Hellobee Boards Topic: If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?

Hellobee Boards Topic: If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:33:20 +0000 daniellemybelle on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1192567 Sat, 02 Nov 2013 14:15:13 +0000 daniellemybelle 1192567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Thanks everyone for your experiences! LO gained a bunch of weight & my milk came in, so we stopped supplementing, only for her to lose another ounce, so back to the bottle we go. I am trying my best to increase my supply but my pump parts don't fit so until I get the inserts I ordered, she is getting a bottle after every other feeding. I'm glad her tummy is full but I feel sad I can't provide all she needs. oliviaoblivia on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1181803 Tue, 29 Oct 2013 11:24:41 +0000 oliviaoblivia 1181803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Dd had a 12% weight loss and my milk didn't come in until the third day. We supplemented at the hospital using an SNS and by day the next day my milk was in and she was gaining. We've been EBF since day four. mrsjyw on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1181798 Tue, 29 Oct 2013 11:21:46 +0000 mrsjyw 1181798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yep, we had DS on formula for a day or two while my milk came in. It was a bit of a struggle getting to re-latch (due to flat nips and getting used to the formula btl), but after that first day, we've ebf and is still bf at 11 months :) Beehive on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1180360 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:33:21 +0000 Beehive 1180360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We used some formula in the beginning (usually one bottle overnight, or the occasional bottle during the day when we were out), but after the first month or so stopped using formula at all. I think it's certainly possible to go to EBF after supplementing, and agree with the recommendations to pump when you can (though I definitely didn't always make up for formula feeds by pumping!). sarahbee on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1180337 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:20:32 +0000 sarahbee 1180337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Supplemented for the first week because my LO was early and my milk was slow to come in. I was pumping to build my supply from day 2 on. Since day 7 it has been BM, either from the breast or pumped in a bottle. LO is 5 months. If BFing is important to you, I'd suggest pumping, pumping, pumping. Nothing wrong with formula, but if you want to BF you need to pump whenever you give formula if not more often. DillonLion on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1180119 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 18:01:18 +0000 DillonLion 1180119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @daniellemybelle: we always did nurse (or bm bottle) then forula for e very feeding until she was 9 or 10 months old. Then we started doing BM in mornings/evenings and formula during the day. At 11 months she gets one bottle of BM and 3-4 bottles of formula. My supply is drying up in preparation for her first birthday. LittleFox on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1180097 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 17:50:53 +0000 LittleFox 1180097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We supplemented in the first week or two, due to weight loss, a sleepy nudser, and my milk being late. I was worried at first about him not getting enough, too, but he was okay. Remember that she has a tiny belly, and growth spurts can be frequent early on, so sometimes she might want to do tons of nursing. It can feel like you don't have enough, but baby is just telling your body to build a bigger milk supply as her capacity grows. We went on to EBF, and are still going strong at 10 months. In spite of all the stress in those first few weeks, I actually love nursing now. daniellemybelle on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1180033 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 17:30:46 +0000 daniellemybelle 1180033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Thank you everyone! This is really encouraging. My doula came over today & thinks I am producing enough milk that I shouldn't supplement unless we are desperate. I am paranoid that she is going to go hungry but her last bottle today was at around 5am and she has been fine since just nursing. We get her weighed tomorrow so I'm interested to see how that goes. @photojane: Your daughter's name is the same as my daughter's :) @DillonLion: What does combo feeding look like for you? Formula after BFing, or alternating feedings? MamaMoose on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178544 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 10:22:18 +0000 MamaMoose 1178544@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I voted on behalf of my BFF whose milk was slow to come in so they supplemented for the first couple weeks but she was able to go on to EBF until her LO was one. mediagirl on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178479 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 10:01:03 +0000 mediagirl 1178479@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I supplemented, EP'ed and was able to go back to EBF. It was a hard road but we made it work. :) pinkcupcake on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178475 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 09:59:42 +0000 pinkcupcake 1178475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I supplemented for the first three weeks. Like you, my LO lost a lot of her weight the first week, and my milk didn't come in until day 5 or 6. I pumped a lot during the early days to try to encourage my milk. We also used a syringe to feed her formula after each nursing session to avoid nipple confusion. After about 3 weeks, our pediatrician and lactation consultant felt that she gained enough weight that we could cut out the supplemental feedings. I took lots of more milk plus, fenugreek, and blessed thistle for the first three months or so to keep my supply up. I also pumped A LOT. We didn't need to supplement after that, and at 20 months, she's still nursing once or twice a day. Good luck! The early days are so challenging :( DillonLion on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178063 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 07:19:06 +0000 DillonLion 1178063@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We never could wean off the formula. We have combo fd for 11 months now photojane on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178061 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 07:18:22 +0000 photojane 1178061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Sadie was born on Tuesday night, and had lost 11% of her body weight by her check up on Friday morning. We supplemented, and I tried to BF, but it just didn't work out. She hasn't had any breast milk at all since maybe 3 weeks old. Stopping trying to BF or pump was one of the best decisions I've ever made - formula feeding works well for our family. (Meaning, if EBF doesn't work out, it's okay!) MrsF on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178051 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 07:09:25 +0000 MrsF 1178051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ M had a few bottles of formula to supplement in the first few days (she was born at 36 weeks, was jaundiced and nursing inefficiently and dropped under 5 lbs). They had me punping from the beginning though. Eventually i was supplementing with BM instead if formula and then we were able to EBF. Trailmix on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178021 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:32:30 +0000 Trailmix 1178021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It took me until about 8 weeks when my supply got high enough to EBF my twins, until then they had a few bottles of formula each day but now we are at 5 months and still EBF so using formula in the beginning didn't mess anything up! Charm54 on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178015 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:27:52 +0000 Charm54 1178015@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We supplemented on day 3 due to low supply , jaundice, dehydration etc. she lost a significant amount of weight but gained it back quickly once we started supplementing. While she was in the NICU it was an exhausting schedule of bf, supplement, pump. I tried to keep it up at home but it was way too much. We stopped bf and now EP. She usually gets one formula bottle a day. I prefer bottles for us - I know how much she gets, other people can feed her, and the fact that she started sleeping through the nights at 3weeks didnt hurt either. You'll find a system that works best for your family. GL and congrats on your new baby!! PrincessBaby on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178012 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:19:48 +0000 PrincessBaby 1178012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We had to go on 100% formula due to my LO having Breast Milk Jaundice, so I had to exclusively pump for several days, two separate times (the jaundice saga lasted a month, her levels would NOT go down)…She DID have some nipple confusion the first time, mainly bc I didn't know to use slow-flow bottles. So we just used regular bottles and she was like "Oh wow, I can just lay here and not have to work and this just pours itself down my throat! Awesome!" I was really worried she wouldn't go back on the boob, but I basically did lots of skin to skin and nursed like crazy until she got the hang of it. And then the 2nd time we used slow flow bottles and she was fine. I also had to supplement when I returned to work…I could never pump enough to cover what she ate in a day. But I ended up quitting work after 3 months and I have EBF since then and she is totally fine/supply seems okay:) edelweiss on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1178006 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:13:19 +0000 edelweiss 1178006@https://boards.hellobee.com/ i started supplementing on day 5 because of weight loss, caused in part by LO being an extremely sleepy nurser and low milk supply. around the same time, i met with a lactation consultant who instructed me to pump after every nursing session while LO got a bottle (or after LO got a bottle). after a few weeks of supplementing, we noticed that LO was hardly taking anything from the supplemental bottle anymore so we stopped, as it seemed that he was getting enough from the nursing. also, i think after a week of supplementing with formula, we were supplementing with a bottle of pumped milk because the pumping increased my supply. we didn't experience nipple confusion and actually i am grateful that we had to introduce the bottle early on instead of struggle with it later. lemondrop on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1177933 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:51:25 +0000 lemondrop 1177933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We supplemented with formula for about the first month, then were able to go to only breast milk. I liked the combination of nursing and bottle supplementing, that we continued to do it even after all of our bf'ing problems were done, we just used pumped milk instead of formula. dojo on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1177927 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:44:13 +0000 dojo 1177927@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My LO had some significant jaundice when he was born so in order to get it out of his system the lactation nurse had us supplement using a system with a little tube that would supply formula as he nursed. The whole set up was pretty time consuming and then I would have to pump after every nursing session. After our Dr. appt where they confirmed that he had gained some weight and that the jaundice had subsided I pretty much decided to just go for it without the formula. My original plan was to EBF and while it wasn't too big a deal to me to use the formula as needed I figured I might as well just quit the whole set up with the formula and just nurse. I don't remember exactly but I think we used the whole formula tube set-up for about a week or so. RubyCali on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1177922 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:36:57 +0000 RubyCali 1177922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We supplemented for the first couple weeks for similar reasons-- high % loss of weight, jaundice, milk not coming in, and then low milk supply. What worked for me was pumping after every single feeding (supplemented or not) to help increase my supply. By 6 weeks my supply was up and we didn't need to supplement anymore. Hugs to you-- I know how tough it is! autumnlove on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1177920 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:36:13 +0000 autumnlove 1177920@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Congrats!! I supplemented for 3 and 2 weeks for both LOs. My milk came in 9 and 6 days after delivery and my LOs did not gain much weight on my colostrum.. I EBFed and pumped until I weaned LO at 9 months. I still EBF and pump for my 6 month old! Good luck to you! mrsjazz on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1177918 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:31:53 +0000 mrsjazz 1177918@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We supplemented with formula in the early days as well. Our problem was with LO's latch. She had formula for the first couple of weeks of her life. I hand expressed until I got a pump and until my lactation consultant and doula could come over. I found hand expression to be super easy and effective, for what it's worth. After we fixed LO's latch we didn't have to supplement any longer and I'm still breastfeeding her at 18 months. Best advice is not to beat yourself up over having to supplement. Especially after having a traumatic birth experience, still being in pain, and having a new baby! And it's great you have help--having someone, like your doula, be supportive of your efforts will help. Freckles on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1177917 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:25:05 +0000 Freckles 1177917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I supplemented, but went back to EBF at around 6 weeks after going on domperidone. I was basically always short by one feeding's worth of breastmilk so the doctor recommended it. I think nursing and then offering the bottle to top up is a good strategy, but some other bees may have better advice! daniellemybelle on "If you had to supplement, did you go back to EBF?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-had-to-supplement-did-you-go-back-to-ebf#post-1177913 Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:21:27 +0000 daniellemybelle 1177913@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Our poor little one lost 13% of her birth weight in her first 4 days, so we started supplementing with formula. My milk had not come in & I don't think we had nursing down enough for her to get much colostrum. Thankfully my milk has come in now, but I don't think it's enough. We have been nursing as long as she wants on both sides, and then offering a bottle. She usually drinks 0.5-1 oz. Since she has been taking formula, she sleeps a lot and goes longer between feedings - up to 4 hours. If I wake up her up and try to nurse, she fusses & won't latch. She has already gained 5 oz in one day, and our pediatrician is confident that we can be done with supplementing soon. I'm nervous that introducing the bottle is going to jeopardize my supply. My doula is going to come over tomorrow to show me how to use my pump so I can keep my supply up, and also work with us on more effective nursing so hopefully we can wean off the formula soon. Just wondering if you could share your experiences and/or your advice?