Q: my daughter is 7weeks & i have only been giving her breast milk. my boyfriend wants me 2 switch her formula so he can take her overnight (he lives 1 1/2hrs away) i do pump, but not enough for him to keep her that long. since i have been back to work my milk supply is getting low, so i am gonna try fenugreek. but i do not want her on formula. he makes me feel so bad for deciding 2 breastfeed. how should i handle this? we have a long distance relationship, i have a job up here & i can't go w/him, he wants 2 take her so she can get 2 know her brother that lives down near him. he gets his son during the week & i work during the week.
A: The decision to BF your child is so positive! Good on you! You are providing her with everything she needs and bonding with her in a special way. If you feel your supply is becoming compromised, you can increase one feed per day, do switch feeding (swap sides i.e. 10mins left, right left right), drink plently of water, express after eac feed or see your Dr and they can prescribe Motillium (a drug to increase supply). There's plenty of websites to help you increase supply. lowmilksupply and kellymom I did all those things plus more and increased my supply. Also feeding at regular times each day helped my supply greatly. As for you boyfriend, if you want him to take her for longer periods you could express as much as you can and he could top her up with formula. You'll need to express at her usual feed time when you don't have her to tell your body she still needs that feed. Otherwise your supply will be all over the place. Try to ignore his comments about BF. Lots of guys feel very inadequate during the first months as there's not a lot they can do when mum is BF. You're doing a great job! 7 weeks BF is wonderful. Try expressing after a hot shower too. Best of luck.