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Infant feeding

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

mixed feeding - breast and bottle?

8 replies

VandT · 17/01/2009 13:11

My DD is 14 weeks and has been bf exclusively apart from one ff at night. For the last two weeks I have been experiencing real problems breast feeding. I think it might be down to low supplies although reading threads here I realise this might not be the case. Milk supplies definitely get lower throughout the day, and at the same time dd gets more and more angry/frustrated during feeding. Let down is slow initially and she will bob off and get v angry. once milk is flowing she will feed for 3 mins, then get angry until we change sides. she then refuses to try to suckle more but is clearly still hungry as sucking fingers furiously and crying. I have given in on late afternoon feed and top up with bottle, but do express so that my milk supply won't go down. I do wonder whether once of the reasons my supply has gone down is that she is really interested in the world around her and gets distracted easily - had a couple of days when she hardly fed at all (then woke at around 5am to do a huge catch-up feed - although has generally been sleeping through since 6 wks, lucky i know!).

Anyway, my prob is that I have a two year old so really don't have time to commit to expressing/ skin to skin/ taking time over feeds etc as we are out and about. I'm sad about the idea of dropping breast feeding, esp as I found it so easy and enjoyable with DS, so was wondering whether I could think about giving bottles during the day, and breast feeding first thing in morning and last think at night. Is mixed feeding poss of would milk supply go down further? any tips/ suggests most welcome.

OP posts:
kidcreoleandthecoconuts · 17/01/2009 13:14

If you were only feeding twice a day your milk supply would drop considerably I think.

CantSleepWontSleep · 17/01/2009 13:23

I wouldn't give it long before you have no supply left if you do that I'm afraid. It might already have been affected by the night time bottle, as prolactin levels are highest at night, so it's an important time to feed supply wise.

Although quantity of milk does naturally drop during the day, fat levels increase, so you really shouldn't be fooled by not feeling as full.

I think you need to decide whether you want to bf or ff and then take action accordingly.

VandT · 17/01/2009 15:03

its so strange as I did the night time bottle with DS and never had any problems breast feeding, always had full/ leaking breasts, but I can see it could have affected milk supply, esp as she has been sleeping through whereas DS fed through the night!
Have just been battling to bf for the last hour, DD very hungry but after a 3 min suckle has refused to even suckle, just keeps screaming when I bring her near breast (and I know she's hungry as last feed 3 1/2 hrs ago). Thanks for honesty in your replies - i'll try and persist over the weekend as at grandparents, but if she continues to get upset and scream at breast I'm not sure I can take it after that. I have at least got a lot of expressed milk in the freezer so she can have breast milk for a while yet if I have to stop bf.

OP posts:
CantSleepWontSleep · 17/01/2009 15:07

I would try offering the breast earlier VandT, before she is desperately hungry, so that she is prepared to wait a bit for the letdown, and not craving the quick hit and ready flow from the bottle.

jocie · 17/01/2009 15:22

my ds2 now 21 wks went through exaqctly the same at more or less the same time as yours. I also have a 3 yr old to ferry around and its not easy. my ds2 has 1 ff at bout 6.30 but does bf the rest of the day and bout 2/3 times in night. for bout 2 wks it was a real strugglr to get him to feed although he's always been a quick feeder( 5 mins top) he was doing the same as yours(sucking, screaming, shoving hands in mouth but then not wanting bf) it has past more or less now but i just expressed and gave it in a bottle if it got really bad. althogh sometimes he wouldn't even take that. luckily my supply doesnit seem to be too affected and after a mammoth 2 hourly feeding 24hrs i do seem to have more. im not sure bout doing just morn and eve although i did that with ds1 but only when he was 9 months and established on solids. hopefully it will get better for you whatever you decide.

jocie · 17/01/2009 15:23

meant to say back to 1 bottle a day now.

VandT · 17/01/2009 16:35

thanks for reassurance Jocie - sounds so similar and DD has also been a fast feeder - 5-10 mins. However, she's never been a particularly hungry baby- more interested in sleep than anything so i can't see any 24hr feeding fests coming up, but i might try and express a bit more in the meantime. really hope we can get over this little blip like you've managed to.
and Cantsleepwontsleep, good idea to offer breast when she's not too hungry. thanks all.

OP posts:
tumtumtetum · 17/01/2009 16:39

Sounds like you are very busy VandT - don't forget to eat and drink plenty and look after yourself so your body has the best chance to produce plenty of milk

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