Supplementing with formula
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Thank you, it is reassuring that I’m not the only one going through this dilemma! It’s so hard because my boy is so content, happy and developing well but is dropping centiles. Born on 91st and is now on the 9th! I read so much about this that just made me worry! I love breastfeeding, but would not be averse to top ups IF that was the right thing for her and I. I’ve found breastfeeding challenging because I can’t see what he drinks, so when the slow weight gain occurred it’s hard to know what the problem is! 🤦🏻♀️ I am currently pumping after each feed to see if I can just increase my supply a bit as he does sometimes go on the boob just for comfort and doesn’t feed much so thought perhaps my supply is only enough to keep him from being hungry but a little lacking for weight gain 🤷🏻♀️
Personally I think you're so close to introducing solids now, I would wait and see how he takes to that and how his weight gain changes rather than introducing top ups at this point! But that's from a point of view of it not having worked out well for me so I'm biased. You've got to do what feels right for you and baby. I really do understand the anxiety about it but if he's meeting milestones and alert and happy then you probably don't need to worry x
If your boy is well and following his centile I'd be really careful with top ups! My baby also had slow weight gain and kept dropping centiles. We started offering formula top ups after feeds, 50mls, as advised by health visitor. But she would then just breastfeed less and my supply dropped more. It became a vicious cycle and ended my breastfeeding journey and I was so heartbroken. And even now she's a formula baby she still has a tiny appetite and her weight gain is very slow! She's just not a very hungry baby and not interested in milk. We've been advised to wean early because of it. If you really want to keep breastfeeding and your baby is well and happy and no one is worried about his weight, just keep doing what you're doing.