Quote Originally Posted by limewave View Post
When I don't supplement, he's hungry. Very hungry. So I'm finding that I am still having to supplement with every feeding. I'm pumping after I nurse him to try and build my milk supply--but it doesn't seem to be working.
If he's really hungry he will nurse harder and more frequently, and that will pretty quickly stimulate your milk supply. if you are giving him formula with every feeding he's not going to nurse very hard and your milk supply will start to dwindle. It's sort of like: however much formula you feed him, that's how much less milk your breast are going to make. Your breasts will start to adapt within just a few hours if they sense more need for milk and a stronger sucking, hungrier baby.
Babies who get formula after breastfeeding learn that if they give up on the breast after a minute and start crying, they quickly get the bottle and they'll get more food faster without having to work for it much.