Its been two months since my Bub born, breast milk made him colic and i switched to formula but now formula also making him unhappy i tried few brands but so far bub is so unhappy and colicy crying all day. otherwise he is gaining weight and a healthy baby.
I still have some milk so i tried to why not to switch back to BF and this time thinking to change my diet completely so bub could not get colic or wind.
He liked BF too I am feeding him time to time today.
Could any one help me how long it takes to get back the supply, I don't want to deprive him and if milk supply is not enough i want to keep him on formula side by side.
Your best bet is to feed him as often as possible. the beauty of BF is that you can do that. the moment he grizzles, the moment he wakes etc. he will build up that supply super quickly.
hopefully Barb can get on here and give the experts advice, but mine would definitely be to feed at every opportunity
It is definitely possible to re-introduce your bub to BF, although you may need a bit of patience, as it might take a little while. Having milk still is a great start for your body. I would strip him down to his nappy, take everything off your top half and start with some skin-to-skin time when he's calm & alert, and before he's starving hungry, for as long as he needs and as often as you can. At 8 weeks, baby's still have lots of breast-finding instincts, so if he's given enough time, there's a really good chance he'll work it out without too much trouble. You could maybe google baby-led attachment videos - this will give you a really good visual of what babies can do if we trust them, and they're just beautiful to watch (although they may make you cry). I also second the advice above to call the ABA helpline - the counsellors are generally amazingly helpful & supportive, and you can talk to them as often as you need. Good luck, I hope it works out for you
The ABA helpline would be a good place to start for information and support.
How long has it been since you last breastfed? How was the feeding going at that point?
Basically, if you had a full supply to start with and, for example, it's been one week since you stopped, then it will take about a week to get your supply back up.
is he happy to take the breast? If so, the best way to go about it is to feed him as often as possible. Are you able to take a few days out from other stuff to just spend time with him and feed? Perhaps you have family that can come and help out at home for a while.
If you get on to your local ABA group or a lactation consultant, they may be able to offer you some more ideas, and perhaps even discuss the use of a nursing supplementer system, which allows you to give your baby formula while he's at the breast - so he's getting milk and stimulating your supply at the same time. This can be particularly useful if your supply is very low and your son is reluctant to feed at the breast.
Another thing that helps some mums when relactating - and again, especially if baby is a bit reluctant to feed - is to express milk (which you can then use in the supplementer, as well) with a good-quality, hospital-grade pump (you can hire through the ABA).
Good luck!
I stopped when he was just three weeks old because of colic.Supply wasn't very good then too and when the nurse visited us told us to immediately start formula, she felt baby was bit dehydrated.since then he is on formula, colic seems going away then but after a week it came back in a more worse form. from today Iam feeding him time to time. at the moment reading ABA site. I hope i get back the supply and bubs wind and colic gets improved I cant see him in pain
thanks for all of your support I will keep updating here
Hi nimra, sounds like you guys have had a rough start! It is wonderful that you are considering returning to breast feeding - hopefully it will happen easily for you guys it is wonderful that he is happy to latch on and try to feed, some mums find that is the hardest part of the battle! Now to build up that supply!!
MadB has given some really good pointers above, as has BhoysGirl. Some of the best things you can do are:
- Give your LO free, unrestricted access to the breast. Can you spend a few days in bed together? Can you baby wear, skin to skin? This will encourage the good milk-producing hormones.
- Let him feed as often as possible. Let him suck as often as he is interested. Even after he's had a bottle, let him have a go at the breast as well. He might play, he might use it for comfort, he might just latch on and look at you, who knows? But every time he suckles, in any capacity, it will trigger the production of milk. Your breast milk supply is based on demand - the demand of your baby. So the more you can get him "demanding", the more you will begin to supply.
- Aim to get him to the breast every 1-2 hours, at least 8-12 times in 24 hours. Try and keep him on for a good 10-15 minutes per breast and offer each breast more than once.
- Ensure you are feeding lots overnight. Bed-share, if you can. The breast feeding hormone prolactin is released in higher amounts at night, so night feeds can be really helpful with relactating.
- see if you can find an LC to help you with a supplemental nursing system (SNS). MadB mentions it above. A fantastic way to encourage him to the breast by giving him milk while your supply is still building, but he is still at the breast suckling. As above, the more he suckles, the more you will begin to produce.
- Ask the LC about supplements to increase your milk.
- Try pumping when he is not feeding. Many mums find that expressing can really help build supply.
- Get yourself to an ABA meeting for support.
As for your question about how long it will take? It's a bit tricky to say. Some mums find their supply bounces back really quickly, within a few days, for some it can take a few weeks. Try and be patient - there's no deadline - and just enjoy the extra time you are spending with your little man
All the very best with it hun. Ask all the questions you need
I used a product from the chemist to reduce colic and wind in my DS when he was a newbie. I think they were called wind drops? Can't remember the name now! (I lovingly nicknamed it fart juice, as he would immediately bust out some toots after having it ) It's in a bright yellow package. Ask your pharmacist, they'll know what it is.
I would also suggest calling the ABA, because you have a good chance of getting this to work, and the more help you have the better.
The biggest thing you can do to get your supply back is feed him very often - I'm thinking hourly if he's awake. And hand-express hourly if he's not (at least during the day). But as well as that, offer some formula at least initially. It's hard to work out exactly, but I think if you offer formula at first every time you would of anyway, but don't try and make him drink it - if he's thirsty he will. And then drop one FF every few days.
It is important to go back to newborn teats if you went to the 6week plus ones - you want your baby to have to seriously suck.
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re introducing BF to my 8 weeks old bub
) It's in a bright yellow package. Ask your pharmacist, they'll know what it is.
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