breadtfeeding jaundice...

[hurrydownthechimneytonight]

Ok have had some advice on here since DS arrived.

when he was born within 24 hours he had some jaundice and this has not really gone away, well its faded alot but his eyes still have some yellow in the whites and he has some jaundice in him but till now nothing has been done.

Saw HV thurs who referred us as DS is 3 weeks today, had blood tests done yest got call late last night saying his biliburin levels are just above what they consider normal and hes to have more tests monday.....

My mother (who was not supportive in me bfeeding in the first place) kindly told me this morning to put him on formula as it never did me any harm and babies only need colostrum for the anti bodies the milk does nothing .

so now ive fallen out with her for putting my foot down saying i wont stop b feeding him and why would i feed him with what i consider fake milk when i can give him my milk. (unless the hosp tell me its essential of course)

Has any of you had babies with breastfeeding jaundice?? I know it could be something else and will wait but im clinging on to the hope thats its simply from the breastfeeding iyswim.

Please give me some positive stories.

Baby is feeding plenty, with plenty of good nappies, pooing almost every feed etc and is gaining weight fantastically........ I wont stop b feeding him!

hurry - all i can share is my experience with DS. Also excl. bfeeding, MW referred me to GP when DS was 2 weeks old as he was still jaundiced. Apparently after 2 weeks, they call it prolonged jaundice and want further tests done.

I saw my GP when DS was 3 weeks old (he was still slightly jaundiced). DS was gurgling away, wide awake. No problems feeding/ lots of wet/ bright yellow poopy nappies. Once my GP had established all of this, he told me that DS looked absolutely fine and he saw no reason to subject him to needless tests. He told me what symptoms to look out for and to come back if any occured. Otherwise he would review DS again at his 8 week check. DS is now just over 5 weeks old - and he only just seems clear.

The GP did confirm that breastfed babies can have jaundice for longer. But I dont see any reason for you now to give formula. When Jaundice is prolonged, they test to rule out an underlying infection (that can be treated quite easily from my understanding).From hat I have been told, how they are being fed is irrelevant.

Ignore your mother.

My dd had bm jaundice for about 6 weeks; she was tested couple of times after we'dleft hospital but it eventually cleared of its own accord. i just kept feeding every 2hrs or so and it went. good luck, it is worrying, esp as my baby was quite sleepy too.
oh, and be prepared for the annoying "hasn't s/he got a lovely tan" remarks i even got this from a HCP!

I was told by (a very well informed) HV that she wasn't unduly concerned by physiological jaundice (aka breastmilk jaundice) as long as everything else was ok (weight, poos etc) but they would just keep an eye on it. Might it be worth having a chat with a BFC just to put your mind at rest. They are not medically trained but they will know about this and can give you the right info to set your mum straight which you can use when dealing with HCPs looking after your baby.

It sounds (without going to analysis-mad here) as if your mum may have some issues of her own around breastfeeding. A lot of women who are now becoming grandmothers find it hard to "get" breastfeeding as formula was merrily promoted to all and sundry when they had their kids. So when we decide to bf, knowing what we know now, it feels like a criticism of their parenting IYSWIM. Having her support, or at least no negative undermining, would be a huge help. Maybe the bfc could have a 5 minute chat with her too. Apart from anything else, you need your mum on your side in the early days with a baby

Have a look at the leaflets here and see if you can get your mum to have a look at them.

Daylight helps clear jaundice too, but plenty of bmilk should do it too.

Sounds like feeding's going well - maybe have a word with a bf counsellor if you're worried though.