myself crazy.

Candy Lane - posted on 02/14/2011

do not wean him. give him both and always try to nurse more. Drinks lots of water and nurse more often, this will help with milk flow. I nursed all four of my babies, each time was different. Try to atleast do it for the first six months, your baby will benefit so much from the vitamins and the antibodies from your milk and will help your baby become smarter! Good Luck!

Shavanda - posted on 02/13/2011

I do the same with my 5 month daughter and i give her formula during the day and at night i breast feed. i would still give him both. i'm going to stop breast feeding my daughter at six months, i believe thats a good time to wean

Kate - posted on 02/13/2011

I completely agree with Tanya. My little girl was almost 5 weeks early and was mixed feed till 5 and a half weeks, where i had to move her to complete formula. Not once did she manage to get a full feed of me, and i had PLEANTY of milk i tried expressing and she would have 70 mls of expressed milk, where she should only have 40mls, and still take another 50 mls of formula, my milk was not enough for her, and she was very slow at putting on weight as it would take over an hour to feed her.
Every person is different, for me and my baby, she flourished best after she went to formula. It goes down to what you think is best, I am sick of being looked down upon because my baby is bottle fed. She was put on formula by a pediatrician, and she is a happy healthy child. I wanted to breast fed but she was unable to breast feed properly to start with and its unfair that breast feeding is forced down your throat when its not always the best thing for mum and baby. Do hat you feel most comfortable with, people can tell you to do this and that, but its your choice, your body and your baby.

Kylie - posted on 02/13/2011

keep giving him both until you or he feels like you need to stop.

Lynn - posted on 02/13/2011

Nurse as long as you want. The longer you can do it the more benefits for baby and you. Even if you are not able to do it exclusively your baby is getting your immunities and the perfect nutrition. Check out The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or the Le Leche League website for tips and tricks on supplementing your own breast-milk and ways to increase your supply. You might think about looking for a local group...leaders and members can be a great source of information, wisdom, support, and friendship. Hang in there!

Nayuribe - posted on 02/13/2011

DO NOT WEAN HIM!!! poor thing, he deserves all the breast milk he can get, no matter how little u give, no formula will give him all the nutrients bm has.

Anna - posted on 02/13/2011

The more you nurse the more you should produce!

Mahwesh - posted on 02/13/2011

Breast milk is the best health and bonding investment you can make for your baby. If you are comfortably lactating enjoy the experience! Research show babies that are breast fed have a higher EQ....

Christina - posted on 02/13/2011

I exclusively breastfed my little one for the first two months. I supplemented one bottle a day to allow Daddy to bond and feed. I had no choice but to supplement with formula becuase I was one of the lucky ones that didn't respond well to pumping. My solid advice to you is to do what you feel is best. You know your body and your baby better than anyone. I did a lot of research, while breastfeeding is always best, there is no issue with supplementing if necessary. Do not let anyone pressure you or guilt you into breasfeeding or bottlefeeding. You are the Mommy you know what is best.

Good luck...

Sarah - posted on 02/13/2011

Trust your body will make enough milk. Quit supplementing completely. Do NOT wean your child. Who advised you to give formula too? That was bad advice...imho... I echo prior posts by saying the supplementing is causing more of your problem and giving you a convenient excuse to wean your baby. Sometimes we have to dig deep...suck it up and work harder at what is really important and good for your child!

God Bless,
Sarah
(Mother of 4)

Amy - posted on 02/13/2011

Well, the more you supplement, the less demand you're breasts have, the less they'll make. The more you nurse, the more you make. It's just a thing. If you want more milk, cut back on the formula. If you don't want to nurse, then just slowly replace nursing with bottles.

Christine - posted on 02/13/2011

What made you think that you weren't lactating enough in the first place? Did your son have a major decrease in urine or bowel movements? Some times when children go through growth spurts (which the first one is typically around 6 weeks..) they seem like they are eating a LOT, and it may seem like you don't have enough milk (which you usually do). Supplimenting with formula will actually make your milk decrease in the first place. The less he nurses, the less milk you body makes. So the best thing to do for you milk supply is to nurse, nurse, nurse! I highly encourage you to see if there is a La Leche League group in your area, and to get in touch with the leader there. You can go to www.llli.org and look to see where the closest group is. They can give you more info on how to keep your supply up, and to get you back to nursing!

Mia - posted on 02/13/2011

Well it all really depends on if you're going to have enough milk to wean off the top ups? See an Lactation consultant to see what they suggest. I had two friends in the same position, one succesfully weaned the other never had enough of her own milk no matter what she did so she had to remain on top ups. You also have to go by baby and if they're settled, thriving and having enough wet nappies on your own milk to know if you've got enough breast milk to wean successfully. See an LC is my best advice, they know best about all that stuff.

Gale - posted on 02/13/2011

Its up to you but if you still want to breastfeed, keep nursing as much as possible, the more you nurse the more the milk will come in. You can also try to pump to see how much you are getting. Drink plenty of water and eat 3 meals aday.

Tanya - posted on 02/13/2011

Every woman is different and not all women for whatever reason produce enough milk. Yes breastfeeding is best blah blah blah but not all women can successfully breastfeed. I struggled with my firstborn for three months exclusivly breastfeeding but i wasnt producing enough milk so i switched to both. Until you have issues with breastfeeding you have no idea what its like, and just because its written in a book doesn't make it right.

The bottom line is, its your baby, your body. You know both better than anyone else, go with your instincts and if your baby is happy, then don't change. Dont let the breastfeeding fanatics guilt you into do otherwise.. good luck :)

Carol - posted on 02/13/2011

Breast feeding is the best, if you nurse him more you will produce more. If it is convenient for you continue both or wean, it is up to you, really.

Julia - posted on 02/13/2011

Are you eating enough? If you don't have enough calories in your diet, you just won't produce enough milk.

You can't try to lose weight while BF - it takes around 500 calories a day to BF, so you'll need to up your food intake by around 25% (working on the recommended 2000 calories a day for women).

Good luck with whatever you choose to do, and I hope it works out for you :-)

Melanie - posted on 02/13/2011

Both

Jenn - posted on 02/13/2011

You're likely not producing enough milk because you are supplementing. It's fine to do whatever works for you, but if you are wanting to breastfeed, try putting baby to breast more often to increase your supply so that you don't need to supplement.

Kim - posted on 02/13/2011

if you want to continue BF, BF more often than bottle feed to build up your supply. BFing is a supply and demand kinda thing. If you still need help producing more milk, try taking Fenugreek pills. I had bought some of puritan's pride's website (I never used them either) and that'll help. If you do take them you'll smell like maple syrup but that's a sign that it's working.

Jennifer - posted on 02/11/2011

the most often cause of women's milk drying up is supplementing with formula. the more you supplement, the less breastmilk you make. your breasts can only make what your baby demands of them. nursing on demand, and not giving bottles will get your milk supply back up where it should be but it won't be easy. baby will probably nurse VERY frequently for a couple of days. if breastfeeding is important to you, the breastfeeding moms community can be a HUGE help...the ladies over there are very helpful, encouraging, and informative. the ladies there will not recommend you give up on breastfeeding but they absolutely can help you continue to nurse if thats what you'd like.



http://www.circleofmoms.com/breastfeedin...

Renee - posted on 02/11/2011

It's totally up to you. You can keep doing both, it's not going to hurt anything.

Bonnie - posted on 02/11/2011

It's really up to you and what you are most comfortable with. If he is taking well to breast milk, I probably wouldn't wean him for awhile though.

Stifler's - posted on 02/11/2011

Continuing to give him both is fine! If you want to wean that's fine too. Whatever you are comfortable with.