PLEASE HELP I need practical advice re mixing breast and bottle feeding, Little one not staying on for breast feeding now.....

[Angelalala1]

I am currently mixing breast feeding with top up bottles to ensure my daughter (Imogen) gains weight as we had an issue with her losing weight just after Christmas when we were solely BFing.

We've been doing the top ups for 2 weeks now and she recently seems unable to stay on my breast when I'm feeding her. She starts going ridgid and bucking and is seems like she is getting wind immediately as we start feeding (we're already using Infacol medicine to help with wind in general). It is hit and miss and this doesn't happen all the time, but when it does she latches on and off constantly and we both end up frustrated and in tears THEN I start worrying about how much milk she is getting from me and that she might start losing weight again. To combat this I have increased her top up bottle amount so I know she is getting a reasonable feed once we've given up the BFing.

Anyway my question is has anyone else had trouble with their baby latching on (either mix feeding or solely BFing) and do you have any tips?

I am seeing the HV today and will ask her the same question, but where I am at the moment is pretty close to giving up BFing and going to solely bottle feeding. This is not my preference as I love BFing but seems silly getting us both upset when there is an easy solution.

Advice welcome x

i think she probably is getting upset because she has to wait for a letdown rather than getting instant gratification like she does from a bottle.

I'll be honest with you, the more you offer in top ups, the less milk you will make.
milk is made on a supply and demand basis and if she is not stimulating your breasts because you're giving a bottle then your body will simply stop making as much milk.

if you want to continue breastfeeding I would strongly advise seeing a breastfeeding counsellor and ditching the bottles.

lovely as your health visitor may be they do not often know very much about breastfeeding and how it works. it is important that you speak to someone whgo has been properly trained and can give you some good advice on cutting down the top-upos and getting baby hapier to breastfeed

Hi, Angela. Hope you get help here.

Need to know

• how old is she
• what amount formula she is getting
• what were the weight issues?

Sometimes babies go rigid like this when they have experienced fights and struggles at the breast possibly when someone has been trying to push them on or keep them on - is that something that Imogen has experienced?

Post again with answers to the questions, and we can go from there.

Have you had any help with the bf?

Hi All
She will be 12 weeks on Wednesday
Top ups are between 90ml and 120ml
She lost weight over Christmas (possibly due to me being unwell) and went below birth weight, we ended up inhospital having blood and urine tests to check if things were all ok. Doctors recommended top ups to try and get some weight on her, which has worked. She was 8lb 14 born, dropped to 8lb6 when we went to hospital and was 10lb 1 when weighed last week (getting weighed again this afternoon).

I am really reluctant to drop the tops of feeds (which are a mixture of expressed and formula) due tot he horrible time we had with her losing weight (there was talk of keeping her in hospital etc).

We've never had any problem BFing before and I've not been in touch with a BFing cllr )although I've got the number and will call them)

Thanks eveyrone

Thanks for the extra info, Angela.

I can understand your feelings about the top ups being a sort of safety net - and any plan to reduce them would have to be gradual.

Those weight issues were serious, but from what the weight results look like, they were unconnected with anything organic or metabolic - all that was 'missing' was calories. I would be wondering what had gone on up until that time, though - she must have been 8 weeks old and still not gaining normally, yes?

The top ups are large and if she is getting a total of say, 600 ml a day, then she is probably getting very little milk at the breast direct. Unless you have been expressing a lot (6-8 x in 24 hours inc at least once at night) then it is likely your supply is not great - and it may be that it all got off to a difficult start which led to the poor weight gain and weight drop round Xmas. So working on restoring your milk supply is crucial. This does not have to be upsetting for you or Imogen, but it is likely to be hard work and time consuming.

My prediction would be that if you continue doing what you are doing now, your milk supply will dwindle and disappear - but you know that, I think. Switching to formula completely would obv close off your option to breastfeed; it would mean no more feed struggles at the breast. You could continue to express for as long as you felt able and give the ebm to Imogen, and think of the breast as a source of love and cuddles rather than a sole source of nutrition...worth talking about with someone who will listen and not judge and who will support you whatever you do.

When the dust settles, it might be good to think about what went on in those first 2 mths, to make things better for next time

angela, sounds like you've had a really tough time. if you can get the hang of it a supplementer may help you get the milk into her while still stimulating your breasts.
info here:
www.drjacknewman.com/help/Lactation%20Aid.asp
they can be quite tricky so require some perseverance.
see a breastfeeding counsellor if you can.
good luck!

Yes, agreed - supplementer a (fiddly!) possibility.

...I was offered a supplementer and made the painful decision that it was a step too far for me; however, I did successfully mixed feed for 10 months.

I went through the bucking/refusing thing a couple of weeks after starting on bottles, but kept going, insisting on a BF (20 mins each side) before every bottle, and she settled down again quite quickly. Morning feed was just breast as I had good supply at that time, and I got up at 4am to pump even when dd was sleeping through, so she couold have more breastmilk.

It's a lot of work, and the worst of both worlds in some ways, but it's not forever and if bfing is important to you, it can be done!

Alternatively, you can go back to exlusive bfing if you do it soon and are determined and confident...I had lost faith in my breastmilk and feel I missed my window of opportunity to go back to exclusive bf, but you could do it!

Hi All
I want to say thank you all for your posts, it's lovely to know other people have taken time out of their days to help me with this.

I've spoken to my HV in depth about this and a BFing Cllr via the NCT. I'm not 100% sure what the way forward is, I'm leaning towards mainly formula feeding her while giving her breast feeds at times when I know I'm full and can fill her up if I can get her to latch on and stay on comfortably for both of us i.e. the mornings.

Thank you again for your help