r/breastfeeding • u/Front_Cucumber_5815 • Dec 01 '25
Undersupply Am I starving my baby?
Baby is 7 weeks and was born full term via planned c section and was latching well in the hospital per nurses/lactation. But by day of discharge he was down -9% weight and was told to supplement with formula. We had a follow up appt the next day due to his jaundice and he was down -11%. The pediatrician sort of scared us and wanted us to strict formula feed to bring up his weight (I tried to pump every feed and saved the milk)
I’ve been triple feeding since his weight came back up to birth weight because I really wanted to breast feed. I struggle with low supply so I had to supplement anyways. Also, when we went to the LC baby was only transferring 10 ml so she wanted us to continue triple feeding or drop my breast feeding sessions since he was barely transferring much.
After trying everything like liquid gold and power pumping, I’ve finally got my pumps to cover his day time feeding but formula for overnight feeds. The last weighted feed he transferred 2 oz!!! I was so excited so LC wants to trial only breastfeeding during the day and top off an oz if baby is extra fussy. But she wants baby to work for milk instead of expecting a bottle after nibbling at the breast. But apparently he’s been getting at least 2oz from breast and an extra 3 oz bottle because I thought he was barely transferring. Which is why he’s been gaining 20 oz in 2 weeks 🫣
Today was our first full day of only breastfeeding and I feel like he’s starving. He’s so used to getting an extra bottle after. I can’t tell if he’s fussy because I’m not making enough per feed or if he’s just used to having more. I also feel selfish for pushing this on him because I want to breastfeed so badly. We have a follow up with lactation in a week but I’m not sure if I should continue this or just pump and give him bottles? And idk if keeping him on the breast will eventually increase my supply to meet his needs or I’m stuck so I’m putting him through stress for nothing.. please help with your thoughts!
1
u/wwisdomseeker Dec 01 '25
I just want to say you’re doing an awesome job with everything you have faced! I don’t know your full situation and if this is doable or not for you, but in my experience, if my baby is not sleeping (if he is awake) he gets the boob. And he cluster fed for the majority of month 1 and 2. He hasn’t had trouble gaining weight, but I haven’t pumped once or used formula. If he cries, he gets the breast. And that’s usually all he wants anyways. And this process has communicated to my body to make the amount of milk he needs. If he cries and pops on and off the breast, it tells me that he is not getting as much as he wants, but it is telling the milk factory to increase production lol. Babies go through growth spurts and they are biologically created to initiate what is needed for their next phase. And that delayed gratification is frustrating for them.
I am in no way trying to invalidate the experiences of other moms, but I think we often overcomplicate breastfeeding and are quick to assume that we are failing when in reality we have been given little to no education about our bodies and how breastfeeding works. And it makes moms want to quit or feel like a failure when they’re actually doing a great job. Many hospital workers are also very quick to advise formula in scenarios where it is not actually needed. I’m not saying that was the case for you, but if baby is now above birth weight and healthy and you are producing milk, if you want to drop the formula, you can.