which bfeeding advice line do u suggest i ring ,hv update from kittenbaby

[kittenbaby]

hv has been again 2day dd has out on another 6oz in the last week
so im quite happy about the weight gain shes 4 weeks old 2moro
hv has advised me to feed her for 20 mins then make her wait till at least 2 to 2 and a half hours before feeding her again
because she spends all day feeding
she said it doesnt matter if shes crying try to distract her till 2 to 2 and a half hours by trying to tak her for a walk in the pram
i want to speak to one of the helplines to see if this is a good idea or not ?
or whever to wait until shes been ex bf for at least 6 weeks?
or if they have any other tips?
whay are your thoughts ?
and which helpine should i try 1st ?
thanks kitten
i cant get out to go to any support groups at the moment as im getting over an op post birth
but i think maybe one of the advice lins maybe able to advise

I would think the NCT or LaLeche League would both give you the same advice. From personal experience I would make sure she is actually feeding whilst on the boob and not snoozing - look for wiggling ears and gulping/swallowing if here ears aren't wiggling she is probably not feeding and snoozing/comfort sucking. But if she's hungry let her feed - they often cluster feed?

Someone more qualified will hopefully come along soon..........

Oh no.....not another piece of HV rubbish. Any of the helplines will explain to you that feeding for 20 minutes might be more than your baby wants or less than she wants, and imposing the clock on to your baby's feeding is not helpful at all.

Ditto with the 'no more often than 2.5 hours' - what planet is she on? This might be not often enough some of the time (babies often 'cluster feed' in the evening) and what if your baby is thirsty? If she could ask for a drink or a snack, would you tell her no, she can go for a walk instead until 2.5 hours are up????

And this is the same HV who was concerned that your baby was not getting sudfficient calories to grow?

All the helpline are run by volunteers and none of them is able to guarentee you get someone to speak to first time, so you could try them all

By the way, KB, your baby is doing just great!

Why does your HV think you should change what you are doing?

If I'd made DS wait 2 or 2.5 hours between feeds at that age he would have gone beserk! I would ignore her and carry on feeding. Re helplines, I rang the La Leche League and they were v helpful

0845 120 2918

try both helplines if you need to kittenbaby. they are both great.

Your HV is still talking bollocks! Crying is the last indicator of hunger. I will post a link for other cues.

Even a newborn, fully ff baby should be fed on demand. I feel sorry for all the other mothers she is advising.

hunger cues

What do you mean by "all day"? Ds used to feed for about 15 minutes every 1.5 to 2 hours until he was about 10 weeks old. I don't think this frequency is uncommon in young bf babies... But if you mean literally never off, then that's a different question...

Irony is your baby is probably feeding so much to catch up on the weight loss, you know the weight loss that your HV is giving you a hard time over.............avoid the HV would be my recommendation!

A lot of babies spend all day feeding in the first six weeks. This is essential in establishing a good milk supply. Your HV is wrong IMHO. Obviously make sure she's still awake and not using you as a dummy but fgs disregard the advice of this crazy woman!!!!

Particularly after a cs it can take ages to get your milk levels right - mine took nine weeks. Letting a young baby cry is just cruel.

BTW, I seem to remember ds going through a growth spurt at around 4/5 weeks where he fed loads!! Hardly got off the sofa one day...

KB,
nothing new to add, just wanted to offer some support. i dreaded seeing my HV when dd was tiny. i was anxious about bfing having had a failed attempt with ds and her tutting at how frequently dd was feeding didnt help one bit in the end, i decided to just ignore whatever she said and fed my bubba when she wanted to, not when HV thought i should.
best of luck, not that i think you'll need it, 6oz in a week? sounds like you're doing a great job

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers 08444 122 949

Breastfeeding Network 0870 900 8787

La Leche League 0845 120 2918

National Childbirth Trust 0870 444 8707

They will all give you better advice than your hv, KB.

This is what I would do at the moment if I were you:
have a packet of chocolate digestives, a glass of cold apple juice, a trashy magazine, the TV remote all within arm's reach.

Get on the couch.

Put my baby on my lap.

and let her feed and snooze as much as she wants.

I would get off the couch for the loo and more biscuits or may chocolate.

what your baby is doing right now is normal, normal, normal.

give her another 2 wks and she will be feeding faster and at greater intervals.

Why does your HV feel the need to interfere with what seems to be a perfect breastfeeding relationship? The baby is feeding and putting on weight.

Do you have any concerns about the situation? Does it bother you to be feeding all day? If so, then it's fine to encourage her to wait a little until the next feed, but she doesn't need to be be made to do so just because the HV thinks it's a problem to feed all day. Besides, at 4w she may be feedign all day, but next week she may change her pattern.

Hey, if it ain't broke - don't fix it!

yes this was the hv that said we would have to rethink bf if my dd didnt gain at least 4-5 oz last week
could only feeding every 2 hours bugger up my milk supply?at this early stage? and i dont really think it seems right to leave a four week old crying for 2 hours
seems a bit mean
my op wasnt a c section
it was a post birth op for 4th degree tears
when i say allday it can be hours on end its worse in the afternoon and eve .its great in the morning
in the eve it does kinda seem like theres not enough milk but i know there must be otherwise she wouldnt of gain 6oz in a week would she
i wish my hv was a bit more pro bf i could do with one of the ones that really thinks its for the best.

Cluster feeding in the eve at this age is perfectly typical, your bubba is doing it all by the book! In a few weeks the milk will be there easier etc so she won't feed as often/for as long in the evening but at 4 weeks normal normal normal. Your bubba is doing this to get your body to mae the perfect amount of milk at the right time.

Please ditch the HV, or lie about the feeding rountine

you can change hv's. Did you attend any breastfeeding seminars before you had your baby? if you did, get in touch with them by phone and tell them about your concerns. Also ask for one of the people who does the classes come out to see you instead, if possible.

My hv also gave me poor advice and i rang up, more to cry my eyes out than to complain and one of the hvs who runs the seminars in my area came out to see me. I think she also had a word with the rubbish HV about her bad advice.

When you contact the bf helplines, also ask about support mothers in your area (LLL, ABM and I think, BfN has them.) They are not bf counsellors but are able to support mothers when bf is going right. As yours is!

BTW, when I say 'wait a little until the next feed' I don't mean 2h. I mean 20-30minutes! Enough time for to have a bath or a stroll to the shops - that sort of thing.

There may be local drop-in groups/coffee mornings or similar you can go to to meet other bfing mums. Knowing other people are going through the same things can really help

i've searched cluster feeding, which is what your baby is doing.

KB, it's not so much that feeding no more often than 2.5 hrly would bugger up your milk supply - 10-12 feeds a day is probably enough for anyone to establish a decent supply - it's more that feeding to a schedule like this is not the way breastfeeding works. Making a baby wait to be fed has no advantages at all - you end up with a distressed baby and distressed mother, and why would you want this? He is only 4 wks. He will space his feeds out as time goes on, or you will be able to nudge him into doing so.

Your HV is also thinking breastfeeding = food and it is so much more than that. A 4-week old baby enjoys the closeness and contact of the breastfeed, because he just luuuurrrrves you ; it's his way of establishing a relationship with you, learning to communicate his needs, and learning to understand your response (the same thing happens with formula feeding as well, though less physiologically - and it makes no sense to make formula feeding babies wait for feeds either).

Sometimes, when he is on and off the breast doing the cluster thing, he may not be taking huge amounts. But he still needs you to respond to his needs. What he is doing is part of being a baby

Oh, should have added - restricting your baby to feeds lasting no longer than 20 minutes might affect your supply, too. He may need to be on longer than that (or shorter than that).

He needs to set the pace

(Tis a girl baby, Tiktok )

So it is... sorry, KB!!

kittenbaby you are doing SO well, really, in the face of some serious fuckwittery from those who should be helping you.
sorry to hear about the op and the tearing.
I don't know if this would appeal to you but when dd's wanted another feed I used to think to myself "She wants a nice warm cuddle and some nice warm milk" and repeat that to myself to stop me thinking ARGH NOT AGAIN!

and really try and spend the weekend just eating and resting, eating and resting.
the first few weeks of the post natal period are really trying, I know. you are doing fantastically well, I mean it.

harpsichordcuddler (fab name) makes a good point here - DH always says to DD 'do you need a nice milky cuddle and DD always looks up at me hopefully, smiles and signs milk. It's the sweetest thing.