Thanks - very useful website Turtle. I'm off to try and feed her now, so I will try that out.

TTT - it wd definitely be worth calling your midwife and asking about using your own milk as a top up. It's great your dd latched on. It's hard to guage how much milk she is taking from you - certainly, guaging from the amount of formula she will take is very, very misleading. Babies will take what they are given sometimes, especially if they like to suck. Check with your midwife, but 2 ounce formula top ups at every feed is a lot - it's easily enough to interfere with building up a good breastmilk supply. Good idea about the bf support group.

Try breast compression. Some video clips here

No - she never said.

I've tried b'feeding dd twice this afternoon - she latched on and fed for about half an hour and then took 2oz of milk from a bottle, and then 2 hours later fed for an hour and then took another 2oz. She would usually take about 2.5 - 3oz in a bottle, so that suggests to me that she isn't getting much milk from me.

When she feeds, she does an initial burst of sucking, then seems to sleep at the breast, and I have to encourage her to suck. It's very intermittent. The midwife suggested that this was because she's been getting a bit of a drip effect from the bottle, and isn't used to having to suck as hard to get the milk. Am I going to confuse her by continuing to use bottles and the breast?

She seems to attach well most of the time, but sometimes she gets quite frantic and upset, and struggles to latch on. I don't know if that's because she's used to the large teat on the bottles - aarggh! Think I will have to get along to the breastfeeding support group quite soon.

Yes, you can express and use the expressed milk as a top up - was there a reason why the midwife did not suggest this?

Sorry, should have said, midwife advised me to keep using the bottles as a top-up - but I suppose I could express as a top-up rather than use formula, and that would help increase supply wouldn't it?

Midwife has just come, and advised me to try to feed dd from the breast before every feed - which would work out at about 8 times in 24 hours. She also said that the increased bleeding was a sign that dd was sucking effectively, as it was making my uterus contract.

I've started getting very cracked nipples again already, but my latch is good, I think it's just because I have flat nipples and dd has to pull them out quite a bit to feed. I'm going to get in touch with the breastfeeding support group, and will talk to the health visitor when she comes out as well.

Thanks for all the advice.

Midwife has just come, and advised me to try to feed dd from the breast before every feed - which would work out at about 8 times in 24 hours. She also said that the increased bleeding was a sign that dd was sucking effectively, as it was making my uterus contract.

I've started getting very cracked nipples again already, but my latch is good, I think it's just because I have flat nipples and dd has to pull them out quite a bit to feed. I'm going to get in touch with the breastfeeding support group, and will talk to the health visitor when she comes out as well.

Thanks for all the advice.

TeenyTiny, I hope you're getting good support from the midwife. Yes, you can return to breastfeeding - but it's a bit worrying you are doing it so tentatively

Your baby needs to come to the breast lots and lots and lots - 8 times in 24 hours is an absolute minimum and she prob needs more than this to overcome the gap at the start...the midwife should encourage you to do this. Lots of skin to skin contact will help.

Good luck

If your DD is only a week and she seems to be being satisfied with your feeds then I think that sounds really hopeful. You milk might have only been in for 3 days - so shouldn't have got anywhere near drying up yet. Good idea to get advice from MW - hope it all works out well