Help! Newborn feeding with jaundice

[hotcrossbun83]

Ds is 9 days old. We've had a rough start to bf, as he had a lot of mucus at birth and could not suck as nose blocked, so we spent 3 days in hospital expressing colostrum and building up to normal feeding. We were getting there and came home, I never felt feeding was going that well but he was feeding regularly off the breast and had a cluster feeding night so all ok in retrospect.

Then at 5 days old he just stopped sucking, I had to improvise in middle of the night and express into a bottle lid to feed him. Diagnosed with jaundice and we went on to a mix of express by syringe, breast as much as possible. A couple of days later I caved and started topping up with formula as well as he just didn't seem to be getting enough.

Now my nipples are very sore, I've been told to express as much as possible and bottle feed it mixed with some bf each time. I have a great midwife who has been so helpful, spending 1-2 hours with me 4 times thus week. But today when she was here ds sucked really well and I could express lots, soon as she left he refused nipple and I can barely express any milk, so had to top up again. When he has milk by bottle, express or formula, he seems so satisfied after, I feel he is always a bit hungry after bf.

I guess I'm looking for anyone with experience of this - I need to get my milk levels up again. Is it ok to be topping up with formula in the same feed? It feels like we will never get back to bf, he likes the bottle too much and really so do I as he is much happier after.

Reading this back it seems like I don't really have a question.. I think it's just that every day the problem changes, it feels like it's never going to get easier, and with only 90 mins between ds settling after night feed and waking again, the though of adding expressing into the night routine is scary, I'm so tired!

Hello, we had a similar tale and I know I'm not the only one. My ds turned into a banana. We topped up in desperation but then latch issues and thrush led to a painful few weeks. It's good you're getting help, reading up sites like kellymom on how to wean off formula could help too.
The one thing I wish I realised then that I know now is how much stress and anxiety affects my milk supply and let down. Now I take deep breaths and do visualisations before each feed. And it works.

It does get easier! You've had a tough time - we had similar experiences including an extended stay in hospital.

Your body has the potential to make enough milk for twins or triplets if you trust it to do its job. If you've had your latch checked and baby has regained birthweight and us continuing to gain, there's no real reason to continue yo top up IMO. Is there a breastfeeding cafe nearby? Your mw will be signing you off soon and extra support will be useful.

Feeding every couple of hours is completely normal at this age. Enlist help to ensure you are fed, watered and comfy.

And yes - expressing is tough! Try to feed directly as it's much easier in the long run.

You may be hitting the ten day growth spurt. I found it got easier at 3 weeks, then easier again at 6 weeks.

Congratulations too!

babies seem more satisfied after formula as it's quite stodgy stuff - the equivalent to how you might feel Street a large roast dinner. breast milk is much lighter and more easily digested.
You've put so much effort into breastfeeding and it sounds like you're doing a wonderful job. I would definitely seek out some more real life help like a baby café or LLL group of you want to keep breastfeeding. Good luck x

Thanks for all your support. Unfortunately expressing is getting harder and I'm not getting much at all. Interesting to read the comment about stress, I'm incredibly upset about this and spend a lot of time crying over it, especially during feeds/expressing, so that can't be helping. I'll try and be calmer but it's hard.

I should have said in op that ds lost 9% birth weight and has not started gaining yet (10 days old) so that adds to the pressure.

I was just expressing and my nipple cracked turning all the milk in the bottle bright red. I know it's ok for them to drink but I just can't give it to him, this led to more tears. Definitely not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Mixed feeding is fine, formula feeding is fine.
I'm still mixed feeding (4.5 month ds) using a tube system to deliver the formula alongside breastfeeding.
I gave up expressing when it became counterproductive as it was all too much.
I thankfully never bled so you really have my sympathy.

Thanks, I'm feeling a bit better today. I have more milk so giving less formula. Midwife is visiting tomorrow so with her help I'll try and get him back on the breast as nipples are healing. Tbh if I get to a point of mixing bf and ff with routine and confidence I'll be very very happy

I could have written this three years ago when ds1 was born. Please go easy on yourself! I went through the same tearful expressing/attempts at feeding etc. I eventually concluded that the benefits of a happy and relaxed mother were as important as the benefits of breast feeding. I started mixed feeding formula and expressed breast milk. I continued this for 8 weeks, after which my supply dried up (as I wasn't expressing to any kind of routine and just doing it when it fitted in). DS was formula fed from then on, I was far more chilled out and he thrived.

I am not saying you should definitely give up, just that it is not worth making yourself miserable over. DS2 is now a month old and ebf, really successfully (so far). Sometimes the best thing for a particular child is not bf. Hopefully I won't get flamed.

Thanks, it makes a lot of sense but harder to admit when you're in the middle of it as I'm sure you remember. For the last two days I have mainly bf with the odd bottle of formula, it's going well - lots of cluster feeding so I guess he is ramping up my supply. I still worry constantly that there's not enough milk and cave to formula in the middle of the night but these problems seem manageable. It feels like the last push and if it doesn't work out I'm ready to give up.