I’ve been EBF my 4-month-old since about week 3. Before that, I was supplementing while my milk supply was established.
Lately, I feel like my supply has decreased. I don’t hear my baby gulping as much as before, and my breasts feel softer. I’ve read that this could just be my supply regulating and that milk is produced more on demand rather than being stored... but I’m still unsure.
Recently, I introduced a bottle at night because I noticed my baby seems to fall asleep more easily and stay asleep longer when I breastfeed and then supplement with a bottle as part of the bedtime routine.
Today, I also gave a bottle during the day because I felt like he might not be getting enough. I always offer the breast first so he can nurse, and so my supply doesn’t decrease further.
I’m feeling a bit unsure about how much I should actually be supplementing. When I give a bottle, I usually offer 120 ml, assuming he’s getting at least around 80 ml from breastfeeding.
One thing that’s adding to my confusion is that my baby always finishes the entire bottle I offer (usually 120 ml). That makes me feel like he’s still very hungry, even after breastfeeding.
So my questions are:
* If you were EBF but needed to supplement, how did you approach it, especially in terms of amounts?
* How did you handle what seems like the 4-month supply regulation phase?
* Did you stick with EBF even when it felt like your supply had decreased? How did you make it work?
*If my baby finishes the 120 ml bottle, should I keep giving him this amount? Or reduce it?
Thank you in advance for your input!