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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Stopped breastfeeding for one week, can I start again?

25 replies

wobbegong · 26/12/2007 13:09

My baby is 17 days old, and we got off to a pretty rocky start with several nights in hospital trying to establish breastfeeding. She was early and jaundiced, so an incredibly sleepy baby, which didn't help things along. She kept losing weight and so being topped up by midwives with formula. Just when we were finally discharged, I came down with a hospital-acquired virus and couldn't stop throwing up, at which point I completely lost heart (and sanity) and started only formula feeding.

That was one week ago, and I feel better now (though I'm still not eating properly). My baby is apparently loving Aptamil and in great shape and chubby and much more alert. (Though we still have to wake her for feeds). My 36K boobs (!) have gone back down, and I'm starting to feel human again. The only thing is that I feel so guilty about stopping breastfeeding and I wonder if I should give it another go. I still see drops of milk on my nipples. But the midwife said it was a "one way street" to stop BF, and that stopping and starting meant I'd be crippled with mastitis. My mother thinks I'm barmy to even consider starting up again. Any advice anyone, please?

OP posts:

VictorianSqualor · 26/12/2007 13:12

I don't have any advice, I don't know the score tbh, but there are numbers on my profile for the rbeastfeeding helplines, call one of them. They know everything and will be able to tell you whether or not it's possible etc.
You might be lucky and be able to establish your milk, you may not, but I would think if you could do it, it would be best to try straight away save leaving any more time between stopping and starting. So I'd call someone now.
Good luck.

VVVExcitedAboutChristmasQV · 26/12/2007 13:15

It's not a one way street at all!!!!

It does take a great deal of work, and feeding and/or expressing.

Relactation has been done by quite a few MNers and I am sure tiktok, mears or someone will be along soon to give some practical advice.

I'd recommend lots of skin to skin contact - maybe try feeding in the bath, or laying in bed together and encouraging feeding that way.

Ignore the mw and your mother re mastitis.

Pannacotta · 26/12/2007 13:21

Def worth a try, though am sorry but dont know much about the specifics.
Agree with VVV about lots of skin to skin, go and rest in bed with your baby (best done with your DD in just a nappy and you with no clothes or just bra on your top half).
Also feeding in the bath or just cuddling is lovely and shoudld help.
You will also need to express, do you have a breast pump?
DO call the b-feeding lines, they will have more info on how you can do this.
Good luck (please ignore your unhelpful MW and MIL).

throckenholt · 26/12/2007 13:21

you could try spending a few days in bed feeding whenever she wants it.

My understanding is that it takes a month or more from birth to establish breastfeeding - so you will probably be ok - as long as you work at feeding as often as possible to stimulate supply. Only bottle feed formula say every 4 hours with lots of breast feeding in between.

Pannacotta · 26/12/2007 13:23

Some info here
www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html

Original poster

wobbegong · 26/12/2007 14:37

thanks so much for the quick replies- while I was in the kitchen pumping! - yes, DH rushed out to buy a pump Pannacotta. He is so desperate for me to BF, and so disappointed when I gave up. I just managed to express 10 ml (only from one breast- the other wasn't doing anything) and she has just gobbled it up.

You are right about skin to skin VVV and Panacotta; we have had hardly any of that, what with being in hospital and then I was trying to avoid giving her the virus. I'll try this afternoon.

More advice gratefully received, thanks.

OP posts:

Pannacotta · 26/12/2007 14:50

A supportive DH will def help.
Do try and rest too - the more rested/relaxed you are and the more time you can devote to your baby the better.
Am pretty sure this can be done, as throckenholt says it takes around 6 weeks to get breastfeeding established so you shouldn't have missed the window.
Get your DH to do all domestic duties and cook (and clean) for you so you can concentrate on your LO.

Chardonnay1966 · 26/12/2007 14:57

Just to put things in perspective, u say baby is happy and thriving on Aptamil... isn't that all u could ask for??? FF is not evil and u should not feel guilty for doing it.

wordgirl · 26/12/2007 15:06

No one has said that formula is evil but some women would rather breastfeed (and it seems that wobbegong is one of them). So if the collective expertise and wisdom of mumsnet can help her do what she wants then surely that can only be a good thing can't it?

BabiesEverywhere · 26/12/2007 15:37

QUOTE FF is not evil and u should not feel guilty for doing it.

Too right, as a forumla baby myself I am very grateful that there is an alternative to breastmilk, else I would not be here today.

Whilst forumla is the best choice for those mothers who can't or don't wish to breastfeed. In this case the OP wishes to breastfeed and therefore needs support in her choice.

BabiesEverywhere · 26/12/2007 15:38

best reasonable choice

VictorianSqualor · 26/12/2007 16:04

Wobbegong, how are you and baby sleeping at the moment? It might help if you could co-sleep for a few days just to keep her near you and boob access available during the night as well as daytimes.

Chardonnay1966 · 26/12/2007 16:25

bf great if it works out for everyone. Op just sounds like she only wants to change back to bf cos she feels guilty. I was just saying she shouldn't feel guilty.

Original poster

wobbegong · 26/12/2007 20:23

Chardonnay is right, I do feel guilty, horribly guilty. I just want the best for my LO, and it breaks my heart to think of depriving her of breast milk if that is best for her. Every list I see of how breast fed babies have benefits when it comes to exczema, asthma, diabetes, heart problems etc. makes me feel terrible. I do want to help her if I can, but I don't want to lose my sanity along the way! I thought maybe the best compromise might be expressing two or three times a day and giving her that, rather than launching straight into full co-sleeping and BF?

OP posts:

VictorianSqualor · 26/12/2007 20:36

It might take the whole shebang to get it started but if thats what you want to do then cutting it down and expressing/mixed feeding etc is certainly possible.
Like I said, call the bf helplines, they'll be able to help you decide what is best for you and baby.
FWIW, they won't judge or coerce you into anything, they will listen to you as you decide what you want to do and help guide you on the best way to do it, so please dont think that if you do call them they'll try and make you do something you dont want to do.
What's important here bis that you make your decision and get the help/guidance you may ned to follow your chosen path.

Chardonnay1966 · 26/12/2007 20:37

I not a bf expert as u can probably tell. Would love to have been, it just didn't work out. Have a really gorgeous formula fed 11-y-o who has never had asthma, eczema etc. Also a 9 mnth old ff fed baby, who is thriving and healthy. BF is best, no denying it. But even the biggest bf advocate would agree u should not beat yourself up about it so much. U are doing great whichever way u feed your baby. U are a GREAT mum!

orangehead · 26/12/2007 20:43

With ds1 I also stopped for a week and then started back up and I managed to do it but to be honest my milk supply wasnt that great, they were ok for the day feeds but didnt seem to have enough left for the evenings so had to give ff but still expressed in the evenings to try and help milk supply. It can be done but the first few days I had to express alot as well to try and get flow going again, but besides that my intial problems which lead to me giving were alot better after the break. I hope you make the right decision for you and your baby

Pannacotta · 26/12/2007 20:47

Remember the supply and demand issue, the more you feed the more milk you produce.
Breasts dont get "empty", letting your baby suckle for as long as she wants will help to increase your milk supply.

orangehead · 26/12/2007 20:48

I just read the rest of the thread,10ml is really good when I first expressed after stopping bf for a week I only managed half of that from both sides and it will build up. Btw I never got mastitis from restarting bf

VictorianSqualor · 26/12/2007 22:19

As pannacotta says, the more you feed the more milk you produce, so it will take some feeding/expressing to gain a good amount of milk, but it doesnt have to be guilt-filled or completely time-consuming.
I'm sure our resident bf experts will be along to tell you the ins and outs when they see the thread.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 27/12/2007 00:16

10 mls is really good! It took me quite a few goes at expressing to get anything! kellymom is a good website.

colditz · 27/12/2007 00:26

I remember after I had ds2, I didn't breastfeed, but every time I snuggled him into me, I felt my boobs 'fill'. I can't really put it better than that - so maybe if you take your top and bra off, and just hold him next to you as much as you can, your boobs will get the hint?

gigglewitchyouamerrychristmas · 27/12/2007 00:33

in response to OP, bullsht from mw. am surprised, it is usually health visitors who talk this sort of bollocks rather than mw's. anyway - yes you can pick it up again, breastmilk stays around for ages, though obv it won't be at full supply as if you'd been continually feeding. I'd suggest building it up from a few feeds in 24hrs, assuming lo is willing to participate (!) and increase a feed every couple of days, in substitute of bottle/formula. ok bit time consuming and baby might not catch on to the idea straight away, but give it time, be persistent. your supply will increase with demand, and just over two week old baby won't be needing a great deal per feed, i would reckon you'll soon catch up.
don't put pressure on yourself to do it though, just take it easy and enjoy your time with your lo.

Clydesdaleclopper · 31/12/2007 18:59

It is definately possible. I had to stop bfing twice for a week each time because of a severe thrush infection. We have gradually reduced the formula feeds and DS is now having only 6oz of ff per day. We should be fully bfing in a few weeks. The advice on Kellymom on reducing supplements is great. It takes a lot of hard work but it's worth it.

devondoris · 31/12/2007 20:14

Go girl!

Bfing is a lovely thing if you can do it, and not something to worry about if you can't.

If you want to do it, I'm sure you won't have any problems starting up again if you rest and eat properly and drink lots. You can get hold of the NCT who should have a breastfeeding counsellor nearby who can either talk to you on the phone, or who can visit to give you support and advice. I know someone just training for it and she's lovely! And TBH if you don't rest and drink lots, you'll probably still be able to do it. A bit of positive thought goes a long way! I bfed DTs so had no rest and rarely managed to remember to drink!

Also, FWIW, I've just tested my boobs and I can still squeeze some milk out - my 2nd DT stopped feeding a month ago (at 13 months). He was only having one feed a day by then anyway, so I'm sure that so early on you'll be able to get it back fairly quickly. Demand and supply! HTH! Thoughts are with you whatever you decide to do!

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