[Buckeroo]

My second baby had severe jaundice (where they got blood from me just in case we had to have a blood transfusion) and I had to supplement with formula while she was at the hospital, but the nurses were given instructions to feed only with a cup or a Haberman feeder. I was there at the hospital during feeding times to b'feed directly and then at home I would pump some more, but at the early days, it wasn't enough. When we got her back home, I went back to b'feeding exclusively --feeding on demand --at least every two hours (12x a day). Because I was b'feeding, it did take a while for the bilirubin level to get back to normal levels (over 1.5 months) and she looked yellow for quite some time, but regular check ups showed that she was out of the "danger" zone and that she was gaining quite steadily.

She's 11 months now and I'm still b'feeding exclusively. My supply went down a few months ago because I was hospitalized, but with the help of fenugreek capsules, I'm able to get back on track. Like what Sarah said, best way to build up the supply is to get the baby to directly b'feed more.

With my first one, new mom and all, I very quickly supplemented with formula; I wish I had "trusted" more that my supply would build up by directly b'feeding, because it really works, as I found out with my second one. It's hard to tell how much baby is getting if one b'feeds directly and as a new mom it was easy to second-guess and err on the side of caution (esp. if you have well-meaning family members around you telling you each time the baby is crying that she's hungry!).

Sorry for the long post... but good luck. Check with a lactation consultant or attend one of the LLL meetings/tea breaks. Not only will you get expert advice, but you will also get the support (very important!) you need to keep breastfeeding.