How to handle combination feeding/top-ups?

[LeggyBlondeNE]

Like another mum on here, my baby was a heavy one at birth, lost (just) over 10% of BW and then spent 3 weeks not gaining anything back.

In our case, what seemed to work was giving 200-300ml of top-ups a day for a few days, as the behest of the peadiatricians (and I was willing to oblige to avoid being re-admitted to the ward with her!).

On Thursday and Friday I managed to get friends to help, but now I'm home alone with baby who a. won't take the syringe from me, b. is starting to show some signs of breast rejection when she's feeling demanding, and c. gets into a tower of screaming rage at least daily now, I assume becuase she wants more easy-feed formula. Giving her big top ups however, has definitely reduced her BF demand for hours after which I want to avoid so my supply doesn't suffer (it's not spectacular nayway).

So ... any advice? I plan to ask our local specialist about those supplemetary feeding systems you attach to the boob. But also, would be good to know how other people have handled topping up alone and how to phase it out.

cheers

How old is your baby now?

I topped up in the first 3 months. I would feed all day myself - up to every 45 mins from 3-7pm, and put up with the screaming that it wasn't coming fast enough, or just enough full stop. Then at 7/8pm after bathtime, we'd do a formula top-up so I could go to bed early and then do the night feeds.

By 3 months he just wasn't taking any formula so we stopped it, and he hasnt had any formula since.

she's 3.5 weeks

evening top-ups from Dad may be our only option - sad to think it means lots of screaming though! Or did he eventually realise that formula was an evening only thing?

Well the thing is if you don't have the screaming for more food, and regular feeds even if it isn't sufficient, your supply won't increase. It should only be for a couple of days until your body ups the supply. Plus it sounds to me like a growth spurt - in which case just sit on the sofa, surrounded by biscuits, cake and fruit and water, and feed your LO constantly...

Feels like it'll never end, but it does I promise! I spent the first 4 months thinking that that was how life was going to be for years... Now at 10 months, DS has 2 feeds a day, taking a max of ten mins each. I didn't realise how quickly it all changes.

I know it's a pain in the arse but could you try dripping drops of formula down your nipple/breast as baby suckles until you get hold of a supplementary nursing system? It helped a friend whose baby wouldn't take a bottle from her, and it means that your breast gets the stimulation at the same time as T gets a bit of extra - perhaps combine with an evening top up as you say, gradually reducing the vol of formula as your supply increases. As you know, I'm around working from home mon to thurs so v happy to help out with syringe if needed.

Agree with Odysseus that a few days sitting around (with, to quote my health visitor, "your tits hanging out all day and baby in nothing but a nappy") probably in order.