Jaundiced and Breast Feeding

[MigGril]

I'm not trying to offened anyone just after some information.

It seems to be that a lot of babies are given formula if baby has jaundices, even if mum wants to BF. Does anyone know if there is a medical reasion for this?

DD had mild jaundice when born but I was just told to feed her more frequently and wake her for feeds for the first few days. Does it depend on the severity if the jaundice.

Anyone who could point me in the direction of some further reading would be good.

I'm intersted to know as due no2 in a couple of months.

My DS had servere jaundice and I ended up both breast and bottle feeding. Babies with jaundice do get more sleepy and could underfeed. DS lost weight in the first 2 weeks of life and weight gain was very slow.

Breast and bottle worked for him. Weight gain was very slow until he was weaned and then he was fine. Do whatever works best for you.

As I understand it, feeding/fluids helps their body to deal with the jaundice. So formula can be a way of getting more milk into them at a time when your milk may only just be coming in or you may not have got breastfeeding sorted (especially as a sleepy baby is harder to get latched sometimes).

If you want to not give formula and manage fine breastfeeding, then there's no problem afaik.

There is normally no medical reason for giving formula to breastfed jaundiced babies.

There is normally no reason for bf to continue uninterrupted - if the baby is not feeding effectively then the mother can be supported to express.

The support for continued, uninterrupted, exclusive breastfeeding is all in NICE guidelines guidance.nice.org.uk/CG98.

Both my DC had jaundice due to an AOB blood incompatibility. DD had to go to special care for 4 days. I BF and the nurses topped her up with formulae for the first 2 days. DS (was born 12 days ago. His jaundice was caught earlier so we spent 4 days in teh maternity ward rather than special care and he has been exclusively bf. I just made sure he never went longer than 3 hours without a feed. It is more challenging to try and BF when he's really sleepy, but he's put on lots of weight and is nearly a normal colour now. Colostrum is meant to be one of the best things to help get rid of jaundice.

My DD had jaundice and, looking back now, I feel I was pressurised into giving formula. I had flat nipples and that, plus jaundice, made it difficult to brestfeed. Instead of being offered support though, I was told to give formula as I was making her more poorly by trying to bf.

We were on the ward a few days as her jaundice got worse before it got better so I got chance to see a lovely bf counsellor, who helped me hand express until she was a bit more alert, and establish bf properly.

My DD had jaundice and the only thing I was told to do was breastfeed her as much as possible in a well sunlit area of the room - which I did and it cleared up without further intervention.

DS (first baby) was jaundiced enough for us to be admitted to hospital when he was 5 days old, he was very sleepy and had lost more than 10% of his birth weight. The community mw who referred us asked if we had tried formula. When I said no she sort of implied that if we didn't try formula we would have to go to hospital. I think I replied that if it was that serious I would go in.

Once in hospital formula was not mentioned (baby friendly status etc). DS went under lights for 24 hrs and I was encouraged to feed him every 3 hrs or when he wanted it (but he wasn't waking for feeds at the time). I also expressed after every feed and the staff cup fed him with my EBM.

We stayed in for 3 nights in total and it was pretty stressful, particularly as I'd had a v relaxed homebirth it was a bit of a shock to find myself on a busy post-natal ward. BF was well-established by the time we came out though, and DS carried on until he was ready to stop.

A friend of a friend had a baby at the same time, similar jaundice experience, but she ended up mixed feeding (was not admitted to hospital) so I think support is patchy.

My DD2 was so severly jaundiced she narrowly missed having to have an exchange transfusion (she just had 3 days under the lights . At no point did anyone mention formula, either at home or in the hospital - I just had to feed her as much as I could. Whilst in SCBU I expressed and gave it to her in a bottle until she was strong enough to feed again.

Not very scientific, but that is my experience.

we were readmitted at 3 days as DS had jaundice and had lost 15% of birth weight and wasn't waking up to feed. he was given formula in hospital as my milk hadn't yet come in. i expressed colostrum which was given to him first before each formula feed. we had to continue to top him up at home until my milk came in on day 5, and then top him up with EBM too for a few days.

i was surprised that formula was necessary but it really did seem to be in our case, having looked up protocols later.

DS1 was re admitted at 4 days old with jaundice. I didnt have to give him formula at all. Was monitored and I fed him loads and often. Supplemented with a glucose solution in a cup but tbh not much of it went down.

Had a great paediatrician who didnt think it was necessary to supplement with formula just get the bf more established.