breast feeding and night time bottle feed advice please

[Genevieve1976]

9 days in with first baby and breast feeding going relatively well however night time feeds killing me, baby very fussy for 1am and 4am feeds so end up being awake most of night. He feeds really well during the day but just at night he takes ages to latch on and cluster feeds.

Anyone express for bottle feed during the night? This would get a feed in more quickly so he may settle better? And my partner could help?

If so what teat is the best, most realistic?

Running on empty and partner goes back to work next week (works away all week) so any advice would be hugely appreciated!!!!!

Thank you xxx

Hi I didn't express at night but gave aformula bottle during the night (i had bought a manual pump but it was a lot of work have bought a n electric one fpr dc2) I didn't think ds was getting enough to settle for very long. I used the tommee tippee closer to nature which worked for us. Hope this helps

Have you tried feeding lying down at night? Its a lot easier, physically. The baby tends to relax after a few mins in this position too.

I am having the same with 2wo DC2. I get more sleep when I feed him lying down and let him sleep in the bed (following UNICEF guidelines for co sleeping).

I didn't co sleep with DC1 as I was scared of SIDS but it made me into a zombie and she seemed to be in pain with tummy trouble at night, so I have changed my approach now. Worth a try if you reach the end of your tether. Good luck!

There are issues with you "missing" a feed in the night, you might find you need to feed for the relief! When you say "1am and 4am feeds" are they when the baby wants feeding, or are you choosing those times for a reason? Nine days is so very very early, it sounds like you're doing a great job with him, he probably doesn't have much of a sense that it's night time yet so his fussier times could be day or night at that age really. Does he have decent naps in the day? You may need to swap round your own sleeping patterns, to ensure you get enough sleep added up during the day.

I would strongly advise against this, night time feeds are extremely important at this age. He cluster feeds for a reason - he's putting his milk order in for the coming days!

The early days are very exhausting, but it will get better, especially once he realises nights are for sleeping.

You're doing amazing with breastfeeding. It is exhausting but it does get easier. 9 days is so early.

My ds is 4 weeks old and already the night feeds have got quicker. He was taking 2 hours to settle! But now we're down to about 40 mins. It will improve.

Also your milk at night is different from daytime milk. It makes babies sleepy and bf helps you to sleep once your baby is asleep.

Expressing and sterilising is such a hassle I'm too lazy to do it!

Firstly, congrats on the wee one.

Secondly, you are doing a great job.

Thirdly, it gets easier. He doesn't know day from night yet but he will. What do you do during night feeds? Is your DS in your room? Do you put the light on? Do you change his nappy? I found it helpful to keep it dark, quiet and boring, so that it would help dd learn the difference between night and day. We have an ensuite bathroom and the rocker chair was by the door, so if I put the ensuite light on and kept the door closed I would have just enough light to see by, but not so much that it would wake us up properly. I think it helped me when it was (eventually...) time for me to go back to sleep too. Don't change his nappy at each feed unless he's pooed or is leaking.

I wouldn't express as nighttime feeds are really important for milk production as carrot said, and the milk you make at night has got more "go to sleep" ingredients in. Having said that, once you are properly established there is nothing wrong with having one night off a week and handing your dh a bottle and some formula

When your dh is away during the week you could try feeding lying down but as previous posters have said, make sure you follow all the guidelines for co-sleeping. And if you can, sleep when your ds does. Although that may be easier said than done.

I asked the mw about this today, I'm on day 8 and like you, exhausted by cluster feeding at night. If they are cluster feeding then its likely a growth spurt so avoid changing things until that subsides. My mw said i can introduce a bottle at night from 2 weeks (but that's because my supply is good and she's got the hang of bfing) so i intend to express after 10pm feed for a few nights, just a little, to build a supply of sleepy milk and then use that. If she needs to cluster feed then she'll just ask for more i expect. Its so hard isn't it! Everyone i speak to has given up on bfing, and i can see why, but am determined to keep at it for at least a while longer

Thank you everyone, appreciate the help. I'm come this far so will knuckle down and ride the storm until more established feeding then see how milk is/bottle feed express ete. Will keep reminding self will be worth it!!! Grit my teeth for tonight.......??.xxx

for what its worth my DD is nearly 5 months and I've bf the whole time. although the first 4 weeks were awful i am now so glad i stuck it out as its now really easy to bf her at night and i don't have a kitchen full of bottles, steriliser etc etc (i hate washing up at the brst of times!). After about 6 weeks i learnt to feed lying on my side so now if I'm mega tired or its 3am i can doze while she's feeding. hang on in there for a few weeks and see if it gets easier for you x

Have you thought of expressing for the last feed (ie 11 or midnight)? We tried this first when my dd was about 4 weeks - I then went to bed at 10 and DH brought her in after she had been fed at 12 and was settled and sleepy - at that stage she was waking every 2 hours, but doing that meant I got a 4 hour stretch if I was lucky.

Once dd was 6 weeks we tried alternating the nights - when he had her he would take one bottle of ebm and would bring her through after this was used up. It started out lasting only till about 3am, but before long she only needed 1 bottle for the whole night and so she wouldn't need me till 6 or 7 am. The first time I woke up and had to express for relief at 5 anyway but my breasts got used to it pretty quickly and with no effect on my supply. discovering this worked was a lifesaver for me, as I finally got to catch up on 5 weeks of virtually no sleep.

Thanks again everyone, ended up in hospital today as he's not gaining weight and bilirubin levels risen again. Basically I'm not making enough milk so doctors advised formula top ups at every feed. So exhausted and feel like crap, but he needs the formula to grow. Feel that breastfeeding will come to an end soon as just not making enough :-(

I had something similar to this. Docs are quick to suggest formula but if you feed on demand and maybe wake for feeds in the night you should have enough milk. Having said that I have been topping up night feeds with formula, and this has been fine for suply. Just find that it gives my boobs a break and sometimes she seems to want soo much! So you may be able up keep going, I'm at 4 weeks now. Good luck!

Bf was difficult with both of mine till about 3 weeks in - especially with #2 whose weight gain was slow and was beig tested for jaundice. Recommended to feed, top up with expressed milk, top up with formula. I managed with just the ebm not the f but I had a date in mind to try both iyswim, but he started to gain weight with the top ups and this led to him being strong enough to feed more successfully on his own. He is still fb two years on
It might not be that you don't make enough milk (which seems a demoralising thing to have said to you) but that he isn't getting enough of it - either way if you're happy with latch, topping up to make him a bit stronger seems like a plan - don't think it has to mean end of bf at all.

If you do choose at some point to use a bottle for expressed milk or formula, I would recommend Medela calma teats, they make the baby suck for the milk, imitating breastfeeding, as opposed to other brands where the milk flows freely. This enabled my DD to switch between breast and bottle (for a while anyway, but that's another story!)

I'm 10 weeks in and TBH I don't really think it does get easier. First few weeks are the hardest for sure, but there is always something. Don't feel bad about formula, easy to say but I know all this aggressively pro-breastfeeding advice makes it feels like your failing or doing something wrong if you do. I started combi feeding last week for mine and my OH's sanity but I'm struggling emotionally to accept giving up altogether no matter how hard it is. I'm not sure how healthy that is for us all.

Purplemunkey sorry things are getting you down. I think a lot of women don't feel things start to come together till 3 months (not just feeding; sleep, emotions, new lifestyle) - probably a lot longer than that for me! I must disagree with you though that the OP received aggressively pro-bf advice - she didn't want to stop bf and received advice suggesting she didn't have to. Although I said earlier that it got easier after a few weeks, by that I mean the baby got the knack of feeding and started gaining weight nicely. The real easy time didn't begin till after 6 months, when he could grab hold and latch himself on easily, none of this getting the right cushions and reciting "tummy to mummy, nose to nipple" while you manoeuvre him around!

Hi Iggi.

I didn't mean on this thread specifically, I just meant in general in RL from health professionals and baby guides. I agree this thread is fairly balanced

I'd leave it a few weeks baby will still be trying regulate your supply which is why the night feeds are tough at this age. You might find in a week it's all resolved itself. But then you'll hit the 6 week growth/dev spurt. Learn to feed lying down it makes life so much easier (wish I'd learnt much earlier) also recommend reading babycalm, baby led breast feeding and wonder weeks.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply and give your thoughts. My milk just isn't increasing and he'd lost over 15% of his body weight since birth. My sister had the same issue with her two. I am trying to continue to feed and express however it's not even a teaspoon out of both so it's not much more I imagine for him xx

Are you still in the hospital? Sorry I can't remember if you had seen a bf advisor or not, to get advice but also to observe the baby feeding. In case there is anything specific about the latch etc. It is very discouraging to see hardly anything coming out when you express. Usually more comes out for the baby than for a pump.

You could continue to offer a bf while using formula to get the weight on, if that would suit you. Please don't feel badly about it, you are looking after your LO by doing whatever it takes.