Does anyone routine feed?

[alish]

in hospital i had alot of trouble trying to get dd to feed, id feed her for 20mins or more on each boob, and she would scream and scream.

i wasnt making enough milk for her.

a lovely nurse helped me work out a 4 hourly feeding routine where i bf for 10mins each boob & topped her up on the bottle.

she is now on a 4 hourly feeding routine which is working well. she is still getting formula but is only drinking 20mls at the most now - well in the last 24 hours or abit more.

i was feeling really proud of my baby girl for having a routine already - until my mchn came to my house and made me feel like crap for topping up with formula.

i was told by her that if i keep ff her she wont take my boob. that i need to express more to make more. pretty much demand feed her. top her up with ebm not formula.

i can express for an hour out of each boob and get 60mls all up - i have no idea if this is good or not??

how long does it take for milk to replenish?

does anyone else routine feed? has this worked for you?

please no suggestions re: demand feeding. she is a wonderful sleeper. i have to wake her. i never hear her cry. she always has wet/dirty nappies. she is healthy. she is putting on a nice amount of weight.

i just want to feel like what im doing for my daughter is the right thing im sick of second guessing myself.

[TeniBear]

I don't have any suggestions, but on the 60ml in an hour thing - I got that much in about half an hour off what I thought was a full boob the other night, so compared to me you're doing okay


Sent from my iPhone so forgive the speelung misstacks

[alish]

mines out of both boobs - only 60mls all up

[sloane]

i'm definitely no expert...this is just my take....

i don't think expressing is a particularly good indication of supply - i never had supply issues but could never get much at all (as in maybe only 20ml) from expressing, 60ml seems great to me! i know your supply didn't seem good in hospital - but milk can take 4 days to come in for a vaginal birth & longer for a c-section so it may be just that your milk hadn't come in yet? the nurses in hospital told me to feed 4 hourly but failed to tell me that this should be more often once your milk arrives. it took me a while to work things out!

feeding your DD is the best way to increase your supply. 4 hours seems quite a long time between feeds for a NB - although we only did very occasional formula feeds so i'm not sure how long between formula feeds at that age? you may find she wants to feed more frequently as she 'wakes up' - often around the 2 week mark.

i'm not sure what to say though - the MCHN is right in that demand feeding is the best way to establish & maintain supply. however, if your DD is happy & healthy & you're happy with the way things are working, then you should feel comfortable. if anything changes, then you can always reassess what you want to do. it's a shame that your MCHN left you feeling like that

[peanutter]

congratulations on the arrival of your little one!!!

I'm thrilled to hear she seems to be doing so well - and it sounds like you're checking all the right things, nappies, weight, etc.

My DS came out of the womb on a 4 hourly routine - he would wake to be fed around 3am, 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and 11pm. He wasn't hungry between then, he didn't need any more feeding between then, he'd still do the right number of wet and pooey nappies, gained weight, slept beautifully, and was just a perfect healthy little thing.

Some babies are just like that! No issues.

As some others have said, your expressing is *awesome*!! 60ml is great, and (as you're probably already doing) you can start just supplementing her feeds after he's had boob with a bit of EBM.

Expressing is hard work (as you'll know) but it's great to keep your milk supply up, on top of your bf, and it's great to be able to give her your milk when she needs more food, rather than formula. If you can keep it up, then you're doing wonderfully.

At the start, I expressed a fair bit, after each feed. The midwives told me I could keep the milk out on the bench for 4 hours, in the fridge for 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. So I never had to throw any out - DS would always have it as a supplement sooner or later!

And DS never rejected the boob or the bottle, until he weaned around 10 months old - and I was working full time, with him being fed EBM for most of that time. He managed fine.

And if you have concerns about "nipple confusion" or whatever, you can feed her with a cup instead, if you like. I found it messier and unnecessary, but know others who found it much better for them and their babies - which is the important thing!

With the 10 minutes / 15 minutes / 20 minutes, the Lactation Consultant I saw said that DS would get 80-90% of his feed in the first 10 minutes, and so I didn't need to feed him for more than that ... but at the end of the day, he took 45 minutes to get his fill. Yes that's a really long time, and I would have to do all sorts of things to stop him from nodding off while feeding (so warm and comfy and comforting being nuzzled up in there, he'd just doze and feed and doze and feed!!) so I'd put him on, and progressively unwrap him, tickle his toes, blow on his face, change his nappy half way through, etc, until he'd finished feeding. That way, he didn't need a top up - and I could still express a little afterwards.

I watched a lot of telly in those first few weeks, until he got quicker with his feeds!!!

Some people aren't happy to do it that way, and would prefer to do 10-15 minutes (or 10-15 each side) and then top up with EBM or formula.

It depends on what works for you and for her.

If she gets frustrated at the boob, or stops feeding after a shorter space of time, or if after her birth etc you're too sore for extended feeding sessions, you just need to do what is best for the two of you ...

Just letting you know what worked for us, in case it's of any assistance.

But can I repeat: over all, it sounds like you're doing a really, really good job.

Get some sleep, and some chocolate, and give yourself a pat on the back.

[alish]

thanks everyone

i feel abit better now, i had to put the computer down and walk away for a while .. lol..

the last 2 feeds i fed her for 15 mins each side, made a formula bottle and she spat it out. i dont actually think she drank any. i then expressed and had hardly anything left in my boobs, so at least i know she drained them.
she hasnt woken up hungry either - still getting woken up at feeding time so again, at least i know shes not hungry.

i am doing the right thing for my daughter, i need to believe in myself a bit more.

[Aussiegirl777]

Let me just start by saying that I am not an expert.

I feel terrible that you have been made to second guess yourself. It sounds to me like you are doing an absolutely amazing job. The thing that I found after I had DS, almost 6 months ago, was that everyone was telling me something different. It was so draining.......I felt that what I chose to do was the right thing for my baby and me. You say that your baby is healthy, sleeping, getting enough to eat, has lots of wet and pooey nappies. I say stick with what you are doing. It sounds like you are BFing more and using the formula less so whatever is working for you - you should stick with.

Also when I came home it took me ALL day to get 60mL (if I was lucky!!).

Keep it up - you are doing a fantastic job!

[Nai]

It's always hard to second guess what you are doing in the beginning (actually at any time really)

With DD1 she was routine fed every 4 hours in hospital as she was small and jaundiced so I had to wake her to feed every 4 hours minimum! She was also topped up with formula until my milk came in properly to flush out the jaundice. Basically once my milk came in and I was able to express, DD1 had already clicked into her 4 hourly schedule and pretty much stuck to it and developed her sleeping around it. I just kept trying to express as much as possible in between feeds to keep up my supply and build a stash of EBM.

At this stage 60ml expressing sounds great! (Remember she probably doesn't drink a huge amount each feed yet - unlike a 6m old baby like Teni has) No wonder she isn't wanting as much formula anymore. You could try expressing and then top her up with EBM instead of the formula if you want to wean her off that but still keep her having some bottles?

[alish]

thanks nai! how much should i express into a bottle? i dont want to express too much and have it wasted if she dosent drink it itms?

the 60mls i express is for the 9pm feed that dh feeds to her..

eta thanks aussiegirl xxxx

[TeniBear]

Sorry, yeah, that's what I meant - 60ml in the early days is great


Sent from my iPhone so forgive the speelung misstacks

[Nai]

How much formula does she usually drink after a feed? I would probably use that as a rough guide. Maybe try her with a little more than you think she might drink and then increase or decrease depending on what she will have if that makes sense. Let her guide you as to how much she wants - if she gets full from a BF she may decide she doesn't want any more and then you can offer a smaller amount next time. If she finishes the top up then maybe a bit more.

Also after my first c/s it took a good 5 days for my milk to come in and longer than that to really settle in so you may find that you start to produce more as she doesn't need the top ups once this happens.

[PumpkinZulu]

feeding your DD is the best way to increase your supply. 4 hours seems quite a long time between feeds for a NB - although we only did very occasional formula feeds so i'm not sure how long between formula feeds at that age? you may find she wants to feed more frequently as she 'wakes up' - often around the 2 week mark.

This! I'll be back later, but don't doubt yourself!

[alish]

she dosent wake up - after 4 hours im waking her up or if she is awake she just lays there until its feeding time - im not going to wake up my baby girl if she isnt hungry.

i dont really want to be judged on feeding my daughter every 4 hours.

we usually make a 60ml bottle of formula each feed. she has been only having 10-20mls at the most out of the bottle in the past 24 hours or so. i made a 30ml bottle this morning and she left 10ml. so maybe ill just express 30/40mls into a bottle - thanks nai

[Nai]

I have had 2 very different feeders - DD1 was like your DD and needed to be woken to feed and I had to have an alarm on my phone to make sure she was fed at least every 4 hours. DD2 on the other hand fed every 2-3 hours without fail and was demand fed. Both were exclusively BF for 5months and were BF until over 1y. They still have very different eating patterns now! You just need to work out what your baby wants and work with that - and make sure that she does feed every 4 hours minimum at this age.

[alish]

pz - she dosent scream anymore. it was in the hospital when she wasnt getting enough. she is brilliant now. we dont hear from her really..
she is a little gassy but that is because im finding my way with foods i can & cannot eat.
her nappies are always wet & pooey and i change her everytime she feeds and a few times in between.
she is alert when she is awake.
each to their own but i personally dont want to demand feed. i find i function better on a routine and so far she is aswell.
she never ever wakes up crying to be fed
ive been trying to express but my nipples are still tender. i dont want to express too much then theyre too sore for her.
thanks for your advice

im actually seriously considering formula feeding.. im just really emotional atm and im sick of stressing about being a bad mother.

nai - yep i set my phone alarm also. i got 4.5 hours out of her this morning and still had to wake her for a feed.

[Aussiegirl777]

Alish - Don't give up.

I am a Mother who ended up formula feeding. (different reasons than you) Maybe if things had been different I would be still breast feeding my Son now.

You are doing so well. Your baby is getting plenty of milk. You are lowering the amount of formula that she is getting which means that when you do feed her she is getting more of your milk. This is the most important thing. Each day it will get easier for you, it just takes a while.....you are doing brilliantly!!! Just follow your instincts, be guided by others experiences, but ultimately make your own choices. Hang in there.

[PumpkinZulu]

Okay back

Firstly I want to say that STACKS of people comp feed and it works, so do not worry about that. At the end of the day, if Hayden is gaining well, that's the most important thing.

This advice is only my opinion, and only really for if you are wanting to exclusively breastfeed. So with your milk. It takes a while (a few months is it?) for your milk supply to even out. Basically, breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. So the more your baby is suckling, the more your breasts are going to produce. At two days PP, many women do not even have their milk in yet (mine came in in day 6!), so there's not a huge worry about baby not getting enough food at that stage, its normal to lose 10% of their body weight. The best way to increase your supply is to put baby on the boob as often as possible, the more feeds she has from the breast and not the bottle the more milk you will produce for her. 4 hours is a long time between feeds for a NB (it's a long time for my 3 mo, aside from the 8 hours she sleeps through the night), but every baby is different. How are her nappies? Lots of wet and especially dirty ones? That's the best indicator of what shed getting. When she is awake, is she alert (as much as a NB can be), or still really sleepy? Also, the screaming after the feeds could be a sign of gas? DD had a totally awful time trying to get her gas up, you could see she was still hungry but the gas was making her so uncomfy. So we'd burp and try again on the boob 5 minutes later. By the sounds of how much formula she's taking at the end of each feed, it sounds like your breasts are producing a great amount

[PumpkinZulu]

There is a saying I find helpful...happy mummy equals happy baby. You do what's right for you.

For what it's worth, it sounds like you are doing pretty darn well with the breastfeeding. Obviously demand feeding will fix any supply issues, but if the thought of doing that is making you unhappy and anxious then it's a sign that you need to consider whether it's right for you. It definitely sounds like you are making enough milk and everything sounds normal there, so at the very least there is no need to doubt yourself or feel bad. Those early weeks are difficult