why does he do this?

[youcannotbeserious]

DS is 7 weeks old.

mixd fed - about 50:50. he has no problem latching on but repeatedly comes off even though he's still hungry and messes about. th eclosest i can say is that he messes abou with my nipple then he'll feed again.

this takes about 30 seconds but he will do it every couple of minutes. i think it's related to flow as he seems to do it when thre is too much milk.

can i stop it? i feel very self concious feeding him and this is not helping. i am just giving him bottles in public

Hello my dd did that esp in evening not sure why so not a lot of help except that I think eventually I worked out that if she was just messing about and not latching on properly then she can't of really been very hungry! And it is something she grew out of! Not an expert in nipple confusion but might be that, you probably should chat it over with a breast feeding cousellor, the nct line is 0300 330 0771. By the by I worked out loads of very discreet ways of bfing in public whereby no one could see a thing - did mean baby head under a cloth but it did make me feel more comfortable. Eventually it felt easier to b.f in public - I think once I realised no one was really that interested in looking at my boobs, plus most places when you are out there is somewhere quiet you can hide in if you want! Hope it works out - good luck! Xx

youcannotbeserious - 50:50 bf/ff at 7 weeks risks having a major impact on your breastmilk supply (sorry if that's not what you want to hear but it's true!). His behaviour at the breast may be a reflection of his response to the lessening supply....not sure what you mean when you say 'too much milk', but it is possible that your breasts feel v.full sometimes, esp if it has been a while since he last fed from them, and the initial surge of milk with the letdown overwhelms him. However, I think this is less likely as an explanation, to be honest.

If you want to continue with breastfeeding - any breastfeeding - it will be important to work out ways of feeding him away from home. Most mothers do not manage to continue with a 50:50 mixed feeding regime that starts as early as this...the breastmilk dwindles and disappears. Hope this helps even if it is a challenge for you!

Hi Tiktok,

When I say 'too much milk' I mean that when DS comes off, there is milk everywhere - they drip constantly. So, this also adds to the problem as I'm self concious about BF in public but it's also messy / wet.

I am trying to get into a routine of BF at certain times of the day. We seem to be getting on OK - he's been mixed fed since day 1 on the advice of the paediatrician.

I do wonder whether DS just likes to be on my breast as comfort. He especially likes to be there after his bath and also as he falls asleep, and also I find it calms him down when he's upset............

Other than this, I enjoy breast feeding him and he does seem to be happy there too... I def. don't want to stop breast feeding.

Can I ask, are you in Yorkshire?

Not in Yorkshire, no.

Of course your baby likes your breast as a comfort Why wouldn't he? It's a lovely place for him to be!!

Fully breastfeeding your baby would mean your breasts would not get overfull to the point of leaking and spurting. When breasts are overfull, too, they are sending a message to the body to 'stop making more milk' - which is why when people feed less often, the milk supply dwindles. When people want to stop breastfeeding, this is what they do - they feed less often.

Believe me, continuing 50:50 breast/formula is very likely to ensure your milk supply goes...and you say you definitely don't want to stop, so you need to know this. You've probably got an underlying potential for a good milk supply if you have been using formula from the start and are still feeding, but it may well not last

Why did the paed advise you to mix feed from the start?

DS was slightl yjaundiced and paed said he wasn't gettign enough milk and to give him a bottle. DS then did really well so when i was discharged, the recommendation was to continue mixed feeding.

Ds has put weight on well since birth so i'm not complaining..

i was hoping to continue atleast 50:50 until he was 4 months... is there anything i can do to sustain that..?

btw, my SIL's mum's nickname is tiktok and she is very knowledgable on all things babies, so i just wondered!!

Useless and actually medically negligent and very outdated advice from the paed, youcannotbeserious

'Slightly' jaundiced on day one can be physiological, and even if it was more than this, and it was thought the baby needed more than he was getting (very rare...on day 1????) the most appropriate response is to make sure the baby has more colostrum from his mum.

It's hard to predict how long the bf will last, but I am almost certain you will not last until 4 mths, sorry. Your baby's behaviour could well be a result of some frustration at the supply...most mothers' milk supply needs to be built up and maintained by frequent stimulation ie milk removal, and that's a range of 7-15 feeds a day (7 being at the bottom end...most mothers will not sustain a milk supply on as few feeds as this, but some will).

It's your choice, but at least you have the facts to make it! Boo to the hopeless doctor

Could i reduce his bottles and feed him more myself, or is it too late for that now?

Not too late at all - this is the way breastfeeding works...feed less and you make less, feed more and you make more

You won't be able to turn the milk on like a tap, but dropping one bottle every couple of days and breastfeeding instead will do it.

Go for it, if this is what you want to do

It's a shame that a poorly-informed doctor got you into this in the first place...I bet no one told you that mixed feeding would mean your choice to breastfeed would be compromised

Thanks Tiktok.

Your advice is appreciated.

You are right, though - the use of bottles wasn't supposed to replace breastfeeding, merely complement it / top it up.

I think, though, I am lucky that I am still in a position to rectify that.

thanks again.

Hi I managed it, I went from mixed feeding from day 1 as I had a poorly baby and had surgery myself a couple of weeks after dd was born, but by the time dd was 3 months found I could exclusively bf so it is def possible. The feeding in public thing does get massively easier as well and I am sure you will start to feel more confident about it, it is more awkward when they are still small and you have milk and boobs everywhere and you end up feeling very flustered and sure that you just gave an elderly couple sat next to you an eyeful (I remember it well!) but as the baby gets a bit bigger and more able to latch on and off more eaisly you will prob find it is so much beter than faffing about with bottles and worrying about that. I went to exc bf by always offering dd my boob first and then if I dodn't feel she was full then gave her a couple of ozs formula, it took a little while which is probably due to the unknown quantity of breast milk but actually found dd quite quickly didn't want the top ups. Also found making sute I was drinking plenty of water and getting lots of calories helped although do no the main thing is to keep putting baby to the boob! Good luck XxX