Anyone successfully gone back to breast feeding from expressed bottles?

[SecretLimonadeDrinker]

We were worried the DS wasn't getting enough milk as I have had a few problems with block ducts and low supply. HV feels that as he feeds for 45 mins at a time he may not be getting enough. So for the past six days i have been expressing, he is eight weeks old and I give him 5oz every three hours with a gap of 6-8 hours at night. It takes me about an hour to get this amount, only have supply one side, although beginning to get milk again on the other side.

Apologies for the essay, now to the point, it will be tough to sustain this long term so I would like to go back to breastfeeding. I am worried he won't latch and also he is use to getting the milk much quicker. I find that when expressing I will get a good flow and then it will trickle down to only a few drips a minute and then after a while I'll start getting more milk. Hope this all makes sense

Anyone been able to back to breast and any tips?

No experience sorry but how much you can express is no indication of how much milk you are making. What is it that makes you think you have low supply?

Have you tried bfing again? If not i would just try him tonight and see how it goes. Think you may need sone RL help with this though. Try one of the bfing helplines in the morning.

Thanks for your replies.

Our HV thought has previously expressed concern over his weight gain as it has been slow and suggested we top up with formula. There were also comments on the length of time he feeds.

JJJ thanks for the link. He has been producing lots of wet/dirty nappies, which is reassuring.

I'll call the helpline in the morning.

DS2 was premature and only took expressed milk for the first three months of his life. I had breast fed my older 2 so thought I could do it. Once he was doing well and at home, we spent a weekend with lots of skin to skin, offering the breast first, topping up with a bottle after each feed, then gradually topping up less and less until he got the hang of it.

It was hard, really hard, and my DH was hugely supportive.

Don't breastfed babies feed as long as they want? Isn't that what stimulates your supply?

I would definatly speak to a professional from llc as I know of many people who Breastfeed after expressing and even solely ff. It can take a while as its not quite as quick as a bottle but keep perservering and you will get there. Well done for expressing, but I personally wouldn't of said your hv was correct in saying that-45 mins is perfectly normal at that age!

Not sure your HV is being very helpful here at all. If she is concerned about weight gain, how much is he gaining? Have you read how to increase your baby's weight gain?

If you want to give it a go, I would try bfing tonight and see how it goes. Try again in the morning if things are going well and ring one if the bfing helplines. Don't forget that you never run out of milk so its fine to offer the first side, the second side and tge first side again.

Think you were right not to top up with formula either. If there is a concern about baby's weight, formula top ups should nit be the default option. Baby should be checked for tt, and there are other things like breast compressions and top ups with ebm instead.

The fact that you are getting plenty of wet and dirty nappies is a really good sign. As well as phoning a helpline, are there any bfing support groups near to you? It might be worth asking a BFC to observe a complete feed but sometimes they are good to go to, have a cuppa and a chat with some bfing mothers and realise that actually, you are doing ok

Eyeofthestorm thanks for sharing your experience and well done for persevering.

The HV also said that I am defective as I struggle to breast feed on one side due to an invert nipple which is why the supply is low as DS struggle to latch.

He has put on about 2ozs in four weeks and has been checked for tongue tie. We had a few problems during labour, which I'm still dealing with. It also meant I had very little to eat for 20 hrs and I have since struggled to eat much, esp in the early weeks which will have impacted my supply and I fel very guilty about.

There is a local support clinc so I will try and go to that next week. I feel like I've lost a lot of my confidence and Am failing my son by not being able to give him what he needs :(

Thanks for all your replies, I'll try BF for his next feed and report back tomorrow as my battery is about to run out of juice.

Night all.

Hope your last feed went ok. Just wanted to say how much I sympathise with you. My DD has had very poor weight gain and would take around 45 minutes to feed.

We found out when she was 15 weeks old that she had a posterior tongue tie, despite being 'checked' (they would just flip the tongue up and not properly check mobility). Most HVs don't know about posterior tongue ties or lip ties.

Try doing the Hazelbaker test on your lo and checking under the tongue for a speedbump. There are lots of resources on kellymom: kellymom.com/health/baby-health/bfhelp-tonguetie/#basic

If it's not tongue tie at least that's eliminated but if it is, the earlier it's treated, the easier it is to go back to breastfeeding.

Hi there. Have you looked at info about trying to feed with an inverted nipple too? Useful info here. I think it's worth persevering but I agree with pp - you need proper advice about how to BF and I'm not sure your HV has been very helpful. Is there a BF support group near you?

There is a whole thread on Mn of missed tongue tie. It really is worth getting checked soon and getting some RL help with feeding with your inverted nipple and weight gain. Please give one of the helplines a call this morning and I really do think you would benefit from going to a bfing support group, telling them everything you have told us and getting them to observe a whole feed.

Your HV really, really doesn't sound helpful. Am quite that she said you were defective. The only thing I can see that has been defective upto now is her advice and the fact that she hasn't suggested you see a BFC.

As for the birth, has anyone told you about the birth trauma association? I think it is worth having a look at the website and talking to them about how you feel.

You are doing brilliantly and your HV is being very unhelpful. Is there anyone in RL who could give you some calm, non-judgmental support?

I actually drove myself a bit mad with the whole expressing/breastfeeding thing with DS2 and when I look back I can see how much of those first months were eaten up with stress and worry.

All you can do is the best you can and you're doing it.

Hi Secret, just wanted to share my experience too.....
When DS was 4 weeks old i developed a really nasty crack (on the side with the better supply of course ) which didn't heal for about 8 weeks. I tried all sorts, including expressing only on that side for a week, and using a nipple shield for several weeks after that. Both of these I know can affect supply, but finally at around 13 weeks I was able to ditch the shields and just feed normally. He's now 15 weeks and I don't have any problems at all, it's such a relief. So you can definitely go back to feeding after expressing. Good luck, and hope it works out for you.