Breastfeeding worries with a 2.5 week old

[Mellin]

Hi,

Looking for some advice after a visit from my midwife today.
DD is 2.5 weeks, first child and first time breast feeding so am quiet anxious. She wants to feed constantly and once on the breast will happily stay there for 1 hour +, especially in the evening and at night.
When I talked to my midwife about this to see if it was normal she said the baby was hungry and should be "topped up" in the late evening, with formula or by expressing.
I am not sure about this advice bcos DD is filling plenty of nappies each day and is back over birth weight, and gained weight this week. She is a small bub (6oz at birth). Although my boobs never really feel "full" or rock hard so maybe there is a supply problem?
I don't agree with mixing the formula and breastmilk so won't do that. But am considering trying to express to encourage supply. But is it too early to try expressing? Will it interfer with establishing bfeeding? Or should stop stressing over this and perserve with the constant feeding longer?
Help, thought I was doing ok with the feeding and hadn't even considered she might not getting enough!

I'm a first time mum/bf too.
Your milk is still coming to maturity at the moment.
I would recommend that you persevere with breast alone if you are happy with that for another couple of weeks.
I would think that as long as bub is putting on weight and seems happy, that things should be left alone.

However I am by no means an expert, so maybe others can offer more advice?

Your midwife is talking rubbish. Feeding this often and for this long is quite normal at this stage (and for a few weeks yet). I think your instincts (that were telling you everything was fine) are spot-on. You can express if you want to and if you have time, but you don't need to "top-up" your baby.

Seems a long time to be still seeing the midwife - do you mean health visitor? Either way, she has shown herself to be poorly-informed and a poor supporter of bf.

Your baby's behaviour and feeding sound spot on - totally normal.

No need to complicate your life with expressing. Continue doing what you are doing, and I hope you get your confidence back.

I am assuming, by the way, she weighed more than 6 ounces at birth

You and your baby sound to be doing fine to me. I used to love that late evening in the early weeks when I would leave everything and just sit and feed baby (for hours if I could get away with it ) while I watched tv or read a book.
Tiktok - I thought the midwives came if necessary up to 28 days and then the health visitor took over.

You're right, juule - but in most cases the m/w hands over at 10-11 days.

Midwife is still coming because bub was jaundiced in first week, but is nearly gone now. Should be her last visit next week.
Thanks for the reassurance, it's hard to trust your instincts when a doubt is put in your mind.
Feeling quite anxious a lot of the time (about most things to do with DD) so my mind gets carried away! But in moments of calm I know I have to give bfeeding more time to settle.
PS. I meant 6lb, not oz!

with my first the mw visited for 28 days before I was discharged. I was really glad to have the support. BTW Mellin I think you are doing very well, regaining the birth weight plus some more at 2.5 weeks is great. It sounds like your supply is fine, and will be stimulated enough by the frequent feeding so don't worry about doing extra expressing unless you want to in order to get some banked up for someone else to feed your baby at a later date (or now I guess if you want to). It's completely normal for them to want to feed up an hour. I think they just like to be there and who can blame them? It's the closest they can be to you apart from being inside which is what they have been used to for so long. Like lemonaid said, your instincts are spot on. Ignore the midwife, she really shouldn't be saying this unless of course in the case where a baby is not thriving - but yours evidently is! Well done.

Sweetie, just feed her. You're doing magnificently. And count yourself lucky you don't have rock hard norks - that way mastitis lies, as I know all too well.

I've never really felt full or empty, so don't worry. My ds is 5 months now (first baby). He was the same - used to feed hourly for the first couple of weeks, They get better at it and the feeding time does reduce as they get more efficient. I remember him feeding continuously for 5 hours one night in the first week!! My hv then told me part of it is to do with comfort and closeness, so don't worry at all.

I agree with the other advice given below. Weight gain is a great sign that your baby is getting more than enough.

You're doing really well.

Thanks for all the great support. Feeling much better today after talking with my partner last night and the mumsnet reassurance that things are normal.
I would like to start expressing at some stage so my partner can be involved with feeding but think it might too early yet. Will probably be posting questions about expressing in the not too distant future!