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Original poster

Trying to fill 11lb 9oz newborn 🙁

83 replies

nellyellz · 28/03/2017 22:45

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.

OP posts:

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silkpyjamasallday · 29/03/2017 09:52

I found that for the first 2 weeks or so it was often painful throughout the feed, not bad enough to give up, just had to grit my teeth and persevere! Once your ds has established your supply it will get easier! After only 3 days I wouldn't have thought your milk will have come it, mine was about Day 5 and then I had WAY too much for dd to cope with. Are you using lanolin nipple cream? That was the only thing that gave me relief after hours of suction!

Writerwannabe83 · 29/03/2017 13:18

Oh the flashbacks!!

DS would feed about 13-14 times a day for 30-40 minutes at a time for about a week and it was draining. It's completely normal though OP.

I would say up until about 6-8 weeks I still found breast feeding painful at times and I had sore nipples and blisters on them. I would be in tears for the first 10 seconds or so of his feed.

Ladinos nipple cream was my saviour!!!

Your nipples will adjust though. I haven't had any sensation in mine now for about 3 years

Tempranillo · 29/03/2017 16:47

If it's agony you should get him checked for tongue tie ASAP.

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FuckingHideous · 29/03/2017 16:55

I had a giant baby too, and I ff fed him, for which I was deeply grateful as I don't think I would have been able to do anything other than feed him for about eight months!

Not saying you should quit feeding him, just my experience.

Oh, and I was told it's not possible to overfeed a baby.

You are probably still feeling pretty shattered after the birth, so hope things get easier so you can really enjoy your boy.

LapinR0se · 29/03/2017 16:55

As well as all this feeding, newborns need to sleep a lot. Is he getting any good sleeps in?

ODog · 29/03/2017 20:26

My 8lb babies were the same. It's biologically normal and correct newborn human behaviour. It's just that no one tells you this so you assume your baby is starving. 6hrs between feeds for a newborn is not bliss. I would find that worrying. Formula can send babies into an artificially deep sleep which is a massive sids risk. As long as your baby is having the appropriate number of wet and dirty nappies and isn't floppy/jaundiced then they are getting enough. The first few weeks are relentless and intense but this is very normal. Like I say, no one tells you so easy to assume they are starving.

RandomMess · 29/03/2017 20:35

I hope you get the support you need from a feeding advisor - I struggled with feeding my 10lb 6oz as she NEVER quite opened her mouth wide enough and it always hurt a little bit right until we stopped (the next 2 were completely painless). Milk wise never had a problem producing enough... didn't half lose the baby weight rapidly she stayed on the 98th centile!

Original poster

nellyellz · 30/03/2017 05:58

I blurted out all my worries to the midwife and breastfeeding support nurse who coincidentally arrived at the same time yesterday for their visits. They said pretty much to have DS on the breast constantly esp. till my milk comes in. So yesterday I nested and he was attacked most of the day. The nurse advised to top him up a little if he was really getting agitated and not taking my breast so we had to do that a little amount but nothing compared to the night before and overnight he's slept more, longest for 3 hours and then feeding for last hour and a half. I feel it's going better each night as me and him get our bearings a bit

OP posts:

toomuchfaster · 30/03/2017 06:22

Well done! It's really hard to admit you're struggling but getting help is important. I found the first 6 weeks very hard, but looking back it does get a little easier every day. Fingers crossed your milk comes in today.

NotInScotlandAnymore · 31/03/2017 18:06

Congratulations!

I second the posters who recommended La Leche. Google them and you can speak to someone on the phone. If there's a local branch you can go to a meeting and get advice and support face to face.

I also had a giant baby (11lb) and from what I can remember (all a bit of a blur 7 yrs later) I seemed to be feeding him non-stop round the clock at first. Managed to keep going for a year by just taking it one day at a time.

You are doing a great job btw xxx

Flowersinyourhair · 31/03/2017 18:12

I had big babies too (though not as big as yours!!). With dd1 I tried my best to stick to bf only and she ended up very jaundiced which was pretty awful. She simply needed more than I had. With dd2 I topped up with formula from day 1. No jaundice. By the fourth week she was exclusively bfd as my milk had come in fully and the top ups became unnecessary. Mixed feeding is fine and really didn't have any negative effects. Exclusively bfeeding a big baby had negative consequences for dd1

Vegansnake · 31/03/2017 18:24

Wow,what fucking amazing advice,I wish I had kown about mumsnet when I had my kids..the very advice here explained why my milk never came in,why I bottle fed all 4 kids,due to milk not coming in.due to crap none existent advice from midwives,who said to me you won't fill an 11lb baby,no point trying and brought him bottles without asking me.my fourth child never got a sniff of the breast...even though it said in my leaflets if you want to bottle feed you must bring bottles to the hospital..I didn't ,so clearly I wanted to breast feed.but they gave him bottles anyway.good luck op xx

BertrandRussell · 31/03/2017 18:33

One other thing. If he's latched on and you want to detach him,break the suction by sliding a damp finger between your breast and his mouth before taking him off. This can help a lot to avoid or ease sore nipples.

Original poster

nellyellz · 31/03/2017 19:46

We had to bring him into A&E last night as he was floppy and not responding. He wasn't feeding either from breast, cup or syringe. He was getting so few calories that he's just got really weak. So he's been on tube feeding a mix of my milk and formula through last night and then the same but syringe fed today. He's still very drowsy and having to really work to get him to feed. The midwives and breastfeeding nurses are keeping him off the breast at the moment and I'm just double expressing to syringe. I'm hoping my milk supply increases as its only 50% what it needs to be just now 🙁

OP posts:

AssassinatedBeauty · 31/03/2017 21:34

Oh, nelly, that sounds like it was scary. I hope your DS is doing better now. Try not to worry about how much milk you can express, I'd view any amount as a bonus. The formula will help him right now.

Flowersinyourhair · 31/03/2017 21:36

Seriously Nelly, your child was floppy and not responding- give him a bottle. Stop messing around with syringes. Keep bfeeding him too but give him some bottles of formula and step away from the crazy crazy advice that you just "need to keep bfeeding". Big babies need more food. My experiences have 100% convinced me of that. I fear the pressure to bfeed sometimes gets in the way of the priority to actually FEED!!!

AssassinatedBeauty · 31/03/2017 21:41

I agree with using bottles, unless you've been told not to in the hospital for some reason. Both of my babies had bottles in the early days due to feeding issues, and once they were resolved we worked on dropping bottles. But at a certain point, getting milk into them efficiently is the priority and bottles will do that.

MyschoolMyrules · 31/03/2017 21:41

Please it's really important that you listen to professionals and not to us at this stage.

Like others before on this posts, i had a really good experience with mix feeding DS who was just under 10 pounds. He took a bottle in hospital, and as I was in hospital 4 days took formula from a bottle once a day (in the evenings) and once my milk came in he BF exclusively for 3 months and mix fed until he was 8 months old.

His health and level of hydration are absolute top priority at this moment.

happy2bhomely · 31/03/2017 21:51

I have had 5 babies. The smallest weighed 7lbs, the biggest 11lbs.

My big baby didn't need any more feeding than my smallest. He fed less often in fact because he was stronger and more efficient at getting the milk from me quickly.

He still fed every 2 hours, for 45 minutes each time for the first 6 weeks. He was EBF, every 3 hours day and night for 6 months and then carried on until 16 months.

My smaller baby fed for 40 minutes of every hour, day and night for the first few weeks.

I bottle fed my eldest 2 and they fed every 2-3 hours too.

I hope you're both ok.

Flowersinyourhair · 31/03/2017 21:53

But happy with all due respect this particular baby has been admitted to hospital as a result of not having enough food.

MyschoolMyrules · 31/03/2017 21:55

Happy, Ave you read the last post from op?

Chippednailvarnishing · 31/03/2017 22:01

Do what you both feel best with, EBF, FF or MF there's no prizes for feeding a certain way.

Thegirlisnotright · 31/03/2017 22:03

Sounds like a blood sugar issue, not uncommon in big babies. Hope the hospital staff after giving you good support xx

picklemepopcorn · 31/03/2017 22:05

You must do what the HCP say. Keep expressing so baby can have as much of you as possible, and maybe you will be able to go back to breast feeding when he is stronger. My 10lb 5 baby had no problems feeding, though we were told to wake him to feed if necessary, as he was big and might need more than he could be bothered getting IYSWIM.

I'm so sorry it must have been so scary. Do whatever you need to do and know that you have done your very best. You couldn't have done more.

happy2bhomely · 31/03/2017 22:06

I did and clearly made a poor attempt at trying to tell OP that bottle fed or breast fed, big or small, what is important is that the baby is fed and often.

I guess I didn't word it right, sorry.

Again OP, I hope you and baby are well.

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