Is she getting enough boobie???

[Fingers crossed]

Jess is usually a right whinge bag, so I thought about trying her with a bit of formula to see if that settled her more. I took a few days to actually bring myself to buy some because I felt guilty giving her formula (I've got nothing against formula, I'm not opening a debate). So yesterday as we were going out all day and spending the evening at a 1st birthday party, I expressed a bottle off. I fed her boobie at 5pm before we went then at 730 she was crying and interfering people ( ) kept asking if she was hungry, but I kept saying she shouldn't be and tryed to settle her because she hadn't slept much so I put it down to being over tired. Anyway after 15 mins I was fed up of this one woman (who I've never even seen before) kept asking if she was hungry, I got her expressed bottle and fed her and she drank nearly 5oz, less than 3 hours after boobie . I got a ready made SMA gold carton this morning and mixed 2oz with 3oz of expressed and she drank nearly the whole lot, again less than 3 hours after boobie and didn't need feeding again for 4 hours. I've also noticed that when she has a bottle she is nowhere near as windy or sicky as when she's on boobie .
As I can't express nowhere near enough for exclusively boobie feeding, should I try and express as much as I can and make up the rest with formula for every feed, or shall I mix having her on the boob for one feed then bottle (mix of boobie and formula) for the next feed??? Oh the stress of it all
Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[Pregnopaws]

I hate it when people interfere so I know what you mean. My mother drove me nuts for weeks before my LO was born as she insisted that I should give the baby a formula bottle at night 'to get some sleep' she said. This infuriated me as I hadn't even HAD my baby yet and she was already telling me what I should do. I vowed never to give formula if I could help it (partly just to irritate my mother lol)

Two months down the line though I realise she had a point as irksome as that is...!

My LO loves the breast so much he would be quite happy to dangle there day and night since birth, sucking on and off, stopping to coo or look around inbetween, and rolling my nipples around his mouth like he was sucking on a gobstopper. Any attempt to try and take him off would cause merry hell! In fact I never actually knew if he had ever drunk 1/2 an ounce or 10 ounces, it was all out of control and each feed seemed to blend into one whole confusing mess throughout the day!!

SO.... I started to let him have 15 minutes on each breast (whether he messed about or not) and then top him up with SMA for the rest of the feed. If he fed well and didn't fuss I would let him feed longer (to get that hindmilk) and not bother making up a bottle.

I did this for my sanity and to get some control over him. I never really got to grips with expressing, and now it seems to have worked out that I am giving him the occasional bottle after the breast just to fill him up enough (say, last thing at night) or if he is particularly fussy.

As for mixing the two (breast and formula) I suggest that you just go with what your comfortable with. It really is as simple as that, and you and your LO will find a happy feeding routine together. It does take a while, and it does seem to be one of those things that has no concrete right or wrong way of doing things, but I think that if you are feeling comfortable with mixing a little formula and your LO is more satisfied and happy then I don't see anything wrong with that at all. It sounds like you are finding a good nutritiional balance which will probably suit you both emotionally too, because the 'professionals' seem to forget that side of it!
Best of luck !

 

[Fingers crossed]

Thanks ladies. The more I think about it I want her just to have boobie. I don't mind giving her the odd formula added feed or if I think she isn't getting enough I'll give what Pregnopaws suggested with giving some formula after a boob feed