new to being a mum and really need help re formula feeding

[bumbly]

Day 9 post-partum....long story....now not breast feeding. managed to give Lo colostrum for 2 and half days..now totally on formula

not sure how this formula malarky works..
sometimes LO feeds after 3-4 hour sleep and having 70-80 ml feeds but today been waking up every 2 hours or so and taking little feeds of 40 ml

any guidelines re formula feeding/sleeping

any help anywhere...I went to all the breast feeding classes and was pumped silly on milking machines at the hospital but when couldn't breast feed no support or guidelines for a newbie re formula feed

really really really need help!!!

what is one meant to do? how often should Lo feed? midwife said he should have more than 70mls - buit we can't seem to (and don't want to) force feed him more then what he is getting.

help!!

Mine were both formula fed and really just demand fed - sometimes they would "snack and doze" with no discernable gap between bottles, other times they took 3-4oz in one go and slept for ages.

I know it is hard esp with the midwife not being v. helpful, but as long as he is gaining weight and poing OK, then I would try and go with the flow as it were. On the odd occasions I was insistent about getting more into them it generally came back as you describe.

It could be either really bumbly. I remember DS was very spotty though. I think baby acne disappears after about 6 weeks (from my very distant days as a midwife) but am not 100% sure. I do know that my DS did not settle well on formula either. We were feeding him with Cow and Gate but things really improved at 11 weeks when I switched him onto Farleys. I can't really say that Farley's suited him better - it could have just been a coincidence but within a week he was going through some nights from 7pm until 4am (ish). I did hear that Farley's formula is slightly lower in lactose than other formuals but don't know how true that is.

However, if lactose is a problem then Colief is worth a try - it's about £10 a bottle but have heard good things about it. Apparently it helps to neutralise the lactose in milk - the theory is that some babies are transiently lactose intolerant (something they outgrow by 16 weeks or so)and this lactose intolerance can cause colic.

I used to want to poke in the eye all the smug cows at baby clinic who boasted of their contented babies who slept long periods so I can definitley relate to the exhaustion you must be feeling. And as for those whose babies slept through the night from 8 weeks ... envy doesn't even go near it.

Agree sometimes you get left on your own a bit with ff. My ds ffs and took a while to take bigger feeds. Now 4.5 months and only goes about 3 hours between feeds (taking approx 210mls). However, he does now sleep from 9pm til 6am so there is an upside. I tried to get him in a routine about 8 weeks but he wasn't having any of that so he has his own rough routine now which he worked out himself.

He was previously on SMA gold which seemed ok, but then changed him to sma white for hungry babies which didn't suit at all. (my mum's suggestion!) I have just changed to Aptamil as saw a few posts which suggested that was a good one. Only yesterday though so can't comment yet. Just remember babies are people so have own likes/dislikes and HV and MWs often have their own preferences so do what's right for you and your baby.

thanks for comments - couldn't agree more re HV and MW all saying different things!!!

ff is really left to you to work it out

argh!!!!!!!!!!!

just think sometimes it is a simple baby doing his own thing - then change my mind and think he is lactose intolerent!!

argh!!!