Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Infant feeding

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

Combination Feeding - Breast/Bottle

3 replies

KLF79 · 29/06/2012 10:18

Hi,
My daughter is 6 weeks old and I have been really struggling with breast feeding. I've been to all the support groups and sought as much advice/guidance as possible but everyone tells me because her mouth is so small she is bruising me and the bruising doesn't have time to heal. Although her latch looks ok and she is gaining weight, I'm still in quite a bit of pain after each feed and was having to take pain killers every evening. I therefore made the difficult decision last week to go to bottle and introduce formula (I've tried expressing as well but that hasn't worked for me). I am therefore gradually introducing formula and I am currently giving her 2 bottles a day - late morning/lunchtime and early evening and continuing breast feeding during the night, first thing and mid-afternoon. This appears to be working at the moment and the pain has reduced after each feed but it I am still struggling. If possible, as long as my supply remains I would like to continue giving her the breast for as long as I can, even if its just the night feed. Can anyone give me any advice on when to start introducing more bottles and which feeds I should substitute? My Health Visitor wasn't particularly helpful!
Thanks

OP posts:
KatAndKit · 29/06/2012 11:37

I think the general advice is to drop one feed per week. I would drop the night feed personally so then you can share it, and keep the remaining bf for first thing in the morning when your supply is at its best and also for bedtime.

MigGril · 29/06/2012 13:09

Your idea to drop the night feeds last is a good one as hormone levels are higher at night and will probably help you carry on feeding for longer. Groping a feed a week is what is advice.

You say you have sort help but are still in pain. Has your baby been checked for lounge tie or other features in her mouth that may cause painfully feeding?

Have you spoken to any of the breastfeeding helplines at all?

If it really is her small mouth and you can hang in there mixed feeding things may improve as she gets bigger making feeding less painfully. Baby's grow very quickly.

showtunesgirl · 29/06/2012 14:46

Is it the initial latch that is the problem?

My DD had a tiny mouth too and she never did do the textbook wide open gape that everyone goes on about. I found that squashing my nipple into a hamburger shape so that it was flatter really helped and got things going.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page