Moving towards ebf finally - couple of questions!

[monkeypuzzeltree]

It's been a long road but unbelievably, I think we are there, after supply issues among other things I finally made the plunge this wekend and have dropped the bottles - my confidence is probably the biggest issue now - so tell me if this is ok!

• ds not done a poo in 36 hours - was always daily when more ff
• ds feeding every 2 hours, in honesty not sure if this is because I can't tell the difference between tired and hungry. Is it likely he will go longer as supply builds and he takes more in a feed, or is this just the reality of bf?

It's hard trusting my boobs to feed ds, I know that sounds daft but Ive combo fed most of the first 10 weeks, bar the first 2 weeks, so I just don't really have a pattern of how long and how often to learn from.

Can't quite believe I'm even able to do this!

Sounds like you've had a tough time, well done for getting through it!!

I take it your DS us around 3 months? Totally normal for them to feed every two hours by day & sometimes at night . My DS fed two hourly from 3-5 months & now goes 3-4, with longer stretches at night when we're lucky!

BF poo really varies. You'll get to know what's normal for him & it changes. We were daily for months & are now twice a week ish. As long as there are wet nappies I don't worry anymore, just wait for the blow out!

It is hard to trust your body. Have you any BFing books? I found the womanly art of breastfeeding reassuring. Talks about what to expect all the way through extended feeding

1 - don't worry about the poo! When I was EBF my baby, he sometimes wouldn't poo for up to 10 days! It just means they're using every little bit of the milk.

2 - Just feed him when you think he needs it. My LO (he has two bottles of formula a day normally, but we do have days where all he has is breastmilk) will normally feed more on the days when he's only having breastmilk, I think about every 3 hours. He is 5 months old.

And well done you! I had troubles too, and I know just how satisfying it is to be able to breastfeed and know your baby is being fed well! I would say however, do try to give LO a bottle every now and then, even if it's just 1oz of hand-expressed breastmilk. Although I can EBF my LO, I am truly thankful that he has never refused a bottle, because it means that I can go out (and do my driving lessons too!).

I googled the poo thing recently as DD hadn't been for ages.
Apparently, as breastmilk is so much more easily and completely digested, babies over 6 weeks old can go up to 8 days between poos.

So long as you're getting wet nappies and weight is being gained ok and your baby is happy.

Monkey, you give me hope! I too am trying to establish ebf, after a few weeks of combo feeding thanks to supply issues and a prem baby. (I got told not to pump while establishing bfing at 34 weeks. I realise now that this was pretty stupid, given that he could barely manage 15 ml an hour). I would love to know how you resolved your supply issues?
We seem to be doing a little better, but definitely feeding more often than with bottles. I think that's just how it goes, so ensconce yourself on the sofa with the biscuit packet and the lifeline that's MN!

Thanks ladies! Yes, ds is 10 weeks

Im also wondering how long I should feed for, I know I shouldn't clock watch but ds will happily stay there all day given the chance! Is about 10-15 each side realistic? He will often fall asleep on the second side, then wake up 10 mins later apparently starving, feed for another 5 mins then sleep. Im thinking he just likes hanging out there! While I would be happy to sit endlessly, my two year old has other ideas!

Goat - I sympathise entirely. I've literally had everything thrown at me, ds in hospital at 3 weeks with an infection, a week later all fine but not feeding from me at all, thrush duct infection and then mild thrush came back again! Then ds wanted to latch desperately and there was v little there. So it's been interesting! I had a dd who was tt and I expressed for 10 weeks, couldn't face that again and this is my last baby so have been determined!!

I tried fenugreek it did work but I honestly couldn't stand smelling like yesterday's curry. I've just come Off domperidone and that worked the best, I've had that for 6 weeks, doc wouldn't extend it so that was when I thought I'd just keep trying to feed and hopefully supply will catch up, which it seems to have done. It really helped boosting supply though when the stress of hosp and lack of use meant supply was rubbish - id already tried expressing and skin to skin etc.

Drinking loads of water has helped a lot and keeping lo close. All I would say is that if it works, then great, of not, there is a lot more to motherhood than bfing!

Have you not been offered domperidone? It was a friend who'd had a prem that told me, is often given to those mothers.

monkeypuzzletree, I was reading through your posts wondering if your baby is maybe tongue tied, then I see you mentioned that your older one was tt.

Much of what you talk about is classic tt baby behaviour. Could this one be tied too?

I've had him seriously checked for tt - feeding was fine to begin with, could not believe the difference to with dd! That pain was something else! Our feeding issues were thrush and being ill killing off supply.

I still can't believe that I can feed him without pain whereas with dd I could have lifted the carpet scrunching my toes in pain!

Sorry to hear of all your difficulties, monkey - the things we go through, huh?! Thanks goodness they're so cute and gorgeous! (This from a woman who insisted for her whole life that she was unmaternal and would never go gooey over a baby...)
I just found out about domperidone, so it's good to hear firsthand experience of it. I only got offered maxalon, which I refused, as a side effect is depression. This isn't something you need with a 2-month prem baby in NNU while you recover from severe preeclampsia... I was making enough for him then, but the supply isn't increasing as he gains weight. Thanks so much for your response here, I shall go off to the dr.