Topping up because of sugar levels??

[Peachypoo]

Hi ladies I hope you can help, I gave birth on 21st and due to baby size and sugar levels dropping he was topped up with formula during my stay in hospital which was 5 days..
I've never topped up with my others and only breastfed my babies and really concerned if should continue to top up or stop.
I'm just concerned as I don't want baby to lose weight and get in a muddle with bad supply and then no top up.
Anyone else similar situation??

 

[redneckhippy]

My LO had low blood sugar when he was born and had a glucose IV. They suggested formula, but the doctor agreed we could give it another day on the IV instead which ended up working. However, I was concerned about whether his blood sugar issue would stay, but the doctor told me once it's fixed it should be fixed. Of course, talk with your doctor, but if the doctor assures you that your LO's blood sugar is stable now, then I wouldn't think it should be necessary...but def confirm with your ped first as you don't want to mess with low blood sugar.

 

[TonyaG]

I topped up with formula because of sugar levels as well. I think I only had to do it for 10 days after coming home.
I would breast feed first, and then offer the formula, once he was back to to his initial birth weight and he was only taking about half of the premade small formula bottles I stopped.

 

[lau86]

My first son had low sugar levels when he was born, due to being in distress in labour I believe. He was topped up with formula as that's what they told me to do! Only one midwife suggesting me expressing. They didn't let us go home till his sugar levels were normal. I would imagine now it's all been corrected ( assuming that as you're at home), you would be fine to exclusively breastfeed. Maybe ask your midwife though?

 

[Peachypoo]

Yay I'm home now and his sugar levels are well and is back to birth weight. He was 9.6 at birth and they kinda frightened me saying he will be a very hungry baby and because he was initially topped up with formula he may need top ups..
I'm just confused now. I'm kinda topping up with expressed milk as oppose to formula and only maybe 4 oz a day, when Im feeling im strugling.

 

[Peachypoo]

Also I'm feeling that the initial top up may have affected my supply.. Or am I just being paranoid?
Even when I topped up it was after a good hour of him being on breast.

 

[bdb84]

My second child was a big baby and had low blood sugar as well. I only topped up (not used to that expression here in the states) in the hospital and once my milk came in, I never bothered. Our initial hospital stay was the only time she ever had formula.

 

[TonyaG]

I was told to pump to make up for the fact that I was supplementing, so if you are hand expressing or pumping your supply should catch up to him.
I had a hungry boy too, I fed him every 2 hours.

 

[babe2ooo]

I had to top up my lo for the first two days in hospital but once her sugar levels went back up. I stopped topping up and she just breastfeed fine ever since.

 

[Peachypoo]

He's just constantly latched on.. I'm just giving around 3 to 4 oz top partly breast milk only when I have no other choice as I have 3 other children. When I mean constantly breastfeeding I don't get a chance to make breakfast.. Now he's 22 days old.. But an oz of milk and he's more settled

 

[Kellen]

I had a big baby too who had a 6 day NICU stay due to sugar levels, infection and jaundice. We never allowed formula but got her sugars back to normal after 36 hours of an IV and colostrum. She struggled with latching because she liked the quick and easy syringe method. But eventually she got the hang of it... now 27 months later I'm trying to wean after all the hard work of getting her to nurse.

But I would just let him nurse as much as possible. What you express and what you actually produce are two VERY different things. I wouldn't worry about how much comes out. Just take ques from your little one. Mom's instincts are normally right on.

 

[Insomniash]

This is exactly what I went through. High birth weight for gestation, and low sugar levels. They put him on a dextrose IV and on formula, and wouldn't let me breastfeed at all. I struggled to produce via pumping, but they wouldn't let him feed on me because they wanted to measure everything he was getting. They were tube feeding him at first and I was hoping to breastfeed after, but they ended up switching him to bottle without my permission. I was fed up with the hospital so after a flip out I consented to it just so they would let me take him home. I have been struggling with breastfeeding and milk supply and feeling guilty that it has been so hard (we have also had latching and positioning issues due to me being very large breasted). Today we finally had a break through thanks to a public health nurse that was also a lactation consultant. It was interesting for me to read this post and see the different approaches that were taken by the hospitals.

I can't really offer feeding advice because I am still learning myself, but I definitely want to follow this thread.