Breastfeeding questions

[Longislandicedme]

I’m 15 weeks with no.2. With DC1 I didn’t attempt breastfeeding at all. It wasn’t something I’d thought about really as he came earlier than expected so I just stuck with bottle feeding. I really want to give breastfeeding a go this time and I’m currently making a list of everything we need for this baby which left me with a million and one questions about breastfeeding.

I’d like to express so that my partner can feed occasionally. Can babies take to bottle and breast? I know a little about combination feeding but feel I’d like to stick to breast milk as if I have formula I’m worried I’d give up with breast. I’m just wondering is it easy for babies to switch from bottle to breast?

How do you know how many oz of milk they’re getting/if they’re getting enough? I know you won’t know specific measurements but with bottle feeding you can clearly see how much baby has drank and whether it’s enough for their size.

DC1 was in a good feeding routine when he was born, feeding every 3-4 hours - is it possible to get into a similar routine with breastfeeding?

I understand these may seem like silly questions but because I never looked into it with my first I don’t have a clue. I know it’s very early on but it’s been on my mind because I wish I gave it a go with my son.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Theres no such thing as a silly question. And there are lots of people on here willing to give advice :)

Firstly some babies can switch from breast to bottle, my son did so and thrived, but my nephew really struggled with it for a while before he would take a bottle. So it depends on your baby a bit. Check out some guidance on expressing though, I believe its recommended that you don't express until your supply is well established, so as not to disrupt it.

In terms of knowing how much baby gets, you wont have a clue how many ounces, and if you try to express you will likely get less than what baby would take directly from you, babies are more efficient than any pump, so that wont give you much indication either. There are some things that will indicate that they are feeding well though. Plenty of wet and dirty nappies, good skin colour, gaining weight, looking well hydrated etc. You will get into a rhythm of feeds eventually as well, so you'll know if they've been feeding for ten minutes, they're having a good feed, but if they've come off and started whinging after 2 minutes they probably need to try again.

Routine wise I found that my ds led us into a routine, once we got past the cluster feeding. I fed on demand, but found that over time those demands started to come at the same sorts of times each day. I wouldn't set too much store by having a 3-4 hour break between feeds initially, and definitely Google cluster feeding. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and let baby set the pace.

Good luck, I'm planning to bf my second baby, it was initially bloody hard first time round but so so worth it, and after about 6 weeks, it was so easy and convenient too.

Yes, you can express and give milk in a bottle, though the success rates with this are variable - some babies (like mine!) refuse every bottle offered, others develop a bottle preference and then lose interest in the breast, others switch back and forth with no problems. I think key things are to introduce it relatively early, preferably with someone other than you giving it, and to practice "paced feeding" with the bottle, so they still have to work for their milk as they do at the breast, and don't develop a preference for the easy option.

One of the tricky things to learn to accept with breastfeeding is that you can't tell how much they're getting. There are good indicators that they're having enough - awake and alert between feeds, gaining weight, good number of wet/dirty nappies - and lots of things which make mothers worry about supply but that aren't necessarily a problem, like frequent feeding, long feeds, fussing etc - these are all ways that baby stimulates your supply.

I think it is harder to get into a routine with a breastfed baby, particularly in the early days. They are more likely to feed little and often, but will usually space out a bit more once your supply increases and they get more efficient. The advantage of breastfeeding though, is that you can be more flexible - you don't have to make sure you've got enough bottles with you etc, you just feed them if they're hungry!

I think the most useful thing you can do before the birth is look up local breastfeeding support services. Not just your MW/HV, as their training on breastfeeding is very variable, but local charity groups, NCT breastfeeding counsellors, La Leche League, Facebook groups etc. Having local face-to-face advice is hugely valuable.

Start out just breastfeeding. Worry about expressing once that's established.

I’ve been mix feeding my baby - he is now 9 weeks & gaining weight well so it must be working

He’s taken to bottle and boob well (for now) however I did notice when I had the wrong size teat on he was beginning to get a preference ie teat was too big! So I would recommend using a slow flow newborn teat for bottle which is closer to boob like suckle.

The only way to really know if baby is getting enough milk when on boob is just the number of dirty nappies and weight gain. Also baby will be super cranky if it hasn’t had enough 😆

I found baby was feeding ALOT on boob during the first 6 weeks - but apparently this is normal and cluster feeding!

I have been trying to express as I would like him on breast milk exclusively but it’s such a faff trying to feed him then express after or before I can’t keep up with it at the moment as it’s recommended you do it around every feed etc.

Baby still gets a lot of the goodness whilst mix feeding too so good luck!

I'm only 12 weeks but thanks for this thread, it was a question I had also! Lots of great replies too

Just to add to the establish bf then try expressing answers, I think advice is normally to bf exclusively for 4-6 weeks, so probably keep your pump away for this long then give it a go.

If you're keen on adding bottles in, try one at 4-6 weeks, then keep using them regularly or baby will forget. I had that with DC1 - cracked the bottle at 5 weeks, got it out again at 8 weeks and baby refused, never took one again! In retrospect that was obvious, but at the time didn't occur to me she'd go off the bottle after being fine with it

BF is great if you can make it work for you, so easy, you can stay out without worrying about packing enough bottles, no middle of the night sterilising, and when baby is ill you can park then on your boob and stay in front of the TV all day safe in the knowledge they're staying hydrated. And the oxytocin release while feeding is quite lovely, I find myself spouting on about how gorgeous my baby was and how much I love her every time she latched on. I wasn't aware of talking, my mouth just started.

Thank you so much for your replies! And for making me not feel stupid for asking. I think I’m comparing a lot to DS who I had in a routine quite quickly around his bottles. I was a single parent with him so bottle feeding was great as my parents helped out. I’m worried this time that my partner will feel like he’s not doing much by me doing all the feeding in the initial weeks. He’s not said anything about that it’s just another worry I have.

I will also speak to support groups nearer the time. I really want to give it a good go but I know it takes a lot of determination so I feel if I’ve got as much information as possible now I can prepare mentally more than anything.

I’ve seen posts about expressing colostrum before baby is born - is this something I need to do?

Thanks again!

You can feel like your partner can't help out which is true to an extent... but nappies, making you food, housework, cuddles, bath time - all things dad can help with!

I had a rocky start with BFing but I persevered and I'm so glad I did. It's so easy being able to feed anytime. And I've found it's been brilliant for weight loss! I had problems with latch and nipple shields have been a lifesaver- id never heard of them before.

There's a thread on MN called breastfeeding group - good to join if you have questions!

Thread is called Mumsnet Breastfeeding Club in post natal clubs if you are interested xxx