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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

1st time mum - b'feeding blooper, help

40 replies

bumpylump · 01/06/2005 19:24

Help, I think I have made a blooper with my very hungry baby 5 wks. I started giving a bottle before bed to top him up for bedtime. The following week I had to start giving one in the morning too after b'feeding for 1 and a 1/2 hrs and running out of milk. Am feeling quite low now as he finished his 6pm feed tonight after 20 minutes with lots of screaming and pinging of my nipple like an elastic band(ouch), and the little blighters are completely empty again, so I had to crack open the SMA again.

At this rate I'll only be doing a couple of feeds myself a day, I really dont want that.

OP posts:
kama · 01/06/2005 19:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

vickiyumyum · 01/06/2005 19:27

Same advice as Kama gave, if you want to persist with the breastfeeding, its going to be a couple of days of regular breastfeeding to get your milk supply up and running again. the night feeds are especially important.

keep it up it gets easier, i promise!

starlover · 01/06/2005 19:27

bumpylump your boobs never run out of milk... they produce constantly.

stop giving the formula, because the more he has, the less breastmilk he will want.
As Kama says, feed frequently and he will get enough and your supply will build up.

If he is still hungry after feeding then it could be a poor latch, which means he isn't feeding as effectively as he could...

see a breastfeeding counsellor, they should be able to help!

debs26 · 01/06/2005 19:29

he will be getting to a growth spurt soon too - lots of mums worry they dont have enough milk but the excessive feeding makes your boobs increase production. will all be fine

aloha · 01/06/2005 19:55

They aren't empty!! Having soft breasts does NOT mean they are empty...HONEST!
Babies will often suck and suck and suck because they LOVE it, not because they aren't getting milk. Why else would dummies be so popular, eh?
You don't have milk crisis, you have a confidence crisis. The way to get more milk is to feed more, not less. Ditch the formula, feed your baby yourself and see how much easier it gets over the next few weeks. Trust your body. You can do this.

aloha · 01/06/2005 19:56

Milk is made to order - it isn't all stored in your breasts. They aren't milk bottles!

SenoraPostrophe · 01/06/2005 19:59

I agree - your breasts aren't empty and if you want to continue breastfeeding you need to stop or cut down the formula.

He might be having a growth spurt in which case he will feed more often than before (and may wake up more) but it all helps to increase your supply.

Both of mine went through screaming/nipple pinging phases too - it will pass.

csa · 01/06/2005 20:03

not sure if you meant it to be funny aloha but LOL about the milk bottles!
have to say some days it does feel like i am but a milk production factory

bobbybob · 01/06/2005 20:09

Babies will drink formula (or EBM) from a bottle even if they aren't hungry, they have to as it pours down their throat anyway.

Your breasts are never empty.

At five weeks they should be starting to settle to a more normal look.

Babies like to suck.

5 weeks is a growth spurt - feeding from you will increase your supply to feed your larger hungrier baby. Giving formula will prevent this process.

You have milk, you have a baby, you are doing well.

aloha · 02/06/2005 00:03

How do you feel now?

fatmomma · 02/06/2005 00:17

I feel for you bumpylump, it's so hard to know what's 'normal' in the early days. My ds fed and fed and fed coming back for more an average of every two hours. The evenings were particularly stressful as he would feed for two hours and still want more an hour later.

I would try to cut down on the formula and keep putting baby to the breast. The important thing is that he is maintaining/gaining weight so getting him weighed may help to ease your mind. It's also very important (but hard I know) to make sure you eat properly as this helps to maintain your milk supply.

If you want to talk to a professional the NCT breastfeeding advice line is 0870 444 8708 (open 8am-10pm 7 days a week). They can give you lots of advice over the phone and can send a counsellor around to visit and check babies latch etc.

Keep up the good work!

Original poster
bumpylump · 02/06/2005 09:49

Thanks for everyones help. After a screaming fit this morning I left him head banging and pinging for a while and eventually he fell asleep, would normally have given in with a bottle then.

Have had a huge bowl of creal this morning as must admit am so disorganised a cup of tea is a monumental feat in the morning. He sleeps loads in the daytime, would you all recommend waking him up during the day to feed more regularly?

OP posts:
mears · 02/06/2005 09:51

Definately. The more he feeds during the day, the less he will need at night. I would try and feed him at least 3 hourly which will greatly boost your supply.

beansprout · 02/06/2005 09:55

Just remember, breast milk is all about supply and demand. If you are giving formula your body will think that your baby doesn't need as much milk and so won't produce quite as much.

Sounds like you are doing really well (congratulations on the cereal - I know how you feel!).

aloha · 02/06/2005 10:01

Eating yourself isn't really that important for milk - though it is quite nice not to be hungry and grumpy!
What is important is to feed your baby. And remember, babies get fussy, kick, turn their heads and cry when they are tired, so don't assume every cry is hunger. After two hours awake the average baby needs to go to sleep, so if you baby has been up, changed, played with a bit and had a long feed, crying usually means he is tired, so you did the right thing in putting him down.

fatmomma · 02/06/2005 13:44

Definately wake him. We were a complete mess with feeding until I started to wake and feed ds at very regular intervals. I'm a big Gina Ford fan!

aloha · 02/06/2005 14:05

Um, of course they don't kick their 'heads' - they kick their legs and turn their heads when tired!

Original poster
bumpylump · 02/06/2005 18:10

I took your advice a woke him at two hourly intervals (he takes as long to wake up as his mum) and he fed beatifully with only a couple of token headbutts and punches to my poor boobies.
The difference is amazing already, I have got that tingling feeling back in my chest, have also noticed his wind is less as well.

Thank you all so much for the encouragement, everyone means well by saying "dont beat yourself up and give him a bottle and you'll both be happy" but having some other Mums to say "Dont give up" was what I needed.

Am dreading the night a bit as have a nasty feeling of being woken every two hours now but we'll see how it goes.

p.s have any of you bought a baby swing, am really interested in them but a bit pricey arnt they? Are they worth it?

OP posts:
mears · 02/06/2005 22:21

that's good news bumpylump. Hope your night isn't too bad

morningpaper · 02/06/2005 22:22

good new bumpy! nice work. xx

aloha · 02/06/2005 22:23

I have a baby swing, bought from Ebay and dd isn't remotely interested in it. However, I think it would worked wonders for ds. My view was, I'll buy it from Ebay and if it's no good for dd I'll sell it back on Ebay!

aloha · 02/06/2005 22:25

csa - I was going to post, your breasts aren't milk bottles, but you are a cow, but thought that might sound rather impolite
I feel like Daisy the Cow quite often. In a nice way!

vickiyumyum · 02/06/2005 22:28

congratulations on perceveiring(?spelling) i know how muh hard work it can be, don't forget though at the monment if he is still waking at night, these feeds are v.important as help to increase the supply for the following day, giving him more milk!

re the swing, i would recommend them if baby is difficult to settle as i found it worked as well as rocking him myself, would def take aloha's advice and buy one from ebay, freeads or a second hand baby shop if you have one near, as they don't get 'worn out' after just one child and you can grab yourself a bargain.

fatmomma · 02/06/2005 23:12

That's great news bumpylump, let us know how you get on in the night.

csa · 03/06/2005 09:27

aloha, if you use the medela mini electric breast pump like i did (have given that up now for a manual one), then you get a really nice mooing sound to accompany the milking process

bumpylump, how was last night? hope it was ok.