[noella]

My baby is now 8 weeks old we breast fed exclusively for 4 weeks but she was losing weight so at the recommendation of our paed ( and she is very pro breast feeding) we went to formula feeding. My milk supply has never been that good but I would now like to introduce more b/f then bottle now that her weight is good. So my question is is it possible after a break to get a good milk supply going again?? Many thanks.

[Sylvieng]

Originally Posted by noella

My baby is now 8 weeks old we breast fed exclusively for 4 weeks but she was losing weight so at the recommendation of our paed ( and she is very pro breast feeding) we went to formula feeding. My milk supply has never been that good but I would now like to introduce more b/f then bottle now that her weight is good. So my question is is it possible after a break to get a good milk supply going again?? Many thanks.

Hi !

Yes, of course it is possible. From what I know, you just have to put her to breast as often as possible. I guess it would be a little like when the baby goes into a growth sprout. After one or 2 days, you milk supply should meet up with the demand again ;-)

For more infos or expert advice, I would advise you to take contact with a LLL leader ;-)

[Sleuth]

The feeding process should stimulate your body to make more milk. Might have to keep some formula on hand until you build the supply back up. Pumping between feedings should also prompt the body to make more, which would be a way to catch up.
I second the need to talk with La Leche.

[joannek]

my baby is 14 mths & she's been exclusively breast fed until 1 yr old. so i speak from experience.

yes, it's possible. do put her on the breast as often as possible to stimulate milk production. drink Mother's Milk Tea (can be bought at mothercare, bumps to babes, healing plants & healthquest at citysuper, times sq). drink according to instructions. fish soup, and lots of water also helps. stimulation of the nipple is best. expressing also helps, but nothing better than baby's suck. w/ breast pump use Avent hand pump, it's the best & it doesn't hurt your nipples like electric does. do get help from Mrs Chee (my lactation consultant 94176366, leave her a message, it's always on voicemail, but she'll call u back asap (but she's out of town now, will come back next week. my baby wasn't gaining weight well at 2-3 mths, but after her help, she's 95% in weight at 6 mths. both my breast were blocked & she cleared them all for me over a period of several weeks.) meanwhile, u 'll have to mix feed until your supply is up.

do also call LLL Maggie or Sara on their hong kong website

[joannek]

& good luck, u'll be very gald you try so hard when your baby s one!!

[LLL_Sarah]

Yes it is definitely possible to return to full breastfeeding. In fact I’ve helped some mothers who have been completely formula feeding return to full breastfeeding. This does, however, take determination as it is not always an easy thing to do.

Is you baby latching on and sucking well at the breast? If you don’t understand what I’m asking watch the video clip on the site http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml called First Latch (Scroll down the page until you come to the correct video clip – it is under Latching.) At the end of this clip the baby is breastfeeding well – you can see the whole of the bottom jaw moving in big, deep, slow movements – this indicates that the baby is getting milk when he drinks.

If your baby is latching fine but not drinking that much or you are supplementing a lot – I would suggest that you feed the baby with a Supplemental Nursing System (SNS). You can find a SNS at http://www.meridianhk.com.hk/special_feeding_main.html (near the bottom of the page). This allows you to give your baby formula milk but at the breast – this means that the baby will be able to increase your milk by breastfeeding even though you don’t have a full supply yet.

Jack Newman has another video clip called Lactation Aid, under the heading Supplementing, which shows the lactation aid working. (He doesn’t hang the bottle around the mothers neck but it is usually easier to do so.). There is also a handout at http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/5.html which explains how to use a lactation aid.

If your baby isn’t latching I strongly recommend that you contact either a lactation consultant or a LLL Leader who can work with you face to face. In fact I recommend contacting someone who can help work with you as support is really very necessary in such a situation.

There is a handout which nicely explains how to go about reducing the amount of formula milk you give and increase the amount of breastfeeding at http://www.kellymom.com/store/handou...upplements.pdf. And there is a log sheet that you can fill in so that you know exactly where you are at http://www.kellymom.com/store/freeha...log-sample.pdf
These are good tools to help you because then you know exactly where you are and what is happening.

As a general rule when you are trying to increase the amount of breastfeeding and reduce formula it is easiest to put the formula on a schedule. This way you know when to give it and there is less likelihood of increasing the formula because you were worried that the baby wasn’t full.

Topping up with formula is the very worst way to supplement your baby. The message the baby gets is that if he messes about with the breastfeeding you will give him formula and so because bottle feeding is so much easier for the baby than breastfeeding he messes about. This leads to the formula increasing and the breastfeeding decreasing.

So once the formula is on a schedule you breastfeed whenever the baby is willing to feed at all other times. With luck you might be able to get two breastfeeds in between the formula feedings. Also if the baby isn’t asleep after the formula feeding you can breastfeed to settle the baby.

I really would urge you to contact someone who can give you support during this time either a lactation consultant or a LLL Leader, http://www.llli.org/HongKong.html

Best wishes,
SARAH

[LLL_Sarah]

If you want to get a Supplemental Nursing System (SNS) they are available from the Medela agent in Hong Kong.

Meridian Hong Kong Limited
Head Office
21/F., Tins Enterprises Centre, 777 Lai Chi Kok Road,
Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2328 2662 Fax: (852) 2358 0263
Email : contact@meridianhk.com.hk

And also from their retail shops Celki Home Health Care Centre
(I recommend that you print the page from the web site and take it to the shop with you – that way it is easier for the sales assistant to fully understand what you are asking for.)

Hong Kong
Causeway Bay:
Unit 2102, 21/F, Causeway Bay Plaza 1, 489 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay
Tel: 2915 3388 Fax: 2574 0168

North Point:
Shop 111, G/F, Metropole Department Store, 416-426 King's Road, North Point
Tel: 2555 9388 Fax: 2590 0955

Kowloon
Tsim Sha Tsui:
Shop G34, Tung Ying Building, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2191 9122 Fax: 2191 9199

New Territories
Sha Tin:
Shop 52D, Level 3, Shatin Centre, 2-16 Wang Pok Street, Shatin
Tel: 2692 8666 Fax: 2692 8660

Yuen Long:
G/F., 75-A2 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long
Tel: 2443 3554 Fax: 2443 3557

Tuen Mun:
Shop C-D, G/F of Atrium Block, Tuen Mun Hospital, Tsing Chung Koon Road, Tuen Mun
Tel: 2453 3686 Fax: 2453 3360

[joannek]

yes, sarah is right, it will be hard work, but i assure u, when u see your little chub chub healthy & happy & you're her/his sole nutrient supply, it's the best feeling EVER.

it's worth all the while. do come back & share your experience & get support from us. and sarah's also right about getting help face to face. it's the best emotional & physical support & it's the best thing you can give your child =)