not sure what to do

[isil]

Hi,
I'm completely unsure about what I'm doing. I feel like I'm messing my little boy up whatever I do feeding wise. Alasdair was tube fed formula on and off for 6 days after he was born. But every thing was relatively fine for a week after we got home from hospital. I was exclusively breastfeeding and only gave him formula twice. Then, yesterday he was weighed and he had been gaining but they found out he'd lost weight. There has been talk since the end of last week about the fact that I'm not eating enough and so Alasdair won't be getting enough quality milk but he'll be getting the quantity...anyway...now they've told me I have to give him 2 formula feeds a day but do the rest breast. I really don't know if we're setting ourselves up to fail with breastfeeding completely but at the same time, I don't want my little boy to suffer.

Obviously the simple solution is for me to eat more but that's easier said than done.

Do you think I'll be able to successfully combine both or is my milk supply going to die down completely? Is there anything I can do to avoid it.

What's your general opinion on what the midwife and health visitor have advised I do? It's strange because other midwives have had completely differing opinions and aargh, I just don't know what to do for him! They must think I'm such a crap mum.

anyway. rambling.
any advice or anything would be really appreciated.

 

[marley2580]

Let me just check - he's been gaining weight fine, but with this one weigh-in he'd lost a little? How does he seem in himself?

I had this issue with Kaya, she gained weight, then lost weight, then gained it again, then had stayed the same. The fact was though that she was healthy and happy in herself - she wasn't sleeping too little or too often, she wasn't crying lots, she was having lots of wet and dirty nappies. So there was nothing wrong with her, she just wasn't growing in the way that their charts said that she should.

 

[Margerle]

I agree with marley.

Look less at what baby weighs and more to what baby acts like. Is his eyes clear and bright? Does he make enough diapers? Is he generally alert and interested during awake periods? Is his poo (when on breastmilk) a healthy yellow mustard color? If so, just keep breastfeeding- babies on breastmilk gain weight very differently from formula fed babies.

As for your milk. Here's the neato thing about breastmilk. It's made quite healthy REGARDLESS of what you eat - kinda like when we were pregnant. Baby got exactly what they needed not only from the food we ate, but our own body stores of nutrients. When breastmilk is short on protien, the body doesn't just make it without protiens, it pulls from our muscles and makes the milk good for baby. You have to eat right for YOU, not really for baby at this point. (I hope this makes sense).

I'm certainly not encouraging you not to eat right, because at some point, you are going to loose your stores too, and then you both will be ill - but at this point, just hang in there and keep up with the booby juice. ESPECIALLY if you are getting conflicting information.

I especially encourage you to contact a lactation consultant in your area.

Good job mama - you're doing great - hang in there!

 

[isil]

Thank you both for your encouragement and support. He's weeing and pooing fine but the formula does seem to make a difference to his temperment and alertness. so i've fed him firmula twice today but reassuringly he's wanted a lot of breast too. i'm seeing a different midwife tomorrow so i'll ask her what she thinks.

I think it is made to seem a bit worse at the moment because he is going through a growth spurt (like he's just fed from me for 3 hrs in 4 hrs and had a formula feed). I just wish they'd weigh him every week as opposed to every 2 days like they're insisting.

anyway, thanks again xxx

 

[sam's mum]

Great advice from marley and Marg!

Sam had a couple of weeks where he gained hardly anything, and they suggested I started supplementing with formula. He always seemed content after feeds, slept all night, lots of wet and dirty nappies etc but I was so worried. I joined this forum and thanks to everyone here I stopped panicking so much, just carried on breastfeeding him whenever he was hungry, and took him back to be weighed a week later - and he was absolutely fine (and still is at 5 months).

As long as he seems happy, give it a couple of weeks without stressing about it and see how his weight is doing then - sounds like you're doing great. If you're finding it hard to eat much, just try to eat a balanced diet (for you - as Marg said, all the goodness will be going into your milk anyway, but it does drain lots of your energy when you're breastfeeding) x

 

[ryder]

Babies grow very quickly, especially premie babies and they need alot of food. Which is why health professionals worry when a baby that young begins to lose weight.

Its true that breast milk is healthy, but lets face it... Whatever you eat is what baby is getting to eat. You likely need more carbs and protein, along with everything else you should be eating... If your body is lacking, your breastmilk will be lacking making your baby lack in nutrients...

I dont know if you guys have a food guide where you live, but that should give you an idea of where to start. Canada has one, im sure you must have something.

There is also no reason why you cannot supplement with formula. Many people do it successfully. You can also express breast milk in bettween feedings which would encourage you to keep producing even though your also bottlefeeding... Plus you can mix your breastmilk with formula.

There are lots of options, you will find what works best for you.

My opinion on health advisors and midwives? Well they are the ones who are specially trained who have been to school. They only want what is best for you and the baby, sometimes it is hard hearing some things.

 

[Carley]

Even formula fed babies can lose weight too, I think weighing him every 2 days!!!

I second Margerle!

 

[Margerle]

My opinion on health advisors and midwives? Well they are the ones who are specially trained who have been to school. They only want what is best for you and the baby, sometimes it is hard hearing some things.

What does one do when the 'health advisors' give conflicting advise as they have done for bethanylee?

And NO, a woman's diet has little to do with the short-term content of her milk again, if anything it affects MOM's health, not the milk she makes for her infant.

https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html

 

[isil]

well after randomly being discharged from the midwives today (seriously, they come in all guns blazing and the next minute they're discharging me?!?!) I've decided to just do what feels right. I think that's going to be mostly breastfeeding. I certainly won't be giving him the 2-3 whole formula feeds like they've said I should. I think I'll top him up if I feel he hasn't got enough from me but generally I think things are settling down.

thank you for all the advice and different perspectives too x

-oh and what a joke - they weighed him today and he'd put on 200g in 2 days so after the initial loss he's totally made it up and I think he probably would've made it up without the formula. *Grumbles about midwives...*

 

[Carley]

If you follow your gut, you'll know what's best for Alasdair