5 days pp - jaundiced babe - feeding stress

[Cocomandarin]

Hello, I’m wondering if you could help me. I’m 5 days post partum and my baby has jaundice, formula is working better for getting milk into her where she is so tired from the jaundice. She is very yellow and to flush it out she needs regular feeding and weeing. Vicious cycle!

I really planned on breastfeeding but accepted combi feeding will be ok. But she is so so sleepy and doesn’t take much from the breast before falling asleep. I’m not sure how to keep the breast feeding going 😓 I’m super emotional about it all. Thick of the baby blues now too and my boobs are huge

Try and pump regularly to keep up supply and freeze. Offer baby the breast at every opportunity. Are they still coming to check levels? It’s a horribly stressful time, I had it with my first but did get back to EBF after eight weeks of combo feeding, hope you get sorted

I had a sleepy jaundice baby who nearly died of dehydration because I didn't know or get advised to feed formula - please don't feel bad about that.

You have plenty of time to get breastfeeding on track down the line, but it is important that you do feed where you can, and Pump. This is to help build your supply ready for when the baby can take it. Ideally you need to be pumping 8 times in 24h, for 20mins at a time. I know - this is brutal. It's also impossible if you don't have help on hand to do absolutely everything else with the baby.

For more information, search for "triple feeding". See also here: https://www.nhs.uk/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/bottle-feeding/combine-breast-and-bottle/ there is a national breastfeeding support line number on this website you can call to talk to someone who will be more expert than me.

If you can, get in touch with your midwives feeding team and see if they can get a medical grade Pump to you (especially if you don't have one at all).

Search for "hand expressing" if you're very uncomfortable and don't have a Pump to hand and the baby is too dozy to feed: you need to get the milk out to avoid inflammation.

When your baby is well, there is time to wean off formula and focus on latching, etc. However, this time is really important to build your supply.