Advice from HV is this right??

[inatrance]

Have just been to get DS weighed (he's 8 weeks on fri) and mentioned to HV that he has been unsettled in the evenings for the last week, feeding every hour or so and that last night he took 8oz from a bottle at 2am after being last BF at 11.30pm. He also pulls off the breast a lot and was crying after feeds.

Her advice was to 'top him up' with a formula bottle in the evenings and said that he probably wasn't getting enough milk. She advised me to eat more and said that I probably wasn't eating enough and it was affecting my milk supply.

He is gaining weight, was 7lb 9oz at birth and is now 9lb 11oz, settling on the 9th centile.


Is this good advice? Does it affect the quality of your milk if you don't eat enough calories? And I would have thought supplementing with more formula would make the milk supply worse not better? What do you think?

[Seona1973]

he's probably having a growth spurt and is trying to increase your supply by feeding more often. If you top up you wont make so much milk so could affect your supply.

[prettybird]

In short, she's wrong and you're right.

Supplementing with formula will adversely affect your supply and not eating enough will affect your energy levels but not your milk supply.

Sounds like he is doing perefetly normal "vluster" feeding in the evening. Go with the flow - it might help him sleep through (I was one of those lucky sods who had a ds who slept through from too very early on) but even if it doesn't, it is a way of him getting plenty of calories in.

He ssounds healthy. If he is happy and alert, then stop bothering getting him weighed. It's something people only do with PFBs - second time round, you have more confidence in your own judgement.

[TimeWasting]

Unless you are very underweight there's no way the quality of your milk would be affected.
Supply is dependent on feeding often enough, so giving formula will affect supply.

Are you on any medication?

[LaCiccolina]

Poppycock.

If hes putting on weight then everythings fine.

By all means do a bottle at 11ish if you want. I do, but purely because I wanted DD to be able to use a bottle if I needed her to for bfing back up when out and about and this seemed the most innoccuous one of the day to give her. Dont feel you have to though as you dont.

If you are hungry eat, if not dont. If thirsty drink, if not dont. Thats all on that one I reckon you need to do.

I hate it when an HV makes pronouncements like hes not getting enough milk - can she what hes eating? Nope neither can I on my DD but as shes putting on weight, happy and bright eyed Ive decided thats all I need to know....

Also could be a growth spurt as 8wks. Equally my DD always cluster feeds in the evenings wanting a drink every hour til bed. Some days better than others but sounds reasonably normal to me.

[kungpo]

Any hv trying to link baby weight gain to your diet knows nothing of bf. Your baby us growing and feeding well. If you need yo give more milk you have it...more feeds mire sides per feed.

[organiccarrotcake]

inatrance all above good advice but I'm looking at what you say about him pulling off the breast. Do you have any idea why? Do you find that he leaks milk out of his mouth or that you seem to overflow when he pulls off?

[WhipMeIndiana]

balls. they have done tests to show if you eat more protein ie chicken. the breast milk seems to satisfy the baby for longer but who knows. sounds like you are doing just great, I take HVs with a pinch of salt, mine advised me to eat cheese with lunch and dinner

[organiccarrotcake]

inatrance let me just clarify. I meant the posters who responded were giving good advice, not the health visitor!!! She clearly doesn't know what she's talking about.

[inatrance]

Thanks for the replies, I'm glad it's not just me that thought it didn't sound right! In answer to the questions, no I'm not on any medication at the moment.

DS is still pulling off a lot, last night in particular he was tugging my nipple and going mad and having boob after boob. He sometimes gets the flow going first then pulls off, getting a face full of milk in the process, but not always.

He's still really unsettled today, not falling asleep for more than a few minutes after feeds and crying. He's due a huge poo though, 5 days without now, so was wondering if he has tummy ache?

I very nearly gave him a bottle last night in desperation to try to get him to settle as he just didn't seem satisfied after feeding at all. I didn't though, and am glad I didn't this morning.

Surprisingly this isn't my PFB either, but DC2. DD is 10 though so it has been a long time and DH is a rather nervous 1st time dad, which I think I'm picking up.

I BF DD till she was 17 months as well believe it or not. I was very lucky though as she was a brilliant feeder, once she was latched on she was going nowhere till she was full!

I had no idea two DC's could be such different feeders!

[prettybird]

Your ds sounds like he is gaining weight well - that's all that matters, even if he does fuss a bit.

If it makes you feel any better, ds was 8lb 15oz at birth and might have been more than 9lb when he was 8 weeks old. Can't remember exactly - but I can remember that it took him 6-7 weeks to regain birthweight

I avoided never saw HVs though, except for the formal check-ups and just went weekly to the breastfeeding support group at the maternity hospital where the breastfeeding midwives/counsellors were brilliant (and did actually refer ds to the paediatric consultant, just in case, but he wasn't interested in the happy and alert baby in front of him and told me to enjoy my baby! )

[JollySergeantJackrum]

My 9 week old baby fusses at the breast fairly regularly. Some days he will fuss all day and others he won't fuss at all. I think it just depends on his mood and what's going on.

He also pulls off the breast and cries if he's overtired or if his nappy needs changing. And most times he pulls off the left hand side when my let down occurs as it's just too fast for him to cope with.

I also have less milk at night and he sometimes cluster feeds, but this tends to only happen some nights - I think my supply increases the next day in response to his extended feeding.

[japhrimel]

Tummy ache always made my DD want to nurse frequently, but not actually want much milk so she'd yank off or clamp down when letdown came in.