Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To try breastfeeding again?

33 replies

incogneto · 05/05/2019 17:20

So.. I did intend to breastfeed but had a traumatic delivery ending in an EMCS. Was exhausted from all of the drugs and 2 failed epidurals so was unable to establish bf'ing in the first few days.

DS was given the colostrum that I could manage to syringe in hospital with top up of formula. Day 3 came and I gave into the bottle, he wasn't latching and they've discovered he has slight tongue tie and a dip in the tongue.

He's been a different baby since being on the bottle and seems much more content, but now my milk has come in and I'm thinking of perhaps giving it another try.

What are your experiences of combo feeding? Does it work or just cause confusion?

OP posts:
Itwouldtakemuchmorethanthis · 05/05/2019 17:23

Go for it!

Confusedbeetle · 05/05/2019 17:23

Of course you should try again if you want to. Mixed feeding can work beautifully. If he has tongue tie it might make thinks harder for him. You could also express and give it in a bottle although you may not be able to keep this up for long. Follow your heart

FromageFrais · 05/05/2019 17:25

Congratulations on thr birth of your new baby OP!

Personally I feel its possibly better the earlier you try?

My DD was BF with combo in the first 2 weeks due to my milk taking the piss coming in and also she had TT. From 2 weeks to 9 months she was EBF.

If you wanna give it a shot, definitely do so. I found my local area NHS BF and infant feeding support groups were an absolute fcking godsend. Defo utilise them too.x

HopeAndJoy16 · 05/05/2019 17:31

I don't have personal experience of this, but it is totally doable! Spend lots of time skin to skin with baby so they can latch freely. Did baby have the tongue tie divided? It would definitely be worth gettig support from your midwives, breastfeeding support workers, a lactation consultant, health visitor etc... because of your tricky start and the tongue tie it's def worth getting some input. La leche league and kellymom have lots of good info on their websites. Check out youtube videos of how to get a good latch.

Good luck!

Fatted · 05/05/2019 17:34

If your milk is coming in, try putting him on the boob and see what he does. I did this with my youngest a few times when my milk came in. He was having none of it though.

bliminy · 05/05/2019 17:46

Mine went from fully bottle fed to fully breastfed when about a week old. It took about 4 days for my milk supply to build back up. I just fed her a lot and ate well and didn't do much else.

maidenover · 05/05/2019 17:48

Go for it, you’ll probably always wonder if you don’t try.

APurpleSquirrel · 05/05/2019 17:50

Both my DC were/are combi fed.
DD had a tongue tie too - had it cut twice (it grew back!).
But neither DC had any problems switching between breast & bottle.
Definitely give it a try but get the tongue tie sorted ASAP.

Springerspaniel88 · 05/05/2019 18:00

I bottle fed for the first week due to latch issues and then went back to BF on day 7 and within a week had ditched the bottles! It's definitely possible and I'm so glad I did.

AlmostAlwyn · 05/05/2019 18:12

Definitely just pop him on and see what happens! Make sure you're eating and drinking enough yourself :) sites like Kellymom are great for breastfeeding advice if you want to know more.

MRex · 05/05/2019 18:42

Good luck! If the tongue tie isn't fixed maybe try expressing for a little while first until it is.

Original poster
incogneto · 05/05/2019 18:50

Just put him on the breast but he doesn't seem interested at the moment, saying that he has just had 2oz of formula so perhaps I will try again later.

TT is getting fixed this Thursday.

Also my breasts are incredible sore and rock hard, how can I relieve this? Sad

OP posts:
Brainfogmcfogface · 05/05/2019 18:51

My baby is 9 weeks, she wouldn’t latch, so syringed colostrum, couldn’t get her to feed so cup fed formula, still wouldn’t latch, and after a week in hospital I wanted to go home so formula fed, once home I concentrated on getting her to breast feed but combi fed as she’s very fussy on the boob and gets frustrated, slowly reduced the formula top up and as of two days ago she’s been ebf, still an absolute fusspot on the boob but she’s gaining weight and lots of wet nappies etc so she’s getting what she needs. I’ve done it pretty much on my own as I found the bf support health visitor a bit useless tbh and when she said she hadn’t bf herself I lost faith in her advice. I also joined lots of bf support groups online. No no yanbu at all! It takes work but it can be done :)

Maldives2006 · 05/05/2019 19:15

You need to express to get the milk out otherwise you could get a blocked duct, congratulations Smile

HopeAndJoy16 · 05/05/2019 23:12

Try offering breast before you give formula, and look out for those early feeding cues so he's not angry and shouting while you get him to latch. Early cues are licking lips, chewing fists etc. Remember also that babies use different muscles when breast/bottle feeding so it might take some perseverence to get him latched well. Don't get stressed if he seems fussy, just give him lots of cuddles and try again!

To relieve engorgement try massaging your boobs, hand expressing (or breastpump but only express enough to soften), having a hot shower and letting the water hit your breasts, try using warm flannels before a feed and cold flannels/gel packs after a feed. Your supply does calm down after a few weeks, but my god it is uncomfortable!

ZippyBungleandGeorge · 05/05/2019 23:17

DS couldn't breast feed until his tongue tie was snipped, we then went to combo feeding, and now ebf. It took a lot of perseverance and a free months to drop the top ups more from habit than need. HV seemed to think I was mad wanting to bother. I found fenugreek supplements from n Holland and Barrett kept my supply up when combi feeding as I've not been able to pump very effectively.

ZippyBungleandGeorge · 05/05/2019 23:18

Always offer breast before bottle

Hugtheduggee · 05/05/2019 23:21

Express some off top make our more comfy and because it's much easier for a baby to latch onto a softer boob.

I'm combi feeding (by choice), and it's going fine. It's early days (just a few weeks in), but I think it's totally doable to combi feed if you want - equally to try to get back to full boob, or equally full formula (or expressing). It doesn't have to be all or nothing unless you want it to be, but you may as well give it a go if you want. Just try not to get so emotionally invested in it that it totally dominates your newborn days in a negative way.

Moralitym1n1 · 05/05/2019 23:23

Combi fedfor 6 months. Sil did it for 9.

I just put on boob (both) first, then topped up with formula.
Though midwife told me I should aim to do one feed bf, next feed formula etc. I didn't be ause was rarely convinced baby had had enough. Definitely thought supply rose the more I did it though.

To relieve, just keep trying and/or use a pump (I could never manual by hand or even manual pump so got electric but you might be luckier), can store whatever you get in fridge/freezer.

cloudymelonade · 05/05/2019 23:27

I'm currently combi feeding my 3 week old after similar problems. I had to have follow up surgery and the anaesthetic and medication meant I had to take a couple of days off feeding.
Combi feeding is working really well for us, happy to answer any questions :)

Original poster
incogneto · 05/05/2019 23:37

Thanks everyone! I'll try to express some to relieve this pain that I'm having now.

I'll try DS on the breast again before Thursday but at the minute he just seems uninterested and won't latch Sad

Hoping the correction of TT will change thinfs

OP posts:
ColdCottage · 05/05/2019 23:51

Latch can take a while as they learn anyway. I ebf my ds but even though it was going great on one boob I still had some tips and it took a while to get the latch on the other boob.

Combi feeding means you can take your time with the bfing and so can baby. Like anything we all learn at different rates.

Good luck and don't be disheartened if it takes a while.

I found gently pulling my ds's bottom lip down when he was trying to latch helped us.

Lancs84 · 06/05/2019 04:09

Definitely check in with your local breastfeeding support if you want to breastfeed. My DS wouldn’t latch and as a result I ended up with savage mastitis as he wasn’t feeding when my milk came in. I was advised to express eight times a day to make sure my milk supply didn’t fade. You may be advised differently but please do check it out, as Thursday is still a few days away which could impact your supply if not feeding or expressing. Bonus is you can then give this breastmilk in a bottle. I used to express and my DH would give the milk I’d expressed earlier in the day. You can also try him at the breast each time just so he’s getting the chance to smell you. And as a PP said, lots of skin time. Can you just bunker down for a few days in bed together?

You’re doing an amazing job, these early days and weeks are so intense and feeding issues can really add to it all. X

Bibijayne · 06/05/2019 05:07

Have you got nipple guards? May help him latch until the tongue tie is fixed?

CustardCreamLover · 06/05/2019 06:49

Keep at it OP! My son was 5 weeks early so he didn't really have the instinct to suck at first and I was away from him for 24 hours so he was bottle fed to start with. It took ages to get him to breast feed a d like a PP said nipple guards really helped. Also instead of formula we use breast milk in a bottle because he would eat but not for long because it was too hard work for him. Always gave breast first though. Now 15 weeks in he's exclusively BF without a nipple guard and has a bottle if and when it's needed for example if my husband is looking after him instead of me. Good luck!

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.