Milk Supply Decreasing and Baby Won't Take Formula

JS:

Why do you feel it is necessary to giver her formula or cows milk...

As I have said often on this list we need fluid for hydration... water is fine and food for nutrition.

Is it possible that she is waking for other reasons?

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

I've been reading a book called Mother-Daughter Wisdom by Dr. Christine Northrup, OB/GYN and she states not to give cow's milk until after the age of one, kids most likely will develop cow's milk allergies if given too early. (IT is a wonderful book and highly recommend it). I don't plan on giving my daughter cow's milk, instead I am giving her rice milk with some coconut oil mixed into it for the good fat. Coconut oil is used in most baby formulas and the fat lauric acid is also found in breastmilk. You have to trust your instincts and what is comfortable for you too. She most likely is getting up at night for comfort nursing, my peditrician said that once they double their birth weight and reach 6m, they should be sleeping through the night unless they are underweight or have fallen off of their growth curve.

At this point she is probably ready for whole milk. I didn't start my daughter on whole milk until 12 months, but I'm pretty sure it would be okay. You should call your pediatrician and ask for sure. If they say no, find out why. I have friends who have started there kids on whole milk before a year.

You should try to increase your milk flow first. Try rice water (Horchata) they sell it in the mexican resturant's. I am breastfeeding and this is what I drink when my milk sypply is low, it fills me up allot. Also I have a co worker who's mother gave her 2% milk at 6 months of age. She did the same with her two kids and they are and look very healthy. You should ask your doctor and then try it Good Luck :)

My milk supply began to decrease when my son was about 9 months. It was so low by 10 months that I started him on whole milk because he would not take formula. I started him with an ounce at a time so I could see how he reacted to it. He absolutely loved it. I never warmed it and he drank it cold which saved a alot of time and crying. By the time he was up to a full cup of whole milk my milk was gone. My son is a perfectly healthy 4 1/2 year old who loves drinking cold whole milk. By the way, I have a friend that started her son on whole milk at 6 months old and he is a perfectly healthy 13 year old.

Try Rice Dream which is rice "milk." No harm because it's not dairy and it is fortified. It tastes very similar to breast milk as it has a sweet taste to it. I know that the caloric content is similar but it obviously won't have the nutrition of breastmilk. Check with your pediatrition about a nutritional supplement that perhaps you can mix in the rice milk...?

Will she take breast milk (pumped) from a bottle? Maybe you can try that and get her used to the bottle. Plus, the added pumpings may help increase your supply.

Also, different formula has different taste. The premixed formula (most expensive) tasted the closest to my breast milk. Maybe you can try different formulas.

Just some ideas.

I'd try either goat's milk or cow's milk. But if you introduce these watch for diaper rash as the acids in her system may change. I nursed my daughter successfully for 141/2 months. I ended up going to goat's milk with 1/2 tsp.ovaltine in it to get her to drink it! I hated to introduce her to chocolate that early but I was concerned about her getting the nutrients she needed. Momma's milk is sweet to baby. Try pushing alot of fluids as now you have 2 babies who are taking from you. Oats, lettuce, barley or malted milk may help your milk production. And the more I nursed I remembered to drink a big glass of something everytime! That's the best I can remember. Good luck!

Hello JS,
Oh I felt so sad reading your letter. To hear your baby crying and you can't help is hurtful to moms. Well I breastfed also, although not quite as long. When I weaned my son I found that Carnation Good Start was what he preferred. You were right by saying formula is awful tasting because it is. Carnation Good Start is sweet just like breast milk. I don't know if you've ever tasted breast milk,I tasted mine and it's like sugar(LOL). It is also lighter on the stomach than formula and less staining during spit ups. You might want to start off half and half and slowly decrease breast milk as she gets used to it. Good Luck

I second the advice of using a supplemental nursing system (SNS). I would use the pre-mixed Carnation Good Start. IME, my bf baby took this formula the best the few times we had to supplement. The pre-mixed will flow through the tubing better. This way she will continue to stimulate your breasts, but still get a bit extra.

Consider contacting Materna Wellborn in downtown Algonquin. They may have the SNS and the LC's there will be able to show you how to use it. Here is their website: http://www.maternawellborn.com/products.html

Hi there! I am a mother of a six month old boy named Charlie and experienced a decreased milk supply from the very beginning. An herbal suppliment that was VERY helpful to me is called Fenugreek. There is also a tea called Mothers Tea that is used a lot, it has a wierd taste though. Without the fenugreek, I would have never been able to nurse Charlie for the last six months. I have recently had to stop nursing for medical problems with Charlie, but I could really tell on days that I forgot to take it first thing. You can get it at most all health food stores. Try it, for me my milk supply doubled within 36 hours!
A little about me: A SAHM of a wonderful blessing from God and daycare provider

Have you thought about using a SNS (suplemental nursing system) I know that Medela makes one for about 60 dollars. It allows you to give formula at the breast and may allow you to keep some your milk supply.

I had a friend who used one with her baby when she adopted. She actually began producing breastmilk while using the SNS. I know that with many adoptive moms the SNS stimilates milk production even if they have never nursed before. It may allow you continue milk production, she will still have the experience of nursing and she may respond better to the mix of formula and breastmilk.

Just an idea. Good luck with your daughter and the baby on the way.

i add coconut, almond,rice, or soy milk for better taste and as long as i switch it up, works like a charm. even goats milk, but ugh i just cant do the goats milk myself...cows milk in general is not that healthy, plus cocunut and almond have more calcium. (just research if your interested in alternative milk)

with my first i ran out of milk at 5 months and the transition was not as difficult as not my 11 month old is.... i am so proud of breastfeeding and i love it. ...like innocent love making. If you are interested in increasing your milk i can tell you what works for me.. i have a homeopathic doctor i work with who is great. but im not saying what works for me is right for you.
fenegreek makes us gassy so i use it one day a weeks 3x's aday
blessed thistle 3 caps 3 x's a day for 3 weeks then 1 week off
on the week off switch up with
red raspberry leaf 3 caps 3 x's a day
red clover (leaves and blossom) 2 caps 3 x's a day
fennel 1 cap 3 x's a day
goats rue 1 tsp 3 x's aday
avoid sugar caffeine and strenuous dehydrating activities
add more oats and green to your diet daily
have to drink water to have something to turn into milk
after feedings pump for 5 min more on each side even if its only drops it will increase within days, its all supply and demand
have worked for 11 months, once it is established well i get off of everything and start over when i need a bump

i understand how important breastfeeding is, but my advice is have the bottle.cup and option. cause mama having 2 kids is a challenge and my 11 month old is proudly breastfed and now weaning, but wow what a sacrifice. i mean the more i do, just living, it gets low and its..... well somedays i just wish i could sit with her on the couch and watch her drink on her own like my first. give me alittle break. and whoa it is even more difficult to wean the older they get.

i wish you all the luck with your new love.....i hope that helps

Hi J S,

There is a natural milk producing herbal supplement called fenugreek that you called by at any health food store. You must follow the directions explicitly for it to work. I used it when I went back to work after my second daughter and my milk supply had decreased. It does work but you must take 3 huge pills, three times a day, and try to pump or nurse every 2hrs (even throughout the night) to really get your milk supply back to flowing. There is another called "mothers milk" or "milk seed" but the fenugreek worked for me.
N wilson

Try a different formula. My kids would only drink similac. My friends kids would only drink carnation. Have you tried the formula in the sippy cup?

This is a little less modern of an idea but you may want to consider it, goat's milk. You can only find it in very few places like Whole Foods and Trader Joes but it's what people used to use decades, even longer I'm sure, ago when a mother's milk or another mother's milk was not available. Back then they had no other option and cow's milk can be very hard to digest. It's a natural product and what are you going to do, keep feeding her table food in the middle of the night? Perhaps Google it and see what comes up. I know there are farms in the area that actually raise natural goats specifically for this purpose. I've met a couple of mothers who've had something similar happen, for one reason or another, and didn't want to use formula so they went the old fashioned way with this. Sounds crazy but if she won't take formula, it could be worth a shot for you. She's getting her fluids with the water but she needs fat for development and growth.

Best wishes!
S.