Am I doing the right thing?

[Rkay2]

Hi

Any advice would be appreciated. I had a c section on Sunday 18th Feb due to poor growth of baby. He was born at 35weeks weight 2kg

He hasn't been able to feed at the breast so I have been hand expressing colostrum and giving baby 1ml approximately every 2 hours.

Midwives say he isn't hungry and is doing well but I can help but worry that he isn't getting enough and his weight will drop. He has had a few poops and a couple of wet nappies.

He has no interest at the breast and I place him there before each feed.

I want to provide breast milk but it's hard hand expressing so much colostrum. My breasts are sore.

I've decided to top up with small amounts of formula until my milk comes in properly. Not via bottle but syringe.

Will this do him harm? Or the breastfeeding process harm?

I feel like with the section the milk won't be there on day 3 or 4 and will come later.

Help a first time mum?

Hey OP,
Please don't panic. The first few days can be so overwhelming.

I had DC3 by emcs too on 23 January. Because you weren't quite ready, the milk can take a little longer to come in. I Was advised Fennel or Fenugreek tea can help and magnesium supplements too.

Have confidence in your MW. They will tell you if there is a problem. Keep putting baby to your breast. It doesn't have to be for a long time, just often.

Combination feeding can be a useful tool. We do 1 ff per day to give me a rest and it takes the pressure off. We did this with DC2 as well and never suffered nipple confusion.

You are doing brilliantly! Try and find out if there is a bf group near you. The added support and chance to chat to other mums was a lifesaver for me.

And lean on your healthcare team. Don't be afraid to ask for help xx

Congratulations! Don't panic, I topped DS up by syringe as myself milk didn't come in until day 5 due to PPH. He is still bf now at nearly 7 months. I topped up with formula and once we worked on latch and positioning, he hasn't had any since he was 10 days old. Topping up allowed him to keep up a good weight gain and took the pressure off establishing bf. Just continue to do what you are doing, offer the breast first and offer it often. Lots of skin to skin helped and changing his nappy before a feed to really wake him up as well as tickling his feet to keep him awake during feeding.

Congratulations on your new LO OP. Topping up with formula shouldn’t inter too much as long as you keep expressing. If you are finding expressing too painful and wish to continue with Bfing is there someone that you can talk to who specialises in Bfing?