Baby starting to latch after exclusive expressing, scared of transition

[gettingclosertosummer]

I've been exclusively expressing for my 7.5 week old since birth as DS was unable to latch. I've seen a lactation consultant intermittently in this time without progress and had honestly all but given up on the idea of breastfeeding, despite being desperate to feed when DS was born. However, over the last 4 days, out of nowhere, DS has started latching a few times a day and is actually transferring milk. I'm really pleased but now feel a bit terrified about trying to further our progress and start transitioning from the routine of bottles and pumps to breastfeeding. I quite like the schedule we've landed on, particularly the fact that DH does the middle of the night feed and DS currently sleeps in two 4-5 hour blocks overnight. Will we lose this if I start breastfeeding? Is it possible to continue expressing for one middle of the night feed so that DH can give a bottle at this time? Has anyone who has done this got any tips on transitioning? Do I need to take the dummy off DS? I know I'm sounding like a total novice and that nursing and bottle feeding are very different but I'm just so used to bottle feeding now that I feel a bit terrified at what's to come!

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You can absolutely continue however you like! ❤️ lots of women alternate expressing and feeding from the breast, if you’re more comfortable then maybe keep DH feeding from a bottle at night and work on introducing the breast in the day. Do you have any free breastfeeding groups near you? They can be really good for just being around others who are breastfeeding to get you more comfortable about it and around others who understand. Once you get into a new routine you may find you actually prefer it to expressing as there’s no bottles to clean and no need to get out of bed!

He can absolutely keep the dummy too if you’re happy with that. Just go with his flow and what you’re both comfortable with. Also well done on expressing for so long, exclusively expressing is hard! ❤️

This is great news! Longer term being able to breastfeed is so much more convenient.

You absolutely can keep expressing and do a middle of the night feed - just keep an eye on your supply as it’s often the night feeds that can boost your supply when needed. So if you’re always missing that one your supply could drop.

I’d just make sure you are offering breastfeeding as first option for every feed and see how it goes. Not sure about the dummy - if it’s working for you then I wouldn’t mess about with it for now.

Sleep can and will change a lot over time no matter which feeding method you use so you can’t really rely on that as a measure for how things are going or put it down to the way you’re feeding.

Not going to lie: cluster feeding when breastfeeding can be all consuming, exhausting and difficult to share the load as much. But your partner can do literally everything else whilst you just feed and rest.

But thinking ahead to when baby is older and you are doing days out or even weekends away and longer holidays - life is soooooooo much easier if you’re breastfeeding so I would persevere with the transition if you can.

I had one with a massive tongue which stopped him latching, I expressed as long as I could then he went to a bottle, I had another who breastfed for 2 years. So a big difference between the two. The breastfed baby was so much easier and convenient.

So in my massive study of the subject, lol, you should welcome the onset of breastfeeding.

I’ve had this with both of my children. My youngest is 6 months and I was fully expressing until 3.5 months (well he had one morning breastfeed to practice!). He could latch but wasn’t transferring milk. I was pumping 7 times a day - 800-1000ml a day. I also saw a lactation consultant three times, but there was nothing we could do to improve the latch / transfer.

So around Christmas I noticed my son was burping a bit after a breastfeed and some milk was dribbling out if his mouth, so he was transferring directly at the breast. I couldn’t keep up with the pumping anymore and I decided by 6 months I wanted to stop to just one pump a day, which I achieved 2 weeks ago. Now I pump around 9pm once a day for the middle of the night feed, he has an 120ml of formula before bed and I breastfeed the rest of the time.

I dropped each feed slowly over a 2 week period starting with the 11am feed. I would breastfeed and then offer 30-60ml if he still seemed hungry. If not I didn’t offer. I have baby scales so would weigh him once a week to check weight gain.

I did this for each feed until I’m now mostly breastfeeding.

Well done for pumping so long - it is a true labour of love. Good luck!