starting again at 17 weeks long but help needed...

[FierceAngel]

so my bfing journey has been on and off...

wen luisa was born she would not latch on full stop she was jaundice and not feeding so i had to introduce bottles of ebm..

i exclusivly expressed for near 4 weeks (thoiugh she had some formula the odd bottle wen out and hadnt expressed anf for days 3 and 4 wen i was waiting for my milk toi come in...

my milk dried up and it was taking an hoiur to get 2ozs so i stopped...

she was formula fed from 4 weeks to 16 weeks we had a couple of attempts were she tried to latch her self on! but couldnt because i was on ocp and anti deppressants for my pnd...

so now she is bigger i thought id give it another go.. came off pills and just tried latching she got on straight away but becomes very frustrated after say 10 mins max

im currenltly letting her latch on a couple of times a day.. before bed and before naps..

im not replacing her bottles with it as i dont know how much she is getting...

to throw more into the mix she started weaning this week as she is on 30 ozs of milk not satisfied and not gaining enough weight..

im not keen on expressing again as the stress last time was the main cause of my pnd..

lastly i can only seem to get her on my left boob as my back is bad (from my epidural i think) and i struggle to hold her on the otherside is this a problem?

 

[FierceAngel]

anyone

 

[Sovereign]

Im sorry hun I don't know but someone must! Hopefully they will be along soon x

 

[Mervs Mum]

What would you like to know hun? Not sure what your actual questions are.

 

[Logiebear]

Yeah can you just clarify what you want to know hun xxx

 

[FierceAngel]

mostly some encouragement i know it sounds daft but im scared mainly of my pnd returning but i really want to give it ago...;

im worried tht she is only on left boob...

and im not sure how much milk she is getting.. like how long she should feed for to be getting a actual feed (usually 7-8 ozs?

 

[Mervs Mum]

Ok so with the 'How much is she getting' question, with BFing you really will need to let go of the FF way of thinking in ounces. You dont need to know how many oz she's having. With BFing you never know that and it's not important. your baby is the best judge of hwo much they are getting. If they are fairly content, alert, meeting developmental milestones, gaining weight and giving you wet and dirty nappies, then you are getting enough. to know she's fed for long enough, she will unlatch on her own. Thinking in ounces is for FF not BFing.

Now having said all this you wont be at that stage over night. You will need to BF her and then finish with formula for sometime until your supply starts to build.

Baby's often have a preferred side. This is totally fine. Women who have have mastectomies BF successfully from one side. Ideally you would feed from both or you will be walking around with one boob bigger than the other!! maybe noticeably but still not a good look if you can avoid it. try a different position. The rugby ball hold often foxes baby into thinking you've swapped side when you havent.

If you really want to do this and are determined you can and you will. Search through here for posts about relacation for other tips and encouragement.