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10 minutes breastfeeding sessions every 3 to 4 hours for 17 week old and sleeping through the night .. Is this enough... So anxious :((((((((

9 replies

2tiredmama · 03/07/2013 23:38

Ladies I am on the verge of supplementing with formula after getting this far exclusively breast feeding. We give him 7 oz exp BM in the morning and 8oz exp BM before bed. I breast feed him 3 times during the day which used to take about 45 mins but now he gets very upset after a few mins into a feed but once he starts giving out he still makes attempts to feed further and is very interested in the breast to start with so I don't believe it could be a breast strike. He feeds for a few mins each side maybe for 10 mins total and then I keep offering each side as he still seems interested but he keeps hopping on and off and giving out and often crying but we battle each other with a stand off of me persisting and he eventually settles in for a further 20-30 mins but the whole saga takes about 75 mins for each feed so its ruling my life! This has been ongoing for 5 weeks and he's been checked for tongue tie, reflux, teething, wind and we've tried gaviscone and infacol just in case. He has plenty of wet & dirty nappies and is a perfect weight. Now I'm just thinking maybe he has enough in the first few mins but I'm afraid to find out in case my milk supply reduces while we try it out for a few days and weigh him to see if he gains any weight on short feeds. But on the other hand I can't go into a 6th week of us both crying but I want to continue to exclusively BF and I know I won't keep up supply even with my double pump. Also i have met with lactation consultant and Dr and they have put it down to breast strike but im not convinced as he's still intereted initially for each feed unless it could it be a partial strike if he gives out after foremilk gone and he has to work for hind milk unlike a bottle.. Please please help any and all advice wanted but I can't get rid of bottle as have severe tendinitis in both wrists and painful inverted nipples. Thank u .......

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DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 04/07/2013 03:48

Either your son wants your milk but isn't putting the work in or, going by his satisfactory weight and night sleep, he is taking enough onboard and feeding more efficiently. Some babies get fussy or frustrated at the speed of flow. Then they come off but go back on again to savour quick spurts - sometimes doing a patting or kneading motion ("Come on Mum,more please") which stimulates flow.

Feeding from a bottle, the flow is continuous and steady and easy. Bf he needs to suck vigorously to keep up the faster flow. At his age I think anything from 5-15 minutes on each side is likely if he's drinking not just sucking.

It's a nice peaceful time bonding with you. Try not to tense up, you have given him a great start. Be sure and get comfy, a few deep calming breaths. Have a glass of water or cup of tea, maybe put music on and hum along. As he gets older -right around now - and sees his surroundings he may get easily distracted by people, reflections, motion.

atrcts · 04/07/2013 04:26

I breast feed my prem (1 month old) for a max of 10 mins every 3-4 hours. I do this every 3 hrs as he has pain with wind and reflux, and overnight he sleeps for 4hrs sometimes.

And he's putting on weight just fine.

I'd also go by the weight more than times of feeds.

MyNameIsButterfly · 04/07/2013 04:48

my 17 week baby never drinks more than 10 min from one side. In fact it's usually less than that. she is a big baby 16 pounds 14 oz and has always put on weight really well. My pediatrician said that babys get their main feed within 10 min when I was worring that she is not on long enough. I would say let him drink as much as he wants and if he comes off don't force him back on and just monitor his weight for a little while.

eggsnbeans · 04/07/2013 06:07

Hiya from my experience of 1 DD, from about 3m she was always a super quick and efficient feeder, 10 mins max each feed. From 6m it was only about 5mins a feed other than her nice sleepy bedtime feed. I also remember from about 4m, feeding did become more difficult because evvvvverything was a distraction, so maybe that is part of the problem you're having now.

If your DS is a good weight and sleeps well, I would eat my hat if he was hungry! If you are concerned, you could try offering more frequently, but don't worry if he doesn't want it. Try to relax, stop when he wants to and let feeding be pleasant for both of you (yup I know how hard that can be too!)

As far as I have read (someone more knowlegable may well correct me though Wink) if you start supplementing with formula, your milk supply will drop to accommodate this, as your baby will only still take what he needs from you, which will be less if he is getting some of his nutrition from formula.

What size teats are you using on your bottles? I was advised to always stick with NB teats for BF babies as they get used ti the fast milk flow from the bottle then get frustrated with the slower boob flow!

Well done you for doing a great job Smile

emmacox1986 · 04/07/2013 11:29

Your baby will feed for as long as they want to. I was worried that my baby boy wasnt getting enough milk but as hes got older he has fed for less and only now has a feed when he gets up, one before he goes to bed at night and one during the night. He will be one next weekend. Also the more you stress the more the baby picks up on it so relax whilst you are feeding. I know that is extremely hard at times though. I have only breast fed my son and have found it very hard at times and have wanted to give up so many times but have stuck with it! Keep going with it!1

2tiredmama · 04/07/2013 17:06

Thanks for all the thoughts... I've done 2 of the 3 breastfeeds today and he ate for 13 mins total for first feed and then took a 2 hour nap very soon after skipping his playtime and he normally only naps for 40 mins tops in any case do maybe he had little energy after the feed?? I've just finished second FB session which totalled 12 mins and he's just not relaxing into play ... Very fiesty and on edge and still hungry I'm sure of it but he just cries at my breast when I retry presumably because al the foremilk is gone and he doesn't want to work for the hind milk... Really think in gonna have to give in and give him exp BM which will further encourage elimination of breast :(((( so upset by it all

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Wishihadabs · 04/07/2013 17:15

My dd was a bit like this (was having 2 bottles a day as well). I think she just preferred the fast flow of the bottle. Ipersevered for 6 months FWIW . If you really want to continue to ebf I would stop all bottles for a week or so, so he gets used to working for his milk again. In the end I had a toddler Ds and just CNBA , I reckoned 6 months was pretty good.

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 04/07/2013 18:12

Hang on in there 2tiredmama you have been soldiering on and he is possibly having a growth spurt, that means he will be mardy and announcing his presence. Bf or bottle they get fussy and hard to please.

I don't mean to get you jumping through hoops by firing suggestions at you, but when he 'hops off' have you tried raising him so he's more upright and rubbing circles on his back to help him bring up any wind? Just a thought.

Btw for your sore wrists have you tried a frozen bag of peas, wrap them in a thin cloth or tea towel, 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off, I have RHA and think taking Glucosamine helps. If you are bf i don't think you can take an anti-inflammatory but someone else may know this? Try not to bear weight on your hands - easier said than done - and watch out for hauling around weighty objects like his baby car seat.

During a spell of sitting down when you're resting without DS on your lap practise elevation. This is easily done at the wrists by supporting your elbow on an arm rest or table and reaching your fingers to the ceiling. This helps your wrists by draining excess fluids.

Or, if you have time, do the following several times a day.
First put your hands and wrists into warm water (as hot as you can comfortably stand) for 2-3 minutes. This increases blood flow.
Then put hands/ wrists into a bowl or sink of ice water for a minute. This reduces inflammation.
Then alternate putting them into the hot water and then ice water for 1 minute each a couple of more times, always end with the ice water.

Here's an exercise that helps you by stretching the tendons:
Put your hands out in front of you, palms facing each other.
Then you make a fist with each hand and tuck your thumbs inside your fists.
Then gently tilt your fists down.

2tiredmama · 04/07/2013 23:13

OK so day over and baby in bed a while now ...phewwww!. Just after my last post after I set up a bottle of exp milk as he was cranky in his playmat he spontaneously changed mood into mr. happy chappy so I didn't give the bottle and he was fine until his next feed which lasted 10 mins and he was fine. I ended the day with a bottle at the bedside as I didn't give him his bottle first thing this morn as I BF instead which went perfectly and lasted 35 mins (because there was lots of milk after sleep as he sleeps through). His bottle before bed had 7oz and he drank 6oz. eggsnbeans: We use the slow flow teat now as of the past 2 few days as we only realised that the bottles we bought came with medium flow which may be the cause of this problem.

Thanks so much for all the advice DonkeysDontRideBicycles :)

Wish me luck for next few days and thanks again guys x

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