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No you aren't a bad mom. Do you have a breast pump. Have you tried pumping when you give him a bottle. Maybe this will get your supply back up if it doesn't you nursed him for three months. I am sure there are moms out there that started formula at three months when they went back to work. I know that my mother only gave me formula because she was on a medication when wouldn't allow her to breast feed me and I turnd out Ijust fine ( I was a chemist before I decided I wanted to be a full time mom!)

Forgot my grandmother who breastfeed four childred told that every time I wanted to breast feed my little one I should have a large glass of water and I should drink that water while I feed her. Maybe the extra fluids will help. You could also try call a lactation consultant... if you can afford one.

The more they suck, the more milk your body will produce. It's that easy. I agree with Tina, try pumping between feedings for a few days and that should help. Feeding on demand is the best way to keep up youur supply. Don't feel bad about anything you've done. Even one meal of breast milk per day is highly beneficial to your baby. Good luck and hang in there.

Also, there is a tea called Mothers Milk, you can find it at Sun Harvest, Whole Foods, maybe also at GNC - I haven't used it but I have heard it is good to help your milk supply.

if you don't want mean answers (not that i'm going to give one) then you shouldn't open yourself up to them by asking, "Am I a bad mom?...I'm not doing the best for my son..."

Based on my experience: 1. DON'T GIVE UP! This breastfeeding stuff is a whole lot more difficult than people may think. 2. Try not to stress - the minute I start stressing, my milk volume drops. 3. Drink LOTS of water. Every time I don't, I dry up. 4. Pump if you can, express if you can, whatever you can to increase the milk. Your body only keeps up with what is used. Try diminishing the amount of formula you give him, so he'll suck more.

I believe she said she FEELS like she isn't doing the best for her son... and simply needed some encouragment and reassurance. And if you can't offer one of the two, how about not post at all?

Well I don't think anyone wants mean answers. I am going through a frustrating situation and I just wanted some supportive advice like Tina and Trac gave me. The reason I said "no mean answers please" is to give people like you a hint to NOT REPLY. If you have something shitty to say maybe just hold it in? When someone feels like they made a mistake and acknowledges it is it really necessary to say what you said? I doubt you will even come back to read this but I can't believe some people are so rude!!

I am just curious as to why you gave formula when your son was having a growth spurt? ( I am not being mean...I seriously would like to know ). I dont think your a bad mom. I read that the more they suck..the more you produce. Atleast you haven't given up !!!!

Thailiya--My son was born a little early (37 weeks) and we had a lot of trouble getting him to latch on. He has never been a really good nurser and I have always had to pump in between feedings. During his 2nd growth spurt at 2 months, I was nursing pretty much constantly and he was pulling away and crying and screaming. I had some sample formula and I used it because I felt horrible letting him cry and he was laready used to bottles. The formula filled him up and he seemed more content than he had since being born. My milk supply has been a huge struggle for me this whole time and formula has really been helpful, but emotionally I hate not being able to exclusively bf. I get really sad sometimes and cry and I try to nurse and he gets really frustrated and upset. Especially since I am a stay-at-home mom and with him all day long, I feel like I should be exclusively bf'ing.

Also...sorry to be so long-winded...but when I refer to mean answers I am talking about some women on here that attack formula-using moms as if they are bad parents. I don't want to seem over-sensitive or paranoid or something I just already feel bad enough without needless rude comments. And btw thank you everybody who replies to this question I really appreciate it!

Kam, I congratulate you on wanting what is best for your son. I totally understand where you are coming from about not wanting rude answers. There are some pretty hard core fanatics out there who refuse to see that each child is different and that we, as parents, try our best to do our best. Any amount of milk you can give him is worth it. I had the same problem with my baby being born small and I had to supplement with formula at the beginning. I hated it doing it but she was dehydrated and needed to put on weight. Anyways, what really helped bring my milk supply in was being able to pump between feedings. If you can get a pump it might really help you. I know that you can rent pumps at my local hospital. Good luck, hon. You are doing the best you can, and you are doing great!

I did exactly the same as you - I think I started supplementing at about 4 months (I lost confidence that he was getting enough from me) and from then on it was a downhill battle. My bub kept refusing feeds and I tried to feed him morning and night, but eventually he totally refused the night feed - screamed and pushed away from me until I gave him a bottle, and then I kept going with the morning feed but one day he just would not take that either. I think that there just was not enough there for him to bother trying to drink it. I tried expressing and pumping to build the supply back up, and took fenugreek tablets which are supposed to help also (they didn't help) and at 6 months he finished breastfeeding totally, and from that day he has never once tried to feed from me - EVER! I felt really guilty and emotional and like a total failure, because although I didn't really enjoy breastfeeding i would have liked him to continue with at least one or two feeds a day for a few more months. But now he is so totally happy - he loves his solids and happily takes formula and is really healthy, so I guess that he got a good start. So maybe that's how you should think as well - you gave your baby a good start and are lucky to be still feeding him at all - even once a day is better than nothing!

Emy and jg thank you so much for the support I am trying not to be so worried about this, my son is healthy and thriving so I guess everything is fine. Thanks again

Kam, you are not a bad mom. If your son is thriving on breast milk, formula, or a combination of both, then you are a great mom! My son's doctor has told me that a lot of babies have trouble with breastfeeding and as long as you continue to make the best choices for you, your baby will be a happy baby!!

"thailiya | Date: February 14, 2006, 15:00
Answer: I am just curious as to why you gave formula when your son was having a growth spurt? ( I am not being mean...I seriously would like to know ). I dont think your a bad mom. I read that the more they suck..the more you produce. Atleast you haven't given up !!!!" I can't answer for "KAM", but I'm breastfeeding and giving one 2-3oz bottle of formula a day. I started durning a growth spurt.... after nine hours of hearing him cry and becoming increasingly more frustrated I gave in. Yes, the more you nurse, the more milk you make. It's supply and demand. However, that doesn't help them at the present time. Some babies will wait it out, others won't. My first would happily...my new son wasn't so happy with the wait. I continued with the bottle because I know other growth spurts are going to happen and this way I'm prepared. It's sad, but at least he's happy. My milk production wasn't affected thankfully. It might be because I nurse him right before and after the daily **one** 2-3oz bottle.