To give up breastfeeding 3 week old?

[Octosaurus]

Every time I breastfeed my 3 week old he spend the next few hours crying, spitting up and wriggling in pain.

On days where I exclusively breastfeed he also has had bad diarrhoea (12 poos a day vs his normal 5/6) and a red face and body.

When he has formula (when i was sick in hospital and when my supply had been too low for his appetite) he is much more content. He drinks, he can be burped nicely, no vomiting or spitting up and no diarrhoea or red blotchy skin.

I am so upset because I wanted to breastfeed and I feel like I can do it, I have a good latch and good supply now!

The doctor said there's no way he can be allergic to breast milk end of. I am coeliac and don't eat wheat and I gave up milk in case there was a dairy allergy.

I am seriously thinking I should switch to formula but I don't want to make him miss out on the benefits of BF and I'm afraid I will be judged.

Anyone been through similar? Or got ANY advice?

Number 1 a fed baby is a happy baby. Just keep repeating this to yourself.

Could you try combo feeding? There are different ways of doing it. We used to do formula at night. Day time boob and topped off with formula if needed.

I’m coeliac too. I’d resume milk again as formula has milk in too. It could be a reaction to something else you are eating.

Be kind to yourself.

Talk to BFing support groups, they will know more than gps on this matter.

It takes a few weeks for the traces of cow millk protein to make its way out of your system, so you would not have seen the effects of that yet.

You could also try excluding other foods from your diet to see if things settle. Eggs, nuts, seafood.

BFing is so worth it for such a long time and these are really early days.

What does his poo look/smell like? 12 poos per day isn’t necessarily abnormal on its own. Breast milk is very easily digested and works as a laxative so it’s pretty common for small babies to poo with every feed. It tends to be very liquid too. Diarrhoea tends to be foul smelling rather than the fruity/semi-sweet smell you get with normal BM poo.

What kind of blotches does he get? This sounds more unusual.

Him being uncomfortable and spitting up lots suggests there might still be some air going in when he feeds at the breast. Do you have the same problem if you give him expressed milk in a bottle?

Call your health visiting team. They should have an infant team you can access.

I'd suggest some BF-specific advice, try La Leche League.

If he is being so sick after breast milk what benefits is he actually getting? Surely it's better if he is feed, well and happy?
If it was a supply issue or similar combo feeding might be a good idea as he would still be getting the benefits of both, but it seems to be an issue with the milk.
The most important thing is that your baby is fed, please don't put yourself through all this guilt, stress and worry.

What ever works best there is absolutely no right or wrong here
don’t let anyone guilt trip you into thinking differently

Don’t feel guilty for considering formula. DT’s were solely formula fed and they are 100% healthy. Healthy baby = happy parents.

This is the info on calling them https://www.laleche.org.uk/call/

This article seems relevant https://www.laleche.org.uk/unhappy-baby/

I guess I would say to have a chat, see what options exist, but don't beat yourself up for too long over the decision.

One thing it could be is fast supply, which improves as babies get bigger.

Anyone who would judge you isn't worth thinking about. Make the best choice for you and your family.

1. get a consultation with your local infant feeding team - they'll do home visits for newborns and can discuss all the potential issues at play here.
2. don't assume a GP/HV knows anything about breastfeeding!
3. don't give up yet unless there's a real reason (ie you've done number 1). An unhappy baby might have nothing to do with feeds at this point and then you'll have denied your baby the lifetime health benefits for nothing (these are all invisible so no one with a formula fed baby can "see" the difference hence telling you there isn't one).

Breastfeeding is hard. Establishing it is hard. If you want to breastfeed, persevere. But there is nothing wrong with saying “this isn’t for me/my baby”. I think health visitors would be more helpful than the GP at this point. Have you tried the National breastfeeding helpline. They’re open daily. http://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk/

Don't give up! If you get through another 2-3 weeks honestly it suddenly becomes so much easier. If you stick it out now, you'll be thankful for months after! I'd Google IBCLC in your area and book a consultation. They're worth their weight in gold

He has the same problem when I express and bottle feed the breast milk.

I don't eat eggs or nuts.

The breastfeeding consultant team just say it's normal for a baby to spit up but it's clearly distressing him. He has a pained expression and a painful cry when doing his pops and when spitting up. It's like it causes him heartburn and reflux it's a bad reaction.

Also, what are the lifelong benefits of breast feeding? I always hear it's better but why?

stop today OP. Happy baby is fed baby and BF is no way worth being miserable over.

I gave up feedback my DS after about 2 weeks. He was fussy, it hurt and I had a toddler and just found the whole thing stressful and upsetting. I felt guilty at the time but he's now a healthy, bright 11 year old. Do what's right for you, anyone who judges isn't worth knowing and in a couple of years time it just won't matter.

My baby was the same, such a shame as latch and feeding was fine. I tried to cut things from my diet but I combo fed and then just formula as I couldn't solve it.

One thing I do wish I'd done is pump and freeze. My baby is 2 now with no allergy's, eats well.

From NHS

Any amount of breast milk has a positive effect. The longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits.
Breastfeeding can help to reduce your baby's risk of:
• infections, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
• diarrhoea and vomitingg_, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS))_
• obesityy_
• cardiovascular diseasee_ in adulthood

•	breastfeeding provides health benefits for you

Formula milk does not provide the same protection from illness and does not give you any health benefits.

Little babies often don’t take well to breastfeeding. They wriggle, scream and do lots of poos. And often don’t like to let go. If you can hang in there, often they learn how to do it and grow through it.

Vomiting. My DM said both my brother and I through up until we were 8 months old. My dd stopped vomiting st 8 months and three days. It was like magic. Her weight dropped after leaving hospital to the 10th percentile but then she tracked on that line well so I didn’t worry.

You need to take care of yourself. You need to drink water until you float. You need plenty of protein. You need to rest. Your energy is needed to make milk. If you think you need more milk, I found fenugreek invaluable. 2 teaspoons 4 time per day. It took a couple of weeks but by the time dd was 7 weeks, the horror times were getting easier.

Have you had a let down yet? It’s like a tingling and then a rush of production with dc suddenly sucking away like mad. Honestly, a woman's body is amazing. It can take time and management but, if you can do it, it’s wonderful.

However, a fed baby is best. If you hate it, if it hurts and doesn’t stop, if you think dc is just hating it, if your life just doesn’t allow you the time (I was stuck at 45 minutes per side with a nappy change at half time so I know that pain), don’t ever be ashamed of just going to the bottle. Make your decision and hold your head high that you have put baby first.

Congratulations on your new baby. You’re an amazing mum.

Op many of us were formula fed or have formula fed our children and we’re all fine. I was given a big a colustrum as a baby and then straight to formula and i’m a very healthy adult. If it’s clear your baby is suffering whatever reason, just give formula. No need to feel guilty. I am pregnant with my second and will be goinf straight to formula (after colostrum) x

The benefits seem to be on a population level rather than an individual one, there is some evidence that breastfeed babies have fewer infections and lower instances of obesity later in life. However, once you control for other factors, especially wealth and class, the clear benefits become less so. Opportunities and upbringing have a much larger effect.

I would also be really sceptical about any info you get about breastfeeding benefits from the NHS.

He can be allergic to breast milk or at least react to some of the food you are eating. Having had two babies with allergies I would say if you suspect an allergy keep breast feeding so much easier.

I couldn't produce the required milk so quickly went onto bottle fed. DD is now 19, at university and perfectly healthy!

I also spent hours and hours puréeing organic vegetables when she was weaning at six months. All home made fresh food for my girl. No fizzy juice and no chocolate. Probably doesn't eat any veg at all as an adult and lives off Twirls. She is super fit and fine.

You can worry yourself into the ground with this sort of stuff. Don't be a martyr. It makes zero difference. Honestly.

If pumped milk in a bottle causes the same sickness, it's clearly something in your milk, but not dairy if it's regular formula you're feeding. If you want to continue, I'd start strictly removing other allergens until you find the cause. But there's nothing wrong with stopping either. I couldn't breastfeed my cmpa baby beyond a week or so. Whatever keeps you both happy, healthy and sane :)