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Infant feeding

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

Breastfeeding mess - some breast, some formula, some EBM..help!

5 replies

SeriouslyStrongCheddar · 16/06/2012 01:06

Hiya folks

Need some words of wisdom if you have any please.

DS is a week old, born by planned CS last Friday. Nursed well in recovery and through the Friday. Saturday was okay during the day and then at night he would not latch or settle - no sleep for anyone on the ward! I declined a formula top up but found things very difficult. Advice from midwives etc mainly involved pushing his head towards my boob. Sunday was bad as I was very tired and he wouldn't feed - high pitched screams etc. Very late Sunday I asked to swap him to formula as it was the only way I could see of getting out of hospital and trying to get some help with the breastfeeding. He fed well on formula through Sunday night and Monday morning and I was discharged on Monday.

Since then, I've tried to move back to breastfeeding and now find myself on a combination of breast, formula and expressed milk. I've had advice from my community midwife and breastfeeding support worker who have both been very helpful but I'm finding things really hard. Sometimes he'll latch fine and sometimes he fights when I try to get him to latch, screams and will take a couple of sucks before letting go. At the moment we're trying to get him to latch for each feed and if it doesn't work after 10 mins are then going to formula or EBM depending on what we have available. DH had to sleep with him in the lounge last night and give him formula so that I could get some sleep to try and get my perspective back as I've spent most of the last week in tears about this.

Part of me wants to breastfeed. Part of me wants to move to formula full time but can't get past the guilt. I feel like all I'm going to remember about his early weeks is the misery of trying to breastfeed rather than how wonderful he is.

I know that I'm the only one that can make the decision but wondered if anyone has any sage advice? Would he be happier on formula - less hunger / screaming? Could I make breastfeeding work without losing my sanity through lack of sleep?

OP posts:
GodisaDj · 16/06/2012 01:29

Hi

Firstly, congrats Smile

You need some real life support ASAP.

Have you seen a qualified bf facilitator or peer support worker?
Have they checked your positioning?
Have they checked your latch?
Has anyone checked the baby for tongue tie?
How often is he feeding?

By using formula and topping up, potentially may have confused DS as he can get the milk more easily from a bottle than you BUT it can be addressed if you persevere and get RL support.

If you haven't expressed regularly enough (when he's had formula) your supply may be effected too. Depending on how often he's feeding, you may need to pump more to slowly cut out formula. Your milk is on a supply & demand basis, if it's not being drank, it tells your body to disregard it. So by giving formula and baby not suckling, your body won't produce as much. Feeding should not have gaps of more than 2/3 hours (sometimes less if they cluster feed)

I can't link from my phone but the La leche league have a helpline, please call them.

Also www.kellymom.com has lots of info on how your supply works.

If I were you tonight I would go to bed with DS, have skin to skin contact so he has free access to your boob. Try feeding him lying down with your whole side on the bed, and him snuggled in to you. it will relax you and get your hormones going.

Tomorrow morning, things will feel better (everything is a million times worse at 1am Sad)

Formula isn't poison and it is your choice to choose what's best for you both. It is very early days and these days are extremely hard - the amount of effort you have to put in is massive - but once established, it's like a walk in the park.

Def get some RL help from a qualified person. Remember midwives and HVs have little bf training unless they've opted for it.

Hopefully more help/advice will come tomorrow when people are awake

Keep smiling, you have a beautiful son who loves you unconditionally no matter what you decide to do Smile

SeriouslyStrongCheddar · 16/06/2012 10:26

Morning Godisa - thank you so much for reply. You're right, things always do seem better in the morning; it's the nights when I really feel like giving up.

In answer to your questions:

Re qualified support worker - I've seen the breastfeeding support worker from our GP surgery. She was really helpful and he was latching well when she last came - think she's coming back out on Monday. It's since she last came that he's started fighting and refusing to latch.

Re positioning - I'm strill trying to find what works best. I have very large breasts which makes some positions more difficult than others. He seems happiest laid on his back on my lap with his head turned to the side to suckle - not exaclty traditional position, but hey, whatever works! Have also tried rugby ball and traditional cradle hold.

Re latch - he can latch well and I'm reasonably confident I now what a good latch feels like; it's getting him to stay on that seems to be the tricky bit.

Re tongue-tie - hasn't been checked for this to my knowledge and I was wondering whether I should ask, although since he can latch well and feed when he wants I don't think it's a problem. I think he's confused and maybe a bit lazy! I know I wanted a laid back baby, but this is ridiculous Grin

Re frequency of feeding - at night when he's on formula / EBM bottles it's around every three hours. Through the day when he's on the breast it can vary from 45 mins to a couple of hours.

Re pumping - I'm trying to pump after he feeds every time as I want to build up enough so that he can have EBM rather than formula; at least if I can do that I'll be down to only two types of feeding to contend with Grin

I've had a read of some of the Kellymom articles and at the suggestion of the support worker have done a couple of duvet days with us lying around in bed having skin to skin etc. Have tried feeding lying down without success, but will try it again.

He did latch on for a bit of breakfast, for about 10 mins, after a fair while of fighting and resisting. Once he's on, he needs constant tickling or other 'motivation' to keep suckling otherwise he just nods off.

Anyway, Thanks for the response - I think you're right that he's confused and I need to pump more and persevere. I'll crack on through today and see if tonight we can at least work with only EBM rather than formula.

OP posts:
Jenijena · 16/06/2012 10:42

Cheddar, are you me?

DS is 3 weeks old. Wanted to breastfeeding but support in hospital varied and always involved bringing out bottles of formula. By the time he was a week he'd been syringe, cup, boob and teat fed formula, expressed and direct milk. big boobs and small nipples, so getting on was an effort (understatement) . Since we got home (day5) he's nearly only had breast milk.

I used nipple shields in weeks 1-2 to help 'draw out' my nipples, and also pumping regularly. However, now my left hand side is so cracked that the BF service at the hospital (not the formula people) advised only to express from that side until completely healed (have had different advice from Mw & HV, but had started expressing anyway as it was so sore). Checked my latch (both sides) and seemed fine but right hand side was starting to crack and is worse today...I'm now contemplating exclusively expressing as it seems so much easier for both of us... It's all a mess and I'm wincing at the thought of latching him on even from my 'good' side.

I know this could get better, but the cracked nipples (oh, and I was sent home from hospital with mastitis and took antibiotics) are agony and I'm wondering if I'm being overly precious a out breast is best, I'd bought formula and bottles before he was born so I'm surprised how hard I'm actually trying...

And if I do express, what's the best way to carry expressed milk out and about?

Jenijena · 16/06/2012 10:44

Ooh and forgot to say that on his back, head turned to me is his favourite position (tummy to mummy seems to encourage him to fall off faster) and he's another lazy eater...

Good luck Cheddar, I have found milk supply has increased has increased so that I don't need formula now, but I'd I go to pumping only I'm not sure how much I will keep up.l.

mawbroon · 16/06/2012 12:43

have a look here

It will give you some idea if your baby might be tongue tied or not.

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