June 2021 - part 6 - the final push!

[swiftt]

We’re coming to the end of our last thread so here is, hopefully, the final instalment of our journeys. I’m going to compile a list of due dates and births from the last thread and I’ll post them below.

Hopefully we’ll have lots more baby announcements on the way! How is everyone doing?

@TerryRose I’m expressing as well as EBF, I started at 4 weeks. The breastfeeding support worker said official guidance is 6 weeks but they think that’s a bit late, and they recommend a bottle 3 times a week to ensure baby keeps taking it.

They say do it in the morning an hour after a feed for best results, I seem to get more from my right boob for some reason. I also got a new flange for my pump as the one that came with it was too big for my nipple and I didn’t want to get sore, I get more milk now too.

@Whywontitname I started at 2 weeks as I heard about bottle refusal and I don’t want that! I think 6 weeks is defo too late, I think babies can learn both skills but obviously you have to be careful with supply and demand and maybe too many bottles can effect it if not pumping? I’m debating giving expressed vs formula as I don’t want to express to then be tied to pumping!

My right boob also pours out whereas the left doesn’t! Baby also struggles more with faster boob!

@TerryRose I’m also finding that hard as well as the 4 yr old to entertain and look after ! I can’t do these running on empty either, I really start going downhill with lack of sleep, I’ve never been strong in that department!

@AlRRRR she said part of the reason they say 6 weeks is because of your milk supply, it’s still establishing till then, my friend had issues with her supply cause she was giving formula as well so she stopped formula and she’s now EBF (because the baby stopped taking formula ha)

I thought I’d wait till 6 weeks to decide whether to add formula so I’ve got the option to keep fully breastfeeding if I want, he’s 6 + 2 today and seems more spaced with his feeds so hoping that’ll stay… we’ll see ha. If so I’m going to keep breastfeeding I think as it’ll be a lot easier to pump and get a stash.

@Waitingforbabypage Yes I’ve been told the same! If you want to EBF then 100% don’t mess with the supply!

I have to go back to work early next year and I work 18 hour shifts! It’s important baby take a bottle and formula in the case I cannot pump/maintain supply 😅😅

I never wanted to do it long term, max 12 weeks, so i’ll do combi, breast and formula and hopefully my supply will adjust to what it needs to! I have soooo much milk currently, it squirts out in 4 diff places on 1 boob and constantly leaks out of the other! I can’t express yet as it’ll double my supply if baby feeds as well, so can only do that if I express to bottle feed.

How long is your baby going between feeds now?

@Whywontitname oh thank you ! Maybe I need to start earlier so , bottle refusal would be a nightmare so might be best to try sooner than later. What pump do you use ? I have a hand pump but wondering do I need an electric one ? Thank you

@Whywontitname sorry forgot to ask you, are you expressing just once per day and saving it or giving baby a bottle with it once per day? x

@TerryRose I’m using an electric Medela pump at the moment it seems to be working well, see how you go with the hand one first maybe before committing? Literally just sit on the bed and read my book while it pumps. I’ve got a Hakka too but not tried that yet!

@AlRRRR just doing once a day at the moment and giving them a bottle every other day and saving the other so I have some if I want to go do things, want to keep him having a bottle so he’s used to it! He was cluster feeding etc a lot before this so not had loads of chance to do more but sometimes do an afternoon one. He’s going 3-4 hours today so I could have pumped more but I’ve been out so not been able to.

@Whywontitname ah ok!! thanks!

Are you pumping the ‘missed’ fees, the one given in a bottle?

I’ve just been feeding around 7/8pm and then go to bed. Partner then gives bottle of expressed (for now till supply runs out in fridge) around 10/11. I just stay sleeping 🤣🤣🤣 I can’t see point in waking up to pump. I usually feed her at 1sm then

Is there a FB group btw?

Hi ladies hope all is well.
I'm recovering from my section week 3 now and hope everyone else is recovering well too from labour!

Loving our new addition but I'm constantly
Doing my research and this is baby no2! - knackered today as the last 4 days and nights has caught up. George is constantly unsettled when put down in his Moses basket or next to me crib, he will only settle and sleep when lay on his front on my chest. Resulting in very broken / little sleep when he occasionally settles down in there. Even when I think he's in a deep sleep on my chest in move him so I can also rest and he immediately cries and stirs for me.

I know how quick the newborn stage goes so cherishing the cuddles but god he's tiring isn't it
X

@MelissaAnn92 my DS was absolutely wide awake at 2am this morning. He cried when we turned the light off because he wanted to look around 🤣

I think we gave in at about 5am and brought him into bed with us. Apart from me waking every now and again to help him latch we then slept until about 11. If your BF cosleeping really does help. I just wish we hadn’t of waited until 5am and we’d have got more sleep!

Anyone else's baby get upset before they fart /poop? It's only happened in the last two days , she seems very gassy and sometimes get very upset before she lets one out 🙈 maybe I'm not winding her enough or something? Or is it something I should be worried about

@TerryRose mine does, sometimes it’ll be a little squeal, others a grunt and occasionally he’ll have a cry.

I think it’s normal, at least I’m not worried about it. They’ve never had to digest milk before!

I’d be worried if he seemed unsettled all the time but not if it’s just a noise before a far or a poo. I quite like the warming that there’s a big poo coming 😂

@TerryRose sometimes yes!!!!!

i also came to ask if anyone’s baby is sick after feeds??? mine just drenched herself! can often spit up but sometimes a full on vomit!

EBF up until 2 days ago and now has 2 bottles of formula a day 9pm and 9 am. She has always been sick since week 1 😩😩😩😩 have to hold her up 30mins after every feed

@PinkPlantCase Have you co slept before? Does she settle usually in the bassinet

Evening all, after a bit of advice about what's a normal level of reflux in a newborn. She's 5 weeks now, she brings up milk most of the time when she's laid flat, often hours after being fed and it often very clearly upsets her. I mentioned it to the midwife and health visitor in the early days and neither thought much of it. Is it normal or should I be going to the GP?

@AIRRRR sounds like we're having the same issue! I was hoping it'd get better as the weeks went on but it hasn't really yet.

@AlRRRR @Lovethatjourneyforme DS spat up a load of milk when the midwife was here once. She said it was completely normal and really isn’t as much milk as it looks like. We have spit up that’s obviously just milk and the odd one that’s a bit more sicky. He’s generally pretty content so I’m not worried. If he looked like he was in pain or upset a lot of the time I’d go to the GP.

On the co-sleeping, he’ll settle for his first sleep fine in his Moses basket, we’ll get about 4 hours from him. From day 1 though we’ve brought him in with us if he wouldn’t settled on his own, I’m sure sometime he just wants the cuddle. We also feel like we have to try to put him back in the Moses basket though

@Lovethatjourneyforme This is exactly
our problem!!!!! Is your baby having reflux or proper vomiting?

My baby is 3 weeks old and we’ve had the odd projectile and then every day spit up, milk dribbling out, very sicky sounding burps, the odd occasion where it’s partially digested milk ….

We always keep her upright after a feed for 30 mins and sometimes she’ll still be sick 😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩

We have recently introduced a bottle of formula because I’m moving away from
breastfeeding, I can’t take much more of it, so she now has 2 bottles per day,

I’m also not sure what is normal,
online says it’s reflux, She isn’t distressed or upset and settles between feeds so 😩😩 gosh

@Lovethatjourneyforme are you bfeeding?

@AIRRRR she's combi BF and formula. Both reflux and vomit I think. She spits up often and it's quite often partially digested, like curdled milk. Absolutely stinks as well ☹️

@Lovethatjourneyforme Ah so same as us! What ratio are you combi feeding?

Seems we have the same problem then…. It’s tiring isn’t it…..

@AIRRRR she's on 3 bottles of formula a day, the rest BF. She's done it since before we introduced the formula so I don't think it's that as such, though it could be her adjusting to it. Yes, and very confusing! Wish they could just tell us what the issue is 😂 I keep flip flopping between its normal/is it reflux/is it an allergy??

@Lovethatjourneyforme me too!!! Are you on fb for a chat about it? Feel like i’m going crazy here trying to work it out!