https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:09:22 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777653 Mon, 13 May 2013 11:09:01 +0000 regberadaisy 777653@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@zippylef: Agreed! I feel like there is this great divide between EBF and formula. There is barely any talk of the in between.</p> <p>Supplementing is OK if it's what your baby needs. Not every mom can make the supply that the baby needs. I think this is a myth. </p> <p>I'm not saying ALL babies should immediately be offered formula upon delivery until the milk comes in. But moms need to know their child's health is first and whatever we need to do to achieve that (DESPITE society's expectation) comes first. For me, that's supplementing since day 1. LO has been 80 bf/20 formula for most of her life and at almost 13 months I'm working on swapping out formula with cow's milk. I truly believe if the LC and head nurse did not suggest *supplementing* as a viable option we would not be here today. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777626 Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:50 +0000 Maysprout 777626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When you only have 40 women that's not a very big study, I'd say results are pretty preliminary. And when one of the coauthors is a consultant for Nestle, I get more skeptical. </p> <p>But I think the conclusions probably do have some merit, lots of mothers worry about supply and their method might be a good way of alleviating some of that worry, especially for women who have c-sections or other reasons why their milk might be delayed in coming in, upset babies probably don't help with encouraging breastfeeding.</p> <p>But I think a 5% mark isn't a good target for supplementing, babies are bloated when they're born and most are going to lose 5%. There's been several studies that show early supplementation leads to reduced breastfeeding rates so it's probably about finding the happy balance and a lot of it might just be maternal preference and what helps alleviate her worries. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777574 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:38:16 +0000 googly-eyes 777574@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've heard of this before and I think it makes sense. We gave our first supplement after days of LO basically starving (no poopy diapers and only one wet per day on day four) and at that point (for us, it could be later or earlier for others) I was distrustful of bf'ing for me. That + latch problems + developing ppd meant no bf'ing for us. Just pumping for five/six weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777563 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:34:28 +0000 mrsjazz 777563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My experience is anecdotal, but giving my LO formula in the beginning did help me continue breastfeeding. It was super hard in the beginning because she was hungry but she just wouldn't latch on, she would barely open her mouth. So we fed her via spoon/small medicine dosage cup/and bottle until we were able to get her to latch at around 10 days or so.</p> <p>I was super stressed about not BFing right away, but my LC, doula, and the nurses in the hospital were all so reassuring and told me that baby and I would get it down in no time and here it is almost 13 months later and we're still BFing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777562 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:34:23 +0000 autumnlove 777562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with the article. I supplemented both of my babies with formula until my milk came in at 9 &amp; 6 days PP. I used a Medela SNS system taped to my boob for most feedings and we also used bottles...no issues with nipple confusion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777556 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:33:15 +0000 T.H.O.U. 777556@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I liked that the article does say that it should be fed through a syringe or cup and not a bottle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777554 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:33:10 +0000 cascademom 777554@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: I had the same experience. We had to supplement until my milk came in. It definitely relaxed me to know that he was being fed and wasn't starving after a rough couple of days. Once my milk came in and we became comfortable with it, he managed to breastfeed up until 8-8.5 months where solids became way more interesting than boob and even formula. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777546 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:29:52 +0000 loveisstrange 777546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it's pretty legit, from my personal experience. I think the pressure to breastfeed exclusively and not introduce any formula is extremely, extremely stressful when you are having problems. </p> <p>C lost over 10% of her birth weight. We had issues feeding. The nurses kept forcing me to breastfeed her. I got super stressed out. She kept dropping. Doctor threatened me with bili lights because she was showing signs of jaundice. I got MORE stressed out. I eventually gave up completely because breastfeeding seemed like it was killing my baby. She has never been exclusively breastfed. I think if someone would have taken that kind of approach with me, things would have worked differently. I would have been calmer and more emotionally able to continue. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777458 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:10:09 +0000 regberadaisy 777458@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>From personal experience if it wasn't for supplementing with formula I probably would not have made it this far. And that came at the reco of a breastfeeding "nazi" LC. For some babies, colostrum is NOT enough the first few days.</p> <p>ETA: "The formula primer may give moms the assurance they need to keep pursuing breast-feeding, say the study's authors."<br /> THIS exactly for me! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777442 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:06:59 +0000 mamimami 777442@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I saw this. I think this was just preying on moms' insecurities, instead of convincing them in some other way that they would produce enough for their babies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777438 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:05:43 +0000 T.H.O.U. 777438@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really wonder about the small sample size. Especially because they looked at rates of continuing to breastfeed until like 6 months. A lot of other factors come in by that point like returning to work etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/supplementing-increases-breastfeeding-rates#post-777436 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:04:42 +0000 BlueWolverine 777436@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did anyone else see this article on CNN this morning? <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/13/health/formula-breast-feeding/index.html?hpt=hp_t3" rel="nofollow">http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/13/health/formula-breast-feeding/index.html?hpt=hp_t3</a></p> <p>Basically, newborns were given a small amount of formula via syringe in the first few days. Once mom's milk came it, they stopped. Those moms were more likely to be breastfeeding at 6 months and one year. It was a small study, though. I can see how knowing your baby is getting enough in those first few days can be comforting. </p>