Urgentish, please!

[Beesmummy]

Sorry, but could anyone help me -- I have a v v hungry baby (on a growth spurt?) age 8 weeks and I think I have no milk left in me, she has been feeding all day. Just realised I don't have any formula left either (have so far in her life given her three bottles using ready made Aptamil First).
Could I give her Aptamil Follow On which I have for my toddler - it says from 6 months, but is that really strict? Or alternatively I have an opened carton of Aptamil First in the fridge, but I opened it about five days ago and just haven't got around to throwing it away - it is probably too old, no?
Or should I just let her yell for a few hours and try again later... !!
thanks heaps for any advice.

my fab hv told me the fore /hind milk thing

she has spoken at hv conferences about it here and nz

maybe she got it wrong

A lot of misunderstandings on this thread

I don;t usually post in this folder, but there was a link in breast and bottle feeding asking for visitors!!

Foremilk/hindmilk - not 'rubbish' at all, and not a 'theory', but badly misunderstood by many mothers and HCPs inc HVs. QClinic - you and your experienced HVs have got it wrong, but you are not alone in this, at all.

Beesmummy - just keep your baby on the breast. Giving formula, allowing longer gaps between feeds, giving water - all of these things will undermine your bf, and risk making a problem of supply where none exists. The breasts do not need time to 'fill up' and that very misunderstanding leads to babies who are fully formula fed when their mums wanted to bf

Of course your breasts feel empty - but they are not! Frequent feeding means there is no time for milk to build up, but it is certainly there. In addition established breastfeeding is associated with 'emptier'feeling breasts - but the milk is there, and what there is less of is the fatty tissue that gives breasts their size and shape when we are neither pregnant nor bf. It's normal for breasts to change like this with established bf.
Call one of the bf helplines tomorrow to get some RL help

Water/fluids does not make any difference at all in milk production - sorry! Drinking according to thirst is fine.

Same goes for rest and diet - bugger all difference!

There are many studies on this.

"if she 'snacks' she will just keep getting watery foremilk and this will not saitiate her as much and exhaust you" - PaulaYates, did a suppoesdly expert HV really say this to you?

It is utterly wrong

yes she did

i worked wonders for dc5 weight gain

stopped mini feeds - fed longer and breasts got bigger and fuller

proof was in pudding for me

his weight gain improved hugely and my confidence with it

Glad it worked, PaulaYates, but as general advice for babies in general it really is wrong, sorry.

agree re drinking etc

mammals are far better at providing for their young than all that - i was a run ragged scrap of a half starved de hydrated thing when i had dc3 and he was fully bf 27 lbs at a year!!

leach!

oops, I stand corrected. Was making assumptions about thirst/let down based on my own experience. sorry. I hate spreading misinformation.

Hope your evening is getting a little easier Beesmummy and you've got a happy baby again. In realisty I suspect you're about to wake up again soon for the next feedathon.

Please listen to what Tiktok said, she really is the resident expert . Event hough there doesn't seem to be any milk in there, keep trying. You are never 'empty' and the more a baby latches on, the more milk will be produced. More milk needed = more milk produced.

It does get easier. I remember the evenings I spent when dd1 and dd2 were latched on ALL night. It seemed to last forever. It's a stage, it gets better, it doesn't last forever.

Do you co-sleep? Would you consider trying? dd1 and dd2 often fed all night whilst I slept (well, thats what is seemed like, I'm sure they did actually sleep at some point ).

You have done amazingly well to get to 8 weeks, keep going

Hi Beesmummy, I hope you're getting some rest. Listen to tiktok - she knows her stuff. 8 weeks is classic growth spurt time; try to just snuggle up with your wee baby, feed as often as you can and forget about doing much else for a few days. It'll settle down soon.

Hang in there, you're doing fine.