I supplemented with DS1 because my milk was late coming in and he dropped a lot of weight in the first few days.
Supplemented also with DS2 because of severe jaundice.
After the first week or two, my supply was able to catch up to their needs and I was able to ebf with both boys.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
DD is 5 months and I have never had to give her formula. I'm pretty lucky. My milk came in quickly, she was a couple ounces over her birth weight by her 4 day check up, she's always liked to nurse, and I enjoy it as well. I'm actually irrationally sad about starting solids since she's always gotten everything she's needed from me!
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
yep! from months 2-12 after she wasn't gaining enough weight, and then my supply never caught back up to her demand. we stopped formula at 1 year but continued nursing until 22.5 months. I'm so grateful that supplementing worked for us, allowing her to thrive and still maintain our nursing relationship
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Yup, I supplemented regularly with DD1 and breastfeed till she was 25 months. I attributed it to supplementing to get us through.
DD2 we had no hesitation to give formula in the hospital. Besides in the hospital we've been EBF since and she's 18 months.
honeydew / 7283 posts
DD - supplemented at the beginning and was FF by 12 weeks.
DS - no supplementing, was EBF.
persimmon / 1111 posts
Nope. He lost 7% of his birth weight, but my hospital and pediatrician are very pro-breastfeeding. By day 4 he was gaining and by day 6 he was at his birth weight.
We've had a fairly easy breastfeeding relationship-- he loves to nurse and pumping is going really well. I will stick with pumping for a year and nursing until he's ready or he is 2 1/2
pomelo / 5000 posts
For the first week. She had hit that "now you must supplement" weight at the hospital, so I think we ended up giving her around 4 of those premixed bottles. One time I just wanted some sleep!
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
Yep we supplemented until I weaned to formula at 10 months. It was just one bottle a day but I credit it for giving me the BFing relationship I had with my son - I never would have made it that long without it. Will not blink twice about combo feeding with our next.
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
Yup, I supplemented the first 2ish weeks for all 3 kids.
clementine / 918 posts
I supplemented small amounts with J in the first 2 weeks and he's been BF since then. I have no doubts we'll make it to 1 year on BM and then transition to WCM
hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts
No. I haven't with either lo. I've had it easy. But soon I'll have 3 kids under 4 (DD1 will have JUST turned 3 not even 2 months prior to baby 3) so I'm thinking we will supplement a bit this time just to ease the "burden" and have some help/freedom.
persimmon / 1447 posts
Yes, in the first few days until my milk came in. He's been EBF ever since.
clementine / 935 posts
Yes, for the first 4 or 5 days. She came early and tiny and couldn't keep her blood sugar up otherwise. Since then she's been EBF.
grapefruit / 4418 posts
Nope! There were definitely some rough nights in the beginning where I wanted to give up, but DH got me through! Hoping we are as successful with #2!
pear / 1750 posts
My supply was very low so I supplemented from the beginning. Around 5 months he started to refuse the breast at certain times and he was completely weaned by 9 months. He is formula fed now and eats solids really well. I can't wait to drop the formula in 1.5 months!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
I haven't needed to. My supply has always been good enough, and too much in the beginning with LO2.
@Mrs. Pickle: I had the same irrationally sad feeling when my first started solids. I think I even cried about it. I'm sure I will again when my second starts solids since she is probably my last baby.
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
Yep. From 5 days (lost a lot of weight & I was seriously underproducing) until 12 months. She nursed until she was 19 months
persimmon / 1281 posts
Yes for the first 6ish weeks here and there. I think he got a total of less then 30oz. He had a tongue tie and had a tough time draining my breasts so I pumped mostly until we got the tongue tie released but he did have to get a bit of formula a couple times.
pomegranate / 3768 posts
No, but I may need to start. DD is 8 months and I pump 4x a day and can barely keep up with her intake.
pineapple / 12053 posts
i didn't have to supplement with DD1 and made it through the skin of my teeth not having to with DD2 when i went out of town a few weeks ago (at 4 months). i'm trying to get a good stash going as i have several out of town work events this year and wasn't prepared last time i went out of town! i do have some formula samples though and i'm happy to use them if needed!
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
Just the first day or two. I felt very fortunate I didn't have any bfing issues.
cantaloupe / 6630 posts
I did with my first, for maybe two days, because she lost a lot of weight and struggled to latch. Not with my second; he sucked like a shark from the start.
pear / 1521 posts
We had a lot of trouble getting LO to latch in the hospital and the first night after my c-section I couldn't sit up because every time I did I'd throw up. So I remember being like we need to just give her formula, but the nurses tried to help me nurse side-lying (which is impossible with a few hours old baby!) and basically encouraged me not to. I know it would have been totally fine if we had but I'm glad we didn't and she's never had formula. Ended up using a nipple shield the first few days and once my milk came in my supply was totally fine.
grapefruit / 4988 posts
No, but I probably would have if we hadn't been dealing with food intolerances. I had oversupply in the beginning but after about 8 months, my supply dropped and I feel like we just barely made it to one year.
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
I didn't with E at all, but I'm thinking about starting with G. I'm barely pumping enough cover her bottles from the next day, and my mom (who watches her) told me she would take another. I'm doing everything I can to get the two bottles, and I've been stressed about trying to figure out how to fit in more pumps, so I decided that a little bit of formula a day wouldn't hurt.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
I did starting around 6 months b/c I just wasn't pumping enough and didn't want to deplete my stash. Did that for 3 ish months and ended up formula feeding from around 9 months till 12 months.
persimmon / 1420 posts
Nope. Oversupply here. I had 200-300 ounces that I donated after I weaned.
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
Yup, with twins and I was anemic after my c-section and needed a blood transfusion. .
grapefruit / 4819 posts
No - I was fortunate both times and haven't had any supply issues. Both of my girls were EBF until starting solids at 6 months, and then weaned completely at 13/14 months.
pomelo / 5628 posts
We did a mix of formula and breastmilk from the beginning, not due to supply. It was worked best for LO.
honeydew / 7230 posts
Yep. My twins received formula from 4 days-13 months. They continued to nurse during that time and still nurse now at 22 months.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
No, I'm incredibly lucky and made it through 15 months of breastfeeding without supplementing ever.
persimmon / 1129 posts
Started supplementing at 7 months when my supply tanked after my cycle came back. Supplemented for about 2 months, then moved to exclusively formula feeding around 10 months.
bananas / 9118 posts
Yes, I had to supplement my first for the first month since he was jaundiced and we had a difficult start to bfing. I did not need to supplement my youngest, but wouldn't have hesitated if we needed to.
Supplementing was the best decision ever with my oldest. It made going back to work so much easier and took so much stress out of an already stressful situation that has such a steep learning curve for both mom and baby. He had a bottle a day of either formula or later pumped milk for most of his first year. It also gave my husband a chance to feed and bond and gave me a chance to get some sleep. With both boys I started pumping right away to help build my supply, an eventual freezer stash, and to give some in a bottle so I could take a feeding break.
kiwi / 584 posts
yep
LO1- EBF until 4 months when he was drinking like 40oz and I was pumping 12x a day, then he was exclusively FF from 6months
LO2- EBF until 2 months then I had to supplement with formula when I went back to work , couldn't keep up with him either, now he's FF at 8months
I am glad I got to experience breastfeeding and am so grateful formula exists, it's definitely true that some respond better to a pump than others!
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