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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

16 week old milk guzzler was fab sleeper now waking hungry 3-5am

15 replies

gymbird · 15/09/2006 08:48

My dd has just turned 16 weeks and is atm exclusivly breast fed. She has ebm while I'm at work 1 day and 2 evenings per week. She normally feeds every 4 hours (7,11,3,7) and sleeps from 8pm to 7am. She will drink 10oz of ebm in a feed and has recently started waking up and downing both boobs at night. I'm thinkng about putting her on formula as I can't express more and she is less interested in breast feeding and I'm not sure how much she's getting. She won't spend longer than 10 minutes per boob now. Also she has slowed down with weight gain and did not put on in the last fortnight. She is cranky in the evenings despite having good naps. Is she ready for solids or should I put her on formula or keep trying to up my milk supply? Oh yeah, she was 2 weeks late and a big girl too (9lb). Any advise welcome I'm confuuuuuuuused!

OP posts:

adensmum · 15/09/2006 11:53

Maybe she needs more than four feeds a day, you could try popping her on a three hour routine (7, 10, 1, 4, 7) to squeeze the extra feed in and if you have to, replace 1 feed with formula whilst trying to get youre milk supply up. My bub is 14 weeks and is on 5 9oz. feeds per day, he dosen't always finish them but its there if he needs it. Good luck, hope I could help

NotQuiteCockney · 15/09/2006 11:59

Replacing feeds with formula won't help you get your supply up.

If you're happy to keep bfing, that's the best thing for her. It's normal for weight gain to slow a bit at this point. And it's normal for babies to wake in the night!

mears · 15/09/2006 12:07

She is just showing that she is growing more and is probably more active and therefore needing more calories. You can provide those calories by feeding her more. Your supply will go up, she will get more calories and she will settle again. Absolutely no need for solids or formula.
It is perfectly normal for weight gain to tail off at this age - my advice would be to stop getting her weighed!

Extra feeds during the day would hopefully reduce need for feeds at night. You production will already be increasing because of the night feeds. I would offer feeds at least 3 hourly during the day and see how that goes.

mears · 15/09/2006 12:08

By the way, well done for feeding her this long. It shows that your body is capable of feeding your baby - have faith this will continue

Original poster

gymbird · 15/09/2006 12:22

Thanks guys. Will keep up the bfing. Would it be ok to give her formula while I'm not there as expressing enough milk to satisfy her is getting really tough and its a pain having to express at 6 am cos thats the only time I get a decent amount of milk?

OP posts:

mears · 15/09/2006 15:20

gymbird -Ipersonally would avoid formula because it can trigger allergic responses and alters the lining of the gut but I am aware that many mothers do this with absolutely no problems.

I never expressed feeds totally in one go except when I was at work and had missed a feed. Are you expressing at work BTW? How long are you away?

I expressed for short spells whenever I had time throughout the day and added the milk I got together.

Have you tried expressing before you go to bed since she sleeps from 7pm?

If you stop expressing your milk production will drop.

Original poster

gymbird · 15/09/2006 16:04

mears, I don't express in the evenings as I don't get much out and frankly I don't have the time to clean and sterelise and pump etc!
I express when I'm at work for 8 hours (just sundays) but only once so as not to get engorged. This doesn't seem to affect my supply as its only once a week. I dont express in the evenings I work (4 hours)this just means I'm pretty full the next morning.
Am I a bad mother for not wanting to spend hours a day pumping for these few feeds cos I'm starting to feel like one. Is formula really that bad? I hate this. Feel so guilty but I hate breastfeeding (she fidgets pinches gets distracted) she never seems full these days just takes bottles like its water. I usually express first thing before her first feed but if she's necking 10oz plus how can i possibly satisfy her while I'm not there?

OP posts:

mears · 15/09/2006 17:46

No you certainly are not a bad mother at all.
I ceratinly hand expressed so didn't have to faff around with a pump.

For the amount of time you are away, you shouldn't need to spend too long expressing really. It is an immense pressure to get a full feed expressed in one go IMO. That is why I suggested expressing at other times. You shouldn't need to spend hours at it at all.

Expressing can be speeded (sped) up by switching sides each time the milk flow slows rather than say pumping for a set time each side. If you leak at all, catch that milk in a sterilised breastshell. I could get 2 oz in drip milk alone.

I expressed milk for a SCBU over and above feeding and that is why I did lots of short spells. I had 3 other children plus feeding baby so didn't have lots of time to spend on expressing. I always kept a stock in the freezer so that I was ahead of the game.

As I said before it was important to me not to use formula at all. That does not mean I condem other mothers for using it. It is far more important that you continue breastfeeding even if you decide to use formula than not breastfeed at all.

To have got to 16 weeks already exclusively breastfeeding is brilliant. Do what suits your lifestyle best.

adensmum · 16/09/2006 16:42

don't feel bad at all gymbird, If it doesn't suit you to exculsivly then don't do it. don't let breast feeding nazies turn you off formula, I couldn't do it due to incorrect latching on and bleeding! while tried to recover by expressing was doing half bm half f. So many people made me feel bad for wanting to give up, in the end i didn't care and gave up when he was two weeks old and have never looked back, both me and bub are happy as. its your baby you do what you feel is best for you her!

3andnomore · 17/09/2006 00:07

Breastfeeding Nazis? Bit of a strong expression there!

Mojomummy · 17/09/2006 20:33

Hi Gymbird, she is probably a very efficent feeder now, so doesn't need to feed for too long - well done her !!

In answer to your question, no she isn't ready for solids yet (wait at least another month) & there is no need to use formula. This happened to my DD & we just rode it...it was a pain, but it was worth it. I tried doing dreamfeeds but they didn't make any difference. Her weight slowed, but she was never very heavy, around the 25th centile. She is a lovely tall 33lb 3 yr old now !
My friend weaned her son early, to try to stop the waking & it didn't make any difference.

Mears, I am interested in your comment about the formula affect on the gut. Another friend was told by her health visitor something similar & whilst I have asked my HV & Dr, no-one seems to know anything. Could you let me know more & would you advise against mixing formula + baby rice when weaning ? My DD is 8 weeks, so not planning on weaning yet...!

rightmonkey · 19/09/2006 14:44

my boy is ten weeks and I have been giving him a supplementary formula feed since about three weeks old. Not noticed any negative effect just helps me continue to bf for longer and gives me a break at end of the day. HV suggested it and gives dad chance to feed him. Would also be interested to know more about the gut thing.

A question for other bf mums...How long does on average a bf session take with you? my boy seems to have cut down to just 10-15 mins - any others have this experience?

mummymic · 19/09/2006 21:47

hi gymbird - i bf exclusively for 14 weeks - then tried formula, now ds wants a bottle during day and will have bf first thing (between 5 and 6 am) but will have a bf dream feed at about 10ish pm - the agony i have had beating myself up over giving formula (dd bf exclusively for 6 months and then mixed til 9months - spent 3 months getting her to drink from bottle)as when i offer bf during day he really screams - have taken advice re continuing the bf but cant bear to hear baby scream like that have had to give myself a serious talking to over the guilt thing! he prefers it and it makes life easier to a certain degree
if you want to mix then do so, and dont feel bad x
right monkey - all my babies (when exclusively bf) have only ever fed for 15 mins each feed (every 3 or 4 hours)

littlepiggie · 20/09/2006 23:02

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Original poster

gymbird · 21/09/2006 15:08

Thanks for the support everyone. I have been supplementing with formula for the last few days as she polished off all the ebm(SMA white for hungry babies in the hope to delay weaning) which dd seems to prefer to the breast now! Offered her and ounce (made up a full feed) sat her up to wait for the sick, she started whinging so gave her back the bottle and she necked the full 7oz! Wasn't sick at all. On sunday while I was at work she had formula most of the day and was a much happier, more settled baby for it. Looks like mamas milk ain't much cop these days! She's still really unsettled in the evenings so going to add a feed at 5 (when she starts getting tetchy) as I'm pretty sure she's not tired. Cluster feeding used to work really well for her and she's never had a dream feed (slept 10 hours from 6 weeks). Health visitor has suggested solids as she was late and is big girl. She does mimic us when we eat and accepts a spoon in her mouth and she's now 17 weeks old so might go against the grain and offer a bit of baby rice. She's always had a big appetite bless her. Also going to stop breastfeeding now because she is so much better with a bottle and I'll be able to see how much she's getting. And because I hate breastfeeding! There I've said it going to let go of the guilt now. Looking forward to no more pumpimg, leaking boobs and fidgety feeds!

OP posts:

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