She just doesn't like formula!

[Moley]

We have a little girl who is coming up for 5 months old now, and are having real problems getting enough milk down her. She's always been a bit on the small side on the charts, and we've never been able to get the recommended amounts into her, so we weaned her early and she loves her solids. Mum is not produced enough to exclusively breastfeed, but if we try to give our baby formula, she won't take more than 100ml in one sitting before crying, and that can be a two hour battle! We have to breastfeed her and then quickly swap to a bottle, or try to catch her when she is half asleep in order to get much formula down her at all. Often she won't drink anything.

She's actually catching up now on the weight charts, but the lack of milk is a worry. Is she getting the right nutrients? Is there anything else we can try, such as soya milk? All we get from the 'experts' is to keep persevering, to try different formulas etc, and we've done everything we can, but still she won't drink enough. She normally has 500-600ml a day, and getting that amount into her is a struggle.

She's had no problems at all with solids, she loves them, and she will usually go to the breat without problems, it's the formula-related tantrums that are grinding us down!

Help!

 

[Whisper]

We have a little girl who is coming up for 5 months old now, and are having real problems getting enough milk down her. She's always been a bit on the small side on the charts, and we've never been able to get the recommended amounts into her, so we weaned her early and she loves her solids. Mum is not produced enough to exclusively breastfeed, but if we try to give our baby formula, she won't take more than 100ml in one sitting before crying, and that can be a two hour battle! We have to breastfeed her and then quickly swap to a bottle, or try to catch her when she is half asleep in order to get much formula down her at all. Often she won't drink anything.

She's actually catching up now on the weight charts, but the lack of milk is a worry. Is she getting the right nutrients? Is there anything else we can try, such as soya milk? All we get from the 'experts' is to keep persevering, to try different formulas etc, and we've done everything we can, but still she won't drink enough. She normally has 500-600ml a day, and getting that amount into her is a struggle.

She's had no problems at all with solids, she loves them, and she will usually go to the breat without problems, it's the formula-related tantrums that are grinding us down!

Help!

What do you mean by that? Do you mean she is not making enough milk or her breasts are not large?

If it is the latter then it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference, you can also buy something called fenugreek which can help up a mums milk production.

If your LO is happy with just breastmilk and her mum is happy to feed her that way, then could you not perserve with that.....
Or if it is not an option could mum express some milk and you give to her in a bottle....if you want to give formula then you can slowly mix the breastmilk with the formula until she is totally switched over.
I am not an expert on this but i am sure someone on here can give further advice on this if you are interested.

From what you are saying it sounds like she doesn't like either the texture or taste of the formula or possibly feeding from a bottle.

Hope some of this was helpful.

 

[Moley]

She is not making enough milk - we have tried expressing and get virtually nothing! I think baby is only using the breast for comfort, and not getting much milk at all.

Mum has high blood pressure, so Fenugreek is not recommended.

We have tried giving her milk from the bottle with baby rice added and it makes no difference. She will eat baby rice if it is made up thicker from a bowl with milk, but we know it isn't an issue with the bottle itself as she will happily drink water from it! We've looked at various teats, flow rates, bottle designs etc and nothing has worked

Are there vitamin supplements available which could help make up for a lack of milk? We're not worried about her weight, just that she may not be getting the right vitamins / minerals in her diet.

Is there anything else we could try adding to the milk?

 

[creamcakes]

Hi Moley,

I am not sure re. the vitamins - but I think there are some drops that health visitors can give you, called healthy start or something??!

However, and it is a big however... I wonder why you think that your wife does not produce enough milk? Pumping yields are a notoriously unreliable measure of how much breastmilk is being produced. Some women are unable to let down into a pump. Manual or poor-quality electric pumps (even the ones that cost £80 or so) are not always very efficient at removing milk, although the hospital grade ones are generally better. Babies are much more efficient than any pump at removing milk. If the apparent yield from pumping is the only reason you have concluded that your wife's supply is low, then it may be that the supply is actually fine and your baby is taking all the milk she needs from the breast. Is your baby sucking actively, and seeming to swallow?

Sorry if I have misunderstood anything or made presumptions that I shouldn't have!

Best of luck, Lucy

 

[1st_baby]

If the bottle is not the problem and the milk supply is low mabey change the formula shes on , sometimes formulas can be too thick or too thin mabey try her on something else and see mabey soy ?

As for breastfeeding well I gave up because no matter how much LO sucked on them I never get enough milk I listened to all the advice tried everything until I got fed up and so did baby ..I breastfed till he 4 months and that was enough to build up the immune system ..

 

[HatterasSarah]

Oh my GOSH I had the same problem and I am still dealing with it right now. I breastfed my son until a couple of weeks ago, and he still wont drink milk or formula (but, he's never drank formula). My recommendation would be to mix formula with some breastmilk....make a bottle of 2/3 breastmilk and 1/3 formula. Gradually increase the formula/decrease the breastmilk, and she SHOULD do well with the transition. This did not work with my son, but it works for most people. GOOD LUCK!