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DD was 5 weeks early and the NICU fortified my breastmilk with enfamil enfacare 22 formula since its higher caloried than breastmilk so she could gain weight quicker. She was on it throughout her NICU stay (10 days) and maybe a week after we got home. I stopped supplementing with formula because I was exhausted and exclusive breastfeeding was so much easier! I had no issues with supply and her weight gain was great with EBF. I eat oatmeal every morning and have started taking fenugreek.

My only issue now is with my pump, not supply, as it is not emptying my breasts as it should (or as much as I'd like it too).

on day 5 the pediatrician recommended supplementing after each nursing session with a bottle of formula. i had a couple of issues--LO was a very sleepy nurser and my milk supply wasn't enough.

pumping after every nursing session helped me tremendously, although doing it 8-12 times a day was a lot of work. after about a week, i was able to pump enough that i could supplement with a bottle of pumped milk instead of formula. i continued to offer the supplementary bottle (just 1-2 oz) for a long time because i wanted to make sure he was getting enough and he was still so sleepy during nursing sessions.

i believe around 5-6 weeks he wasn't taking as much from the bottle and was becoming more efficient at nursing, so i decided to stop supplementing with a bottle.

so, pumping was key for me. it creates the demand that the body responds to with an increased milk supply. i rented a hospital grade pump (the medela symphony) and i became very attached--literally haha--to that thing. if we ever have another LO, i'm going to start pumping from day 1.

I had to supplement with formula for the first five weeks with my twins because of low milk supply. I ended up moving to EP'ing and took MMP, fenugreek capsules, blessed thistle capsules, ate oatmeal and lactation cookies with more oatmeal and brewers yeast like crazy. As my supply went up, I gradually cut down to one bottle of formula a day and then every few days until I was pumping enough to feed them exclusively breastmilk. After six weeks, I just stopped taking all the supplements and somehow I started pumping enough to now having more than 500 ounces frozen.

Yes, both of my babies were supplemented with formula. I was able to move to exclusive breast feeding around 2.5-3.5 weeks. I took supplements, used a SNS system, ate oatmeal, pumped and guzzled down a lot of water.

Good luck!