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Please help. Introducing a FF-should i??
Hi Ladies,
I hope you don't mind me posting here, i'm after some advice/opinions really.
My little boy Kaleb is 10+4 and is EBF. I've not had any problems feeding him and both Lebs and I enjoy it. However the last 2 weeks have been more testing and i believe it could be due to a growth spurt?? He used to feed every 3 hrs and could go up to 8 hrs at night but now he i feeding every 1.5-2hrs and goes no longer than 5 hrs at night. To be honest i don't mind feeding him, i actually enjoy it although it has become more demanding and my nipples have become sore (I've been and brought some Lansinoh today)
Anyway, i booked in to see the health visitor to get him weighed as i was worried he wasn't getting enough. Well he has been gaining weight but not enough to keep him on the 25th centile (3 weeks ago he was 10lbs 3oz and today he's 11lbs 9oz). He is now just above the 9th centile.The HV has advised me to introduce one FF to top him up. Even though i suspected this would happen i did get emotional because i now feel like i'm not able to give Kaleb all he needs...
So i was thinking of giving him a FF for his last feed at night (around 9:30/10pm) for 2 reasons 1) in the hope that it may help him to sleep longer and 2) because i don't want my supply during the day to be affected as i still want to BF him and i would rather not have to start faffing around with bottles during the day.
I kind of feel resigned to introducing the FF and hubby and my mum think i should but i do feel so sad and am dreading tonight now. But i don't want to NOT give him the FF if that is what he needs. i don't want to insist on EBF him if he needs more.
What would you ladies do? I need some opinions on the matter...
Thanks ladies,
KB and Kaleb 10+4
I hope you don't mind me posting here, i'm after some advice/opinions really.
My little boy Kaleb is 10+4 and is EBF. I've not had any problems feeding him and both Lebs and I enjoy it. However the last 2 weeks have been more testing and i believe it could be due to a growth spurt?? He used to feed every 3 hrs and could go up to 8 hrs at night but now he i feeding every 1.5-2hrs and goes no longer than 5 hrs at night. To be honest i don't mind feeding him, i actually enjoy it although it has become more demanding and my nipples have become sore (I've been and brought some Lansinoh today)
Anyway, i booked in to see the health visitor to get him weighed as i was worried he wasn't getting enough. Well he has been gaining weight but not enough to keep him on the 25th centile (3 weeks ago he was 10lbs 3oz and today he's 11lbs 9oz). He is now just above the 9th centile.The HV has advised me to introduce one FF to top him up. Even though i suspected this would happen i did get emotional because i now feel like i'm not able to give Kaleb all he needs...
So i was thinking of giving him a FF for his last feed at night (around 9:30/10pm) for 2 reasons 1) in the hope that it may help him to sleep longer and 2) because i don't want my supply during the day to be affected as i still want to BF him and i would rather not have to start faffing around with bottles during the day.
I kind of feel resigned to introducing the FF and hubby and my mum think i should but i do feel so sad and am dreading tonight now. But i don't want to NOT give him the FF if that is what he needs. i don't want to insist on EBF him if he needs more.
What would you ladies do? I need some opinions on the matter...
Thanks ladies,
KB and Kaleb 10+4
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Replies
You don't NEED to give him a formula top up! It's up to you and if you are not comfortable with it then don't do it! My hv has always maintained that any weight gain is great! My dd was ebf and only put on about 3lbs in 3 months! Once she hit 15 weeks she had a huge growth spurt and gained about 2lbs in a month! She is still relatively light at 7 months - she is 17lb 4ozs. She still hasn't doubled her birth weight, but she was nearly 9lbs!
I would continue to do what you are doing and if Kaleb loses any weight then i would consider the ff. But at the moment you are doing a brilliant job and your baby boy is gaining weight. Some babies are jsut made smaller and don't gain loads of weight. Remember bf babies will gain weight in spurts, they will gain either loads or little to start with then have a spurt or slow down.
At his age i think he is perfectly normal by going 1.5/2 hours between feeds. It will soon settle down, my dd didn't feed 4 hourly until about 20 weeks! And she has just started sleeping through at 7 months - i stopped her night feed rather than her dropping it. So it's not forever and things do get better.
Take each day as it comes and before you know it you will have some kind of routine and you will be wondering what you were so worried about!
Lx
I have to agree with Ladybird, any gain is great and I would only be concerned if he stopped gaining. You sound like you are very reluctant to ff and are happy to feed him as and when he needs it so if I were you I would continue ebf and just make sure you keep an eye on his weight, if he starts to loose wieght or stops gaining then think about ff then.
As long as you are happy with the decision honey and Kaleb is healthy thats all that counts X
I think you're both right in that the main thing is that Kaleb is GAINING weight- he always has. He didn't even lose any when he was first born which is usually the case.
What is happening is that the HV is looking at the chart and as Kaleb isn't following the centile line in a smooth manner i am being advised to top him up dispite the fact that he IS gaining weight albeit not as much as the chart is suggesting he should.
Would it be wise of me to continue BF and see what his weight is like at his next appointment in 2 weeks time? Is the HV/Hubby/mum going to think i'm a neurotic mum who is hell bent on BF and ignoring their advice??
Kaleb is such a good and happy baby too. I'm just not sure what to do. I just want to do what is best for Kaleb...
Just tell hv/mum etc that you'll give him a formula top up if/when he seems hungry, but at the moment he is fine.
Was the chart a special one for bf babies? If not then that would explain it as bf babies don't gain weight as fast as ff babies - so can easily drop a percentile or 2 in the early months.
Sounds like you are doing just fine as you are.
xx
The fact that Kaleb is so happy and good means that you can't be starving him and he must be getting all he needs/wants from you. I actually can't believe that your hv is suggesting a ff, my hv runs the bf group i go to and she only suggests ff as a last resort if the baby is loosing weight.
Do you have a bf support worker or someone else you can ask for advice. You could always call La Leche league and ask their advice
Don't worry about what everyone else thinks, trust your instincts and do what you feel is right.
My dd was on the 90th percentile when she was born and went down to the 25th (i think) and has settled now on the 50th. My hv stopped weighing my dd after the home visits and i only got her weighed and recorded at her 8, 12 and 16 weeks jabs. I got her weighed myself at my bf group and recorded the weights myself. My hv has said that they wouldn't weigh babies as often as weight can fluctuate so much week by week so weight gain should be measured over a month or so rather than weekly/fortnightly.
Hope that helps xxx
[Modified by: **Ladybird** on September 16, 2010 06:07 PM]
Kaleb is a lovely happy baby and even though he is demanding more feeds, he doesn't seem unsatisfied after a feed i.e he still gets that Lovely drunken effect after most feeds.
To be honest I'm surprised the hv suggested ff as i thought they were all supposed to be pro bf and anti ff- that's the impression I get from a lot of the bf/ff debates on here any way...
Thanks again. X
I think it depends on the hv what their opinion is re bf and ff. Sometimes ff is the easier and less work for them whereas bf can sometimes cause more work for the hv and bf mums need sometimes need more support. Sad but true
Good luck anyway and let us know how you get on
KB & Kaleb (11+3) xx