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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

I feel like Old Mother Hubbard - please help. DS3 won't take a bottle so i need to get thru this

46 replies

BlueDragonfly · 21/07/2008 16:11

I don't think my milk is enough for DS3 any more He is still fed every 2 hours in the day and has recently gone back to every 3 hours at night as well. I am exhausted, my nipples constantly tingle and i just feel that there isn't enough milk for him.
I have tried offering him a bottle of forula but , apart from once, he will not take a bottle at all. I can't express - well, I can but i get 1 oz in over an hour and thats from both sides.

He will only feed from one side at each feed but will happily feed from the otehr next time iyswim? I offer both but he just won't take it. My let down has started to 'let me down' by sometimes not coming at all! And it has never been too fast that i have noticed.

Although he appears to be showing some of the signs of being ready to wean, i am trying to wait and they probably aren't The Signs anyway. He is 19 weeks now

OP posts:

retrodolly · 21/07/2008 17:47

sorry I realise you're concerned with continuing BF, not bottlefeeding

after 5 mths of exc BF, I know that when I was very exhausted I didnt make enough milk. I started to rest more, eat lo-o-ads more. I intend to continue BF till DD is 1 y.o. though she'll have solids too.

don't give up, try these:

eat more (spl fatty food like butter, the body's fat stores are used to make milk)
use a breast pump before you start a feed to stimulate a let-down
get lots of rest
lie down to feed if u can, in a quiet room
relax

don't forget - your baby likes his mum's milk over anything else and there is always always some there

BouncingTurtle · 21/07/2008 17:57

BD - he is still a whippersnapper, atm!
I started weaning him at 23 weeks, but because he is doing BLW he isn't eating huge amounts, he only has 1-2 and occasionally 3 meals a day.
But boy, can he put away a banana!

Original poster

BlueDragonfly · 23/07/2008 11:44

i am going round in circles i think

Since last night he has fed at 11:20pm, 2:29am, 3:39am(woke when i transferred him back to his moses basket after the last feed), 5:32am, 7:15am, and 9:45 (yes i wrote them down )

AARGH

OP posts:

mears · 23/07/2008 12:52

One of the worst things you can do when night feeding is look at the clock. It is absolutely soul destroying!

When he wakes at night, just bring him imto bed, latch him on and go back to sleep. It is the olny way to get through this exhausting stage.

It will get better. Since he does take a dummy, can you get someone to take him out for a walk for you to give you a break?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your milk - it is well and truly established. You need support from others to get you through this hump.

Are you able to get out and about?

Original poster

BlueDragonfly · 23/07/2008 13:47

I don't know anyone around in teh day who can take him for a walk or evn just jiggle him for a while! I can get out and about, within reason as i also have a 3 yo at home still.

I try to latch him on and then go back to sleep. sometimes it works but other times DS3 will fall asleep too and will have only had half a feed before he falls off so will wake again to finish his feed and at other times, me lyoing on the same side for a period of times gives me pins and needles!!

OP posts:

mears · 23/07/2008 14:14

Do you need to get a bigger circle of friends?

I made loads of friends at toddler group and we all helped each other out. Is there a group near you?

littlemum2 · 23/07/2008 14:35

I'm in a very similar situation. My baby is 6 months old. I have persisted at breastfeeding as everyone pushed me to do and now when I'm exhausted she wont take the bottle. I've tried everything. she just wont suck from it. she's also waking in the night for food - solids doesn't seeme to have helped.
anyway, you are not alone. I've just spent the last 2 hours trying to get her to take the bottle and it's been tears all round.

tiktok · 23/07/2008 14:45

littlemum2 - try your baby with a cup. By the time babies are 6 mths old, many of them can manage a cup with help. You don't need to make the whole switch from breast to bottle - introduce a cup and it will give you a break and teach her a useful skill

VictorianSqualor · 23/07/2008 14:52

Co-sleep, don't wake up in the night then ,he can just latch himself on.

Other than that as Tiktok says it seems perfectly normal, you're doing great

I really would try holding off the weaning as it's unlikely he is ready to take solids. Do you know why the guidelines are 26 weeks? (don't want to start spouting about them if you already know!)

I'd offer you a hug but we'd bump babies

VictorianSqualor · 23/07/2008 14:54

Is your three year old being a rascal at all?
I've found when DS1 (3) messes about it all seems so much harder.

Original poster

BlueDragonfly · 23/07/2008 15:17

DS2 is always a rascal!!

I go to alot of the toddler groups that exist here, its just that the same people go to them!! Good job i am friends with them!!

Have just moved house - he was ok during the move...could that be making him feed more??

I do know why the guidelines are for 26 weeks DS3 doesn't know how old he i sthough I don't mean that in an i am going to wean any day kind of way, just that i also understand that some babies may be ready before and some after. (NOT turning this into a pre 26 weeks debate at all, i am just not very good at getting my point across in type!)

OP posts:

littlemum2 · 23/07/2008 18:16

Hi Tiktok
what sort of cup would you recommend? I'm going back to work in a couple of months and I'm worried that she'll miss the comfort of sucking. I won't be able to any feeds on the days that I'm working.

mears · 23/07/2008 18:55

Bluedragonfly - do you meet your toddler group friends in each others houses? Will one of them take him for a few hours? That's waht we used to do for each other - mind you I seemed to take everyone elses .

Littlemum2 - will you not be at home at night for a feed or in the morning before you go?

Original poster

BlueDragonfly · 23/07/2008 21:12

We don't meet at each others houses. We all have different age children and there are quite a few of us now!! On a quick tally there could be an 8 YO, a 6 YO, a 5 YO the size of an 8 YO, 3
4 other 5 YOs, a 3 YO with Speech and language delay (mine), 3 other 3 YOs, a 1 YO and my ds3(5 months!) Thats if we all took the siblings with us!!!

OP posts:

monthlymayhem · 23/07/2008 22:32

Bluedragonfly - not got any advice, but just wanted to let you know that you're not alone - my DS is 18 weeks, excl BF, and is waking up every 2 hours (sometimes every 1.5hrs) during the night, and I'm finding it exhausting. Plus the fact that he thinks 05.30 is play time ...

I thought at first it was a growth spurt, but it's now being going on for 6-7 weeks and I can't wait till 26 weeks in case weaning will help (although if my Mum has her way, he'll be getting some mashed banana tomorrow...). I've tried giving a bottle of formula at bedtime, but it made absolutely no difference.

He's is super alert, and quite hyper so feeds during the day are becoming very short and faffy as he's so distracted by everything. I think that's why he's now making up his feeds at night.

Anyway, good luck and if you find a magic answer let me know!

mears · 23/07/2008 23:39

I don't mean that you all meet up at one house . Won't one of them take him for you for a few hours and you can reciprocate another time?

Original poster

BlueDragonfly · 24/07/2008 12:30

oh sorry mears! I took that the wrong way!!

There is no knowing after one feed exactly when he will feed again so i am lucky if i can escape for an hour without him!!

I tried co sleeping last night - i don't really want to properly co sleep, although he does end up in with me from about 4am anyway. My back is KILLING me today and partway thru the nght i resented him a bit for actually being asleep when he was still attached to me!! I need the half sleeps, as crappy as they are, to have some time where i am not touching any of my children!!

OP posts:

mears · 24/07/2008 15:06

I never properly coslept either - if I woke and they were skleeping I put them back in their own cot. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't but I never ended up with children sleeping in bed with me all the time.

You know he probably doesn't need fed as often as he is. He could safely be away from you for a couple of hours. You could also try distracting him and spacing his feeds a wee bit if you want. Take him out for a walk in the pram or something. Is he happy lying kicking with his nappy off?

Original poster

BlueDragonfly · 25/07/2008 22:31

A quick update. I have had him at the doctors today, he has a cough for what seems like forever. It appears that he may have what my Dr called pre asthma. I now feel incredibly guilty for moaning when he obviously didn't want feeding but comfort

Having said that he did have both breasts and a 4.5 oz bottle of formula this evening!!!

OP posts:

BoysAreLikeDogs · 25/07/2008 22:36

BDF keep your chin up.

Crossing fingers for a good few hours sleep for you tonight

Original poster

BlueDragonfly · 25/07/2008 22:38

He is being woken by his cough so its not likely. However, i will be slower to get wound up with it. I just feel so gui;ty.

OP posts:

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