so disappointed :(

[sorcet]

......i feel like such an idiot sometimes but im not sure what to do. Anna will be 3 mo old sunday shes around 11 lbs. Shes always been on the smaller side MD said shes growing perfectly. Shes never had anything but breast milk although its been a challenge because she will eat for an hour plus and eats at least every 3 horus. With our recent sleep problems almost everyone in my family is on me to give her formula, and put cereal in a bottle theyre convinced shes hungry. Sometimes it hink she might not be getting enough myself when i have to pump i tend to get about an ounce an hour. I dont know how much shes supposed to be eating at this point MD said 3 1/2-4 oz a feeding for a baby her size but how often and its taking her so long to eat ! shes probably stay on longer if i let her. Im so frustrated with myself im ready to give up. i feel insanely disappointed in myself like im failing. I go back to work this week and itd be nice if i could have a clue so maybe i could give my husband a clue. ugh

..

[MamaBoo]

It sounds like you are not producing enough milk. My cousin's wife had the same problem, her son would nurse for 2 hours at a time. The dr said that was not normal and she must not have enough milk. They switched to formula and he stopped eating for such extended periods of time. However, my ped recommended not starting cereal until about 4 mos. I know people try to pressure you into it, however, they're not experts. They didn't go to school and train for this. Ask your ped if cereal is appropriate at this stage. Also, you can do formula and breastmilk. That way your baby is satisfied and still getting the benefits of breastfeeding. My ped also recommended this (I produced plenty of milk, but needed more rest and this way DH could feed LO).

I know people mean well, however, I always hated when they pressured me to do something that my ped said not to. Don't feel bad because you don't take their advice. You have to do what you feel is best for your child.

[Warren Dew]

If she is growing perfectly, you are producing plenty of milk. If you get an ounce per hour, that's 24 oz per day which is about right. You don't have to pump every hour; my wife pumps every 3-4 hours at work. It sounds to me like you are doing a great job.

Newborns are supposed to nurse at least 8 times per day, so every 3 hours is exactly right. I don't think nursing for an hour out of three is that unusual, though some babies do finish up quicker. If you want to speed it up, you might go to a LaLeche league person or other nursing consultant and check to see if you can improve her latch - our first always fed very quickly, but I think it's because we worked hard to get her to latch really well. That didn't happen with our second and he chain nurses. From the standpoint of getting the right amount of milk into the baby, though, you are fine.

Don't let people push you into formula, and especially don't let them push you into cereals. Every month of breast feeding is another IQ point for the baby, among other benefits. When the time does come to start introducing solids - at 6-9 months, not 3 months - fruit is probably a better first food than cereals. In the meantime, make sure you get enough omega 3 fats in your diet so you don't have to deplete your own stores for the baby.

And again, it sounds like you are doing great so far. Good job!

[angelaezra]

I want to tell you that you need to give yourself a break! I too wanted to breast feed but it just didn’t work out because my daughter was too small to latch on in the hospital. So I had to give her a bottle in the hospital and from then on, she refused to even try it again. So I bought a pump but my milk never really fully came in.

You are a new mom, so you need to not sweat the small stuff. There are plenty on babies out there who are bottle fed and perfectly healthy, so if that turns out to be your baby, it will be ok. But, I do agree with the previous poster, that you can feed your child both but just remember if you give your child a bottle, they might resist breast feeding because bottle feeding takes a lot less muscles in the face then breast feeding. That is what happened to me!

I wish you good luck in whatever decision that you make but it is truly up to you and not everyone pressuring you!

Angela

[myc]

please dont get all stressed out! I have twins and I have been feeding them formular since they were born. I've never had enough breastmilk. My doctor told me as long as they're healthy, it doesnt matter it is formular or breaskmilk!

[Tara2009]

There is no doubt that breast milk is the best. Nothing to beat that. But if you are not producing enough milk, you could supplement with formula. Formulas are wonderful too and they are close to breast milk. I was breast feeding until my baby was three months old. Then I was not producing enough milk. So I supplemented with formula and by 6 months, she was 100% on formula. She is 13 months old now and in 90 percentile in weight.

So whatever decision you make, good luck with that.

[axine123]

Hi,

This is not the problem with the baby. Actually there is a standard diet plan for a 3 months baby and your MD should tell you that plan. If you feel that after following that diet plan, your baby still feels hungry, you can give him some supplements but only after consulting your MD. Tell your problem to MD. I think he can understand the situation well.