struggling feeding my premature daughter

[Isabel29]

I was just wondering if anyone could help us. My daughter was born at 36 weeks by emergency c section. She was unable to latch on to breast feed so I have been expressing and bottle feeding. My milk seems to have stopped over the last couple of days (my daughter is 3 weeks old).

My daughter is struggling to feed also. She spits up a lot and cries and arches her back and won't settle after her feed.

Any advice would be great.

[Annbag]

I had the same with my DS, also 36 weeks (just!) by EMCS. I tried to breastfeed and express but in the end he lost heaps of weight, I don't think my milk came in properly, so the hospital got us to top up with nutriprem formula which ended up being totally formula fed.

I'm sure there'll be some people along with some good bf advice, but just to let you know if it doesn't work out you're not alone.

DS got better at taking a bottle and feeding when we reached his due date. Still though at nearly 4 months corrected he's still sick a lot though

[Crazyqueenofthecatladies]

It sounds like your dd has reflux, and reflux tends to go hand in hand with prematurity, tongue tie and cows milk protein allergy. In my dd's case she needed her tt snipped, me to go totally dairy and soya free and her to be prescribed a heroic dose of omeprazole. We bfed for two years mind and she went from a 1lb 15 oz 27 weaker to a 50th centiles three year old... Who still can't eat dairy or soya!

[SoonMeansNever]

Ds1 was born at 36+0 and had terrible trouble feeding, very similar. Couldn't latch, I spent all my time expressing. He had 100% tongue tie and reflux, plus colic.
We hired a recommended local lactation consultant who snipped his TT at home here. Best £120 we ever spent, highly recommend you see someone ASAP. NHS can keep you waiting 6 weeks, that's if they even recognise it.

The lactation consultant can help you with supply too.
Ds1 was mix fed EBM and formula for his first month, then BF/EBM, eventually fully BF by 4mo.
We had to use nipple shields to wean him off the bottles and get him onto the boob.

Keep expressing, hope you can get some help soon.

[minipie]

Poor you, sounds like a tough start. Totally agree about getting her checked for tongue tie (ideally by a good BF counsellor as GPs and midwives often don't know what to look for) and also speak to your GP or paediatrician about reflux. It does sound a lot like reflux from what you say.

Reflux could be caused by a tongue tie, a cow's milk protein allergy or just being premature and the stomach valves not being fully grown yet. Or a combination.

If the doctor agrees it sounds like reflux, ask for ranitidine, and if that doesn't work then keep going back for other meds till something works!

You could also consider going dairy free yourself (if you are still giving her expressed breast milk?) but I'd try everything else first since it's hard to do and you need the nutrients, plus it may not be allergy anyway.