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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Breastmilk not "substantial" enough???

34 replies

digsydel · 16/01/2014 22:19

I've been having some sleep issues with my baby (which I posted about here and I contacted a private nanny/sleep trainer. She suggested that part of the problem is my DD is hungry and that breastmilk, while plentiful, no longer has enough substance to keep my baby satisfied or to sustain her. My milk supply is fine but the nanny says it's about quality over quantity and I could have milk coming out my ears and it still wouldn't be enough and that I need to start finishing feeds with formula.
Has anyone else heard of this before? Is she just an early weaner? I would have thought if she were hungry that she would be losing weight?

Couple of things to note - DD is 18 weeks, eats every 3-4 hours, coming off on her own accord and happily so, and is tracking on the 75th percentile for weight, which she's been doing since 2 weeks old.

OP posts:
ilovepowerhoop · 16/01/2014 22:23

I think she is talking bollocks tbh

AnyCrunchyCarrotFucker · 16/01/2014 22:26

'Nota substantial enough' 'quantity not quality'.

Bo. Locks. That is all.

Womnaleplus · 16/01/2014 22:27

RUBBISH

ChilliQueen · 16/01/2014 22:27

Gosh... I would say all normal and carry on with what you're doing. If you're producing milk, carry on. I've never heard of breast milk not being good enough quality... please don't stop breast-feeding if you're both enjoying it. I stopped breast-feeding around 3 months simply because DS had his fists in his mouth the whole time, and when I tried expressing was producing next to nothing. That doesn't sound like you. Other people here will have much more experience, but please carry on... perhaps in a few weeks you can add baby rice (I did this at 5 months)... see what others with more recent experience have to say.

curlyclaz13 · 16/01/2014 22:27

Sounds like crap to me. If she is gaining weight then I would imagine she is getting enough nutrition. Ds is 7 months and still has not slept through I figure he just is not a great sleeper and burns energy quickly.

HighVoltage · 16/01/2014 22:27

That really is nonsense. Your feeding schedule and weight gain sound pretty perfect to me.

NomNomNom · 16/01/2014 22:28

Sorry, but that's total rubbish. Breastmilk meets almost 80% of a 3-year old's nutritional needs, so at 18 weeks you're definitely fine! Plus your milk is specifically made for your baby.

Formula doesn't make babies sleep. Perhaps try to find an IBCLC lactation consultant who actually knows about breastfeeding.

EauRouge · 16/01/2014 22:28

Yep, she's talking utter shit. What qualifications does she have? Sorry about the sleepless nights, thaf musr be tough. If you think it's a BF problem then I would contact a trained breastfeeding counsellor.

ShoeWhore · 16/01/2014 22:28

What she has said is a load of rubbish.

anothernumberone · 16/01/2014 22:30

Rubbish, sorry it is just rubbish.

noblegiraffe · 16/01/2014 22:30

Sounds like you've wasted your money, I'm afraid.

A hungry baby would be feeding far more frequently for a start!

AnythingNotEverything · 16/01/2014 22:31

Utter bollocks. Do ignore her.

AnyCrunchyCarrotFucker · 16/01/2014 22:33

I think your sleep issue is an expectation thing and has nothing whatsoever to do with your breast milk.

Neither of mine went down to sleep without me holding them until at least 6 months. So I just held them while they slept then when it was my bedtime tucked them up in bed next to me, some feeding, and we both slept.

TheABC · 16/01/2014 22:33

I have read your other thread and it sounds like a sleep habit/over fussing problem; not a hunger problem. She is gaining weight as expected and finishing happily. Unless you are personally worried about her nutrition, I would ignore this bit of advice.

Tiktok is a good mnetter to ask about these matters and I would also look at kellymom website if you really want the researched facts before making a decision.

noblegiraffe · 16/01/2014 22:36

I've just read your sleep thread too and am wondering why you are spending so long trying to get her to fall asleep in her cot, detaching her if she is falling asleep when feeding etc? Why not feed to sleep or rock to sleep?

Waking every two hours in the night is normal, by the way. Awful, but normal.

ChilliQueen · 16/01/2014 22:37

Actually... have to say, after we stopped breast milk (as I wasn't producing enough/any), once on formula, DS was sleeping all night from 4 months. But I would never, ever suggest giving up breast milk. It's the best for baby, and it's the best experience ever (in my opinion), and one you will never ever forget the closeness of. I would have gone on for much longer and happily had shorter sleeps.

donttellalfred · 16/01/2014 22:39

She is talking complete rubbish. Such a shame that she is in a professional role where people presumably take her advice as gospel. Nothing wrong with formula feeding if you want or need to, but nothing wrong with your breastmilk!

FrumiousBandersnatch · 16/01/2014 22:41

Her tone is a little strident but the Alpha Parent frequently critiques (read: rips apart) parenting and sleep manuals on her blog for their anti-breastfeeding bias, and advice which is potentially detrimental to successful feeding. It sounds like the advice you've received is from a similar school of thought.

Original poster
digsydel · 16/01/2014 22:54

That's a pretty convincing consensus of opinion, thanks all! I had no intention of giving up BF, just supplementing but Im really happy not to if I don't need to.

A few of you have mentioned about sleep as well. Firstly I'm not too bothered by how often she wakes - I can cope with that - it's getting her to sleep in first place (and the heartbreaking distress that goes with that). Unfortunately when she does fall asleep on me, eating or otherwise, she doesn't stay that way for long and any movement wakes her. She's then had a power nap and trying to get her back to sleep takes hours! As for expectations, I thought that allowing her to only sleep on me or fall asleep eating was just building bad habits or have I been reading too many books?

Thanks for all the BF opinions!

OP posts:
dannydyerismydad · 16/01/2014 22:55

There is no evidence that a bottle fed or weaned baby will sleep better. They do it in their own time.

ummingandahhing · 16/01/2014 22:59

The sleep training nanny is talking arse.

Also, did you know that sleeping through means five hours in a row at this age?

And if there is any heartbreaking distress, then guess what? Stop doing it. It's not worth it.

Your baby is still very young and very, very few babies of this age sleep through.

ummingandahhing · 16/01/2014 22:59

And throw out the books!

minipie · 16/01/2014 23:07

Haven't read your other thread but it sounds like classic overtiredness to me. Probably combined with and/or as a result of the 4 month sleep regression.

Changing to ff isn't going to fix that.

IME some maternity nurses/sleep trainers and HVs suggest formula top ups as a solution to everything. I think that may be because they can't measure quantities with BF and that makes them nervous - they want the control of FF set amounts at set times. Doesn't mean it works.

minipie · 16/01/2014 23:08

don't worry about bad habits. if she's overtired (which it really sounds like she is) the main thing is to get her to sleep as much as possible no matter how. you can't fix any habits while she is overtired.

willyoulistentome · 16/01/2014 23:10

Does your baby do the 'twitching' thing once she has fallen asleep in your arms. ??
My two when little babies would fall asleep on me while feeding, but I learned not to try to put them in their cots for a few minutes until after they had finished ' twitching'. I think it's something to do with going from a light sleep into a deep sleep.
The twitching would start after a couple of minutes after they went to sleep last maybe 30 seconds and once it stopped I could put them down.