11 week old bf/ff baby with solid poo? Help appreciated

[abbymeg]

Hi

My 11 week old DS had a solid poo on Friday that was difficult to pass. He was on 2/3 top ups (anything from 3-9oz in one go - he is a very hungry boy) of SMA white plus lots of BF from me. I was concerned the SMA white might have caused the problem, despite being fine for the last few weeks, so we changed back to SMA gold and gave him a couple of ozs of cooled, boiled water. The last couple of days were okay, but tonight he has passed another quite solid poo with difficulty. I'm at a bit of a loss. I will give him a bit more boiled water, but I'm surprised that as a mainly bf baby he is having these problems.

If anyone can offer advice or help, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

abbymeg 9oz 3 times a day is a LOT, if he has this occassionally.

I would suspect the formula tbh. You could change brands and see.

I'm intrigued to know why you are topping up though.

He is not necessarily a mainly bf baby on those quantities.

He's very demanding. He's been topped up from the start due to poor advice and I had cut back to once a day, with him taking various amounts at the daily bottle feed, but it has crept up on some days. On most days I'll feed him hourly from getting up until teatime when he might have a bottle around where he will take 7-9oz even after I've fed him; I will feed him mid evening, then he will then be offered a bottle at bedtime (after another bf) where he will take anything between 4-6oz, and when he wakes in the night I will offer him a bottle after I've fed him on both sides where he usually takes a couple of ounces. This isn't every day though - like today, he hasn't had any at teatime. I've always used a MW suggestion that if he's been feeding an hour - on both sides - and he's still going, to offer him a top up. I marvel at his capacity to eat; I spend most of my day feeding him - he's an every hour baby. This doesn't alter, unless he's asleep - which is rare through the day, and only a bit better through the night.

Can a brand of formula start to upset them even after weeks of use?

abbymeg, most babies will take a bottle even after being breastfed, it's very hard not to.
it doesn't mean they are hungry

and of course, the more you feed him yourself the more milk you will make and the less top-ups you would need.
although I agree with snowlight... with 3 9oz bottles a day he is not a mainly breastfed baby! and def agree that it is prob the formula causing the hard poo.

it is normal for an 11 week old to want to feed that frequently, and very normal for him to want to feed for a long time each time. it doesn't mean he needs topping up.

abbeymeg I know this wasn't the issue you posted with, but it sounds to me like it is the ff causing the round the clock feeding. If you were just able to let the supply and demand sort itself out then you should find that things get easier. The bottle is causing you problems imo.

The creeping up of ff is likely to be a growth spurt that your breasts have not been allowed to know about and therefore make the milk for. If this continues you will loose your milk.

I'm sorry I don't want this to sound like a lecture, and if you are happy to loose your milk and ff then I for one have no problem with that, I only worry that it might happen without it being your choice.

IF your breasts can be allowed to do what they are designed, your baby won't have to work so hard and so long to get the milk iyswim. It will be ready and waiting and a feed will be over more quickly.

IF you want to ensure you keep your supply, call one of the helplines to verify what I am saying.

As for the constipation, I suspect it is because your baby is now getting less breastmilk.

HTH

I don't know if I cross-posted, but if you see what I wrote then you will see he doesn't take top-ups of 9oz at every bottle feed.

I meant with thisisyesterday

no, I realise this! but you know, every bit of formula you give him is one less message going to your body that you need to make more milk.

everything snowlight said in her last post is right.
you do risk him upping the supplements and losing your milk supply.

personally, I would cut the formula out completely and just breastfeed on demand. if he seems hungry after a feed then just offer the first breast again.

Thank you Snowlight. I appreciate what you've written. I know that ff will compromise my bf if it continues to creep up and it does concern me. I suppose I reach a point each day where it starts to get sore and giving some formula allows a respite for an hour or so. But I'm starting to think I might have become lazy in my ways. DH and I are just discussing this, and I think we've got into the habit of continuing to use the bottle at bedtime even though I've not actually tried to see if DS would settle from me alone eventually. I say eventually as I suspect that I will be in for a very long night... But I accept what you say about bf as the exclusive bfers that I know do find there babies sleep better than mine. I suppose that because DS is so huge I've always felt that I wasn't enough, and MW telling me that it was unlikely I would ever lose ff top up because of his size reaffirmed this. I am worried because of the constipation - it's very frustrating to think a couple of ff are messing up all my bf, and causing him pain. So, I've done away with ff at teatime today and I'll have a go at eliminating ff over the next few days rather than giving in to the routine we've established. Wish me luck! And thanks again .

Aw the very best of luck. Just one final piece of advice, - your supply doesn't adjust overnight so you may be in for a couple of restless ones.

If you find it hard tonight, maybe give it another try at the weekend where you and your DH can sleep in shifts.

Good luck, and sorry about the rubbish MW/HV advice at the beginning. It is almost certainly responsible for your predicament now.

Also, - people bf twins you know!!!

hth and good luck with the constipation.

thisisyesterday I do offer first breast again as a normal feed, hence MW telling me to offer more top-ups and setting an hour as a limit (which I've resisted as best I can). Believe me when I say I'm really trying hard with this! My health visitor is worried about how demanding he is and keeps coming around as she's worried I don't have anyone to help me through the days and I'll wind up with PND (I had it after DD 10 years ago when birth went horribly wrong, I really struggled to BF and ended up bottle feeding after a week so I'm really trying to stick with it this time). Other people have suggested restricting feeds and trying to get at least a 2 hour gap, but I don't want him screaming hungry and I'm still feeding on demand. He demands a lot!

Thanks Snowlight. I'll let you know how I get on!

No abbeymeg Restricting (or rather distracting from) feeds is something you can play around with a little ONCE your supply is established.

I believe you that he demands a lot, but I am certain that his demands will lessen once he and your boobs are working in harmony.

It sounds to me like you are doing brilliantly given your questionable early advice. Make sure the support you get from' other people' is more of a practical nature. i.e. taking the baby from you 'in between' feeds, making you dinner, getting the washing on etc. so you can concentrate on what you need to with your LO.

awww, yeh I had a very demanding boy too, and big as well!
it does get better though, he'll get more efficient at taking milk and will start feeding quicker in the not too distant future (which then makes you worry that they're feeding too quick, but that's another post lol)

good luck with it all anyway, have faith in your body... it made your little boy and it can make enough food for him if you let it

Thanks thisisyesterday. I agree Snowlight and didn't even attempt to extend the gap. I've just continued to get on with demand feeding. I'm going to make a massive effort to lose the top-ups because I would love to be bfing exclusively and stop the constipation. Thanks again.