Trying to fill 11lb 9oz newborn 🙁

[nellyellz]

Hi, I'm new to this message board but was hoping for some help. Over the weekend I gave birth to my DS but at 11lb9oz and a half it was quite an ordeal!

Now the tea work begins and he is unfillable! Last night in the hospital the midwives 'topped up' his breastfeeding with formula which settled him for six hours till seven this morning, bliss! But now the appetite is developing further and he has pretty much fed non stop all day from me as well as needing 60 ml formula in syringes. Nearly 11pm and he's still not full and I don't know what I'm doing wrong or is anyone has an idea how much 'top up' is acceptable per feed for this weight of baby? The midwives said 20ml but he's having more than that so far.

Has your milk fully come in yet? That will change things massively.
Also ask some one to check he is latched properly. Most new borns wake every 2-3 hours - thats normal for the first few weeks.

It seems a bit early to be giving formula as well as breastfeeding - has he lost a lot of weight? Or are the formula feeds being given to give you a break from non-stop feeding?

The frequent feeding is to stimulate your supply, not just because your DS isn't full. It's not unusual for babies to want to cluster feed. Had your milk come in properly? Is he definitely latching on properly, no tongue tie or anything like that?

Newborn babies are not designed to go 6hrs between feeds I'm afraid, 2-3 hours is more normal with many cluster feeds in addition.

The more you feed, the more milk you will produce. It is perfectly possible to exclusively breastfeed a 12lb baby.

Congratulations op.

In the early days, remember today's demand is tomorrow's supply.

Demand feeding is demanding, so try and relax and remember that your ds is dictating to your body what he requires.

Agreed, 6 hours is way too long.
My dd (dc3) 'fed' near enough continuously for 4 days until my milk came in, then settled into a 2/3 hourly routine.

He's not filling up - he's putting in his order for the next few weeks! Frequent feeding is very normal in 6lb - 11lb newborns I'm afraid. It's vital to stimulate your milk production - and topping him up with formula might upset that balance.

I fed often from 5pm - midnight with just toilet / drink breaks in those early weeks - it's not about hunger but future milk stocks.

Chocolate, box sets and a blanket. Make sure your partner is briefed to keep you fed and watered frequently and enjoy those newborn cuddles. Congratulations 💐

DD was a big, very hungry baby. Your milk catches up if they feed a lot. Early days is really hard!

Yeah before I came home today I've had several of the staff watch me feed etc, as it's been agony which hasn't helped with him wanting to feed 24/7, he's latching fine and I'm producing the colostrum but it's just not filling him. I'm hoping it will change when my milk comes but I'm worried he will reject my milk if we top up, and that I'm overfeeding him the top up but on the bottles of it the amount for his weight of their 2 month old baby estimate, even though he's three days!

I just wondered if anyone has had experience of this or similar or if I'm just being a paranoid new parent!?

They went for the top up as I understand because he was stopping feeding from me after about two hours but still not being settled? And they said I might not be able to fill him until my milk comes in? I took their word for it but from your posts I'm worried Ive done more harm than good.

I know he needs to stimulate my milk to come in which is another worry as he doesn't, he unlatches and won't go back on or just waves his head around after a while. But then won't settle and still roots. I just don't know what is for the best :(

Do you know why the midwives wanted you to do formula top ups? I'm still not sure why you're giving them.

Is it agony throughout the whole feed or just for the initial moments when he's latching on and for a short while after that? It shouldn't be agony for the whole duration.

Are you in the UK?

Try not to panic and trust yourself. All will change totally once your milk comes in. You may find you have more than you know what to do with.
My boobs ended up like melons and I had to express some just so DD could even latch on. Mine fed every 2-3 hours for about 6 weeks

Dontpokethebear

How did you cope with the pain of non stop feeding? Apart from him losing interest and not going back on, the pain is unbearable a lot of the time. I've tried nipple cream, one nurse suggest nipple guards today, I'm doing the position they told me but it's not any better.

Congrats! Agree with previous posters, just feed feed feed, this is perfectly normal for any newborn of whatever weight at this stage. The sucking stimulates your milk production and ensures you produce enough for him in the future.

See how things go and obviously take medical advice but also don't panic and assume that you can't feed him because of his size. I EBF a 10 lb 6 oz baby to 6 months (and I thought he was huge - I can't even imagine what 11b 9oz is like). His weight was 1.5kg above the top 99.6th percentile on the weight charts by 6 months, so he got proportionately even heavier than he started out, but after the first few weeks it really became very easy. He settled down into a good pattern and the length of each feed should massively decrease, so no different to feeding any other baby (save I needed huge amounts of chocolate to keep my energy levels up!)

In fact I found feeding a larger baby easier than feeding my first (who also grew very fast, but was 2 weeks early and therefore started out normal size) because his mouth was bigger and therefore it was easier for him to get a good latch.

Good luck!

And do not worry. Nothing is ruined. Your milk should come in tomorrow. My DD was also mixed fed initially as she lost too much weight and could have ended up really poorly. I ended up BF her for 9 mths...try and relax as its all baffling at first to us all. Well done on a big healthy baby

My eldest was 11and a half pounds and we were encouraged to top him up with formula also. He did want feeding constantly, was pretty much an hour on an hour off the boob for the first couple of weeks! We just alternated feeds with breast and bottle and did mixed feeding for the whole first 6 months. Wasn't a problem, although many people were of the opinion that it would affect my milk, it didn't. Congratulations!

What everyone above has said. I think OP that you need to make some decisions about how you'd like to feed before they are made for you.

If you're happy to mix feed then do your research and work out how best to proceed. I'm afraid I can't offer much advice here...though I do have a feeling the general approach is to establish bf for a few weeks and then work out how much formula to introduce.

If you want to breastfeed then it really is supply supply supply right now. Your baby will have colostrum until your milk arrives but putting him to the breast often is key. You and he need to get the latch right (get many second opinions and help wherever offered) and feeding at night, whilst hard, is really important as that's when your prolactin levels are highest. He needs to feed often, all through the night, to build your supply. Filling a baby up on formula will obviously decrease his asking for breastmilk and whilst the sleep is much needed, it's hard to get going if you miss this boat. Take all help on offer - have your partner/family/friends look after you, nap when he does and keep feeding. It won't last forever! When you're ready get yourself to a bf support group.

All of that said, if you want to formula feed then you can disregard all of the above - but it does seem like bf is your first choice.

Congratulations and best of luck!

Congratulations on your baby!!!

You really really need to ignore the thought that you have to "fill" him. He is not supposed to be full yet. His stomach is tiny. But. When your milk comes in and he has his first milky coma and you look at that face knowing that you did that?...it's the BEST!!! He is currently supposed to be feeding like a half starved piglet because that's what gives him the goodness of your colostrum and gets your milk in!

He is designed to feed. My 7lb newborn fed every 90minutes for the first good few days. Yes it's exhausting but it's how you get everything going. She was doing what she was supposed to do. Trust your baby and trust your body. Drink water, get comfortable and let people look after you.

Honest to god. If you feel you can and you want to exclusively breast feed then stop "topping up" as those ml he is getting artificially mean less stimulation and less expectation of your breasts. How's your body to know what he needs if he doesn't tell it?

However, if there's worries about your LO's weight, blood sugars etc etc etc then ignore me. Do what you feel most comfortable with :-)

Everyone I know used nipple cream but no one used shields so maybe some one can help there. Once the milk comes in the milk will lubricate the whole thing and smooth your nipples too. I can't remember the cream name but the one in the purple tube - nothing else comes close

They suggested top ups as he wasn't settling after hours of non stop feeding and he was then refusing to go to the breast anymore. Then it was offered again today before I left, I didn't realise it wasn't a normal 'addition' alongside breast feeding early on until I came home and started reading up on it tonight. I hope I haven't upset the balance for him as I really want to BF.

The pain is all the way through feeds. Most of them anyway.

Sorry, posted before your later messages about soreness so advice to feed feed feed not best timed! It is hard to say over the internet, BF can be a bit sore to begin with but shouldn't be agony. If in the UK you need to find a good lactation consultant to advise.

Do keep on asking till you find someone who can advise - it is not unknown to be told multiple times that all is fine only for someone really skilled to be able to spot the cause of the problem and sort it out. Has someone checked for tongue tie? Was told with my first that latch was fine but turned out it wasn't and he had tongue tie (which is easily fixed).

Nipped burn/cracked nipple is from incorrect latch and the holding baby incorrectly.

There are videos on YouTube showing the correct latch and hold.

Your milk may only come in as late as day 4.

I breastfed a 10lb baby for nearly 3 year years. It doesn't sound as though you're getting proper support.

Congrats we