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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

BF Help pleeease. GP has told me to top up my b/feeds with a bottle

30 replies

Wills · 07/06/2006 19:44

ds is 17 days old. We had at least 14 days of crying now. I had thought it was colic. I'm also suffering from b/f thrush so the whole thing is painful. Anyway infacol does nothing and I'm slowly getting desperate so I spoke to my pharmacist who suggested I speak to my gp. She listened to me describe what was happening i.e. from about 3 or 4.00 onwards he screams and screams. He's mouthing but I had thought this was looking for comfort. I had, for a time, put him back on the breast everytime but that didn't resolve the issue it seemed to make it worse so I started to try and make him wait. The hv suggested I make him wait at least 2 hours between the start of feeds i.e. at least 1 hour 30 minute gap so that he took a proper feed. He would take a "proper" feed and then fall asleep but the moment you move him he would start screaming again.

OK enough background. GP said that he sounded like he was hungry and that I should try topping up my bf first and if that didn't settle him then she was happy to see me because something was obviously wrong. In desperation I thought I'd try it. He finished on the breast at 5.15 and was contented and let go himself. He then happily cooed and "played" for 40 minutes before he started to cry. With a kind of Hah now we'll see I made up 4 ozs and.... he drank the lot! I'm gobsmacked. What do I do now? ds is my third and most likely my last. Despite the thrush I didn't want to give up. The pain is not good so I'm not sure how long I could keep going but I was trying. I'd even started some awful diet cutting out all sugar i.e. veg fruit carbs, the lot! I'm gutted. How the hell can I increase the milk. I had tried putting him to the breast loads but that just seemed to increase his pain. Please help.

OP posts:
stitch · 07/06/2006 19:46

pumping? never worked for me, but lots of others have done so successfully.

emkana · 07/06/2006 19:49

Have you spoken to a proper b/feeding counsellor? HV's and GP's are not the best people to advise really, IMO.

SoupDragon · 07/06/2006 19:50

Could the screaming be tiredness - have you tried lugging him round in a sling? DD is the sort of baby who cries if I put her down after a feed (although she's improved a bit recently) but she loves being in the pouch sling.

SoupDragon · 07/06/2006 19:51

wrt the 4oz formula, I think it's very easy for them to drink whilst comfort sucking the teat, not like bf-ing where they have to work at it.

Gingerbear · 07/06/2006 19:54

I second a sling/babybjorn. DD lived in hers for 1st eight weeks of her life.
Tiktok will help re thrush etc too.

compo · 07/06/2006 19:54

Have you tried a dummy?

Original poster
Wills · 07/06/2006 19:55

Have tried a sling but he "fusses" i.e. he's mouthing away and then gets frustrated and screams despite being there. Taking him for a walk doesn't work, nor does the hoover, the washing machine etc.

OP posts:
emkana · 07/06/2006 19:56

What about a dummy?

pupuce · 07/06/2006 19:58

Wills...
three things come to mind

  1. Have you seen a cranial osteopath, they can help with "colic"
  2. What are you doig about the thrush? Babies can find it painful too.
  3. Is there a BF clinic near you ?
Enid · 07/06/2006 19:59

my baby also cries a lot

she hated the sling for the first three weeks but now loves it thank the lord

SenoraPostrophe · 07/06/2006 20:01

wills, you poor thing.

how is his weight? is he putting it on ok? if so then I'd second the dummy suggestion.

it could still be colic btw - infacol doesn't always work for that. dd used to cry (mornings though, not afternoons) and I think it became a self fueling cycle - she'd cry, I'd feed, she'd get overful and cry again etc. so a dummy worked for her.

But whatever you do, don't assume that the fact he gulped down the bottle meant he was hungry. babies do gulp down bottles - it's an instinct I think (dd did that too, and I did give up bfing sooner than i wanted to). if however he was happy and content all afternoon after the bottle then, well maybe needs must, as it were.

cori · 07/06/2006 20:12

Hi wills,
My DS cries a lot and feeds a lot especially in the late afternoon evenings. I have been feeding practially all day, at 3.30 I had enough so gave him a bottle of EBM, half an hour later he seemed hungry again.
I dont how to increase milk supply, i just express wen ever i can, so i can a break sometimes. I also give him a dummy sometimes as he just wants acomfort suckle.

Original poster
Wills · 07/06/2006 20:16

I did wonder about the bottle. But he's now been contented for almost two hours and we're having the first cry free evening. In some ways I'd rather look at how I can get my milk up to that level that it can make him contented.

In terms of the thrush we're on nipple cream, he's having a mouth gel and I'm having fluconazole. Its not working hence trying to cut out sugar. The diet is really strict and I'm failing which is also getting me down.

Oh well

OP posts:
Original poster
Wills · 07/06/2006 20:17

Tried a dummy and its fine whilst its in but he drops it out very easily and then all hell brakes out. To be honest I'm a little reluctant as at the moment when he does finally go to sleep he sleep without an aid. Do you see what I mean.

OP posts:
emkana · 07/06/2006 20:18

Have you contacted a qualified b/feeding counsellor?

pupuce · 07/06/2006 20:19

Wills... have a look \link{http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/information/thrush.php\here} to make sure yoyu have covered all the thrush angle/... it takes over 2 weeks to clear thrush Sad

Increase supply : nettle tea, fenugreek tablets...

I would really suggest you go to a BF clinic if you can honey Smile

edam · 07/06/2006 20:21

It's common for babies to feed a lot in late afternoons/evenings. And that time of day is also the top time for colic. Not terribly helpful, but just to let you know you aren't alone and your baby is normal!

spinach · 07/06/2006 20:22

why have you gone on a diet? it may not help you to increase milk supply if you stay on it. Topping up will only interfere with your milk supply and will usually decrease your supply. Gps and HV are not great sources of advice when it comes to bf. Tiktok is a great mumsnetter source of advice.

ghosty · 07/06/2006 21:09

I know some people don't like them Wills but I gave DD a dummy at 3 weeks old because she wouldn't settle after feeds. She wasn't a screamer (I had one of those first time round Wink) but I really found that she wanted to suck but didn't want the milk ...
The dummy, at the time, was our life saver.

mrsnoah · 07/06/2006 21:42

wills ; much sympathy :( Have you tried using a proper pumping machine; makes all the difference in speed etc. Will give your poor sore boobs a break if you manage to do both bf and bottle for a bit it will keep your milk up and you can increase it that way too. Bung him in his pram anyway and get out in the fresh air; the crying is not so deafening out of doors !

Original poster
Wills · 07/06/2006 22:05

Hi ya Ghosty! dd1 had a dummy but I can remember the awful effort of trying to keep it in there as she wouldn't stay asleep without it. Think that's why I'm reluctant.

MrsNoah - agree about going out except all the old biddies in the close where we love keep glaring at me. Not sure they think I'm murdering him or simply disturbing the peace Grin

Do have a machine though so I can at least fall back on that.

Well he had 4ozs of formula at 6.15, then me at 8.15, me at 9.15 and he's restless at the moment. The problem is that he's not taking a lot so I'm concerned that he'll just sup on the foremilk iyswim. Arrrggggghhhh - think I'm slowly going a little round the bend!

OP posts:
Original poster
Wills · 07/06/2006 22:06

Ummm please read "where we live" instead of where we "love". Blush

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 07/06/2006 22:15

Don't fret about foremilk/hindmilk - just let him suck. I do not say it lightly and I know how awful the frequent feeding they do at the start is and how zombie-like and leaden you can feel. I used to feed DS2 every half hour in the evening when he was this age - I simply cannot be bothered trying to get them to go longer since if you do it can bugger up your supply and you just have a screamy baby for longer periods of time.

However, you have thrush, which is another factor - \link{http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/information/thrush.php\have you seen the BFN's leaflet on it?}

Mears always likens giving formula after a bfeed to "making room for pudding" - you're offering a different taste and your baby will go "hmm, wonder what this is, oh, milky suckiness, ok, I'll do some of that, different flavour, oh, different teat, hmm, different view - ah, I've finished the bottle" - but keep doing it and you'll be on bottles fulltime v soon.

You're doing brilliantly though - just don't let GPs talk to you Grin

motherbeing · 07/06/2006 22:52

second that about GPs - they don't know everything. You should contact a real breast feeding councellor. NCT breast feeding helpline is great and really helped me with supply issues. Well done for keeping going :)

motherbeing · 07/06/2006 22:52

second that about GPs - they don't know everything. You should contact a real breast feeding councellor. NCT breast feeding helpline is great and really helped me with supply issues. Well done for keeping going :)