My milk was slow to come in when I first had my son. It finally seemed to come in enough to feed him after 2-3 weeks, but never a ton it seemed; when I missed a feeding and pumped instead, it was only 3-4oz combined. I never thought much about it cause I always heard that the body will produce as much as is demanded by feeding... but once LO got older and more distracted, he didn't seem to eat for very long, 3-4 minutes. Everyone then told me that they get more efficient at eating and that it's fine. Now he's 10m, been eating a good amount of solids and he only eats like 2m a lot of times before he pulls off and wants to go play. My mom was convinced that he couldn't possibly be getting enough, so wanted to give him a bottle of formula with means and I went a long with it to see if he would drink it. And he guzzles it! Right after nursing both sides, he will down another 3-4oz and eat his meal. If he's taking more formula, does that prove that he's not getting enough milk from me? I'm really worried that I've been starving him of milk now. 
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How’s his weight gain over time? Is there fussiness you’re concerned about?
I don’t think it proves anything about your milk. Lots of babies would take an additional bottle because it’s less work / quicker flow than nursing and humans like food. So I’d be more interested in the above questions. Lots of kids nurse less as they get busy but it may even wax and wane. My super busy guy weaned himself between 13-14m (and never even learned to like cow milk! Just other dairy.) And he’s a super tall and healthy size kid.
Basically I think if you want to give formula, that’s totally fine, but if you had no concerns about it beforehand I doubt you need to.
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Was your wee guy having plenty of wet and dirty nappies, meeting his milestones and gaining weight? Pumping is not usually a good indicator of supply but 3-4 ounces isn’t a bad output at all! 9-12 months is also an age when lots of babies get too distracted to nurse well but if you stick with it you’ll most likely find that your son will go back to nursing more at around the 12-15 month mark.
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@PurplePumps: For both my kids, 10 months is the height of being too distracted with the world around them to nurse. My daughter is just about to turn 11 months and was constantly latching on and off and on and off. It was driving me nuts. As for guzzling the formula, think about it this way: have you ever stuffed yourself at dinner and couldn't take another bite, but were able to eat some dessert? It's a very similar idea. Plus, drinking from a bottle takes A LOT less effort than the breast. I think his weight gains and wet/dirty diapers should give you the information you need. It just sounds like a typical older baby who is fascinated by the world, but he will go back to being a boob monster before you know it.
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If he’s gaining weight, happy, meeting milestones, you’re fine. My kids would probably all guzzle a bottle at any time because they loved it.
Trust your instincts and don’t listen to someone telling you to give your baby a random bottle of formula.
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No, taking more formula doesn't prove anything. I wouldn't give formula if you don't think you need to or want to for some other reason. If your baby is gaining weight, then he's fine to keep nursing as he is. If you start giving formula, you will kill your supply. Being a busy active baby is totally normal. I remember when I had my first girl and I read that I might need to nurse her in a dark, quiet room. I laughed at the thought. Now, with my second girl, yes, i very much need a dark quiet room to nurse her without distraction. But also, if she's hungry, she will eat. If she only wants to nurse 2 minutes, and she's a fine weight, then I don't worry at all. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do! ETA: All of my pumped bottles were only 4 oz. That's all I ever hoped to get from a pump. So you are doing great if you are getting that amount.
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I was in fact starving my child, unfortunately! I found this by:
- Doing weighted feeds. There was a maternity store in my area that had an infant scale and you would weigh, nurse and then weigh again to see how much they'd taken in.
- Giving him a bottle of formula instead of nursing and comparing the weight of the wet diapers. People say as long as they're having wet diapers it's fine, but for me, there was a huge difference when I just nursed vs gave formula (with nursing, they were "wet" but just barely - but I was a first time mom and didn't get it until I started giving formula).
- He was not gaining enough weight/not following his growth curve according to pediatrician.I ended up switching to formula at 6 weeks and it was a godsend. But at 10 months, if he's gaining weight ok, it seems like you're probably fine as-is. I agree with others that guzzling formula doesn't necessarily mean anything.
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@PurplePumps: 10m is a tough nursing time, i agree... I'm wondering how long you go in between feeds? I'm in a similar boat... My almost 7m old isn't nursing a ton anymore (never, ever more than 7-9 mins) and is sort of fussing (unusual for him) for actual food so I'm wondering about my supply too. I would always offer real food 45 mins or so AFTER nursing and go 3-4 hours between nursing, I assume you're doing that.... If he's gone this far I would definitely think he's ok.
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@bhbee: @Kemma: @crazydoglady: @Mrs. Champagne: @agold: @hummusgirl: @pachamama:
Thank you all for the reassurance. His weight gain has been fine as of his 9month appointment (a month ago). He's been solidly on the 80th percentile curve since 1 month. He's fussy, but that's just his personality.. :).
Once in a while, his diaper is drier than I expect, but it's always at least a little wet every 2-3 hrs.
I'm gonna ease up on the bottles. I didn't want to in the first place, but I was starting to think that him taking it was a sign he needed it. -
To me it sounds like he is doing good. Definitely an age thing for distraction. My DS is just 11 months and if I want him to nurse I take him up to my room. And he nursed better. I also notice on days he eats more solids at meals he doesn’t nurse as much.
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Just to provide another perspective: My 1yo twins would like me to be their permanent human pacifier and it is exhausting. So the eat-and-run is not necessarily terrible!
I agree with comments above that you should monitor weight, milestones and demeanor. If those are fine then at 10mo milk consumption is fine too.
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I pumped for my first and usually got 3-5 ounces. The nutrition content changed as he got bigger but not the volume. Maybe he's thirsty though with solids. I'm betting he's getting enough milk, but I'd be sure to offer water in a cup he can manage with solids!
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So I've been pumping for the past week since he's been on a nursing strike and it wasnt much at all. Only 2-3 oz combined every 3-4 hours. He'd take 6oz easily when I gave it to him in a bottle. Does it still seem like he's getting enough nursing? When I was done pumping, it felt pretty empty... I know he's supposed to be more efficient, but he can't possibly find that much more in there, right? And I know it's easier to take from a bottle (I was so worried he'd never take to the breast again after getting it so easily from a bottle for a week)... but to take that much more? Its' got me wondering if Im making enough again....
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@PurplePumps: I think that’s plenty for an 11 month old. They definitely need less due to solids - when I was pumping at work for my first, I found that even when I could pump the same as before she didn’t want that much by 10-11 months (my current baby would take any amount I’d give her though so that’s just the kid!). Many kids have dropped a nursing session by that age. I think your body is doing just fine as long as he’s eating solids ok and pedi hasn’t been concerned with growth in the past (because not all kids grow fast at this age anyway). Hugs! I think seeing the oz pumping is almost too much info.
Eta I just saw your other post about you being sick too which I forgot ... I definitely think him nursing again plus you getting better and eating better should bring supply back up a bit anyway. My supply completely tanked when I had a GI issue that kept me from eating for a few days with my son, but it did come back.
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I would guess if he's sick he might just be favoring milk over solids... and when he's better he may go back easily to more solids and less milk.
I feel like 11 months is a super grey zone age, where some kids drink lots of milk and eat limited solids, some are the opposite, and both are completely fine, just depends on the kid. My LO was very slow to take to solids and drank a lot of milk at that age (I had to supplement). I know other kids who barely took any milk by that age but ate way more solids than my LO... I didn't push it and just let him take the lead as to what he did and didn't want to eat/drink and he's always gained well. If it gives you peace of mind, I wouldn't hesitate to give a bedtime bottle after bf, but if he's otherwise happy w/o it I wouldn't worry!
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