Breast Feeding / Formula / Milk FAQs

Archived Breast Feeding / Formula / Milk FAQ's

• I have a 1 month old that is being breast feed right now and my milk is starting to slow down... I can't decide if I need to put her on formula or just keep trying with the breast. NEW!
  
• When should we introduce water to a baby and how much, is well water okay? NEW!
  
• How do we increase the time between feedings? It is just very difficult to get anything done or take them anywhere because they are demanding to be fed during the day and if they don't get fed, they are fussy. Suggestions? NEW!
  
• The other day while nursing I had horrible pain. Please help, this hurts. NEW!
  

I have a 1 month old that is being breast feed right now and my milk is starting to slow down, although some days my milk comes back and is flowing like wine. My baby feeds often and sometimes for 45 minutes to an hour. I can't decide if I need to put her on formula or just keep trying with the breast. Please let me know what I should do. Should I give her formula to make her satisfied because she is not staying satisfied?

When a child feeds very frequently, it may mean a number of different things. The most common one is that there is a temporary imbalance between what she wants and what your milk supply can give. Many people call this a "growth spurt". Periodically, the number of calories she needs will increase, and by feeding more frequently, she tells your body to make more milk each day. Usually a growth spurt is over in 2-3 days. If her frequent feeding continues longer than this, the next step is to weigh her at the doctor's office. If she is gaining weight nicely, you know she is getting plenty of milk. (If she is not gaining well, then she may need a supplement, but first talk this over with your child's doctor.)

Feeding for 45 minutes is usually due to the fact that your child enjoys the pleasure of sucking and probably is not related to how much milk she is getting. If you would like, try this experiment: after nursing for about 20-25 minutes, end the feeding. See if she will be satisfied sucking on your finger or a pacifier. If she is satisfied, all she wants is to enjoy the pleasure of sucking.
 

When should we introduce water to a baby and how much, is well water okay? My 7 month old is having a bit of trouble eating foods that require him to
"chew". He eats stage 2 baby foods just fine. Is there anything wrong with waiting until he's a few months older to give him foods that are in pieces that he needs to chew?

Giving water to an infant is seldom necessary. Eight ounces of breast milk or of formula contains about 7 ounces of water. (When formula is made from powder, we add a small amount of powder to a lot of water.) So if a baby drinks his/her usual amount of breast milk or formula, he/she receives more than enough water. Supplemental water is not needed.

After a year of age, drinking cow's milk is the best beverage, but if another beverage is desired, you can use juice or water. Avoid excessive amounts of water or juice, because this can interfere with your child's appetite.
 

How do we increase the time between feedings? We have b/g twins (3 months and 2 days). They are eating 4-6 oz every 2.5-3 hours during the day. They are sleeping great through the night. Usually they are asleep by 9:30 p.m. and sleep until 3:30 at the earliest but most likely sleep until 5:00 a.m. It is just very difficult to get anything done or take them anywhere because they are demanding to be fed during the day and if they don't get fed, they are fussy. Suggestions?

Hi. While it is perfectly alright to let infants at 3 months of age feed on a demand schedule, many parents would like the predictability of a schedule and the extra time between feeds. Some pediatricians favor the "cold turkey" approach (set your schedule and just don't feed the twins until it is feeding time on the new schedule). Personally, I like to change the schedule gradually. In this method, whenever one of the twins gets hungry before the next scheduled feeding, you would try to get him to wait (without crying) as long as you can by entertaining him/her, hugging, or even by giving water in a bottle. If you continue to put off each early feeding by 10 - 15 minutes, you will soon reach the point wherein they can wait the full interval you desire between feeds.
 

My daughter is 8 1/2months old. The other day while nursing I had horrible pain. I thought it could be thrush, but now I am not sure. I noticed two small cuts on my areola and tonight I was in so much pain while nursing I was in tears and I had to pull my daughter off and found that one of the cuts was bleeding. It feels like she is biting me, but I know she is sucking and I hear her swallow. Please help, this hurts.

The scenario you are describing is pain from sore nipples/ cuts in the skin of the nipple. The cause of this condition is trauma from your daughter's sucking. If she does have teeth, she may be biting you. (If this is the case, immediately stop the nursing when she bites, tell her sternly "No biting!", and resume nursing. Do this each time she bites and she will soon stop. Another cause of sore nipples is one due to the position of the infant. If the child is pulling on the nipple or sucking with her head angled up, down, or to the side, it can result in soreness and pain. If the child gets a few drops of blood in the breast milk, it is harmless except in the unusual situation where the mother has an infection spread by blood, such as hepatitis B or C, or HIV/AIDS. Occasionally, a child who has swallowed milk and some blood, spits up the milk and there is blood in it. The blood is the swallowed blood from your breast.
 

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