Please can someone help re supplementing with bottles

[EllebellyBeeblebrox]

Apologies if this is garbled, have just had three nights in hospital with ds (8 days old) so my brain isn't working.
Ds was born at 37+3 and I initially thought breastfeeding was going well (wet nappies, meconium poo all coming through, relatively settled when awake) but we were admitted to transitional care after they identified he'd lost 13% of his birth weight. Latching had been difficult as I was so sore and engorged, long story short we were discharged with advice around top up feeds of 50mls ebm or formula every 3 hours. In hospital this was working as he took to the little starter bottles of formula and I was finally clicking with the expressing.
Cut to this eve, and after being so happy to get home to the older two dc I am now
weepy and miserable and anxious again. Still not sure he is latching properly, can't express with the manual one I have and he's not keen on the Tommee tippee bottles as they seem really slow compared to what he had in hospital. I'm also freaking out we'll end up back in again and he'll be losing weight again, upset that bfeeding doesn't feel like I'm


I'm knownp

[EllebellyBeeblebrox]

Sorry, was in the bath and was dozing off!
Can anyone recommend a fast flowing bottle to try please, or advise about renting a breast pump? Thankyou

[EllebellyBeeblebrox]

Hopeful morning bump

[mashedbananamashedbanana]

You can buy the mini bottles they use in hospitals.
They’re expensive, but maybe worth it for peace of mind for a couple of weeks?

[TheFutureIs]

If you want to carry on with breastfeeding you don't want a fast flow teat, if baby can get milk too easily from a bottle they'll get lazy on boob. Cup feeding is also an option, a plastic shot glass is perfect size. You tip it until milk is at their top lip and they sort of lap it like a cat.
Do you have a breastfeeding support network where you live/ does the hospital do it? It doesn't sound like an expert has watched a feed to troubleshoot.
The hospital should be able to rent you a breast pump. If you decide to buy Medela are always rated highly.
I also cannot recommend getting on some Facebook breastfeeding groups, lots of amazing advice and support.

[lampplease]

Nuk bottles work well - I think similar to hospital ones, certainly our hospital - amazon or mothercare/boots.

In terms of pump - has the hospital got a breastfeeding support person? Did they help? As they may be able to lend you one -

In terms of Renting a machine I don't know but NCT may be able too (rings a distance memory).

The manual pump may start to work, very hard to say but just relax and when boobs are softer try - or opposite when you feel full try then.

I got a cheap manual of amazing again a NUK not perfect but it did work and was only £30 rather than some that are a fortune.

In terms of latch does it feel better? My LO has a poor latch, they thought it was tounge tie - sent to the clinic for a snip and it wasn't just a small mouth and a consultant later said a smaller jaw so struggled to open wide enough - so expressed and fed and it took a while but nipple shields were super helpful in preventing pain and helping him open wider - and switch between bottle and me. So would recommend those, probably used them for 6 weeks or so, but they were the game changer in how I felt about the next feed when latch was sore.

Netflix, skin to skin & feed at any opportunity - in the day wake if sleeping more than three hours to get the milk in - as sleeping becomes a bit of a cycle if not fed enough etc.

Push hard for BF support and ensure MW using same scales etc as it can be variable if that first weight was a bit off -

Hope today is a better day & congratulations, special times.

[lampplease]

Excuse typos in my post! correction also - my NUK was a cheap electric pump from amazon which got me through but hospital should have info on renting the one you were using in.

[SalrycLuxx]

Nct rents out electric pumps. I just used a manual one I bought from boots (avent).

Be kind to yourself. I BF DD1 for 7 months and for the whole of the first three months it was mixed feeding and lots of expressing and I was about ready to give up because she didn’t take to BF at all. Then it clicked.

Dd2 clicked right away but at 4 months, after my third round of mastitis and being in extreme pain (deep mammalian breast pain I think it’s called) I said ‘screw this’ and switched to formula.

Both are perfectly fine. But I still felt like a failure for ages due to the problems, because the ‘you must breast feed’ crew had got into my head.

[winetime1980]

Firstly congratulations!
I've invested in a spectra s1 pump, it's fairly expensive but yields milk very quickly and easily. I can get 6oz in about 5 minutes. I tried a manual one the other day and literally couldn't get ANYTHING out!

Do you have any breastfeeding support, any groups you can go to or infant feeding teams attached to the hospital? We used all of the above and after having a rough time with my daughter feeding 6 years ago paid for a private doula to come round a coupe of times to get feeding established. I appreciate this might not be for everyone!

Finally, be kind to yourself it's so hard in the early days xx

[EllebellyBeeblebrox]

Thankyou all, for the advice and kindness and managing to decipher my first post!
This is dc3 and the other two fed beautifully, sore nipples still but latched well and gained weight like piglets. Ds fed until he was over 2 and I just loved bfeeding.They were both over 8lb at birth, this little one is 5lb15 and I've never encountered such a small one. I really want to carry on so I know I need to persevere but I'm worried that his wt will drop in the meantime.
I've expressed 50ml this morning with the manual pump which isn't far off what I was getting with the electric one, so not bad I guess. Trying to stick with it and build it up. Thankyou lovelies