Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

Original poster

SOS hospital want to supplement

29 replies

TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 03:24

Background - emcs on Friday morning, no milk yet but lots of colostrum, baby feeding well, BUT not in the UK so maybe different 'rules'?

Am still in hospital and will be until Monday.

Baby has lost just over 10% weight already (by Sat morning) and hospital want to supplement as of tomorrow until my milk comes in or weight gain happens.

I want to ebf but don't want to endanger or harm my baby just because of a personal preference.

What do I do? Why should I ask? Should we supplement using a sringe and not a bottle? What happens if I refuse to supplement?

Help! This has thrown me for six...

Baby

OP posts:
Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 03:24

Baby born Thursday... Sleep deprivation!

OP posts:
SubOptiMum · 11/02/2012 04:24

So baby is under 48hours old. Are you having lots of skin to skin unrestricted access to the breast? Giving as much colostrum as you can? My DD wouldn't latch on at all for first 36hours so I expressed colostrum into a syringe and fed her that (I also had an antenatally collected freezer stash) Your milk should start coming in today or tomorrow. My DD is almost 5weeks old and still not back at birth weight (due to Tongue tie and a bad cold and cough causing feeds to be vomited up) and no-one is particularly panicking (my other DD lost 14%of bodyweight and took 6weeks to regain body weight there was more panic then). Anyhow it seems very early days to start panicking. Usually they weigh day 3 and there is up to 10%loss but they expect to start gaining by day 5 I think. Try not to panic too much but keep a very close eye on it and just feed feed feed feed feed as this will help your milk to come in and supply to be established. Introducing formula this early may not mean the end of breastfeeding (it didn't for DD1) but it may make establishing it much harder as if you give formula instead of breast your breasts aren't bring primed.

Petrean · 11/02/2012 04:48

My DS lost 15% in his first week and we were admitted to the SCBU. They wanted to supplement (as well as place him on a drip), of course I allowed it, they know what they're doing and I had every confidence in them. I continued to breastfeed and there was no nipple confusion. I continued to supplement on their advice for 4 weeks but always offered the breast frequently. It's made no difference to his breastfeeding and I still breastfeeding at 22 months.

I don't know your exact circumstances but personally I trusted the medical team and they felt it was necessary.

Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 05:02

Thanks both - lots and lots of feeding and latch good. Might be because large amount of IV fluids just before birth? Anyway baby has been in boob seems like every hour and I have seen a lactation consultant and she is happy Confused

Poor losing weight baby! Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 05:03

On not in boob

OP posts:
SuiGeneris · 11/02/2012 05:17

Don't panic: supplementing in the early days as you describe is not a death sentence for EBF if you are motivated and have good advice. I had a traumatic birth and DS was tongue-tied so milk took over a week to come in and in the meantime we were admitted to the paediatrics ward for light therapy and supplementation. I kept feeding and expressing and by about 3 weeks we were EBFing again. Went on to feed until 23 months and only stopped because I was 5 months pregnant and nipples were hypersensitive. Follow medical advice and make sure everybody understands you are extremely keen to BF, so that both of you can be supported properly. And congratulations!

SuiGeneris · 11/02/2012 05:19

PS we supplemented with bottles (sorry, have forgotten the make) and there was no nipple confusion. Ditto with dummy.

Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 06:19

Thank you Sui I am normally really logical about things but this has me in a panic and I just don't know why Confused

OP posts:
flyingcloud · 11/02/2012 09:04

Hi OP, in a similar situation to you, also abroad, so watching your thread and about to start my own. Good luck.

Fraktal · 11/02/2012 09:11

How big was your baby? Big babies can safely lose more than small ones (but obviously that's all relative.

Are you in a country which is knowledgeable about or supports BFing?

Does baby seem alert(ish) with wet nappies?

I would personally go for a syringe to supplement but that's just me. Early supplementing needn't spell the end of BFing.

nappymaestro · 11/02/2012 09:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 09:25

fraktal over 8lbs so substantial Smile and it's a lovely hospital with an Australian lactation consultant so I do feel I should take their advice but with a syringe.

I do worry about the weight loss Sad

Lots of dirty nappies and a few wet ones so far

OP posts:
Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 09:28

Thanks nappymaestro and good luck flyingcloud

OP posts:
TruthSweet · 11/02/2012 09:39

Congratulations on your new baby boy Thanks

Is baby latched on well? Has it been checked by someone knowledgeable, not a quick glance and a cursory 'That looks fine to me', with the whole feed observed from latching to baby coming off the breast?

Is baby feeding frequently (as in at least 8-12 times a day [though I would expect it to be at the upper end not lower end of that])?

Can you hand express colostrum to supplement?

How is baby's blood sugars? Is low BS one of the reasons behind the 'need' to supplement with formula? Low blood sugar (over 2.2mmol is low but fine in a EBF baby as they burn other things like ketones and free fatty acids to give them energy - giving formula switches this mechanism off and can make low BS more problematic as there then isn't any other fuels apart from glucose being burnt)

Is baby being kept skin to skin? (just nappy on and under your top - blanket over both of you if needed) This helps baby maintain body temp (so isn't wasting energy keeping warm), maintain heart rate and breathing rate (they use your HB/breathing as a cue rather than using energy to figure it out themselves) and also means very early feeding cues can be responded to very quickly (no energy wasted fussing or getting upset wanting to be fed).

tiktok · 11/02/2012 09:55

OP - which country are you in?

Supplementing early on is not something that would normally be advised in a UN or a Baby friendly hospital, and babies would not normally be weighed as soon as this after birth - at a day old?!.

If your baby needs supplementing, you have colostrum/breastmilk which you can use :)

Second the suggestion to find someone knowledgeable to support you, someone who you trust is informed. All the stuff about keeping your baby close and feeding ad lib is essential.

Horrible to be under pressure like this - where are you?

My guess is US, or possibly France or Spain!

tiktok · 11/02/2012 09:55

PS Or one of the hospitals in the Middle East.

Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 10:44

Am in China...

Am feeding almost constantly, (cluster feeding for three hours, hour break, repeat) lots of akin to skin and latch was checked by the lactation consultant yesterday at length.

Baby seems fine and I have been hand expressing colostrum for weeks so boobs are full to brim with it! Just no real milk yet!

I think it's because I had so many IV fluids before the birth which has skewed the results but I'm no pediatrician Sad

Come on milk!

OP posts:
Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 10:45

They have not checked blood sugar. Should they? Confused

OP posts:
tiktok · 11/02/2012 10:55

Topaz you and your baby are doing all the right things.

No need to check blood sugars unless your baby has symptoms of low blood sugar - at least that is the policy of enlightened maternity units in UK!

Give yourself and your baby a chance to relax, get to know each other, feed ad lib, and there is no reason to worry from what you write here :)

TruthSweet · 11/02/2012 10:58

No, they would only check blood sugar if there was an indication like hypothermia, seizures, apnea, hypotonia (excessively floppy baby), though some hospitals check high/low birth weight babies routinely or check all babies routinely regardless of condition.

Excessive IV fluids can lead to an overinflated birthweight and/or excess weight loss as the baby wees out all the extra fluid, it may also have an impact on when the milk 'comes in' but if you have masses of colostrum I wouldn't worry (colostrum is a bit like super concentrated BM) and just keep feeding as and when baby wants to.

Original poster
TopazMortmain · 11/02/2012 22:16

Thank you thank you thank you all.

So hard to get perspective when trapped in hospital and away from family and friends

I think my milk came in overnight Smile

OP posts:
Birdsnotbees · 11/02/2012 22:27

Just to give you a bit of context: my milk took 4 days to come in with DS (he got jaundice, lost lots of weight) and FIVE days with DD (and she fed brilliantly from the off) - it is perfectly normal for milk to take a while to come in.

If baby is feeding well, not jaundiced and having good nappies, those are all good signs. If baby is sleepy, losing a lot of weight and not feeding then obviously a problem - your LO seems to be somewhere in the middle.

I did supplement with DS as he was jaundiced and needed fluids and used a syringe to avoid nipple confusion - no reason why you shouldn't (some hospitals don't like it but for the simple reason it takes longer and they don't have time - we got round this as I insisted I would feed him!)

At the same time I used a breastpump every 2 hrs (day and night - I set the alarm), and whatever I got went into his feed, so he got the good stuff as well, and this meant my milk came in OK and supply was fine. Within 24 hrs my milk came in and he was off formula, so it all worked out fine.

DD, on the other hand, was totally fine and needed nothing extra.

You're doing great. Keep your chin up!

Original poster
TopazMortmain · 12/02/2012 01:53

YAY! Milk definitely here and policy of constant frequent feedings means she has put on weight this morning! Grin

Thanks everyone!

OP posts:
flyingcloud · 12/02/2012 06:18

Great news!

crikeybadger · 12/02/2012 08:57

Hurrah Grin