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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

EBM & bottle feeding ???

37 replies

blossom2 · 20/07/2005 10:33

okay, dont shoot me but i'm not enjoying breastfeeding at all. i'm exhausted the whole time and baby is just 2 weeks old. the days are dragging and i feel like i have no control. even though she's my 2nd baby, i don't know how to read her crys and not sure whats going on...

i know its all normal but i really am exhausted. i do however know the benefits of breast milk and wondered how realistic is it to bottle feed with EBM?? has anyone done it and how long did you managed it for?? i have an electric dual breast pump and can probably managed to express every 3 hours but worried about milk supply.

what are your thoughts ladies/men???

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 20/07/2005 12:44

Blossom2, I expressed for ds3 when he was prem and although my supply was good, it was much better when he started bf himself. The baby suckling is great for stimulating supply its just not the same when you express. I think some babies are fussier than others however they're fed and its always harder when you have a 2nd baby because you still have your older child to take care of as well. One tip I saw was that if its less than 1.5 hours since the've been fed, then its unlikely that they're crying with hunger. Some babies are "sucky" as well and will want to suck even if they're not hungry and as Hunker says, if thats the reason, an occasional dummy would do no harm and might give you a bit of peace if you're trying to eat your dinner etc. The other thing about expressing and feeding is that there's a lot more work involved than if you bottlefeed formula. You have to wash and sterilise pumps AND bottles and they won't all fit into the steriliser together so it means loads of sterilising sessions. Try to hold out, it really does get better.

Original poster

blossom2 · 20/07/2005 12:48

i live in paris and we don't have health visitors here so there isn't much chance to talk to anyone about DD2's weight/development etc.

she has regained her birth weight and her jaundice has almost completely gone. i think its the age-old 'how much are they taking in' whilst breastfeeding, whereas with formula you know exactly how much they are taking in ...

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 20/07/2005 12:50

at you living in Paris!

chipmonkey · 20/07/2005 12:52

If she's got lots of wet nappies and a fair bit of poo, then she's bound to be getting enough.

donnie · 20/07/2005 12:53

hi Blossom2, you really have my sympathies. I have an 11 week old and also a 3 and a half year old, and I have already giben up bf with the baby as I literally didnt't have the time.It is all very well people telling you to relax and just persevere but the reality isn't like that .With bfing, I would be at it for an our or more , only to have to do it again soon after, and in the meantime how do I spend ANY time with my older daughter???? so dd2 is now on the bottle, thriving, happy and often sleeping through the night. I am also happier as I actually get some rest this time around. With one child it is easier and indeed with dd1 I bf'd until 4 months then scaled down. But I was exhausted the whole bloody time. So I made my decision with dd2 when it became clear that if I continued bfing life would be very difficult for not just me but my other child too.Plus I had mastitis, cracked nipples etc.....so my advice is: choose whatever suits you and the family best and do not listen to those people who make you feel bad! good luck.

Original poster

blossom2 · 20/07/2005 12:56

i had/have terrible guilty issues with not being able to breastfeed DD1. I really did beat myself up about it, so i don't want to give up too early but at the same time i'm wondering if breastfeeding is for me.

No cracked nipples or pain ... only when DD2 latches on to the right breast really ...

wish they had breastfeeding groups here in paris that you can just pop along to....

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 20/07/2005 12:57

Keep an eye on her nappies - if she has lots of wet ones and some pooey ones (as she gets older she's less likely to poo as much, though some do!), she's fine and will be gaining weight. There was an article some months ago that said breastfed babies often gain slower and can be healthier for it.

As far as not knowing how much she's taking, bear in mind that if she wasn't feeding well from a bottle (not saying she's not feeding well from you, btw!), you'd know exactly how much she wasn't taking and that would be what was worrying you...

Nik72 · 20/07/2005 12:59

i don't think it is for everyone, can totally sympathise with the guilt thing.

CarolinaMoon · 20/07/2005 13:00

I know, Blossom, and when they feed all the time your breasts never get the chance to feel full. If she's regained her birth weight ok it doesn't sound likely that anything is going wrong with your supply.

I don't think you can compare bf with formula feeding - judging by friends' experiences with bottles it's a whole different ball-game. Bf babies seem to feed much more frequently when they are tiny and don't have the same long naps. And yes, it has to be you doing it, but it's so much more portable and less hassle in the long run.

It's up to you what you want to do of course, I suppose I'm just saying it's misleading to think the first few weeks of bf are representative of how bfing would work out over the next few months, and once you've stopped you don't really have the choice any more.

lovinit · 20/07/2005 13:06

Blossom2, I am a total control freak as well , certainly not an earth hippy mum like some I know. Lets both try and persevere ! I think /know that I will regret it if I do not try !

NotQuiteCockney · 20/07/2005 14:17

Oh, I think bf is even less popular in France than here, unfortunately.

I'm afraid that from what I know, introducing formula before 6 weeks is probably not a good idea - it's likely to lead to you ending bf earlier than you want to, as you won't be providing all your baby's milk. At least that's what studies of mums have found. You could give a bottle of EBM before then if you wanted, that's not going to reduce your supply.

It really really does get better. Often around 6 weeks, sometimes earlier. And some babies are just easier than others, however you feed them. Both my boys were breastfed, although DS1 had some formula in hospital. DS1 was hard to feed, would have stayed on the boob forever if he could have. DS2 feeds quickly and efficiently, rarely for longer than 15 minutes total. He's also fatter.

But even DS1 did get better.

Can you spend time with your older child while breastfeeding? I used to feed DS2 in bed, with DS1 on his far side. I could read a book to DS1 while feeding DS2. We were all really happy that way.

oliveoil · 26/07/2005 13:37

How is it going Blossom2?

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