Some advice on what to do - Continue to breastfeed?
Hey im just looking for some advice
My little baby girl is 15 1/2 weeks and we are not having a very good time right now
I only breastfed till about 8 weeks but then we had a bad few days and i decided to top her up with some formula....worst descision ever! our problems started from there, my supply dropped then she would fuss and fight at the boob coz i think she didnt like that it wasnt coming out as fast. she wouldnt suck long enough for the let down to happen....a tone of problems started! I have been seeing a Lac Consultant and shes been so helpful. She thinks that bub has reflux and that is contributing to her being so unsettled. we have started on losec its been 5 days so hopefully it will start working soon. back to the breastfeeding, im am taking domperidome and that has boosted my supply but she still fights as soon as the flow slows down and never really finishes a feed unless shes really sleepy. im still topping her up thru the day and i just dont know if its worth the stress. i really want to continue to breastfeed but i dont know wether shes just going to be happier with a bottle. shes putting on plenty of weight but shes just never ever happier for longer then half hour and never sleeps for longer then 1/2 hour during the day and at night she continues to wake all night....she used to sleep thru the night from 2 weeks up till about 8 weeks! was anybobys elses bub more settled when they started bottle feeding? i really need some help
Spend a couple of days doing nothing but feeding. Topping her up will not help. Lay in bed with her and every time she looks at you sideways offer her the bb. Dont give up yet, take it one day at a time, You will get there
Awwww Refulx... I feel your pain! My LO has reflux and it's hard!
I agree with Alioops - Take a couple of days, clear your schedule and just cuddle and feed and cuddle and feed (a baby carrier works well) I found with my LO all she wanted to do was be helded by me, feed...
what happens if you dont force the last little bit of breast when she "fights it ' if you left the feed there then as soon as she showed signs feed her breast again?
how often is she feeding? lots of wet nappies?
bottle or breast wont really make a difference for sleeping patterns. do you sleep with her? you and her may find you get a better sleep if you do.
she really just snack feeds during the day. I do offer her the breast as often as possible but as soon as theres no fast flow she wont have it and just starts screaming till i give her a botttle. we dont really go anywhere, im scared to leave the house most of the time!! plenty of wet nappies. I try not to sleep with her when my partner is in the bed (mostly he falls asleep on the lounge and i leave him there but yes when shes asleep with me she sleeps longer but still she like throws her head side to side alot of the time like shes dreaming? do bubs dream? or like shes hurting in her sleep...this is what wakes her up most of the time im thinking.
how often are you feeding her? what is your expectations about feeding her(frequency, length)
Is your DP supportive of feeding and helping with other things around so you can focus on feeding?
This particular age is notorious for babies wanting more milk - to the extent that even those of us who usually have oversupply problems have ended up on the phone to the ABA asking why bub is still hungry.
Please give things a chance to work - the losec, the motilium, and bub a few more weeks to get through this patch. And the feed-a-rama suggestion is a good one. Also - make sure you have the slowest possible flow teat (i.e. newborn, although she's not) for any formula or expressed milk feeds, so she doesn't get "lazy".
Also - rather than formula topping up, have you tried giving bub 3 or 4 boobs per feed - sometimes just coming off the boob and back on again is enough to remind her that when things slow down she should suck!
Then assess where you are and where you want to be going, see the LC again, and make your decision.
It doesn't feel like it at the moment, but you are doing a great job!
Have you tried sleeping bub on a little bit of a slope - putting a wedge under her mattress or even sleeping her in a baby-chair or (at least during the day) in a sling?? Sometimes being a bit more upright helps the reflux too.
If you have fallen in to the trap of using tea/coffee/coke to deal with sleep deprivation then you may need to cut back - because you are probably also giving bub a caffeine hit, which is less than helpful.
Other things that may (or may not) help cranky babies:
a bath (at one stage we were bathing bub at midnight, since that was one of his grumpiest periods and the bath seemed to relax him)
going outside (it's much easier on your brain to be going for a walk with a grumpy baby than to be cooped up inside with one)
movement
being rocked (an office chair and a sling helps make this easier on the arms)
music (whatever you like - she might as well get used to it)
With the comment of your DP (dear partner) Being cranky when she's crying. Maybe it is just him getting frustrated about not being able to help?!? I've learnt that some dads feel a little helpless (my DP does, and i've heard of a few others) because their LO (little one) only wants mum...
It might helped to do some reading about Reflux www . reflux . org . au is a site that i felt helped. Good idea to read it through with your DP...
With my LO reflux we got this natural mix called Marina Mix <... It works really well (I love it) , But with all medications, just check with a dr or pharmaciest to see if it will best suit your LO :-)
With breastfeeding... There was days were that was all i was doing with my LO, she'd feed, go to sleep for ten mins, then want the boob back. It's hard, but stick at it :- D
If you need to chat or have any questions, I your welcome to PM (privite message) me.
Are you offering the second breast to do the top up? Like she finishes one side and takes a tiny bit from the other.
It can take a couple of weeks for the medication to completely settle the reflux, and then sometimes a little longer for bubs to become more settled, as they are still expecting the pain. Reflux babies tend to become unsettled at the end of a feed, its not necessarily because they want more to drink, its that it can cause pain filling their stomachs up to the brim. Then they can get pain again in about 1 to 11/2 hour, then they act like they want another feed, which is their way of soothing the pain with the milk, so you will end up feeding, it can become a vicious circle. Its why reflux bubs tend to snack feed. A dummy can help out heaps to settle and try to prolong the feeding times, reducing the cycle, so it is worth a try.
The quickest and best way to remove top ups with formula is to just stop them completely. It can be difficult to do but your supply with change quickly to match.
It is a myth that bottle feeding makes babies more settled and sleep longer. It can also make reflux worse. Hang in there, things will improve, I promise.
hope things are getting better for you. The only advice I've got is to maybe once she's had both sides and she's still fussing for more, just put her back to the first side. I did this often with DD, especially around those fussy times and she would often have both sides twice. Also, try a good sling during the day to see if that helps settle bub. DS has trouble bringing up his wind, and I find if I lie hime down, he wakes up about 15-30mins later in pain because of the wind, so when he's asleep or settling down for a sleep, I'll pop him in the sling (i have a hug a bub, which holds him upright), he may have a bit of a windy cry for a few minutes, but then will generally do a big burp (and normally chucks up straight down my cleaveage and then all of a sudden, he's asleep and has a much better sleep in that than in the pram/bassinet etc.
hello thanks everyone for replying with your advice. Freya is starting to improve i think from the Losec, but the breastfeeding is still posing a problem. SammRo - she fusses because she wont stay on (as soon as the flow slows) she pulls off and starts crying, eventuallt screaming coz shes hungry but wont go back on. I dont want to force her. I do offer each side a few times but she wont have a bar off it once she knows its not going to come out fast, I just dont know how to get her to stay long enough not to need a top up.
Some advice on what to do - Continue to breastfeed?
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but yes when shes asleep with me she sleeps longer but still she like throws her head side to side alot of the time like shes dreaming? do bubs dream? or like shes hurting in her sleep...this is what wakes her up most of the time im thinking.
and then all of a sudden, he's asleep and has a much better sleep in that than in the pram/bassinet etc.
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