Is it possible after ff for a week to go back to bf????........

[becaroo]

...I lost a lot of blood after delivery and an anaemic and found bf very hard...ds2 would feed for 2o mins, I would put him down and he would scream. Then I would feed him again etc etc etc sometimes for 4-6 hours til he would get so upset and angry at the breast that he would not latch on at all.

Started formula top ups as he got a bit dehydrated but he is now ex ff and has been for a week. I am very upset by this as I have milk...he just doesnt want it.

He is a very hungry baby and sometimes only goes 2 and a half hours between ff..normally takes 3-4 oz although he is a gulper and sometimes brings some back.

He is also a very mucousy, windy baby and was on the breast too. He is having infacol before every feed at the moment but it is not helping.

Am i kidding myslef that I can feed him myself? Should i just accept it and move on? He seems much happier on ff and the last two times I have offered the breast he rejected it completely.

(BTW tried pumping with manual pumps, electric pumps, using nipple shields, 3 different mw told me my latch was fine, but I am not convinced it was and I rang the LLL helpline all to no avail)

becaroo, it isn't too late but you do need help and support and good information - maybe help amending any latch issues.

How old is your baby now?

What did they say on the helpline?

Hi tiktok...

He is now 17 days old. He is quite a hungry baby - had 80mls of formula at 4.30pm and then another 70mls at 6.30pm....he also has feeds 3 hourly through the night.

The midwives all said my latch was fine, but if it was then surely he would have been satisfied at the breast and not so agitated?

The LLL counsellor I rang said she thought it sounded like my let down was too fast for him (as he was so windy and unsettled) and advised feeding lying down but Toby would not feed like this....nightmare.

Tried nipple shields also to no avail and only ever got about a teaspoon of milk from pumping which I tried to give him via syringe, but most of it went down his chin

Should also mention that I have very large boobs and nipples and I think this is an issue too....tried all the positions -eventually settling on the cradle hold which he seemed to like best.

Help!

Becaroo, sorry to hear about your probs.

I don't think its the size of your boobs and nipples which is the problem - women of shapes and sizes manage to bf

With DS1 I desperately tried to feed but he continually rejected the breast and I finally gave in after 10 days and went onto formula. I regretted it and was determined not to do same with DS2. I struggled for probably 3 or 4 weeks or so to get bfing right with DS2 and I am so glad I did because suddenly everything came right. Like your LO, DS2 didn't seem overly keen to take the breast either and it was upsetting but I just kept calm and told myself that he will finally feed from me when he is hungry. It can be distressing but if you really want to BF then stick with it.

If you aren't having much success with pumping, try warming your boobs with warm/hot flannels prior to using the pump - it will encourage the flow. You can also try sweeping strokes with your hand from under your armpit (where milk glands begin), and down over the breast to your nipple which will also encourage flow.

I would say look at your diet. If he is windy and mucousy, it might be that something you are eating is causing the problem.

Finally (sorry for hugely long essay......but hopefully something in here helps!) you might want to try cranial osteopathy. I cannot recommend this enough. Sometimes babies don't feed/sleep or settle well because of their bodies being a little out of sorts following birth. I wonder if the mucousy problem may be due to compression of the facial bones, for example, which would mean he is unable to effectively drain away mucous which would make him stuffy and uncomfortable when bfing. These kinds of probs can occur with the skull/body/facial bones even when the birth has been natural and without forceps etc.

Hope you get some good advice here becaroo!

becaroo, try the helpline again. What she said is quite sensible, and she may well have other suggestions - not all bfcs can share everything in one call

You will need some consistent support and good information to bring you back to full breastfeeding.

The important and urgent thing is to save your milk supply so you need to express at lest 8 x in 24 hours to stop it dwindling...then at the same time work on getting bf right, with expert help.