I need some morE supplementing advice.

[Huxley]

I have a two month old daughter and started supplementing with formula (by midwife's orders) when she was six weeks old. She gained 10 ounces in three days, then 12 ounces in a week, and then last week she gained six ounces. She started off getting just under 16 ounces of formula a day and now is around 8 to 10 ounces.

My goal is to get down to zero but I don't know how. I've been working so hard to increase my supply, but my breasts only ever feel full in the night. I'm on Domperidone and taking fenugreek and blessed thistle.

I pump as often as I can. I am a single mom and just can't pump after every feeding, but I'm pumping about twice a day and can get about an ounce.

So how do you know if you have enough of a supply to feed your baby? I have had a breast reduction so I am always afraid I am starving her, but I hate giving her formula. I'm so afraid I will stop making milk at all.

I guess this was more of a rant, but I need more support. I dont know anyone who breastfed for more than a few weeks. I wanted to breastfeed her until she was a toddler or until she wanted to stop. I don't want to stop anytime soon.

I want to know if 10 ounces a day is a lot. How much would a two month old baby eat in a day. Thanks.

[songbird516]

You know based on your baby- how content she is and how much she's gaining. It's really hard to tell once your milk supply normalizes, because your breasts might not feel full. Mine really don't, and we don't have any supply issues. It sounds like you're doing what you can right now.
if you assume 3 ounces per feeding and 10 times a day, that's 30 ounces, so 10 ounces would be 1/3 of her intake. But, that's just based on averages and may not reflect what she's taking in...

You're doing a great thing. It's hard when you don't have support or experience, so I hope that here you can get some reassurance. Keep doing what you're doing and you may be able to wean off of the formula completely, but even if not you're doing a great thing by persevering :)