quick advice needed

[buntingbingo]

Juat been admitted to hospital with 2 week on dd. She isn't gaining weight. They are going to top her up. I've refused a bottle and said I'd rather tube feed.
Bf has been so hard to get going and I'm desperate to keep it up.

Is this the right thing to do? Is a bottle really so bad?

Am I being too stubborn?

Why have they advised breastfeeding for just 10 mins and then formula? This seems really odd and will mean that the vast majority of the milk she's getting is formula rather than breast. That's fine if you want to ff but you've said that you want to make bf work...
It doesn't sound like they've addressed the bf problems at all
How often are you expressing? Are you using both breasts every feed?
Could you get in touch with a bf counsellor or lactation consultant who will be able to help you rescue things? I think that would be the best thing for you right now.

Thanks all. The drs seemed more concerned about the amount she was taking they were very adamant 10 mins breast then bottle.
It hard to remain enthusiastic about bf when she looks so satisfied and content with a bottle.

I'll go to the bf support tomorrow to see about sorting her latch out. And carry in pumping today. I'm probably not pumping as much as I should. It's a bit miserable when only 10mls comes out.
I have musing tea and fenugreek on its way.

My DS was tube fed as he didn't have a suck swallow breathe reflex. He was failure to thrive and refluxing anything we did get into him. Advantage of the tube is they can put high calorie formula down and EBM.
I'd always choose bottle over invasive procedure... Tube feeding is such a faff. 6 years on and DS has a gastrostomy now... Phew!

But by advising 10 minute feeds they're ensuring that very soon she won't be getting any breastmilk at all...how much are you topping up with? And how often are you feeding? Are you using both breasts every time?
Can you speak to someone today? Think you need some one to one help with a bf specialist. I'm so sorry you're going through this and I really don't think your being helped by your care team

The milks dwindling already. I knew it would happen as soon as I agreed to her having the bottle. I'm pumping as I've completely lost confidence latching her on its paunful and she falls asleep with the effort of trying to get milk out. it's not looking hopefull. The bf group is tomo so that's the earliest I can see anyone.

Have you borrowed a pump from the hospital? Today is going to be challenging but I think it might be worth phoning your midwife to see if they can send a breastfeeding counsellor to you, or if not, speak to someone at La Leche or the NCT breastfeeding helpline (you don't have to have done nct classes to call them) for support.

Expressing can be as challenging mentally as bf is physically. Try not to measure yourself as a mother by the number of ml you express. If you have any oats in the house, try to make some porridge--oats can help with milk supply and you need to keep eating and drinking well. Hard to remember when you're so stressed out!

You and your Dd will get through this.

Try calling the breastfeeding support lines - national breastfeeding helpline, NCT, La Leche League. They can help you with a plan to get you through today until you can get to the face to face group.

Depending on your area, they may be able to arrange for you to see someone today. These groups are charities and all support is free of charge for you.

You've been through a lot. Be kind to yourself. And relax. A watched pump never works. Phone a friend or watch TV to take your mind off pumping.

I'm sorry if I have missed that you have seen the Infant Feeding specialist already, but if not, do contact her and explain it is urgent.

There are sometimes good reasons for restricting a baby to 10 min breastfeeds - for example, if a baby is very sleepy and the effort of (not) breastfeeding well means she falls asleep, zonked out, and no formula can get in, then limiting the feeds might be justified if the baby is not thriving. This should not be done by the clock though - it should be done by observing the baby.

This might be something you can check with the specialist.

If a baby is transferring milk well at the breast - and it's not clear if this is happening - then there is no reason to limit feeds at all.

If you are expressing there may be ways to make this more effective, too.

This sounds so hard for you, buntingbingo :(

Yes that's why they said to bf for 10 mins. The effort of it was exhausting her. We have been doing that + bottle + expressing today.
I need to get her latch sorted but I'm happy with mixed feeding. I even got some actual SLEEP while DH fed her. And with other dc it works well. But need the latch sorted as it still hurts so much.