Pumping / bottle feeding and attempting to ebf

[tryingtoebf]

My LO is almost 5 weeks old, I have been unable to bf due to issues latching at birth etc but have been trying to latch / feed daily

I have been mixed feeding but this week have managed to pump enough daily to cover all LO's feeds so I'm happy with that progress.

I put LO to breast a few times a day, LO does latch and feeds for between 15/30 mins however usually falls asleep and seems unsettled and hungry again within an hour or so, so I'm not confident he is getting enough.

Ideally I want to ebf and stop pumping, I want to spend a full few days trying to do every feed on the breast however I am worried, given I'm pumping between 8/10 times a day that I'll not be able to feed on demand whilst pumping that often or that if I don't pump at all and baby isn't taking much from the breast that, for one will be hungry and for two that my supply will decrease and I won't be able to cover what baby needs

Does anyone have any advice on how I can do this without reducing supply and making sure baby gets as much as possible / has anyone been in this situation?

I haven’t but have you tried la leche league on Facebook or can I breastfeed in it off topic discussion group on Facebook? Both are well established breastfeeding support groups.

I will have a look, thankyou. I just don't want my supply to reduce when I've tried so hard to get it to cover all feeds

Would you be able to express quickly straight after a feed? Or do an overnight one to keep supply boosted? Kelly Mom site may have tips.

Can I ask what your supply was like previously and any tips/tricks you had to get to this point? I’m nearly 2 weeks in and the prospect of covering feeds seems so far away!

@tryingtoebf My situation has been a little bit similar to yours, except my baby hasn't ever been able to latch. I was pumping but also trying to breast feed and it is difficult to fit it all in. I have been told double pumping will increase yield, to try and pump everytime baby has been fed (in reality I pump up to 6 times a day), and to make sure both breasts are drained in order to have a good supply. My supply was only just keeping up with the demand until 8 weeks, then I was able to pump more than enough (baby has about 1ltr a day) and I have been able to freeze some. I did get to the point where I was finding it so tiring trying to do both with no success at breast feeding, that I decided that exclusively pumping was the only way forward. Since I have made that decision I have found things easier and I have been happier mentally. You sound like you have done an amazing job to build up your supply, it isn't easy having a baby that can't latch properly and continue to give all breast milk. Have you had your baby assessed by a specialist for tongue tie?

I strongly recommend that you see an IBCLC. The symptoms you are describing of a baby who nurses for a fairly long time and is immediately hungry again suggests that milk transfer is poor. I have a six week old and had a similar experience to you. After trying different positions and waiting for baby to get a bit bigger I have decided to have her tongue and lip tie revised. Most midwives and doctors do not know enough about breastfeeding to do a proper oral assessment and will only diagnose the most severe anterior tongue tie.

@LJMilkTea thank you for responding, i only have a single pump 10 mins each side and use haaka style pump on the other side and usually get between 40 - 90 ml per pump (usually more
In the morning). I've just made sure I've pumped as much as possible which has been exhausting but worth it, I did feel like I was a few ml behind for a while but we just made sure we paced bottled fed to make sure baby wasn't drinking more just because of the flow and that has helped a lot!

@Milcd thank you! Yes I feel like I'm constantly feeding in some way (latching/bottle/pumping) it's never ending!! If it wouldn't change my supply I'd focus on the latching but I'm so worried it'll drop and i won't be able to get it back up again 😩

@Hopefulhen he has been checked for tongue tie a few times and nothing found.

Morning,
I’m a breastfeeding peer supporter and whilst obviously I can’t see your latch, it does sound like baby isn’t effectively removing the milk from your breasts. Have you tried nipple sheilds? It sounds like a transfer issue and many women have has success with them.
I wouldn’t recommend the boots I’ve ones though they aren’t a great shape

@Boomclaps I've tried nipple shields but they hurt a lot!

I've been putting him to the breast every feed and he is staying on longer and longer, when he comes off he has milk all around his mouth so he's getting at least something, I'm not sure if he's going through a growth spurt of like you said he's not effectively removing the milk because some feeds he will take a expressed too up and others he will refuse it

I'm just going to keep trying to get all feeds on th breast 🤞🏻