Sorry in advance for the long post but I really need some help and I thought all the info might help people give advice.
DS was premmie and small and then had to have bowel surgery. He?s now 18 weeks and exclusively BF. He?s dropped from mid way between 2nd and 9th centile to 0.4th. There has been some concern over this- health visitor and his consultant at outpatients appointment. I have been given several bits of advice from thinking about my own diet () to thinking about topping up with formula and also early weaning. No one has actually pushed it too much as at the moment they are still saying ?well we aren?t really worried yet? He has also had a couple of illnesses.
Anyway, 2 weeks ago he went from sleeping from 7pm ish to 5.30 6.30 am ish to waking 2 then 3 then 4 times a night and being really unsettled and hard to get back to sleep. He also stopped sucking his thumb (which he used to get himself back to sleep). And after 3 days we went to docs (who then passed us back to hospital) and turns out he had thrush in his mouth and a urinary tract infection. Both have been treated and he has finished his course of antibiotics and thrush treatment 2 days ago. He seemed a bit more settled only waking once at 2.30 am for the last 2 days of treatment. But last night he was awake at 10.30 and didn?t get back down until 12.30, then 3,30 and 4,30 and then 6.00 am (up for day after his feed). I fed him each time but it didn?t seem to be satisfying him and he was very unsettled. I should mention that he has always been relatively easy to settle back to sleep. He still isn?t sucking his thumb it?s like he?s forgotten! Anyway I am considering giving him a formula feed at 10.30 (if he waked up again). I really really don?t want to give up breastfeeding but this constant waking is taking its toll. Plus I don?t want him to be going hungry because I don?t seem to have the milk for him. In addition to this I know if his weight is still and issue at his next weigh in then I will be referred to a dietician. My questions are this
- I thought bfeeding worked on supply on demand why might I not be being able to provide him enough?
- What?s people?s experience of being able to continue bfeeding whilst introducing some formula?
- Anyone any clue as to an alternative theory to the night waking if it?s not hunger?
Cheers in advance, but I am getting quite stressed about all of this and really need some words of wisdom