Help!

[cathpalmer]

Hi everyone!

I'm at my wits end and really need some advice.

I've been breastfeeding my 18 week old daughter exclusively since birth and occassionally expressed some milk so that my husband can feed her too once in a while.
This last weekend was the first time I've ever left her for 24hours (friends wedding and I expressed some milk to leave for her, however, as she's such a hungry baby I also bought some ready made formula as a top up if thwe breast milk I expressed wasn't enough (which she drank too)

When I returned continued to breastfeed as normal but now she is only sucking for a few minutes at best then getting really upset each time i try to feed her during the day. I tried to express some milk last night because she wouldn't feed from me, and i couldn't manage to express any.

I'm really worried, has she rejected the breast or have i stopped producing enough milk?

It seems to be much worse during the day and especially in the evening.

I successfully breastfed my son 3 years ago so i know i'm doing it properly.

Please, any help appreciated.

24 hours away from your baby is not likely to have affected your supply, but it does sound like your daughter is getting frustrated because bottles are EASIER. This is ultimately what leads to nipple confusion and a premature end to breastfeeding.

Keep offering the breast as often as possible. Skin to skin is still beneficial even at this age, so take your top/bra off if poss and strip baby down to her nappy. Take away all bottles for the time being. If necessary, hand express or with a pump until let down and then stick her on - less work for her. If she normally has a dummy, take it off her and let her comfort suck at the breast for the next few days.

Aim is to remind her where the good stuff is

If you then need to give her bottles again in the future, recommend making sure you have the slowest teat possible so that she has to work for what she's getting.

There is another possibility that explains your dd's difficulty. I doubt very much this is 'confusion' or a preference for bottle teats....not in a baby of this age.

She is, possibly, upset at the separation and was confused and frustrated as a result, and needs time to 'come back' and trust that all is well again. Of course she will come back and all will be well.

Your milk supply will be fine - it takes more than 24 hours off to make it disappear.

Just keep offering without fighting. Take her into the bath with you, and enjoy skin to skin and snuggly cuddles in there and in bed. Read up on 'nursing strike' and let her come back to you in her own time and at a relaxed pace :)

thank you so much i'll look into that...