Any TOP breastfeeding experts about - im shattered, im feeding ALL the time, but my baby was admitted to hospital on weds night for poor weight gain and jaundice :(

[ManyMonkeys]

Were am i going wrong? I cant get her feeding anymore then im already doing! She was 6lb born (on the 1st feb) and she was weighed last on weds and had gone down to 5lb 4oz im so tired - im determined not to go down any formula top-up route, but im worried about how small she is!!!! Can anyone advise/help? x

Poor you, it really sounds like you've been through the mill.

Have you had any proper breastfeeding help (NCT, BFN, LLL or ABM)? Most likely, she's not latching properly.

Not really no, my midwife's been great - she spotted a major latch problem that was making me crack and bleed badly, thats now resolved thankfully!! When she feeds she feeding well, but only for a few minutes then she sleeps for 10, feeds for 5/10 minutes and then sleeps for 10 etc etc.... you can quite loudly hear her gulping away - sometimes its too much and she gags abit bless her. I know the obvious response to needing bigger/better supply is just feed more - but she's 'on' ALL the time already!!!! She's not a very sicky baby so wheres the milk going? Ive borrowed a medela breast pump from sure start, and ive been pumping away when shes not feeding too - what more can i possibly do??? I do need to ring a bfeeding expert really, i may go and do that now.....

Stick with it love, you're doing really well.

Don't wait, ring an expert now and get a plan of action going.

Good luck xxx

Hi Many,

Call one of the national helplines asap, you need a real BF counsellor to help you through this. By my calculations that's a 12.5% weight loss so it seems likely that the hospital professionals might well force you down the FF route if you don't have good backup from a BF counsellor who can help you address the problem whilst keeping BFing. If you can, track down an individual counsellor who lives in your area and that can support you consistently over the next few weeks.

Good luck!

National BF helpline - 0300 100 0212
NCT BF helpline - 0300 330 0771

I know it sounds a bit brutal but my jaundiced one was always falling asleep on the breast so the midwife told me to..

undress him to feed (so he's not too warm)

twiddle his ear (the one poking towards you) or rub his toes

and if all else fails, blow gently on his face when it looked like he was going to fall asleep

it's really important, esp with jaundiced babies, to make sure they don't always sleep when they feed otherwise they don't seem to eat enough!

(am not a health professional but ds had jaundice for 6 weeks!)

Ok, always on isn't the same as always feeding.

Are your nipples really entirely ok now? And when she comes off after a feed, what shape are they?

What town are you in? I can have a dig into available (free!) breastfeeding support wherever you are.

Also, the other big thing I would recommend is breast compression. This page explains it. It's a good technique for a sleepy baby who isn't putting on weight.

Im in Grimsby - which always seems to have a HUGE lack of any decent support groups - i could be wrong though! Nipples 99% fine now, she latches well! I just feel her 'suck' isnt too strong, and she's by no means an energetic feeder - i guess she's not stimulating my supply much is she!... problem is, im on my own, and i have 3 other little ones to look after too, so there is kind of a limit to how much time i can commit to all the feeding

Do you have a sling? And/or any favours you can call in?

Breast compression might help her along. Or can you express (hand or pump) and give her that in a bottle, cup or tube? That way she gets extra calories, but your supply isn't lost ...

The first group on here is in Grimsby, on a Monday. Is your DD still in the hospital?

This page talks about another group in Grimsby.

Oh thankyou NQC!!! Im definatley going to get to that group! No dd not in hospital anymore - they agreed she was well hydrated etc so let us go home on thursday, but they want to keep a close eye on her weight of course. Thanku for the breast compression link too!! - i'll try that, fingers crossed it works!!!

i second the rl support, had similar probs with my dd.other route is to see if ur maternity unit has a PROPER lactation consultant. Good luck!

All great advice here.
can't claim to be a top breastfeeding expert but-
I had very similar weight loss issues at the beg of this year.
Despite being pressured by the paeds to FF, I resisted.
I now feed 2/3 hourly and similar at night, express and feed through a nursing supplementer.
This is a device (Medela) to feed the baby through a tube attached to your breast. So you are giving the baby extra milk at the same time as breastfeeding. This might encourage your DD to suck a bit more strongly as there is an extra incentive (and of course you are keeping your supply up by stimulating the breast.)
I saw a brilliant NHS infant feeding specialist and she told me about them (full title: supplemental nursing system).
Stick with it, you're not doing anything wrong and I'm sure you'll get there with some support.
BTW my DS's weight is going up each week now. OK, he's still off the bottom of the dreaded graph, but he's happy, smiley and healthy, He's just a wee one. So there's is hope!
Trust in your ability to breastfeed and don't forget there is a lot of support and advice to be had on MN.

Sorry I was posting from my phone earlier so was short and sweet! Just wanted to say that my "off the chart"/"failure to thrive" little dd is now a thundering great 2yr old who was on the 75th or therebouts last time she was weighed!

I got domperidome (sp?) prescribed to ooomph my supply, got her latch checked regularly, fed as often as poss and also did breast compressions. It all picked up soon enough and I found that her latch improved no end when she got more head control. Good luck!!