BF mums...What would you do?

[harverina]

Posted about this last week on another thread.

My DD is 17 weeks and EBF. I have been supplementing her evening feed with a bottle of expressed breast milk, which my DH gives to her. I have been doing this as my supply has been very slow. The amount depends on what I have managed to pump. Regardless, I also usually breastfeed her before bed too, unless the expressed milk fills her up.

Tonight she has had 7oz of expressed milk plus she has been fed by me a few times. She has been in bed twice and is back up. My DH is giving her the last of the expressed milk just now. We have about an 0z left.

My DH thinks I should give her formula. We have a carton of ready made aptamil in the cupboard. I really dont want to give it to her but am I being selfish? Have just tried to feed her and she is so unsettled because my supply is so slow. I want to continue to exclusively breastfeed her for as long as possible...apart from the guilty I am feeling, I have also read the "Just one bottle" article which another mumsnetter posted on another thread and worry about the health implications of giving formula...I know plenty of babies get it, I was formula fed, but I am stressing myself out here.

Any advice please? Just stick at it and let her feed till she is full? I have no problem doing this, but dont want my DD to be frustrated and get upset.

Hope your night wasn't too bad. Put your feet up today and rest and sleep if you can. It will soon get better.

On a good day I can maybe express 60mls - that is with two expressing sessions so 30mls at each, some days not a drop.

Got a big fat baby though so there must be milk there.

I know it is hard but you need to feed feed feed and just try to ride it out. Forget pumping/expressing for a bit and just let her at them.

This sounds very familiar. DS (now 15mo) went through the same thing at around the same age - he was permanatly plumbed into me as well, especially in the evenings from about 5.30-8ish - eat, nap, eat nap etc. I watched a lot of TV.

I also learned at this stage how to BF lying down which helped hugely and also started co-sleeping some of the time which helped with the restlessness at night.

It does pass, although it can be a tough period. Perservere. As long as DD is producing decent amounts of wet and dirty nappies you know its going in (although DS would have less dirty nappies in a growth spurt, I assume because he was using up most of what went in. He would be back to normal within a few days).

Best of British Luck!

Hi everyone,
DD went to sleep at 11pm and slept until 7am so she must have been getting milk as I assume she would have woken through the night.

She hasnt fed well this morning. Think its because of her gums. Her cheeks are really red and she is chewing her hand constantly. She is napping just now. Plan on staying in today and just letting her feed when she wants to.

I know alot of you are saying to stop pumping just now, but if my DD isnt feeding great would I not be better to express to keep supply up?

Morloth and Leoni, thats good to know about expressing. I used to be able to get loads but now I manage about 3-4oz in about 45 minutes.

Allsheeparewhite thanks for the link, will look at it now.
Thanks again everyone.

Oh my Leoni, you are brave to admit that ...I'll take your word for it haha.

harverina sounds like she's probably teething. I found that Ashtons Parson'a teeting powders worked well on my DS, or failing that Bonjella (I forget if there's an age restriction?)

It sounds like you're doing a great job BTW, and I second what everyone has said about just letting her feed when she wants. Your boobs and your baby have been designed by millions of years of evolution. The chances are they're working just fine

can only add to what everyone else has said...my little girl fed for HOURS every evening. I was so shocked because I had never heard of cluster feeding and thought I was doing something wrong. I wasn't...came on to mumnet, got lots of great advice and carried on!

keep going, it does get easier. I am still breastfeeding my 10 month old and honestly I can hardly even remember those times already.

you are doing great, just keep at it.

Well while you're all confessing, I tried some of my BM too.

I've had one proper all-night, night out since DS was born (New Years Eve). My boobs were really, really hurting by the morning, OMG! I've never really got the hang of hand expressing, it was much easier to just suck a bit out myself to ease the pressure a bit (I was a little sozzled, but I still think it was a good idea!).

It was indeed very sweet.

Sorry harverian I don't expect this is quite the advice you had in mind when you posted this actually pretty important topic.
Just now these two have started confessing I couldn't help myself!

I could understand introducing formula at that age if you are having say over a night of very broken sleep, but its normal to have slower supply in the evening.

A baby who can sleep 8pm until 5 or 6am is getting more than enough. A feed during the night will help supply, eg every time DS2 goes through a growth spurt he wakes 3 hourly in the night for a couple of nights.
He usually goes 7pm-10.30pm and 10.30pm-7am.

I would only offer the expressed milk directly after a full breastfeed otherwise you will affect supply. Although all three DS2 has a feed at 10.30pm (I wake him, and encourage him to feed for as long as possible, often an hour) he is not interested in a top up afterwards.

You must all have very big boobs. I just tried as thought that would be much easier than pumping and dumping but I can't reach!

Wanted to say though that IMO expressing and bottles take all the fun out of breastfeeding, what a hassle.

OP: giving formula or even expressed milk from your freezer stash will reduce supply. Just need to feed as often as possible. As my DS2 sleeps all night and only manages to empty one side at 7am I find that if I express at 7.30am from the other breast it helps with supply as it gets him to feed more all morning. That milk can then be offered after a FULL bedtime feed to ensure he's topped up for the night.

You lot do know that I am now sitting here trying to do that, don't you?

Leonie you never need to leave the house again!

haverina your boobs are at the stage now that just feeding her when and if she wants to will maintain supply, sounds like she is teething if she is really upset with it maybe some bonjela or even some calpol?

Hey! I can!

PMSL, DH is gonna luuuuuurve that trick.

Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice. Had some problems today - DD really fussing at breast and took up to 1.5 hours to get her to settle and feed at one feed. She was also refusing to feed for ong on my left breast. Expressed tonight to encourage supply. I dont normally keep a stash in the freezer...if I express in the morning I use that to top her up at night, if needed. Only started this recently. When she has been taking bottle I have been expressing and found that it had been helping my supply at night. Had a night out on Saturday night and only expressed for ten minutes whilst out and then again when I got home so think this has affected my supply again. Next time I'll be more careful and pump every two hours.

Have tried teething gels and ashton and parsons - didnt find they helped that much today as she was particularly unsettled, but they usually do. Been looking for buds but nothing so far!

Leoni I laughed out loud when you said you could get both nipples in at once! You could save a fortune on food, just lactate forever. I wonder if it would help me to lose the baby weight if I breastfed myself too...

5.5 years is a long time...have you been wearing nursing bras all this time? I love breastfeeding but long to be able to wear normal bras again! When I was out at the weekend I had a normal bra on and my DH asked what was "wrong" with my breasts [confused}!

LOL haverina I was wondering about whether it would help with baby weight as well, but surely it wouldn't? Would be calories in for calories expended?

I'm pretty sure there is less calories oin breastmilk than triple choc cookies .

Quick questions (again sorry!)...when expressing during the day after a full feed to encourage supply...if there is no milk coming out, will it still stimulate enough to encourage supply?