We have had about a million issues with breast feeding in the past three and a half months.
Between the tongue & lip tie, the dairy issues, the reflux, minimal pumping output etc. it has been quite the journey so far.
I have not been able to pump enough for Aleesia to have while I am at work.
Which is sort of stressful for me. And discouraging. But I just keep trying. And we breastfeed when I am home.
I feed her in the morning and when I am home at night/on the weekends. So that is fine and seems to be working okay.
We put her on Alimentum as a supplement and try to give her 1/2 and 1/2 bottles. Which generally makes her reflux & spitting up worse and if she has to have a full formula bottle, it’s worse than that.
My problem is I feel like I have no handle on how much she is eating, when she is eating, how she is doing etc. Mike gives me the 10,000 foot overview during the day which is fine and I know he is doing a great job taking care of her.
I just feel like I need to be more in control of things for some reason. I don’t know if it’s because I am so tuned in to her slow weight gain (even though it’s okay, she’s allowed to be tiny!) and the other issues she has had or if I am just being all mama bear for no real reason.
But not being the one at home, I am feeling a little lost at how to stay in “control” and make sure Aleesia is getting all she needs. The most important thing is that we feed the baby, however we have to do that.
I am working on increasing my supply, but at this point it feels like I am spinning my wheels. I do everything that “they” suggest and still I can’t pump more than 2.5-3 oz at a time max (that’s double pumping too!) - but typical for me is just about 2 ounces.
I would love to hear how others navigated a breastfed/formula fed relationship because that is where we are at right now.
First of all, you know that breastfed babies tend to gain weight more slowly than formula-fed ones, right? So remove that from your list of worries!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine it must be a big shift if, with Gianna, you were able to measure everything.
I am doing basically what you're doing - I pump what I can while I'm at work. C probably gets formula a few times a week, other times I make enough. I pump about 7 ounces each day, she normally drinks about 8. If she takes a long nap on the weekends, I'll pump then to catch up a bit. But really, I think you may just have to accept that if you want to continue BFing, you're not going to be able to measure! If you feel the let-down (milk ejection), if you hear/feel Aleesia swallowing, you're doing fine.
It is so hard to feel out of control.
ReplyDeleteWith Miss O., I fed her much like you are feeding Miss A. now. When I was with her, she nursed. When I was at work she got formula.
I pumped for about 5 weeks after returning to work, but never really got more than 2-3 oz tops.
As long as she seems happy & content, (and has some gain, on HER curve), you are doing just fine! Just because you're not getting much when pumping does NOT mean she's not getting enough when she nurses. Babies are way more efficient than a machine at getting milk.
You're doing great, Momma! Hang in there! ((HUGS))