prem baby feeding lots - feel she is never satisfied with BF should I switch to formula?

[questionpleasehelp]

please help, think I want to continue to BF but feeding 2 hours on 0.5 hour off.

Have given a few bottles and seems to satisfy for longer.

Need to sleep

Help

Only you can decide this, it is a very contentious issue i'm afraid. Personally I tried bf twice, neither time was it for me or my babies for various reasons so now ff.

i'd be tempted to say persevere for a little lonnger if you want to continue bf but maybe get some advice from your local bf councellor.

PS> Yes, you DO need to sleep or you will be of no use to anyone.

How old is she?

Are you able to feed her lying down so you can rest at the same time? One you master this, it gets easier.

she is 2 weeks old due date is 10 days time.

she weighs 5lb 15oz feeds then cries when I have given her a bottle she just has 3-4 oz then passes out.

Please anyone else?

I had Ds2 at 33+5 weeks and he is 16 weeks now and is still breastfeeding. Could yu give her EBM and see if that makes a difference? I personally have fought tooth and nail to continue BF (Ds2 had weight gain issues) but did get to the point you are at, it was only through the support of MN that I managed to keep going. atm she is still getting the supply going, its should get easier as she gets bigger

Have been told by midwife not to express until 6 weeks but have tried not able to express anything - she is sucking me dry for 2 hours and there isn't more than a couple of drops coming out after that.

is she actually feeding for the whole 2 hours or is she just comfort sucking?

how can I tell? she is moving her jaw (as we speak!)

there is a website that shows you how to tell, something to do with a pause and then a swallow. http://www.drjacknewman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=42 try here

whoops here

My baby wasn't prem, so I don't know if this applies the same, but he definatly fed to a very similar pattern to that you're describing. It lasted about 6 days. Lots of mumsnetters told me it was a growth spurt / he was increasing my milk supply, and it would get better, and it has. He spreads his feeds out more now, though still feeds frequently. I've learnt to feed him lying down and it helps alot.

Hard to help, questionpleasehelp....need more info!

But the midwife is wrong in telling you not to express unitl 6 weeks - no reason to wait at all.

Please do call a breastfeeding counsellor on one of the helplines and get some further support and info.

Your baby is behaving as all new babies do - showing a clear preference for being close to you. However, it's not clear from what you say whether she is transferring milk effectively - the bfc would ask you lots of questions to make sure of that. Giving bottles of formula will work against breastfeeding and 3-4 ounces at a time is a substantial feed for a small baby - you need to get another perspective on this to check it is necessary for her to have as much formula as this when you are trying to bf.

Frequent feeds is normal, and a good thing - boosts your milk supply and her nutrition, but she does need to be doing it effectively, too. Hope you get good help tomorrow.

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thanks for help. ticktok couldn't get her to latch at first MW suggested plastic nippleshield things which am using for every feed. this is the main thing that is keeping me feeding because after 2 hours on the boob think nips would be very sore.

spoke to LLL and they said to just carry on feeding her when ever she asks for it.

AaaaaaaaH! Nipple shields.....they slow the flow of milk and can be responsible for babies being on for longer than they would otherwise be. Have you had a go at trying without?

DD was prem and fed in a similar pattern. I also was given nipple shields and found it difficult to latch her on properly without them. I'm still feeding her now at 8 mo.

Definitely see a BF counsellor and maybe take DD to see a cranial osteopath. I took DD at six months when we were still having problems. It gave fantastic results and I was told that I should really have taken her much sooner (two weeks old is about right). I only did this on the advice of a BF counsellor as I thought it would be a load of crap money wasted. How wrong I was! It could improve the suck strength of your baby making it much easier to feed without the shield.

Also, try and have a BF counsellor who is experienced with premmies sit with you and help you latch on for a feed or two. It is quite different and a bit more difficult to latch on a premmie if you don't know what you are doing. BLISS have some helpful info on this and so does the Dr Sears book. Don't be disheartened if DD can only manage part of the feed without a shield to begin with as premmies get tired quite quickly but this will improve.

As for the expressing, I had to hand express from the day DD was born as she was tube fed and then just carried on at home. DD wouldn't/couldn't manage a bottle but could take expressed milk from a cup or a syringe as they used to give it to her like that on the NNU. Expressing will boost your supply so it will make feeding easier for your DD.

Finally, if you do decide that you want to supplement with FF, please don't give yourself a huge guilt trip about it. I really struggled in the early days as I was so tired and it was through sheer bloody mindedness that DD was exclusively BF. You have done brilliantly to persevere this far and your LO will already have benefitted from your BM. Only you know what is best for your family.

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