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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Please please help new born feeding

47 replies

Pilki · 19/04/2009 22:00

Hiya

Gave birth yesterday to DD and am having a nightmare with feeding,
She breastfed once well and then suffered for the first day with really bad mucas and was bringing a lot of mucas up so only had two more feeds and both were forced on her and only lasted minutes,

I BF her this morning at half nine and was discharged at midday. She hadnt been fed since half nine this morning and just wouldnt latch on and the midwife on the phone was really unhelpful. So I got some SMA and fed her that at about eight o clock.

It said to make 90mls and she only had about 35mls and not Im petrifed that Im crap and not feeding her properly.

It doesnt help that my hormones are everywhere and I cant seem to breastfeed. I have the midwife coming tomorrow but should I formula feed again tonight and should it be in 4 hourly intervals. and should she be having more ??

hope it all makes sense. if anybody has any help at all it would be such a help.

OP posts:

Grendle · 20/04/2009 16:53

Glad to hear things are going better today. It sounds like you're doing a great job .

Original poster

Pilki · 20/04/2009 19:47

Just to let you all know that I persevered with the breast feeding and I think my milk must be coming in as she hasnt stopped all afternoon xx

Im typing this one handed and have very sore nipples but Im sooooooooooo happy that she finally seems to be wanting the breast xx

Thanks Ladies xxxxxxxxx

OP posts:

Dillydaydreamer · 20/04/2009 19:57

Congratulations You are doing a fab job xxxxx Get Lansinoh cream on those nipples before and after feeding and it will help to stop cracking You can get it from most chemists (over the counter) but Boots definately has it.

gagarin · 20/04/2009 19:59

Get the midwife to watch you latch her on if possible and she can give you some positioning tips to avoid the sore nipples becoming a problem.

Good luck.

Jojay · 20/04/2009 20:05

Well done you. My Ds1 was also a sleepy baby and I had to wake him to feed a lot in the early days. While it was a worry at the time, on the plus side he's always been a brilliant sleeper

Now, if only I could say the same about DS2!!!

Grendle · 21/04/2009 15:11

Great to hear that your milk is coming in and that she's feeding more actively now . I agree with gagarin, if you're getting sore then there could be room to improve the way your baby is latching on. See if your MW can help, or call in some of the help locally linked to higher up this thread.

hanaflower · 21/04/2009 15:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Grendle · 21/04/2009 15:21

A ver small smear of lansinoh after a feed can help to promote healing of cracked nipples by helping to keep them moist (as can jelonet and vaseline -both of which are cheaper). However, it will not help to prevent soreness/cracking. The most common cause for this is when the baby doesn't quite latch on in the best way possible, so instead of the nipple being shielded right at the back of the baby's mouth against the softer part of the roof of their mouth, it rubs further forward against the hard palatte.

Often getting someone trained in breastfeeding to observe a feed can be really helpful, as they may spot one or two tweaks to the way your baby is feeding that could help to make it more comfortable.

Original poster

Pilki · 21/04/2009 17:10

Had the midwife again today and just a bit confused

Baby's birth weight was 7lbs 11oz and she now weighs 6lbs 13oz so midwife has told me to BF and top up with formula.
Was a bit surprised as didnt think midwifes promoted Formula, also worried that im not providing enough milk for baby x

any advice???

cheers ladies xx

OP posts:

tiktok · 21/04/2009 17:26

Pilki, is that all the midwife suggested - to continue bf and to top up?

Did she observe a feed, ask you how often you were feeding, check you were offering at least both breasts each time, suggest ways of supporting your bf?

Weight loss is only just outside the usual rule of thumb 10 per cent, and this in itself is just a sign to bf more often, really, as long as the baby is not showing any other problem signs.

What are her wees and poos like today?

Was the weight done naked and on digital scales ie not with baby clothed, on spring balance scales?

serendippity · 21/04/2009 17:47

hi there pilki
My dd didn't feed for about 2-3 days as she had so much so much mucas in her lungs. I was discharged after day 3, and was a gibbering wreck so I completly sympathize.
Loosing a little weight in totaly normal and as tictok says your dd's loss is only just under the norm.
My experiance is that, unless you get a very helpful midiwfe or health visitor, they are quick to suggest formula for mothers whose babies aren't gaining the "normal" amount of weight. You are doing fine
My breastfeeding experiance was a total nightmare so i am hardley the voice of experiance, however, I didn't find lansinoh helpful and also jelonet squares. They promote moist wounding which can help with cracked nipples.

Signs of dehydration, if you are worried are:
bulging fontinell
trembling
If you pinch her skin, it not springing back into position and staying pinched
not weeing very much

I'm sure none of this is happening, but it did comfort me to know what the signs were when dd wasn't eating very much.
Hope you're feeling better and congratulations on your dd

serendippity · 21/04/2009 17:48

sorry that shouldn't have been "didn't find lansinoh helpful" I did find it helpful!!

gagarin · 21/04/2009 18:18

Oh dear - poor old you!

Are you quite sure you saw a midwife and not a midwifery support worker as IMO real midwives do not suggest formula quite so quickly!?

Weeing and poo-ing are important so as long as she is having wet nappies and some yellow/orangish poos she must be getting some milk.

Retire to bed with her; have lots of skin to skin contact and try and get her to feed as much as she wants.

Tomorrow you might like to try accessing a breast feeding support line like NCT? T see if they have anyone who can come and observe the positioning/latching on and offer some helpful advice?

Grendle · 21/04/2009 18:58

Is she pooing? If so, how often and what size? Bigger than a 50p? Also what colour? Poo output is one of the clearest indications of a baby's intake and whether they are likely to be dehydrated.

It sounds like your MW is concerned that your baby may not be taking in enough milk. It is really really difficult for anyone on here to help you figure out whether that is the case or not. Did your midwife discuss the possibility of expressing and topping up with that as a better option before offering formula?

The fact that you are sore, as I said earlier, may indicate that your baby could improve the way she is feeding at the breast. Any improvement would also be likely to increase the amount of milk she's extracting from you. Using breast compressions may also help to increase the amount of the fattier milk at the end of a feed that she takes.

Does she come off by herself at the end of a feed? Are you offering both sides each feed? How often is she feeding? does she fall asleep at the breast and is she sleepy generally?

There are lots of questions to consider, and it would be much easier to talk this through with someone over the phone. Could you or a partner ring one of the helplines tonight (I think there are some numbers higher up this thread)? They're open all evening.

Dillydaydreamer · 21/04/2009 22:51

I expressed as much as I could after a feed to increase my supply and stored it for later (never got very much though! At best I could express 6oz at 16wks). My own thoughts were that if the milk came out easier and baby didn't need to suck so hard to get it she would take more. (This was only my thoughts mind, but it worked for me).
I am at a HV suggesting topping up so early on in bfing. This happened to me with dd1 and put so many doubts about my baby not getting enough in my mind that I ended up with PND and stopped after 6wks. Clearly it was poor advice because I managed to feed dd2 for 6mths! She was also 10lb!
Topping up is not helpful as it will fill her tummy up, make her go longer between feeds and so stimulate your supply less. The more you bf, the more milk you will produce.

I second the advice to just go to bed, get meals made if you can eaten in bed and feed, feed, feed.

Dillydaydreamer · 21/04/2009 22:54

Alternating each breast you start on per feed and offering both breasts per feed might help as it will stimulate supply in both.

Grendle · 21/04/2009 22:56

Dilly -6oz is a huge amount . Often mums who are expressing after feeds to increase supply will get a thin covering at the bottom of the bottle or maybe 10-25ml! If they manage to express after every feed or nearly every feed, then they can store up these little bits to offer as a one-off top up, and some will even use a supplemental nursing system so this is done at the breast too. Tis hard work though. I'm sorry to hear you had such a tough time. Sometimes supplementing (with EBM or formula) is necessary, but sadly all too often it is suggested as a first solution without fully exploring ways to improve the breastfeeding first .

Dillydaydreamer · 21/04/2009 23:00

NCT Breastfeeding Line. Tel: 0870 444 8708
www.llli.org/resources.html

www.kellymom.com/

Here are some helpful sources of information and reassurance. I highly recommend the kellymom explanation of milk production and fore/hind milk analogy.

Hope you are still going. It isn't easy for everyone but well worth the effort.

Dillydaydreamer · 21/04/2009 23:03

Oh no Grendle, sorry that was the max without feeding LOL. I could get maybe an oz in the first weeks after a feed but nothing by 8wks after a feed. 6oz was when I did it at night after I wanted DH to do a dream feed.

Dillydaydreamer · 21/04/2009 23:10

Thank God I found mumsnet before dd2 is all I can say. They managed to drag me out of my rigid routine mindset to be able to bf. I had a militant mother who didn't do it, no friends to turn to close by who had fed and no close family who had fed due to moving areas (all the above 200 miles away), so dd1 was difficult. Through talking to all the lovely ladies here about the best way, putting my own thoughts into practice (expressed ante natally to stimulate supply and toughen nipples) I felt far more empowered. I did 6mths then needed my organisation back, but am still proud

Grendle · 21/04/2009 23:12

So you should be Dilly .

tomps · 23/04/2009 09:33

Hurrah for you Pilki - glad the breastfeeding's getting sorted. For what it's worth, I was advised by a midwife to top up dd1 with formula also, but I didn't. I was adamant I wanted to b/f exclusively and as this was only 3 days in and we were still getting the hang of b/fing I made them agree to weigh her again in a few days time then see if it was really necessary. Of course it wasn't. Good luck with whatever suits you though, hope you're able to start enjoying your little tiddler

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