Urgent, they want me to put Callum on Formula.. help!!

[sparklygothkat]

Callum has been struggling with his weight gain. He was born weighing 4lb 8oz, and is now 5lb 1oz, 6 weeks later. We have been topping up with a feeding tube, and he gains while we top up but not by huge amounts. He hasn't gained anything this week, even with 2x a day topups. He is feeding every 3-4 hours. The SCBU nurse is getting concerned now and has gone back to the hospital to discuss Callum with a doctor. He also has reflux. She said about formula today, which me and DH don't want to do. help

have been to the hospital today, and they want me to top Callum up one feed a day with high energy formula. Have spoken to the ABM and she was very helpful. I am going to give it a week with compressions and see what happens

sparkly - I'm annoyed for you that he's saying top up with formula. If he's thinking high energy he could help by fortifying your BM.

How are you feeling about it?

i don;t want to do it! I am not happy at all. I am not going to give it until I have done a week of compressions. I can't see how one 30ml topup will help tbh.

Thing is 6 years ago I did top up with formula, so why am I so against it now??

This is just a humble opinion of breastfeeding mum who has had this dilema with both of my babies. They were both born on the 75thcentile and then both dropped rapidly to the 9th. Here is where my DS has stayed for the past 5 years. With my first baby I listened to the HV and topped up with formula and this time around I totally ignored HV and fed no formula. My DD has maintained her weight on the 9th. She is now 15months and she eats like a horse and is still a skinny little thing. Personnally i think they just find a weight they are comfortable with. I know that the circumstances with your LO is different but I get really annoyed with HV not giving all the information available to us Mums.

Sparkly, loads of fab advice here (esp from the guru herself).
Thinking of you and really hoping it all works out.
XXX

It confuses me actually, because he gains 5oz a weeks when we topup with EBM, but nothing when we don't, yet the breastfeeding clinic HV and ABM both have said that its a good gain. The SCBU nurse and my HV both say its not...

Sparkly,the first two people will konw what they are talking about more than the last two. You do know that,don't you?

yes, that is why I am going to argue with the SBCU nurse and the HV when I speak them next. It is a gain, not a loss. I also am going to ask them not to weigh him twice a week, just once.

Sounds like a good idea.
Really not great that you are exposed to so much conflicting advice.
Remember,the average HV knows feck all about b/feeding. Same goes for SCBU nurses.

please dont give up the bf if you dont want he is your baby do what you feel is best for both of you you dont have to ff if you dont want too! if hes gaining weight with ebm then what is the problem although it is slow and small weight gain it is still GAIN
good luck!

SGK, don't know if you are still having supply problems but if so... I expressed for my ds while he was in SCBU and had falling supply. The expressing regime that tiktok described earlier on this thread worked really well for me, I think I made sure that I never went more than 2-3 hours in the day and 4-5 hours at night without expressing. I used a hospital grade pump and cranked the vacuum up so that it was painful - was horrible but worked very well! When the supply was better established I was able to cut down on the expressing, just got more out each time. Worth a try if you haven't already. Hope things go well for you.

My supply is ok atm, but thanks for that. Callum has started himself to feed every 3 hours. I have picked up the horrible formula but we will not use it until he is weighed on friday, to see if the compressions have helped at all.

My ds had this problem sparkly... (he was 4lbs 15oz born and went down to 4lbs 8oz with little or no weight gain in his first 6 weeks) Could your ds be jaundiced at all? In my experience HV and even paediatric registrars are not that great at picking up on prolonged jaundice!!! My ds feeding improved immensely once this was sorted (by which time my milk had dried up )

good luck.

He did have jaundice but that has cleared up now.

Just keep at it Sparkly. Have faith. Phone ABM or some of the others for a reassuring chat??

phoned the ABM yesterday She was very helpful.

She said things were fine didn't she???
Try another helpline for reasuurance then!

Has he got the tube in now, SGK?

Yes she said that the 5oz gain with the tube was good.

He still has the feeding tube.. bane of my life atm

OK, so he has gained when he has the tube in, so is that still holding true?

(Tis Hunker, btw)

iS THE TUBE IN THE WHOLE TIME THEN?

the tube is in all the time.. he has to have his hands covered with socks or top with hands or he pulls it out. He gains weight with the tube in and us topping up, but nothing with the tube removed.

there is pics on my profile with his tube.