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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Baby in Neo Natal unit (doing well) want to breastfeed eventually

73 replies

DuelingFanjo · 24/12/2010 18:43

Just a quick message/question as I have to go back to the hospital soon so will read the replies in a couple of days.

Baby was born early hours of wednesday and apart from one emergency formula feed has been fed through a drip and then finally today got my Colostrum today through a nose tube.

I have had much encouragement to express and have been doing well every 4 hours, I have a good store waiting for him.

My question is, once they know he is taking the feeds well through the tube - they and I would like to get him on the breast. Can anyone talk me through how difficult this might be (or how easy)? will he be all confused and reject me and might I have to try both bottle and breast for a while? Any tips or advice would be much appreciated. His birth weight was 6lb 15 oz and he does lots of lip smacking.

many thanks in advance.

OP posts:

FortunateHamster · 27/12/2010 01:01

Don't have any advice but just want to say lots of congrats and hope you get him hope soon :).

BearCrimble · 27/12/2010 09:04

Great news. You're doing brilliantly.

lukewarmcupofmulledwine · 27/12/2010 13:50

DF - just checked back in on this and so glad to hear it all seems to be going well .

I remember the blues kicking in on day 5 when dd was still on the scbu, and just crying the whole day, whilst the nurses looked at me like I was mad (you would think they might have seen it before ). The whole experience is blooming hard, but it'll be Friday before you know it, and then you'll be freaked out that they actually just let you go, with this teeny tiny little thing in your sole charge.

Good luck, hope it is Friday, and keep hassling them on the day so they get all the paperwork done before the consultants bugger off and it gets too late to discharge you that day!

cardamomginger · 27/12/2010 13:55

Well done DF!! Huge congratulations and big hugs!!! XXXX

scallopsrgreat · 28/12/2010 20:25

Congratulations DF well done! And well done LO! It will be wonderful to leave the hospital!!! Hope all goes well in the next few days x

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 29/12/2010 00:50

Thank you. It looks like we will have him home by Friday :)
Breastfeeding is going OK but I think I will call the breastfeeding person when we get home as I want to check he is getting enough from me.

One thing I have been surprised by is my willingness to just get my breasts out and get on with it. I had been quite worried about being discrete but when it comes to feeding the baby I just don't care

OP posts:

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 30/12/2010 18:25

Me again.

I am bringing the baby home tomorrow and can't wait. Tonight we are spending the night as a family in the unit's family room and I am going to attempt to breastfeed him for every feed. Trouble is that every time I have breastfed him in the last 48 hours he has been fussy, upset and sometimes has just fallen asleep. The nurses in the unit suggest a top up every time (my expressed milk) which I have given into as I hate to see him distressed.

They have told me what a hungry boy he is, how they have given him extra when I am not there. He's a week old and having 100ml every feed every 4 hours - no idea if this is normal?

He latches on well but I think because it's harder work for hm to get milk through my breast he just gives up. I have tried stroking his face, blowing his face, tickling his ears etc but he just doesn't seem to want to bother and then gets upset as he's not being satisfied. Today I tried giving him small amounts of expressed milk then breastfeeding a bit before giving him more in the bottle.

What can I do? Do I just cut out the bottles and make him breastfeed or should I carry on doing a mixture of the two? I don't want to cause him distress.

OP posts:

MoonUnitAlpha · 30/12/2010 18:43

I'd forget about the 4 hour thing and just keep him close, skin to skin, and feed constantly I think. If you do have to give top ups could you use a syringe or cup instead of a bottle?

pommedeterre · 30/12/2010 18:47

Hi DF - massive congratulations.
The 'recommended' amount for a newborn on the side of formula tubs is 3 oz (90ml) so sounds like his feeding is pretty 'normal'. I remember first time out with dd when she was a week old and I expressed 3 z and she left about 0.5oz.
She fed more often than four hours though.
When you get him home I'd feed him more often than that if I were you. I'm not sure about the bottle as dd had bottles early on and don't think it helped and I stopped bf earlier than I wanted to. It might be hard for him to go cold turkey though on them now? Not sure - please wait until someone good comes along!
I think that most week old babies are fussy at feeding times and dd fell asleep at every feed until she was about 4 months old (bottle or breast!). So don't get disheartened by that.
Congrats again!!

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 30/12/2010 19:00

thank you :)

I am most worried about when he grizzles and gets frustrated and cries because he's just not sucking at all. He sometimes latches on and then just lies there without sucking. Or he cries and it's impossible to get him to latch :( I feel like I am forcing him. Do I just try to comfort him until he calms down and tehn try again? It's at this point I am usually offered a bottle by the nurses.

OP posts:

girliefriend · 30/12/2010 19:02

Hello just to add another success story, my dd was in scbu for about 8days after she was born (not prem but had breathing problems) she was tube fed and I expressed as much as poss, she would take a breast feed but only for 5mins or so and then would fall asleep!! I nearly gave up on at least one occasion as she was very slow to gain weight but noticed no improvement in how long she fed from whether it was via a bottle or me so I went back to bfing!!! I myself was also quite poorly and needed surgery when dd was only 2 wks old, I was unable to feed her for about 3-4 days due to anaesthetic etc but with the support of community midwife was able to start bfing again, it took a few weeks of combining breast and bottle but did exclusively breastfeed from when my dd was 3months til she was 6months and then reintroduced a bottle as I was going back to work. In all I bf for 11 months so it can be done!!! So good luck, keep going, and enjoy your baby!! xXx

girliefriend · 30/12/2010 19:08

The advice the nurses and midwives gave me when dd was born was that for a new born bfing is really hard work and it can take a few weeks for them to get the technique down to a fine art. Agree with above that says lots of skin to skin, keep trying and don't feel bad if you have to top up, just try the breast again next time he is hungry. Sometimes they are fussing because they are not hungry just tired/over stimualted etc so assume your not satisfying him. It takes a while to get to know your baby. XxX

MamaChris · 30/12/2010 19:09

When ds1 came off the tube at 6 days and I started bf directly, he very quickly no longer had "feeds", but "snacks". he would feed for a few minutes, then sleep for a few, then feed again and repeat. turns out he was a snacker - to this day he rarely eats a big meal, preferring lots of little bits. he never had a bottle so I can't comment on that, but certainly sleeping during feeds was normal for us (and for the dts I've had since), as was fussing.

congratulations on getting him home!

girliefriend · 30/12/2010 19:09

DURR meant to write so DON'T assume your not satisfying him - sorry!!

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 30/12/2010 19:15

My mum says I used to fall asleep while feeding and was a fusser so maybe he's just taking after me :) I'll definitely be having lots of skin to skin and want to feed on demand. Hopefully this will work out ok :)

OP posts:

MoonUnitAlpha · 30/12/2010 19:16

My ds did exactly as MamaChris's, probably for the first month. Each feed would take an hour of suck-doze-suck-doze. And he'd feed like that every 2-3 hours at least.

I also struggled to get ds latched on for the first couple of days after a difficult birth. Whenever he got so upset I couldn't latch him on, one of the lovely midwives would walk him up and down and rock him until he was calm enough to try again. I found feeding him lying down was much less stressful for the first couple of days too.

pommedeterre · 30/12/2010 20:18

If they're crying like mad they won't latch. They need to be calmed down first. I had an amazing bf counsellor at the hospital who would say (all quite posh voice too) 'let her have her whinny and then get her on'.

PickledMoomin · 30/12/2010 20:42

Hello you.
Sparkly here. So pleased your LO is finally here. Can't imagine how difficult the last week has been for you but he's coming home tomorrow and that's fantastic news. Well done on the BF - sounds like you've already got a good supply and such determination. The BF support is absolutely fantastic here. There are two particulary helpful ladies - initals JR and JB. Give them a ring or pop along to the group - they'll be more than happy to assist and it's a great way of meeting other BF mums.

I'll pop in tomorrow - enjoy tonight. Sending you lots of luck and love x

confuddledDOTcom · 31/12/2010 02:25

His stomach will hold about 50ml so he will fill it quickly and then rest and want more a bit later. As a guide babies tend to take 150ml of breastmilk per kilo over a day, which is what hospitals normally give to them.

He's also probably getting used to having food whenever he wants, he's gone from a set menu to an all you can eat buffet! He just has to learn how to pace himself.

Keep up the good work

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 31/12/2010 13:50

Hi there

well... We're home. He fed well all night, pretty much constantly once he got the hang of it. I finally managed to sleep at 5 am with the baby on top of me. The unit advised against co-sleeping but he really hated going back into the cot so I'm probably going to bring him into our bed if he won't settle. I have given him a bottle this morning (expressed milk) but plan to phase them out.

When he did get upset I walked him around the room and managed to calm him down. I guess I just need to learn what to do. I am sure I will be back for more advice along the way. many thans

OP posts:

LooL00 · 31/12/2010 14:25

Congratulations DF.Glad to hear you're home. DC1 was in the scbu for 10 days and came home exhausted. He always was a long and sleepy feeder, I watched a lot of telly and just let him get on with it.

There's a leaflet somewhere about safe co sleeping.

found it!

OmicronPersei8 · 31/12/2010 14:34

So glad to hear that you're all home together. Have a lovely New Years tonight, with lots of feeding!

lukewarmcupofmulledwine · 01/01/2011 01:59

Df, sounds like you're doing fine. Even I did co sleeping for the first couple of weeks, and I'm a gina ford routine bunny really (within reason). Do whatever works and feels right and that will be the right thing. Very glad you're all back at home now, take care, try to chill out, and happy blooming new year, best start ever with a new baby .

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