just wanted to share

[oxford1972]

Had a dreadful start to breastfeeding when 5 day old dd readmitted to hospital as lost 18% of body weight. Had a few days in hospital and more home where topped up with formula. By week 2 baby was 110 grams off birth weight. Told to stop formula and 4 day later dd above birth weight and no formula.

Good for you! Bf is hard work but one day you'll think it's easier !

Well done you! :)

good for you and well done for persevering. congrats too!

Well done - that's lots of hard work, sleepless nights and worry. It'll get so much easier.

X

Fantastic :)

When babies get readmitted for those reasons, someone has not been doing their job properly....usually.

Over 5 days, someone should have noticed your baby was not transferring milk. You should have been told what the signs were, and someone should have observed a whole feed start to finish.

In these situations - early loss of weight to this level - it often happens that the mother worries something is not quite right and she is reassured, wrongly.

For instance, in your case, I expect there were no/only scanty soft yellow poos from day 3 and 4; your baby was sleepy and difficult to rouse or miserable and difficult to calm; she did not feed effectively.

Did your baby show any of these signs?

up to day 3 most things seemed normal. It was only on day 4 that I suspected things were not going well. DD was still alert but was getting frustrated at the breast. Still doing poos but maybe not enough. Mentioned all this to midwife who looking back probably should have weighed her but didn't as midwife was coming next day anyway. Also fed well in front of midwife. Typical!

Oh my god! I had to reply to this post. Suddenly feel that I'm not a total failure and complete idiot! I had baby on Sunday, at 2 days he hadn't had a wet nappy for over six hours, sunken soft spot, restless, screaming and feeding constantly. We took him to a&e, after speaking to nhs direct. The nurse there asked why we had brought him, 'if he's feeding what's the problem' then asked if I was a first time mum.... Basically made to feel that I was wasting everyone's time. They done some blood tests and found he was dehydrated. We're now giving him a top up formula feed and he's fine. He had lost 12% of his birthweight at day 3, but is now slowly gaining. I felt that I was making a big deal out of nothing and then felt guilty that I wasn't able to provide him with the milk he needed. I am so relieved that it's not just me and topping up with formula doesn't mean failure.

Complain complain complain!!!

Of course the midwife should have weighed your baby on day 4, oxford. Babies can go downhill in hours. You do not leave a baby until the next day if there is any hint things might not be ok.

Micha, nurses at A&E are absolutely not capable of assessing a newborn with feeding issues - and should not express an opinion on it. No need for you to feel in the wrong at all.

You can go back to full bf when the crisis is over :)

Thank you ladies.
I feel the same micha. Felt so bad at the time.

I just wish I had perservered with dd1. Instead bottle fed from day 3. Didn't realise how you can work hard to build up your supply.

It did make me feel like a complete idiot and like I was over reacting, but I really can't see how you can over react when dealing with the health of a newborn!

I gave up with dd1 also, lasted till day 5. Dd2 was easy from the start? Different each time.