Breastfeeding

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Hi,

I’m hoping someone can help. My DD is 4 days old and I’ve been trying to breastfeed. I had a decent amount of colostrum and all the midwives said she’s latching well.

However, she had her day 3 weighing and she has lost 8.5% of her birth weight. The cut off point for “intervention” is 8%.

The midwife assistant that came out to weigh her said I need to top up with formula and they’ll review the weight again on day 5 (which is tomorrow).

The thing is although I can see she is getting milk (spat out a little, wet nappies, and from me leaking) I don’t think my milk has come in properly yet.

I tried expressing earlier for the first time and I only got about 5-10ml from both breasts combined.

I have a beaker from the hospital which I put the expressed milk into but she can’t quite get the hang of swallowing it. This will be the same with formula. I really don’t want to introduce a bottle so early on.

I am desperate to breastfeed, I’m still carrying so much guilt and sadness with me from having similar issues with my DS from 4 years ago and regret giving up and stopped with breastfeeding. This was due to him losing weight and me getting scared he will get ill and pressure from the in laws to give formula (who we were staying with at the time) saying I was starving him.

I’m so worried that tomorrow she will have lost more weight and that the pressure to stop BF will be there again.

I’m doing skin to skin contact and she’s constantly on my breasts. Is there anything else I can do to bring my milk in?

Anyone experienced a similar situation and went on to BF successfully?

I feel like I’m spiralling into my feelings of guilt and sadness at potentially failing both my children.

I would welcome any tips/advice.

Thank you for reading.

It’s early days! Don’t give up, you’re doing all the right things. Keep up the skin to skin, in fact just stay in bed with her if you can. She and you will get there.

This is a great site:
kellymom.com/category/bf/got-milk/
Look for facebook groups too.

You don't have to top up with formula if you don't want to. You can express and give this as a top up or try other things. LLL have a good webpage www.laleche.org.uk/my-baby-needs-more-milk/

You could also call their helpline (which is manned tomorrow too) or your local leader.

www.laleche.org.uk/get-support/

Keep doing skin to skin. How often are you feeding her?

Expressing doesn’t show how much you’re actually producing especially
in the beginning & ive breastfed my 2 for 18 months & can’t express at all but I can get a baby from 2nd centile to 50th.

Are you staying hydrated & eating enough? Taking vitamins?
Make sure you’re drinking over 2 litres, eat things like oats & make sure you’re getting 3 meals a day.

If baby falls asleep try to strip them & get them feeding more.

The baby will build your supply.

Between 7 and 10 per cent is a “keep an eye on things and feed feed feed at every opportunity”. Over 10 per cent needs more attention. There will have been many millions of women in your situation where everything has been just fine.

Are you having any pain? Can you hear her swallowing? Is she having dirty nappies as well as wet?

Breast compressions can keep babies feeding when they seem to be falling asleep.

I'm sure it was 10% when I had my babies?
One or maybe two of them lost more than 8% and were fine, no formula.
Just feed more frequently and switch/offer more sides.

Are you in the UK? 8.5% loss is within normal limits, and now weighing is usually avoided until day 5 because of this exact issue unless there are concerns about the baby. I would carry on as you are, making sure she feeds regularly and if she isn’t feeling then hand express for 5-10 mins every few hours to encourage supply. How are her poos? If she’s pooing and it’s starting to change then even more reassurance that everything is fine.

Also rather than expressing try a haaka or nature bond pump - it's not really a pump you just stick it on one boob while you feed off the other and it collects a couple of oz.

My milk didn't come in until day 4 or 5 - you'll know if yours has or not. I'm not an expert at all but I thought concern about weight loss didn't kick in until you hit 10%

I really disagree with the advice of the midwife. Topping up with formula will tell your body that your baby needs less milk from you. The absolute best thing you can do op, is drink loads and loads of water, and basically sit or lie with your baby for a few days feeding as much as you possibly can. Even just having the baby on your breast or bare skin will help you make more. And night feeds are so important as well. Eat porridge if you can, I always notice an increase in supply when I eat oats. You will get there op.

I am by no means an expert but have breastfed both DCs, in fact I am breastfeeding DC2 right now! If I were you I would be tempted to keep going with just breastfeeding. 4 days in is so early, I would make sure you are eating lots and drinking loads of water and keep feeding baby as often as you can! Good luck OP Xxx

You’re doing everything right!! Keep at it!

These early days are a worry but an 8% shiuld not be a major concern. Do some more reading- kellymom, la Leche, Dr Jack Newman etc so you feel informed.

There’s no reason why breastfeeding won’t work out for you

Thank you so much for the responses, they really mean a lot.

I’m not sure how to respond individually so will answer them below:

Yes I’m in the UK and I too thought it was 10% and that was the case when DS was born. But apparently guidelines have recently changed?

I think I can improve my eating and eat more. My appetite has gone but I will make a conscious effort to eat.

She’s producing dirty nappies, and I can also hear her swallowing so I thought BF was going well. That’s why yesterday came as a shock. Her dirty nappies are starting to change too.

Shes been a bit fussier on the boob today, I think because I’m my desperation i syringe fed her some EBM and now she’s having to work for it again ?

Thank you for providing the contact details.

It's been a while, but I won't forget my midwife said to me:
"Have breakfast, then a mid morning snack. Lunch, then snacks, tea then supper..."

Give it time and eat and rest with your baby

That all sounds really positive, esp the nappies. The NCT helpline is open till midnight if you want to talk things through with someone tonight.

Extra food won’t particularly help, by the way - eat and drink what and when you want - relaxation is going to help you much more!

She’s on the boob pretty much all night. Is that normal?

I keep worrying it’s because she’s not getting anything.

I’m not sure why it’s taking my milk so long to come in.

All night is good as it will encourage more supply.

Yes, totally normal. Just keep swapping boobs every time she slows down/comes off and do breast compressions too.

If national guidelines have changed it’s very recent and hasn’t been well publicised, so I’m not sure that’s true. Even if it was, it could be related to formula/mixed feeding where less weight loss in the early days is more common. For a fully breastfed baby, yours sounds like she’s doing perfectly. Really, your milk should be in by tomorrow at the latest (although you say you’re leaking, and that sounds like it’s pretty much there). If it isn’t then I would be checking latch, look for tongue tie and make sure feeding is regular enough especially overnight as they’re the usual suspects. Being fussy at the breast in these early days is very normal, a syringe feed will have done no harm. Just keep doing what you’re doing, it sounds like it is all going exactly as it should be. Well done!

Feeding “all” the time can be normal, (though are there literally no breaks at all?) or it can be that she is not removing milk very efficiently- the way to be sure is really to look at the nappy output (which sounds good) and what she is doing on the breast when she’s there - big deep jaw movements? Fast sucking initially, then slower? Is the nipple a normal shape when she comes off the breast? Do you offer both sides at each feed? It would probably be useful to have a quick chat with one of the helplines.

More feeds overnight than in the day is great for supply and very normal

Took me over a week to really have milk, by which time I'd given up with both babies. Sounds like you're doing everything right though. Just wanted to say well done and congratulations on the little one. Keep going!!!

To be honest I wasn’t aware of this “new” threshold either. I was still under the impression it was 10% that triggered a feeding plan.

I was happy with the latch, the swallowing sounds, the way her jaw moved when she was on the breast including the ears wriggling. The nappies were giving me more confidence that this time BF was going right.

However after yesterday’s visit I feel my confidence has gone and now I’m questioning everything ie is she on the boob so much because she’s not getting enough etc.

I’m not sure how to approach tomorrow’s appointment as she’s being weighed again. I’m sure she will have lost more given my milk isn’t properly in and I haven’t done the formula tops up.

I tried to feed DD the little I had expressed via a beaker but she couldn’t quite master the swallowing from it so it just went everywhere.

I’m fully expecting to be told that’s there’s been further weight loss tomorrow and that’s making me so worried.