Help please - dr telling sister to give 1 day old baby formula as he's hungry!

[traceybath]

Baby born yesterday at 39wks by c-section and has been feeding/unsettled since then.

Now in my opinion (have bf 2 babies) this is quite normal and he's looking for comfort and things will get easier when her milk comes in.

However paeds Dr has told her just now that the baby is hungry and needs more than just what she's producing and she should give a bottle. She's determined not to at the moment but she's sore and tired and i'm worried that the dr will pressure her into doing this.

What do you think ladies? Is the baby really likely to be too hungry for just colustrum - he was 7lbs 15ozs and perfectly healthy.

Am really wary of how much advice i give her as know she thinks she has to live up to what i've done re breastfeeding and i really don't want to add to the pressure - does that make sense.

Thanks.

Has she tried hand expressing colostrum if the baby is finding it hard to latch on?

If latch is fine and baby is getting colostrum direct then I don't see what the problem is, unless this is due to blood sugars which I think can get paeds reaching for the formula.

Don't think they've tested blood sugars as yet. But he's weeing and pooing loads which i thought were good signs.

She also thinks his latch is fine but he's feeding in very short spurts.

Is there an infant feeding specialist/lactation nurse in the hospital? Tell your sister to ask to speak to them.

She's going to see if there's someone else she can speak too.

Thanks!

If he's weeing and pooing and there are no underlying worries about blood sugar then feeding him loads and keeping him close to her body will help her milk come in quicker. A bottle of formula will only set back her milk production so unless the doctor can come up with a medical need for formula i'd tell her to ignore him.
She should get her latch checked by a lactation consultant if possible if she's worried that he's not on properly. Take her some lansinoh cream for her nipples if she hasn't got a supply already, it really helps.
Sounds like she just needs a supportive person like you to back her up and maybe if she can get someone to jiggle the baby for an hour while she has a quick nap that might help her feel a bit more human. My sister did an hour of baby jiggling for me on my second night in hospital when i'd had 24 hours with no sleep and it really helped me to get some perspective.
Congratulations on becomeing an aunt by the way!

Thanks idon'tbelieveit.

She's got lansinoh and my mums on her way to see her. Unfortunately i'm a couple of hours away so won't get to see her till the weekend.

I'm just baffled as to why a Dr has suggested formula when from what my sister says there are no massive problems apart from he's unsettled.

Fingers crossed her milk comes in soon.

Just occasionally, there is a medical reason for formula in the early days so no one can say, at this distance, what the right thing to do is...except to question the doctor exactly why this advice is given.

Colostrum is always the first step to take before formula, however - hand expressing is better than a pump. She needs to hold the baby skin to skin for as much of the day and night as poss to ensure rapid response to feeding cues, too.

Hope things get sorted.

I had a c-section too and it took 5 days for my milk to come in. Apparently this is not unusual. My dd was very hungry too and we gave her formula. I put her on to my breast before every feed but there really was nothing there - it must have done the job of stimulation though because my milk did eventually arrive and I have only just stopped BF 16 months later!
Giving FF now does not mean that she won't BF in a few days. Having a c-section isn't at all natural, so I think that it took my body a few days to work out what was going on.

I had a section and it took my milk forever to come in - well it seemed like it! My babies were early too, so doesn't mean much, but it can make it take longer to come in and the best thing to do is just keep offering.

I was speaking to the receptionist at the hotel I was staying in in Menorca. She's Scottish and was saying her sister had a baby on the island, the baby hadn't taken anything by the end of the first day and she asked for formula. The staff said no as it hadn't been 48 hours. So it's not essential to be pushing formula if the baby is otherwise healthy. They might have had a good filling before they were born.

I had a simular problem with the midwife on the ward when I had my son 18months ago saying that I should give my son Formula but In my case it was cus he was small (4lb14oz) so he was feeding every 30 min-1 hour (the books I read on BF had said this can happen its just the baby trying to get your milk to come in plus they are learning every think for the first time).
It was hard going but he carmed down, they pushed and pushed for the bottle but I didnt see any reason why he needed it he was healthy and pooing. In the end my partner took over talking to the midwife and when he asked her why they were pushing for the bottle she said it was easier for them if my son only had a feed every 4 hours and that I could get some more rest; which I understand but I stuck it out with BF cus thats what I wanted and he neaver needed formula. I ate well and tried to rest and we both were happy and healthy.
What Im trying to say is that a hospital is a big place and though they mean well the Dr's and midwifes are looking out for the ward to. It is up to mummy and her new baby to do what she thinks is right for them.
I hope both are doing well (she is very luck to have a sister with exsperence to look out for her)

Thanks ladies.

Apparently there were no blood sugar issues, the Dr just thought formula would be a good idea as the baby was feeding little and often. However, a midwife came into my sister's room shortly afterwards and told my sister to ignore the Dr and that she was doing a wonderful job of breastfeeding.

Sister felt much better and had a good night as baby slept more and seems more settled. She's hopefully going home today too.

Thanks for all your advice.

wonderful news

Great new!