The Boob - paranoid that my baby won't get enough milk.

[JammieE]

Hi All.

My daughter is 11 weeks old and is exclusively breastfed (apart from a bottle of expressed milk once a week or so if we go out). Her feeding saga is a long story but to cut it short she was born in the 75th percentile for weight but had a tongue tie and didn't demand feed. We got her tongue tie cut straight away but as a first time mum I missed subtle feeding cues and because she didn't cry for a feed I only feed her once every 4 hours (as advised by our MW). As a result she lost a lot of weight and dropped to the 9th percentile by 2 weeks old. The HV got a new regime going; feeding every 2 to 2.5 hours with top ups from a bottle using expressed milk if she didn't feed well. She quickly gained weight at is now steadily on the 25th percentile for weight.

I no longer give the top ups and although her weight gain is stable the problems she initially had with her weight have made me paranoid about her feeding. She usually has 8 feeds a day and feeds for a total of between 4 and 5.5hrs a day, going 2 to 3 hours between feeds (although this is because I am pro-actively feeding her as she rarely genuinely asks for a feed).

She has now started to sleep through the night which means she is getting one less feed and her feeds have got slightly shorter. I've read that this is normal as they become more effective at feeding, and that 7 feeds a day is fine but I keep worrying that she won't be getting enough milk and have to struggle not to try and cut down the gaps between feeds during the day so that I can get an extra feed in.

Has anyone else had feeding/weight issues and then found it difficult to relax once they have settled down?

Am I just being paranoid or should I be trying to get 8 feeds in and keep daytime gaps to a maximum of 3 hours or can I leave her for longer in the day if she is asleep or not asking for food? I think I already know the answer to this but am really struggling to let go of the anxiety and guess I need a bit of reassurance. Thanks.

Can totally understand why you have anxiety over this. I feel a little out of my depth advising you on this one. Hopefully this will bump for you. Have you thought of ringing one of the bfing helplines too?

Jammie it is so normal for anxiety over feeding to persist, when there has been a crisis in the first days and weeks. You managed to turn a corner though - yay! - and it sounds like your dd is doing fine.

Can your HV support you and help you feel reassured?

A call to any of the bf helplines would be a good idea, too.

By now, you and your dd will be communicating well and you can trust yourself to know if she needs more. One way of covering all bases, and helping you offer her more, is to offer a further breast after she seems to have stopped for the moment - so she can have two, three or more 'sides' each time if she wants. That way you are not clock watching and worrying too much time has passed, and worrying about squeezing more feeds in.

Hope this helps :)

Hi I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. I too have been very anxious about this after a tricky start - see my previous thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/1679636-What-more-could-I-be-doing-to-boost-BF-baby-intake-Sorry-very-long?reverse=1.

I don't really have any helpful suggestions except to say that as my daughter's weight has continued to follow the same curve I am gradually getting less worried. Though still panic whenever she has a not- hungry day, and when I compare her to other babies who are bigger and greedier.

Also she was sleeping 5 hour stretches until just before shd turned 14 weeks but since then has been waking every couple of hours... But of course sleep regression may not be the answer to your problem you're looking for! Good luck with it it sounds like you're doing great now but I know how very very stressful it can be.