Why formula top ups are a dumbass suggestion!

It is quite common here in the UK & I believe the same goes for the USA, that when a HPC see's a breastfed baby that has not gained sufficient weight or even lost weight, to suggest formula top ups. Now, I can already hear the jeers but please, bear with me. I am coming at this, not only from a very good understanding of the mechanics of lactation & breastfeeding, but also having first hand experience of the dreaded 'failure to thrive' aka FTT. BOTH my children were FTT. Both were breastfed. My first lost 10% of her birth weight but by day 3 of being earth side, we had cracked feeding. However, we were virtually frog marched up to hospital & we were told, in no uncertain terms that our baby must have formula top ups to "get her weight up". Now, I was a first time mum & I didn't know any better. I had no understanding of the Virgin gut, nor of the negative impact of introducing a bottle or artificial milk. Therefore, my baby had about 50mls, over 12 hours of artificial milk. It wasn't a lot & the reason it wasn't was because we had established breastfeeding. Thank God! She continued to gain weight well. So my first experience wasn't drastic. My mind however felt that something was amiss. Why would nature get it wrong? Why would a baby not gain enough nutrition from their species specific milk? Why would they need an artificial substitute that will only give a temporary, artificial gain? What if there was no alternative? All these questions I had led me to the internet. I started reading, and reading and reading. I read about the Virgin gut, I read about the mechanics of Lactation & breastfeeding and I researched the ins an outs of human milk, its production & it's positive impact on human life & about how there is no nutritional difference between the different brands of formulas, by law. By the time my next child arrived, I was armed & ready.... The HCP's however weren't & weren't willing to listen. After failing to repeatedly listen to me, requesting for some help, we ended up being admitted to hospital. So much misinformation, lies, threats. It was a truly awful time. The use of artificial milk to top up breastfed babies is so wrongly ingrained into the psyche, no one can reason with those who religiously & nonsensically stand by it. Look at it this way; you have a pet who can only eat 1 specific type of food, it is the only food the pet tolerates & contains all the right ingredients for them to survive. The pet is losing weight & the vet knows that the only food the pet can tolerate is what it's already on. So, what does the owner do? They can't supplement the pet as there is nothing else it can tolerate.... There isn't much choice. All you can do is increase frequency & volume of feeds. The same goes for a breastfed infant, more importantly, the mother has to want to breastfeed above all else. If the drive isn't there, the motivation won't be there. To increase the volume of feeds, you need to feed. Only frequently emptied breasts produce milk to the level your baby needs. It's not so much the duration of a feed, more the frequency at which feeds occur. Instead of forcing your baby to go every 3-4 hours between feeds, let them feed when they NEED to! You can get up & get a drink/snack/chocolate when you want it, why do we not allow babies the same luxury? You wouldn't let your toddler or your dog go hungry/thirsty would you? Why force a baby into an unrealistic feeding pattern. If you allow them to set their place, you will see they naturally start to space out their feeds. If you feel you must top up, seek a IBCLC. These people are specifically trained in human Lactation, unlike midwives, doctors & health visitors, & are a wealth of knowledge. In many cases, topping up, especially with formula is not necessary & is counter productive. You end up inadvertently overstretching your babies tummy which means they require more milk. Your supply doesn't catch up, because of the lack of feeding from you & so you end up with an evil cycle of lack of supply, top up & hungry baby. I find it a bit infuriating that HCP's are still advising this ridiculous outdated advice. The logic of an artificial milk top up is stupid & frankly foolish. Why are HCP's not suggesting increasing feeds? Pumping between feeds? Doing things that will increase the supply? I still do not get it. Expressing is not & never will be a true indication of production. There are women who can pump very little yet feed their babies just fine. The stimulation of expressing though, is helpful, if you think your supply is down. The worst thing you can do if you have a baby with FTT is to limit feeds. Allow your baby unlimited access to the breast, feeding when they feel they need to, not when you believe a clock/book/HV/midwife/doctor tells you when you feed your baby. They are a human, not a robot. If you want to express & use your milk to top up, use breast stimulation before each lumping session, express one side while baby feeds, double pump, express frequently, every 2-3 hours. Expressing/feeding at night is good as the prolactin (milk making hormone) levels are at their highest. There are ways to avoid formula top ups if you so wish. The most important thing is to find an IBCLC, someone who knows what they are talking about. www.kellymom.com is a fantastic site, known as the breastfeeding bible. Dr Jack Newman has been working in this field for years. The anytical armadillo is another blogger & is an IBCLC. Check them out.