What would you advise?

[vac_uk]

Hi ladies, I really would appreciate any advice.

My baby is now 5 days old... I breasfed since he was born, everything was going great, although hes a very hungry boy. He was born by c-section so i know it can take longer for my milk to come in but unfortunatley early hours this morning we made a decision to put him onto formula milk. I really wanted so sucessfully breast feed him but my milk cant be enough for him as he was constantly starving.

In the hospital on the first evening i was up the FULL night feeding him on demand, he just wasnt being satisfied at all, wouldnt manage to dose off but i managed through the night, he eventually fell asleep at a crazy hour (like 6am or something) the breastfeeding support workers came in, aggreed he was latchig and feeding well so advised i just continue with it.
After that feeds were still demanding but not conastant feed after feed...till later on the 2nd day he started it again, a feeding frenzy, I eventually gave him a dummy to try space out the feeds as maybe hed be comfort feeding... the dummy seemed to help...but he just never seemed satisfied with my milk!

He would go for hours eating no problem, and eventually get so tired and fall asleep... last night was the decision making night for me, I had sat feeding him from 5.30 till 1am he had no sleep and after each feed he was acting like he was REALLY hungry and wanted to feed again.

Hubby ran out and bought some formula milk, we fed it to LO, he had 3oz and slept right through till 6am, he had another 3oz, was up for about 40mins then slept till 10.30am... hes been feeding great throughout the day, has been very settled on the forumla milk, getting good sleep with wakey time in between. We even managed a bath in for him today since he was relaxed and not crying to be fed constantly!

What do you all think ? My MW said breastfed babies do go through fenzies but surley they at least get some fullness and satisfaction at some point?? I just dont think my milk is enough to satisfy his hunger. He was born at 8lbs14 so not a small baby and he was also 14days overdue.

I asked MW if i could mix bottle & breast she said it would be up to me if i wanted to tru but really theres not much benefit and baby would choose bottle over breast and just use my breast to comfort on.

Anyone have any experience of a similar situation or any advice to offeR? id be trully delighted if anyone could share xx

 

[jess_smurf]

i would say he is cinstantly feeding to get your supply up and its normal for newborns to almost feed constantly and yes the do feed more often than FF babies, for me though i was desperate to breastfeed that sleep was less important than her being breast fed it does settle down if you want to restart BF i would assume you would have to let him suck even though he isnt feeding as the sucking increases supply

goodluck x

 

[Tacey]

As above, it is normal for BF babies to feed more often than FF, and the early days are really tough. It sounds like you've made the decision to stick with formula now, but I would say that I'm shocked by the advice your midwife gave. Any breastmilk you can give your child is better than none at all. Many people successfully combination feed, so if you want to, it would be great for your LO to have some of your milk, especially as he is still so little.

 

[LankyDoodle]

Absolutely normal for newborns to be feeding constantly in order to up your supply; also because for between 2 and 5 days after the birth, you will only be able to provide colostrum until your milk comes in (which can happen at different times, but giving formula will hinder this) and the colostrum is quite a small amount (but is full of everything that your baby needs in those first few days... so much goodness).

Everyone finds the first few days difficult as most babies will seem to be feeding constantly; then at around 2-3 weeks they will do it again as they have that initial growth spurt. If you can get through those tougher moments (hard if you don't have good support or if you are feeling understandably tired and hormonal) then breastfeeding is amazing and your body WILL produce enough to satisfy your baby once your baby has worked on upping your supply he is happy with - your milk will then regulate and change with your baby.

It's a shame the support in the hospital left you believing your milk is not good enough - a lot of people are left with this feeling because their baby feeds constantly and no one tells them that this is perfectly normal. I would keep at it if you really do want to as you will be surprised how quickly things become easier. I'm now at 3 months PP and I LOVE breastfeeding, but those first couple of weeks I felt my baby was perma-attached!

A baby will generally (not always) sleep for longer after a bottlefeed (of formula) because breastmilk is faster digested so babies need more sooner. I guess it's about weighing up what's most important to you. So long as you know the facts then you can make an informed choice.

 

[Kacie]

This is exactly what my dd did. nonstop feeding for the first 4-5 days... my mw called it the "hooligan hormone" that is basicaly a hormone released to encourage baby to feed a lot in the beginning.... generally from early evening to early morning... It encourages the milk supply to come in and improves quality & quantity of the milk. So please don't think that you weren't providing enough for your baby.. you were, and it was all perfectly normal.

It does calm down but bfing babies do tend to want milk more often. But, my limited experience of 4 weeks bfing has shown me that bfing does involve some days of barely getting out of bed and just having baby stuck on a boob all day (especially in the beginning) and I can certainly understand why some women change to ff so soon as bfing is exhausting and can take up a lot of time that some women don't have.

whatever choice you make will be right for you

Congratulations on the birth of your lo

xxx

 

[catfromaus]

Yes, the more you feed the more milk you will have, your LO is getting your supply established, and it is so hard, especially after a section, you must be exhausted! My milk came in day 5, but it took 2 weeks for bf to become easier. If you decide to stick with the bf, there are brighter times ahead- and you do have the ability to satisfy your baby

cat
xxx

 

[lobogirl]

I have been giving my daughter formula and breast milk since she was 2 days old. She lost to much weight at the hospital. We have continued to mix them, we didn't need as much formula once my milk came but we still use it when I am unable to feed her or she is at my parents and they are babysitting her. We have no problem with her preferring formula over breast milk.

 

[vac_uk]

Thank you everyone for your replies I really appreciate them. I did decide to go to formula. I sat reading some other posts and see that women would have days unable to get out of bed for having to BF all day... and baby would have only 20mins sleep at a time etc.... I just couldnt do that as I also have a 4yr old to look after... I just feel maybe BF isnt for us....

I do miss feeding my baby but he is so much more content with formula, he gets great sleeps and is much happier. Im happier because im not sore and my baby is satisfied and content.

I think for me it was the right decision but i really admire all you ladies who manage to BF sucessfuly as it really is a lot of work, not as 'natural' as its made out to be!

xx

 

[madasa]

It's normal for newborns to feed often, partly to bring in your milk and partly because their stomachs are so tiny they can't take much in one sitting. It may have been your section that caused a problem (milk slow to come in) or it could be that you had a latch problem that the staff in hospital didn't see.... Lo might even have Tongue tie, which would definitely affect their latch. Yr story sounds like so many others whose babies had a ltch issue/tongue tie.... LO not getting much at any one time and feeds being long and very close together.... These kind of problems impact yr supply, and so the spiral goes down... If you really want to BF then it's still possible... Your body is capable, so are you, and you won't starve your baby. If you need support, then you kinda have to hunt it out or stamp your feet, which is a shame, especialy when so many mums are tired from birth or surgery.

Bfing is not a tie at all, using a sling means the only days you spend in bed with lo to increase your suply are when you want to! Last time round I used formula and I have found that I spend more time sitting down giving a bottle and that nursing means lo can just kinda slot in to the things I was doing already... Which is great cos I can still run round after my 3yo and there's not such a major upheaval fir him

 

[vac_uk]

my little one has been sick today - i feel like i just want to feed him myself, with the formula making him feel sick now Ive put a post on formula feeding about changing brand of milk... i think my milk is now beginning to scatter as they are softer now to what they were a couple of days ago... i dont know if I can go back to BF or if I did and it didnt work out again I dont know if i could do that to my baby, id maybe upset his wee tummy again.... ouufff confused!!

 

[lynnikins]

hun you should be able to BF still but as its been a couple of days be prepared for baby to just want to feed constantly, as breastmilk is easy to digest then they do often feeed for longer and more often, if you want your baby to have breastmilk but are unsure that they are able to get enough at the breast you can try expressing and giving via a bottle, my LO is 50/50 on breast and expressed breastmilk via bottle and it works for us, its a bit more of a hassle to have to pump and sterlise everything but means i can have that time with my eldest while my husband takes care of LO in the evenings,

it seems like your not certain on your decision, pm me if you want to chat

 

[madasa]

Your milk may be drying up, but you can sto the process and get it back up again if you want to. The main thing is to put lo to yr boob as often as you can (a sling would help I think?) and to express as well. a decent pump would make a difference... Speak to your mw or hv and see if you can get one on loan or hire, that would probably be cheaper than buying a really good one. There are other things you can do to encourage your supply, raspberry leaf tea, fenugreek, oatmeal (porridge for breakfast and as many flapjacks as you can eat ) Theres also a drug you can get on prescription which will boost your supply. There is lots of info online about relactating... Try having a look round Dr Jack Newmans site... I've heard of adoptiveums who have not given birth and who have had breast reduction surgery managing to lactate and ebf their babies! So it's doable. Good luck. Remember that every last drop if human milk your lo has and every minute spent at the breast is a good thing.