Really could do with some advice please. Sorry long, waffly thread

[alfiemama]

After many problems with bf, particularly me being poorly (infection on abdomen after bad section) and being on antibiotics, which unfortunately made lo unsettled, and lo losing weight, and well if I'm honest I just couldn't do it despite trying to battle on. So I sadly put Millie on formula.

My problem though is all the newborn teats seem too fast, but something is making her tired as I find it hard to get anything more than 2oz down her, the hv said she is either a snacker as it will take me about 2 hours to get a full feed down her and then she is ready for a bottle again. Or as she is a bit rattly which the hv is almost sure its mucus but she wants her chest listened to as concerned about her tiring easily and wants to rule it out.

I am currently using Dr Brown bottles but Millie seems to be sucking hard on them at first as she will get marks round her mouth but it will flow out of one side of her mouth, so the hv mentioned maybe an orthodontic teat would be good.

We know that somehow she is having enough as she has put on 12oz in a week, so I'm not concerned about that, but its quite, well very tiring trying to keep up with all the feeds, I suppose she is bf but on a bottle at the minute, as having well over 6 bottles a day.

Now I am concerned about going and buying more bottles and hv said try and use bottles I have but maybe find teats to fit (we all know how hard this is!!!!)

So I have ttctn bottles and Dr Browns, I have been researching and found that Nuk do the orthodontic teats, so not sure whether to try the teats on the bottles, someone has told me they fit Dr Browns (but I tried Avent and they fitted but leaked) or to just cut my losses and try the Nuk bottles.

I'm sorry if this is long, I'm completely at a loss as my D's was a guzzler and would have had his milk out of a bin

Any help would be most appreciated.

How old is she? Was she born at term? Was she checked for tongue tie when you were having problems BF? If her chest is rattly could her difficulty feeding be due to a cold / blocked nose?

What makes you think the newborn teat is too fast? Is she choking / coughing whilst feeding?

If she is a very young baby then 2oz a feed isn't too bad is it, if she's feeding very often and plenty of wet and dirty nappies?

When using expressed milk I thought the Dr B's bottles a bit useless tbh - the nipple bit is way too long! The HV recommended nuk for DS1 when he was in the prem unit and only just developing his suck. I wouldn't have thought they would fit Dr Brown's tbh. What you could is use NUK teat and one cheapo superdrug narrow neck bottle. If you've got the wide NUK then put it in a cheapo wide bottle obv. I found the 'essentials' boots / superdrug/ mothercare bottles fitted pretty much anything. The NUK teats used to be available in pound shop occasionally btw.

Answer my other questions though - it may be that theres another problem that the teats won't solve?

Thanks Owlingate.
She is 6 weeks on Tuesday born at 39 weeks. Yes she has been checked for tongue tie, no she bf really well, latched on well.

With regards to the teat, she is getting really tired so would think maybe too slow, but it literally runs out of one side of her mouth even when we don't lay her on her side. Its always the same side as well.

Hubby just been to mothercare and got a nuk bottle, teat fits Dr browns, just got to make sure doesn't leak. Going to try her now. Wish me luck

Thanks for heads up on pound shop.

bollocks they leak, manufacturers are not daft are they? Good news is she likes the teat, and its not coming out of her mouth. Now just not sure on glass bottles, do NUK not do normal ones?

I'm sure they just used to do plastic NUK ones in Boots.....when you go to the GP to get her rattly chest checked mention the problem with the other teats, she may just have a high palate like DS1 - I think the BF people called it a bubble palate or something?

Good luck its onwards and upwards from 6 weeks isn't it!

maybe 2oz is just enough for her at a time. she is only very little, and the amounts on the tin are merely a guideline. you should be demand feeding on formula too, just as you would have with the breast

as for the bottles tohgh, boots do sell plastic Nuk bottles, but personally I would go for glass any day of the week, they'r emuch better for the environment, can be recycled if necessary and won't leach anything into the milk (nuk plastic ones are bpa free too though)

Thanks Owlingate, I will do, it would not suprise me at all if they did find this.

Thanks thisisyesterday, I know its feeding on demand but its hard when its taking me upto 2 hours to get 4oz down her and then she wants another feed.

I will look into Nuk bottles at boots thanks. I know glass bottles are better but would prefer the bpa free plastic ones, don't really feel safe carrying the glass ones round with me.

fair enough :)

can i just ask who checked her for tongue tie? because a lot of HCP's aren't very good at diagnosing it, and it would explain why she isn't transferring milk very effectively

Thanks thisisyesterday

It was the HV, my hubby has a twisted tongue and my first son was slightly tongue tied. She did say couldn't be 100% as lo wasn't co operating probably.

I seem to have two problems.

Dr Browns too slow and she falls asleep. The other bottles and here is a list, ttctn size 1 and variflow, Avent airflex size 1, Nuk 0-6months all seem too fast, it is just pouring out of one side of her mouth and I wouldn't be that bothered, lots of bibs etc, but it is making her sore,chapped and rashy (its not just a little bit)

I am totally at a loss.

Ive been told Dr Brown size 2 are very fast, even considering using a sterile needle, but always thought this was a big no no