Lectured by Health Vistor!!!

[funkymonkey]

Can anyone help me here??!! Phoned the health visitor for advice and came off the phone in tears and feeling like a bad mother!

Started BF DD exclusively until 2 weeks old then introduced top ups of formula at midwives advice as baby so hungry and not producing enough (plus cracked nipples did not help). DD is now 6 weeks old and I am BF 2-3 times and day plus 3-4 bottles (when I give the bottles I also express and use this to top up at the breastfeeds as I never seem to have enough for DD).

This however was not my issue. DD has stopped pooing! all was well until a week ago (3 times a day plus nice wet nappies too) then it all stopped and the little one is distressed and trying to go! This lasted 2 days and I rang HV for advice, only to get a 20 minute lecture on how I should be 100% BF and how to achieve this. This was not what I was asking for....and I tried to explain this. Both DD and I are 100% happy with our 50/50 arrangement! she is putting on weight and sleeping well, I am not exhausted now and enjoy the BF I am doing. I will not be asking for their "helpadvice" again if this is what I get.....

I have tried tummy massage, extra water, and bicycling legs for the constipation and she did eventually go, but this was after 4 days and a not happy baby for 2 of these!! Any other tricks I can try? We are now on day 2 again with nothing.......

My dd (100%bf) once went 11 days with no poo. I rang our HV (very lovely and helpful) and she said nothing to worry about, these things happen and told me try a teaspoon of prune juice. Worked like a charm! It is now my constipation remedy of choice. In fact ds (4) asks for it when necessary.

With reference to the original message, have just had our HV around as I was feeling exhausted and quite down after DS went on a 10-a-day feeding frenzy. Also have mastitis for third time today (). To her credit, HV was totally sympathetic and suggested introducing 1 or 2 bottles of the F-word to give myself a bit of a rest. No lecture, just practical advice. So they're not all bad.

Good your HV was in non-lecture mode, smellen....she did explain (I hope!) that introducing 1-2 bottles of formula is likely to make your mastitis worse, not better.....I know it's hard, but leaving a longer and sudden gap between breastfeeds is not good for mastitis-prone breasts....

HV's are all useless, pay no attention!
Try drinking OJ yourself, this should filter through to DD and help keep her regular.
IMO babies can go a good few days without a poo without any problem, though if she's uncomfy then some OJ in water is a good idea.

morecoffee - sounds a good solution and will do no harm to drink OJ, but how would it 'filter through' to the breastmilk in enough quantity to resolve constipation? : )

(That's my way of saying it can't!! In fact, I doubt very much OJ can 'filter through' to the breastmilk at all, though some people feel something of it does. Funky is only bf 2-3 x a day anyway - highly unlikely that any OJ she drinks will have any effect. Soz!)

Have you tried taking your DD to a chiropractor or cranio-osteopath. I took my DS2 to my chiropractor when he was a few weeks old - he had constipation - not the reason I took him btw. She said he was a little out of line - did he suffer from constipation!!? She re-aligned him and he has never had constipation since. Worth a go.

Tiktok - yep, she did advise dropping only 1 feed at a time and giving my body a week to adjust. Plus, to massage and pump out the blocked boob until the mastitis had cleared. (This is my 3rd bout of mastitis anyway so I know the routine!) I was just relieved to be given some reassurance that I am not the world's worst mother for struggling to keep up with DS's appetite. I just wanted to say in the defence of some HVs, that some do consider both the mother and the child when offering advice.

BTW, OJ definitely loosened up my LO's bowels. I had a large glass in the morning, and in the PM he poo-ed something definitely more liquid and orangey (all over the changing mat at the clinic. )

funkymonkey, tell her to off. Its not her place. I mixed fed from about 8 weeks with both my children with no problems at all. I think the things you did were absolutely perfect. Sometimes a little water with a tiny bit of sugar helps with constipation and wind.

PS I had a healthvisitor lecture me because of this and because one sunny day I went out with my daught in a nappy but had the hood of the pram up and cellular blanket covering her. My daugher had heat rash and really needed her skin free. Sometimes they make judgements that aren't their place.

Hi,

The pure orange juice and water is a good suggestion. One part pure orange juice or pear juice to three parts water. This might help your DD to go. It might be that swapping to another brand of milk may help. I used Farley's and found it fine.

As for your HV she sounds a nightmare. I'm a HV too but I would never lecture anybody in this way - you have to do what feels right for you and your baby. If 50/50 keeps you sane and your DD fed and contented then that's fine. Ignore her "helpful" advice and continue with what feels right for you and your daughter.

Mandy

Sorry jumping in but OMG Hi all - I'm confused now after reading first half of thread.

BF for 3wks exclusively topped up with one bottle per night. Bottle fed from 4wks - now DS is 5wks.

After two weeks of bottle feeding he has been suffering trapped wind - i thought he was constipated so I gave him boiled water. HV said h shouldn't need water at all and unless poo was dry and cracked he had'nt been constipated. She also said too much fluid upsets their 'balance' of fluids in blood.

I was also led to understand that BF babies sometimes don't poo for days on end and this is normal????? Don't know how this applies to you.

Suffice to say the trapped wind has led to 8 hour stretches of wakefulness which has got his poor little bodyclock all upset and we are suffering now!!!!!

orry that should read - toped up with one bottle during week 3/4. I stopped as I got infection in CS scar and just found it all too much. However as i've said below i am finding things a bit difficult now - it wearing on DHand I also.

I 50 / 50 fed ds2 for 3 months, he wasn't growing when I started and ended up on 50th centile, and has remained there ever since. Do what comes best to you; a bottle feeding happy Mum is in my opinion better than a stressed bf mum, and you're not even exclusively formula feeding.

I went on to exclusively bf ds3 so don't write of for the future but sounds like you and this baby have a great routine that suits you.

Hi

I'd go with the eat lots of berries and citrus fruits as well as drinking lots of fruit juice. I found what I ate definitely made its way through. Or eat lots of pulses for a couple of days. Might give the wee one a wee bit of a tummy trouble but it should get it moving.

Good luck!!

sorry but how on earth can what you eat/drink go through into your bm????

Should I expect onions etc in dd's nappy or diet coke??

As a maternity nanny, i would suggest a change of formula to Cow and Gate Omneo Comfort it is unlike the other formulas as it is partially broken down to make it easier for baby to digest.

The differnce in the first and hungrier formulas are the percentage of whey and casien, whey is dominate in the first milk and is light in the hungrier formula the casien is dominate and is heavier and takes longer for baby to process it thru, thus allowing longer between feeds but can cause constipation.

For a fully formula fed baby i aim for 2-3ozs of milk per lb in weight of baby every 24 hours.

The regime you have works for you and your DD so forget what she said.

As suggested increase your intake of fruit juice, and yes pineapple and prune i have found to be the most effective when breast feeding, increase your DD water intake if possible, the other suggest is a little brown sugar 0.5 teaspoon in 3 ozs of boiled water if baby is showing distress, an old but effective remedy, i don't give juices to babies under 6 months. But a change in formula will probably sort it out, as i've found lots of babies struggle after a while on SMA.

Breast fed babies can go 7-10 days between motions whereas formula babies often go every or alternate days.