Joshua was born at 10.20pm on Sunday & I BF soon after that. I then BF at about 3am and again at about 9am - but apart from 1st feed he really wasnt interested and kept falling off/wouldnt latch properly. MWs did try and help but where too busy to stay with me and said that the pethidine was prob making him too drowsy to feed and he would wake up in 12-24hrs. By lunchtime Monday (so stil only 14hrs after birth) his nappys were dry & a MW told me I needed to think about hand expressing and syringe feeding him as he was likely to go jaundice if I didnt. I did try to but bugger all came out and tbh in a ward with ppl flinging the curtain open/not closing it properly evry 5 min it wasnt the most relaxing place to be massaging your boobs .

Tried BF again just before I left hospital at around 2pm but he wouldnt even wake up to latch. By the time I got home at 430pm I was so panicked I decided to give him formula - he took about half an oz if even. Then at around 7pm he took 1oz. Think he took more formula around midnight eg 1-2oz but wasnt really interested iykwim.

Anyway iv carried on formula feeding except the middle of the night feed at around 4am. Iv been letting him BF for 20min or so but he still hard to latch & doesnt settle at all after so I end up topping him up with formula & he has been taking 2-3 oz at 5am and another 2oz at maybe 7/8am so he is prob at his hungriest then. MW said the best time to stimulate your milk is in the night due to hormones and babys being programed to feed then He's still not a great feeder even with formula eg he not looking fed every 3hrs - more like 4 & quite often will only take 1oz. Is that normal?

Basically have I mucked up my supply by formula feeding? Is it too late to BF, even combined feeding. Iv totally lost my confidence in BF after seeing how well he settles with formula (even with such tiny amounts), but I still like the idea of BF. When I am feeding him myself it hurts and I feel a bit sick I dont know whether its nerves but im def not relaxed feeding him. Think im going to get my breast pump out 2moro and see what I am producing as its only tonight I feel like my milk is maybe coming in - though my boobs arent hard or sore. Does your milk come in if you dont BF enough to stimulate supply?

Bit of a ramble but if anyone can answer any of my questions it would be appreciated!

Awww Snoops (((HUGS))). Ok..here's whatcha do..keep on getting him to latch, and in the first weeks..there's no real routine. They don't need much, but will feed often, and the foremilk is THE MOST BENEFICIAL for him. When your hindmilk comes in..trust me, you will know, but like anything it takes a lot of patience and time to adjust to BF'ing, for him and for you. Even if you supplement with formula once in awhile, it's not a bad thing, and nor will it hinder breastfeeding. Just keep trying..experiment with different holds, and make sure he is on properly, if not..will hurt like hell. Also..relaxing helps too, even that little..they can pick up on your stress and worry, and will also affect your milk production. Another important thing...eat eat eat...drink drink drink for you! Don't stress hun..there are no rules..it's what works best for you and Joshua. xxx

Your milk can take about a week to come in and I remember it hurting loads as it did. Jamie didn't eat all that much to begin with but made up for it later. If you are worried about his latch do you have bf support groups there you can take him to?

Snoops, this what happened to men with Ellie. We really struggled with bf so the me told me I could top her up with a bottle.. Elie honestly seemed to prefer a bottle and I prefered giving her a bottle as it saved the battle of me trying to get her to latch on. By 6 days old she completely on bottles and we were both much happier.

I think I could have tried harder with but chose not to at the time but I think back now and think Imaybe should have tried harder.

Don't let it become a huge issue though if you decide to bottle feed, bottle feeding is fine. X

I cant help with the breast feeding but when Amelia came home they calculated how much milk she HAD to take for weight gain and it was 43 mls every 4 hours so an ounce and a halfish. She was only little but seriously they dont need alot as long as hes happy hes getting enough x

heya lady, im in a bit of a rush but heres my take on things:

- joshua's tummy is about the size of a 50p coin, please don't worry that half an oz isn't enough for him, or that your colostrum isn't enough. i was told that a teaspoon full of colostrum was enough to keep a newborn going for 24 hours so please don't stress about quantities.

- like other ladies said, little and often is much better than trying to feed him more, it will keep his blood sugars stable but you will be knackered!

- if you don't have any, get some lansinoh and soft breastpads (johnsons!!), it will help i promise but either way you will have really sore boobs from the milk coming in/baby munching away etc it will pass though

- your milk should still come in even if you are combination feeding, but it might take a bit longer (so in a way you are better to stick to one or the other as you will get the most painful bit out of the way sooner if that makes sense?)

- i wouldn't let joshua go more than 4 hours at the moment without feeding, i was told to waken elijah every 3 hours to feed wether he wanted it or not and im sure that helped my milk and helped him not to be so sleepy (he just wanted to snooze too)

- if joshua isn't getting enough you will probably notice these 2 things: he might get a bit shaky, especially his arms, and his voice might sound quiet and hoarse - eli had both of these things and going down to 2 hourly feeds sorted it out in half a day.

- if he does get jaundiced it isn't the end of the world, in fact its almost normal especially in bf babies and can last a long time, its even more important to keep him hydrated though as this will help flush his system out.

- if you really want to bf, fill out this form. i did when i was struggling massively with elijah and the emails where invaluable. they are fantastically helpful, realistic and knowledgeable especially about milk production etc BUT very pro-bf so just be aware of that!! http://www.laleche.org.uk/pages/about/helpform.htm
alternatively give them a ring http://www.laleche.org.uk/pages/about/helpline.htm

- last but not least......remember you are joshua's mummy and it is entirely up to you what you decide to do. yes, i am pro bf, but i also remember the absolute nightmare that it was at the start.....as i said in another post though i am SO pleased i managed to carry on. if you are sure you won't regret it, and you are happy to bottlefeed (tbh if you were that sure would you have written this post?!) go for it, nobody will judge you on it...but if you aren't sure, contact la leche league, take support from everyone, and manage one day or even one feed at a time xxx

Ok for the first week my Joshua barely fed, I actually wrote a post about him going about 6hrs without and still not wanting to latch on when I tried. In the end I just waited till he cried for food and after about a week it got into a regular routine of every 2hrs. MWs will say don't let them go more than 4hrs most but I've chosen to ignore that, you know your baby and you know when they NEED milk vs when you think they should have milk. With Joshua if I try to feed before he's ready he just won't latch on and its a lot more stressful than it needs to be. If I wait til he cries, then he latches on straightaway.

As for your supply, it's still really early days so I wouldn't say you've messed it up. If you really want to BF then keep going and your supply will keep going.

BF will hurt, I found I had terrible tummy aches when I fed because it encourages the uterus to retract or whatever. That might be making you feel sick too. This will go away after a week or two though. Also of course it hurts nipples too. I've been quite lucky and never needed cream but I know Mummies that swear by it. If it's ridiculously hurting you need to check his latch. He needs to be taking a whole mouth of boob not just sucking tip of nipple - that will kill the nipples! lol

Ermmm... can't think what else I was going to say..... OH My friends mum used to be a MW and gave me some unofficial advice when i was upset cause my MW told me off for letting Immi sleep through night at 3days old. She said if baby sleeps a lot and doesnt feed so much enjoy it but just check their eyes.. as long as they're whitish they're fine, but any sign of yellow and you need to feed more. I used this as my guide when both mine seemed to go a long time without food.

hope that was a bit of help and not just pointless ramble

Thank you all so much.

I know im getting obsessed with amounts, which is silly as Caitlin was totally BF for 1st 8wks and I never had a clue how much she was getting & didnt worry. Formula feeding is more of a stress that way as im constantly looking at what he taking when & I know there's no need to be really.

Tbh I dont think iv given BF a proper shot yet. After birth I genuinely didnt feel safe being left with him as was so spaced out. Its only really since yday iv felt half human again and not faint/dizzy. I think if I dont spend at least the next few days trying to get him to latch 1st at feeds instead of reaching straight for btl il regret it.

Mum bringing breast pump over tonight but think il sit this afternoon and try and feed him myself for a bit - 1st afternoon with no visitors! had forgot about the nipple cream so will try and get hold of that. do tesco sell it? Maybe I should send my mum to chemist to be sure..

There is BF support group I go to. Went with Caitlin & went a few weeks ago to say hi again to prepare myself but its not on again until next tue. Iv a lady from there on my fb who actually works with stuart so maybe I should pm her later too as she has BF her two successfully (she scotish and is actually how I imagine Mari to be ).

I think I just have it in my head now that bottle feeding is easier, settles babys better and doesnt hurt mummys. I need to remind myself about the benefits of BF!! x

Sorry didn't really say much earlier. Was on my phone and it doesn't let me type much easily

If you think you'll regret it if you don't try then I'd say perservere but like Mari says (and I know I'm a hypocirte saying this after beating myself up to get to 6 months) don't beat yourself up if you can't or don't want. Its easy to get obsessed with the amount they're eating but remember that most babies won't go hungry and they don't need very much. Your milk comes in even if you don't feed so I wouldn't worry about having affected your supply

I seem to remember it hurting for about a month when Jamie latched on and it really hurt my tummy and made me feel quite ill for the first 6 weeks or so (although that was partly because Jamie insisted on kicking my c-section scar). It did get better though and I was able to feed Jamie yesterday without making me feel too much worse despite the fact I was being sick all day.

Bottle feeding is easier in some ways but you do have the hassle of sterilising, making up bottles in the night, always making sure you have water boiled, etc so I guess both have their advantages.



All the supermarkets sell nipple cream so you'll be fine wherever you go to pick it up.

Quote :

she scotish and is actually how I imagine Mari to be ).

hmmm interesting

hope you got the cream and got a bit of headspace, you probably won't manage to express anything much (remember its colostrum though so very precious) but maybe the peace in itself will be nice

once you have it sorted its SO much easier to stick your baby up your jumper, or to snuggle in and feed the baby (ignoring cold tummies), be gentle and patient with yourself your hormones will be going mental and its still all new to you

Aw hun, sorry only just seen this.

I think the other ladies have said it all really but what I will say is despite my absolute hellish first 4/5 months of breastfeeding with Dexter, life is so so much easier now and I am so pleased I persevered with it.

At the end of the day it's your decision and breastfeeding is very rewarding, but at the same time there is absolutely nothing wrong with bottle feeding and at least it's not all on you and you alone to feed him - if baby is thriving and mummy is happy thats all that matters.

xxx

ahhh hun I'm at that "oh I wish I'd persevered with BF" stage. I'm trying to get my supply up so I can try again but tbh Finlay has been having bottles since I left the hospital BUT he is getting 5oz of EBM a day so I'm happy that he's getting the benefits of my milk and my supply is starting to go up a bit again. Whether he would be able to latch properly on to me is another thing but I will try again or I will regret not giving it a proper shot.

I think give it a go but don't be disheartened if you struggle to get him to latch, and you can always express and give him some BM so he gets the benefits. If you let him latch for a few minutes and then express for a few minutes afterwards that will icnrease your supply. You definately haven't messed anything up by giving him formula

Good luck x