Baby too full after formula supplementation

My little daughter (6 days old) lost around 12% of her birth weight since the initial breast feeding was not as easy as expected and it has taken me a couple of days to produce enough milk for her (yesterday it was around 25-30ml per feed). The doctors were not concerned about her since she was otherwise healthy and attentive when awake. The midwives nevertheless recommended to supplement my current breast milk with around 55ml of formula which we have started yesterday. Since then she is constantly very sleepy and misses her usual feeding times (prior to formula she was very consistently hungry every 2.5-3h). Waking her up for feeding is now also very difficult and she seems stuffed already when starting to feed her. Like she’s constantly milk-drunk. She is definitely not enjoying it. Has anyone else had similar issues when they added formula and increased the feeding volume (by more than double!)? I am wondering if this will pass after a few more days or whether we need a better recommendation by the midwives that suits my baby rather than some standardised guidelines.

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At the end of the day it’s a recommendation. Use your instinct but just ensure baby is getting enough. If you don’t feel it’s working for you then absolutely speak to the midwives, that’s what they’re there for, to support you!

I'd go with baby. It was suggested I gave my baby 60mls but she only wanted 30 but they kept pushing. She got there a few weeks later and was gaining. Go with what your baby wants if they don't need as much you can give them less. If you want to breast feed it might be worth dropping a bit so they they're hungry for your milk. Formula last longer so they can easily go 4 hours but for breast it's anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours

Hi, congratulations on the birth of your little girl. Have you spoken to anyone from the infant feeding team they may be able to help with establishing breastfeeding and recommend amounts of formula. The more baby can latch to the breast the more your milk supply with grow. It’s recommended to breastfeed newborns 8-12 times a day. There is something called a supplemental nursing system which is a tube that can deliver formula to baby while they are latched to the breast which may help with supplementing but still stimulating your own milk supply There is the national breastfeeding helpline you can ring aswell if you want to ask any questions or feel you need more support 0300 100 0212

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