Finally managed to get to 100% BF, but feel v guilty - is it too little too late?

[pooter]

Hiya, I very reluctantly started to mix feed my little one at 5 days because I was terrified i was starving him - my breasts have never leaked at all, and he was constantly hungry. I would feed him for an hour, then someone would come in - see him sucking at his hand and say "oh hes hungry" which would send me into tears. It was incredibly painful too- and when i tried expressing, blood came out instead of milk, which totally freaked me out. Anyway - hes now 10weeks old and i have plugged away at it - it no longer hurts but i have a couple of worries. 1. I have still never leaked a drop. Does this mean i have a low milk supply? He is putting on weight, although this has slowed down this past week. 2. Have I reduced the chance of him getting allergies at all, or does the fact that he had 1/2/3 bottles of Hipp per day mean that his immature little gut has let in potential allergens already? I am allergic to loads of things so i was really keen to give him as good a start as i could. Have i messed up?
Thanks - sorry its so long and waffly.

[misdee]

well done on perservering and getting to 100% bf. thats fantastic!

i cantr answer your querstions but someone else wil ldo soon.

[DaisyMOO]

Hi Pooter, I've breastfed 4 babies and only ever leaked with the third one, they've all put on weight just fine. Go figure! Well done for getting back to fully breastfeeding - that is a big acheivement.

[LucyJu]

Every single drop of bm that your ds drinks is doing him good - "liquid gold", as some call it. Well done for getting so far!

BTW, I think it's perfectly normal for weight gain to start to slow down a little by now. Is he alert and happy, withg lots of wet nappies?

[WigWamBam]

It's never too late. I don't know for certain about the allergy question, but every drop you can give him is valuable, even if you supplemented earlier on. There are other benefits to breastmilk apart from the allergen ones.

Not leaking doesn't mean you have a low milk supply. It just means that your breasts are very efficient at producing what your baby needs.

You haven't messed up at all; quite the opposite. You've done incredibly well to get back to 100% breast feeding after being on formula.

[pooter]

Thanks Misdee and DaisyMoo. Its good to know that leakage is not compulsory! Everyone else i know is talking about how many breastpads they need, and ive given mine away.

[pinkspottywellies]

My breastfed dd's weight gain slowed down at 10 wks - she only put on 6 1/2 oz from 10-16 wks and my HV said, at 14 weeks "ooh just wean at 16weeks" I ignored this crap advice and carried on demand feeding and she's back to 'normal' weight gain now.
I know that doesn't answer either of your questions but just wanted to add it so that if yours doesn't follow the chart you'll know it's not anything you're doing wrong and just one of those things
Congratulations on getting back to fully breastfeeding - you're doing an amazing job!

[pooter]

LucyJu, little David is very alert (too alert sometimes!) and happy - especially when we are singing "old Mcdonald", Im just being a paranoid first timer. I really wanted to do the whole breastfeeding thing - and stupidly thought it would come naturally.

[tiktok]

pooter - you have done brilliantly, and you have achieved a lot. It is very hard to overcome lack of confidence and rubbish support.

My feeling is that the allergy thing is the least important aspect of bf - others will have different feelings about this, especially the people who have horrid allergies in their families. But to me, the other health aspects win out every time - and these remain, even with some formula. I am referring to the greater risk of ear, chest and gastric infection with formula - you can expect fewer of all of these with a (primarily) breastfed baby. None of these is a life and death thing in the west, but earache and wheeziness and tummy bugs are all distressing and often painful, and your baby is likely to have fewer of them compared to a formula fed baby.

I also think breastfeeding is such a lovely thing to do - you are 'growing' your baby with your body and why would you not want to take joy and pleasure in that?

Your lack of leaking and the slightly slower weight gain are normal, BTW, as everyone here tells you.

Enjoy your feeding.

[yesireallycan]

Sounds like you are doing great - good on you for persevering. If he seems generally happy and content, is wetting nappies through the day and producing an occasional bowel movement (breast fed babies sometimes don't poop as often or as much as formula fed)

True about the leaking - I had the world's most mahoosive norks and a really humongous milk supply involving a forceful letdown and milk spraying everywhere - but I never leaked a drop, never used a breast pad in my life. Same with expressing - I have a friend who has breastfed four children but can't express a drop, she just can't get a let down going unless there is actually a baby involved!

Don't forget too that babies often have growth spurts so if you find in a couple of weeks that he seems hungrier than usual, and wants to nurse more often, that might be what's happening - your milk supply will soon catch up.

Good for you! X

[moondog]

God,you have done brilliantly!
i would be cracking open the Champers not worrying like this needlessly.
I never leaked one drop (well yes,i did,literally one drop once) in 3 1/2 years of breastfeeding.My babies put on weight slowly but steadily and it never crossed my mind to think that my milk wasn't the best thing in the world for them.

Oh,and with my first,she had the odd carton of formula in the first few weeks.

Many many congratulations.

XXX

[pooter]

Wow - thank you all - I love mumsnet! I feel so much happier now xxx

[moondog]

Really Pooter,you've done brilliantly.

[Jacanne]

Wow - you've done an amazing job . FWIW - I never leaked at all in the early days with either of mine - it didn't start until about 4 or 5 months when they got more efficient at feeding. Apparently the virgin gut takes 2 - 3 weeks to repair once exclusive BF is re-established if that helps at all.

[tibsy]

well done pooter i found bfing really hard at first and dont know if i could have handled going back to 100% after a period of mixed feeding. you're doing a fab job by the sounds of it

[yellowrose]

pooter - well done for your determination !

1. i don't think leaking is an indication of supply all boobs are different - slowing down in weight is not the same as losing weight - you should only really get worried if his weight STOPS or DROPS - sometimes bf babies slow down because they have been unwell, a cold for example, my ds had his first cold at 5.5 months and i remember he didn't put any weight on that week

1. you won't know about all allergies just yet, some excl. bf babies develop allergies too although it is true that excl. bf reduces the risk of allergies, but it just reduces the risk it does not stop the risk completley - if you are happy to continue with excl. bf now until he is at least 6 months old, you will be helping him greatly in reducing the risk of allergies

are you a member of any bf orgs. like LLL who have meetings or do you go to a Baby Cafe or something like that locally ? i can't recommend these things enough, MN is great, but it will really help your confidence to see some bf mums on a regular basis, it will boost your moral and help you with future decisions such as weaning on to solids

good luck

[berolina]

Well done pooter! I mixed fed ds due to a series ofunfortunate circumstances until he was 4 weeks, by which time we managed to get to 100% bf. I did have similar worries to you, but be assured ds is amazingly healthy, does not appear allergic to anything except calendula despite there being allergies in the family, has only ever been properly ill once - oh, and he's 23 months and I'm 19 weeks pg and still bf him.

[laundrylover]

Stop feeling guilty and start feeling proud of yourself and enjoy the bfing, you've done really well!! The lack of leaking is a bonus IMO as a non dripper myself.

I would second Yellowrose's advice about finding a local bfing support group - I'm a peer supporter for our local Surestart area and we would love to have people like yourself with bfing success stories come along and chat to other mums and pregnant women - what an inspriation you would be to anyone struggling or worrying about leaking/getting back to 100% feeding etc.

[laundrylover]

berolina, well done you too - are you planning to tandem feed or wean before the baby arrives? Just being nosy!

[tiktok]

Love the penis=weeing thing, too, and a slightly less filthy analogy is the mouth and the tongue, which we use for kissing (and, ahem, other sexually related activities ;) ) and talking, without anyone thinking that talking in public is all a bit too rude

And of course we have hands, which are multi-functional, as well!

[tiktok]

Oh doh....wrong thread, I think.

Sorry for the mention of p*nis....

[moondog]

Nowt wrong with a wee mention of the penis though every now and again Tiktok,whatever the context eh?

[yellowrose]

how did this thread get so filthy ? lol !

[laundrylover]

Tiktok -I'm shocked at wee and penis mentions!! I've never heard you comment on anything other than bfing! Now I see you are an expert in all bodily functions.

[tiktok]

Don't get me started, LL.......