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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Colostrum after birth (bottle feeding)

68 replies

likeacrow · 06/02/2017 09:59

I'm going to be bottle feeding (definitely not breast feeding so no point in going down that road on this thread) but don't know whether to give the first bit of colostrum. I feel like I'll be expected to but will this then lead to being "encouraged" to carry on for 24 hours, then the first 3 days? I don't want to breastfeed so feel like this will be starting down a path I don't want to travel down.

Can I still do skin to skin without giving colostrum? Is it painful to express colostrum instead?
Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar position, how they dealt with it and what their experience was...?
I am well read up of health benefits of colostrum and breastfeeding so don't need advice on that.
Thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

likeacrow · 06/02/2017 16:42

Thanks everybody who offered helpful and relevant advice and experiences, v much appreciated.
Can anyone tell me whether a 6 bottle starter pack of formula (the sterile ones with the teats) will be sufficient to pack in my hospital bag, in anticipation of a straight forward birth at a MLU? I know that's anticipating something which is completely unpredictable but I'm running out of room in my hospital bag and just wondered how much other mums planning to bottle feed had packed! I can always get dh to go and get some more if I end up being transferred to hospital/staying in longer.

OP posts:

welshweasel · 06/02/2017 16:53

That will be fine. Although they won't advertise it, hospitals do keep a stock of formula, they won't let your baby starve if you run out!

welshweasel · 06/02/2017 16:56

As a complete aside, I can highly recommend mam anticolic bottles. They are v easy to clean, self sterilise in the microwave and you avoid the inevitable 'should we switch to an anti colic bottle' conversation that will arise at some point when your baby is unhappy and you don't know why!! Good luck, hope it all goes smoothly for you.

WaterBelle · 06/02/2017 16:59

I'd expect 6 would be fine for a day. If longer than one day, you might need more. I think new borns waste a lot in the early days with spit ups and only having an ounce or two so the rest of the bottle goes to waste. Then you need a new one for the next feed if the bottle is open longer than an hour or so, not sure of the exact recommendation.

Good luck with the new arrival. You will do great as you sound like you have done your research.
You also sound like a planner who would like everything to go smoothly. I hope it does for you, but if it doesn't go exactly as expected, just try to go with the flow. It will all work out. You've done the ground work so enjoy the last few days/weeks.

Re. skin to skin, thats one of my favourite bits of the labour. Try to get a hold of him/her before the baby is clothed and enjoy the moment and the smells and take him all in. Its amazing. (Except when I got pooed on and quicly handed him back!)

Re. the colostrom, do what feels right at the time. You might feel completely different after labour to your feeling on it now. Don't put yourself under pressure or feel guilty if it doesn't work. The early days are too precious for that.

Imstickingwiththisone · 06/02/2017 16:59

Straight forward birth will probably have you stay in hospital for one night max. If you were feeding colostrum until your milk come in then you may not need it at all as youll probably be out of hospital before then.

My recent DC was on the breast almost constantly before milk come in. I don't know whether that was instinctive from the baby to encourage milk supply from day 1 or whether the tiny amounts of colostrum need topping up constantly to fill them. You might need to top up with formula while in hospital though if you want to give colostrum but not constantly

littledinaco · 06/02/2017 17:00

Are you going to hospital by car? If you are, I packed two bags-one mainly for labour with just one baby outfit/1 nappy and another with more stuff in and kept it in the car. Once had had baby, DH took all the things I didn't need and brought the other bag from the car with more baby clothes/nappies/clothes for me,etc.
Just an idea as I couldn't fit everything in my bag either!
Cant help with number of bottles you would need though, sorry.

Original poster

likeacrow · 06/02/2017 17:08

welshweasel we've already got a load of Tommee Tippee bottles as we got a whole set (steriliser, bottle warmer etc), but will bear what you've said in mind, thank you.

Waterbelle you've got me sussed! Thanks for the advice. I definitely want skin to skin with her, I think it'll feel amazing. (Unless she poos on me...)
littledinaco I've already got a "main" bag and an "overspill" bag in case I end up in hospital rather than MLU or for a longer stay. Both bags are now full!

OP posts:

passthewineplz · 06/02/2017 17:10

Baby will need feeding approx every 2-3 hours, so I'd take at least 12 bottles if you're taking premade.

I recommend either taking formula and about 3 bottles, or buying 6 cartons of premade cartons and about 3 bottles as you can store open cartons in the fridge (think it's 12 or 24 hours they can be stored in a fridge).

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 06/02/2017 17:11

Re: switching from breast to bottle. In my experience babies adapt very quickly from breast to bottle - it is much easier for the baby to get the milk from the bottle, and they don't have to work as hard - they get their milk faster for less effort - you can see why they'd like that!

I did intend to breastfeed all three of mine, but struggled with it - none of them really put on weight on my milk, and one was even hospitalised for a while, with the staff saying things like 'failure to thrive' which was very scary, and was kept in until I started supplementing with formula. Each time I ended up having to formula feed, and the boys had no problems at all adapting to the bottle.

passthewineplz · 06/02/2017 17:13

Thinking about it some babies aren't that hungry when first born, so you could take 6 ready made bottles and perhaps a couple of cartons or prepared formula with a couple of bottles.

OvariesBeforeBrovaries · 06/02/2017 17:14

The midwives had syringes when I had DD (this was almost 3 years ago though ). She wasn't latching on at all so I hand-expressed colostrum before stopping torturing myself over BF and switching to formula. The MAM bottles are a godsend, just to echo what someone said upthread :)

SpookyPotato · 06/02/2017 17:50

I've packed two of those starter packs and I'm having a c-section, hope it's enough!

Squeezed · 06/02/2017 18:06

I've had different experiences feeding my two. Dd1 struggled to latch and dropped weight so I was hand expressing colostrum into a syringe. It was so painful on my boobs as they were rock hard. I managed to use an electric pump on day 3/4 (I think). Dd2 had tongue tie and destroyed my nipples but nothing would stop her from feeding. She would have sucked through a wall if it meant getting milk. With her I would have struggled to do skin to skin without feeding her, she loves breastfeeding.
I've used bottles with both of mine. Dd1 didn't care, but dd2 despite being a food monster definitely has a boob preference.
The sterilised ready mix bottles are great. They were a backup plan for when I couldn't face feeding in the middle of the night.

Blueskyrain · 06/02/2017 19:02

Hey, I could have written your entire post Op, and I'd be interested to know how you get on. Best of luck with the baby

Greta84 · 06/02/2017 19:07

I hand expressed colostrum into a syringe. I built up a stock before giving birth because I knew my baby would be in SCBU and would have problems feeding early on. I also knew as I had gestational diabetes that for bloody sugars it was better than sugar water they give in hospital so from around 36 weeks I asked the hospital for some sterile syringes and I would about 4 times a week sit on the sofa and squeeze and collect colostrum in these tiny syringes and then I dated and froze it all for my baby. I wish I had a successful breast feeding journey after I was so let down by un-diagnosed tongue tie and also I was ill after having baby which led to further separation. It's a whole other story. Slowly but surely I've got over it. Anyway yes you can ask for syringes and then collect the colostrum
Then perhaps spoon feed or directly drop by drop give baby the colostrum

kel1234 · 06/02/2017 20:30

I was thinking about this before, I wasn't asked if I wanted to do what op is talking about..

Original poster

likeacrow · 06/02/2017 20:41

Blueskyrain thanks and best of luck to you too. Hopefully the thread has thrown up some relevant advice for you as well.

OP posts:

PlaymobilPirate · 06/02/2017 21:15

Op - I didn't want to bf. Ds was prem and midwives pushed me to express... I did and got 7mm first time. It wasn't painful or difficult.

Ds fed from a syringe, a nasal tube, various hospital bottles and via nipple shields on me. He couldn't have cared less where it came from as long as he was fed 😀

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