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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

Any advise on breastfeeding

15 replies

Kbeeb1992 · 21/11/2017 23:28

I am currently breastfeeding my 9 week old son and its going great i have plenty of milk hes putting on weight and i am loving the closeness, but ... ive tryed pumping and giving him a bottle and he took it no problem at first. One night I introduced formula as he isnt a great sleeper and he uses my nipple as comfort to get him to sleep wich can sometimes take hours so i thort id see if the formula wud fill him up and send him off to sleep, he hated it spat it out and screamd so i put him back on my breast. Anyway now he wont even take Breastmilk from a bottle and i dont know what to do. I also have a 7 year old daughter who i feel like im not spending any time with as he is basically attached to me 24/7 also as Christmas is coming up i had planned for a few drinkys but now i dont think i can is there any tips on how to get him back onto a bottle?

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RosemaryHoight · 21/11/2017 23:37

I know it's hard. I don't have any tips, I'm sorry. My dc all refused bottles too.

Could you just take baby to your dds things too? I'm sure she's really proud of her new brother. Then make an effort to spend some time with her on your own when it's easier.

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Cracklesfire · 21/11/2017 23:45

I was never able to get DS to take a bottle from me until he was well over 15 months but DH would give him a bottle of expressed milk with varying degrees of success. Can someone else try him with a bottle?

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Kbeeb1992 · 21/11/2017 23:55

Yeah dh has tried and my mam too ive even left the house incase he can smell me! DD dusnt seem to be affected i just thought it would be nice if we could have some girl time just us two.

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GruffaloPants · 21/11/2017 23:57

Maybe try a cup instead of a bottle - so he won't nave confusion between the test and your nipple.

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Kbeeb1992 · 22/11/2017 00:07

Thanks i will give that a try. Im just so frustrated at myself for bringing in formula when we were doing so well.

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DoItAgainBob · 22/11/2017 00:07

I know it's hard as my DD is also a bottle refuser despite my many hours trying. My first took a bottle no problem but they are all different and she's just not going to do it so I've learnt to work around it.

Luckily she's a good sleeper and slept through from 8 weeks so night feeds were not an issue but she did take a while to go settle. Really though the main thing has been time. She has grown out of regular feeds which has made it easier to get more time with my eldest and a bit more freedom. It won't be long before she's at that stage too. Good luck

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raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 22/11/2017 00:16

Filling up on formula can make babies sleep longer but because it makes them sleep too deeply and this could be a SIDS risk.

It's also not good to stretch their tummies by overfilling them.

I wonder if there might be other solutions? Is it the bedtimes with the baby that are getting in the way of you spending time with your DD? Would your baby sleep in a sling maybe, so you could spend time with your DD while your baby starts the night off in the sling?

When my LO was a baby we coslept, but we started every night with her sleeing on my chest while I set on the sofa MNing- (I was very much awake! I expect you know sleeping with babies on sofas is very dangerous!)

What I'm getting at is, are there other ways your baby can feel close to you if you're not in bed. At 9 weeks they don't need to have a strict routine.

Then, you say he's not a great sleeper. Is the issue how this is impacting you? Are you cosleeping? If not, could you look at cosleeping following the guidelines for safer cosleeping, or getting a 3 sided cot that attaches to your bed? We had one of those and it was great. I'm thinking maybe if you can minimise the time you have to spend getting up maybe that will help?

How many times is your baby waking up? It's totally normal for them to wake lots at this age. (You probably know that). People who say their baby is sleeping through are often lying IMO! (You probably know that too!)

Did you just want to have a couple of drinks or get drunk?

If you just want a couple of drinks, there's no harm in drinking while pregnant. All that stuff about pumping and dumping is nonsense. Your BM is made from your blood. It's already been through your body. Even if you were totally shitfaced, your milk wouldn't be any more alcoholic than orange juice (which is very slightly alcoholic, but such a tiny amount that no one ever mentions it).

If you want to get smashed, obviously that would be a risk to the baby though! Not from your milk but risk of dropping the baby etc.

But if you just want to have a drinks or two with a meal or whatever, there's no need to worry (unless you're likely to get drunk from 2 drinks!).

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raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 22/11/2017 00:17

Im just so frustrated at myself for bringing in formula when we were doing so well.

That's mum guilt talking!

You ARE doing well, brilliantly well!

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Kbeeb1992 · 22/11/2017 00:24

Its not the night time feed that are a problem we are co sleeping so its easy in the middle if the night its just getting him to sleep in the first place it can take ours as he also uses me as a dummy, i dont mind i love that he just wants to be close to me but it can be very tying and tiring. Im not planning on getting drunk but was planning a night out with work so i would be gone for a few hours so he would need a feed while i was out. I had also planned to take dd to a panto just us as a surprise and would be gone for a few hours . And i know dh would love to be able to feed him now and again.

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Kbeeb1992 · 22/11/2017 00:26

Thankyou

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MrsGB2225 · 22/11/2017 00:49

Could you start breastfeeding and then whip your boob out and put a bottle in mid feed?

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Makesmilingyourbesthobby · 22/11/2017 00:54

Same here 1st dd point blank refused a bottle & used me as a comfort I was so worried about when it was time for me to return to work but luckily two weeks before i was due back she just took it happily after months of trying all sorts of different ways to try & get her to take a bottle, dd2 well I was so worried she wouldn't take a bottle but she took to it straight away no problem no confusion between the two, dd3 has come along & guess what she point blank refuses a bottle & yet again I'm used for comfort & find myself stuck on sofa for most of the day with a sleeping baby attached to me & as much as I love it I would just like to be able to put her down when she's sleeping & play games with my other dd's but no as soon as I take her off she's awake,
I think its just that all babies are different & we all got to find what works for you & them,
You have a baby & you decide how's it going to be & make all these decisions only to find baby has a totally diff plan just like any other relationship its about finding a happy medium & meeting in the middle,
A Brest fed baby is use to be cwtched in & having body warmth & they mothers face there whenever they open they eyes its not just about being on the boob,
Give all the general suggestions a go when babies most happiest & awake & keep trying them all baby will take the bottle when he's ready

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raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 22/11/2017 00:54

On no! I should really preview before posting.

It should say "If you just want a couple of drinks, there's no harm in drinking while BREASTFEEDING"

I didn't mean to pregnant! Not at all!

(Think I've got pregnancy on the brain today as I had a dream last night that I was pregnant. It felt so real and was a huge shock!)

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teaortequila23 · 22/11/2017 01:17

Wost case Give DH bottle of milk and go out even if he refuses he will eventually get hungry and just take the bottle.
Best case go out and buy or borrow different bottles with different teats and try them till he likes one.
Also don’t bother feeding him yourself they hardly ever take from Mum.

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Kbeeb1992 · 22/11/2017 08:09

THanks for all the advice il have a go this week of trying different things, like i say im really enjoying breastfeeding and love just having a cuddle, but like makesmile says as soon as i put him down hes awake or even if i pass him to someone else hes awake , i would love to be able to sit and cuddle with him on the sofa all day but cant really when you have other kids and a house, also dh works away so im on my own for 6 weeks at a time. Its not so much that thats bothering me its more the fact that he was taking breastmilk from a bottle perfect and i feel i ruind it by trying the formula thats what’s frustrating lol never mind