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mixed feeding?

hi bit of advice ladies please roxie is 4 weeks old and bf we have been strugglng i havent found it too easy she doesnt latch on well and has alot of wind and colic esp at night we are awake alot at night last night was 6 hour stretch im exhausted we saw bf people yest which helped me latch her on better (she lazy and wont open mouth yet not lazy enough to bloody sleep!) im thinking of giving her a bottle of formula for night feed before bed? i dont want to quit bf but im quickly losing faith. i struggled at this stage with my son and gave up and regretted it. so im looking for some advice on this if it has worked for any of you and babes.
thanks in advance!
Hayley xx

ps tried infacol dentinox and gripe water the gripe water does help sometimes x

Replies

  • Hayley doc prescribed colief for ju after I tried all those you have. Is a tenner in boots but can get on prescn for free, may be worth a go as it dilutes the lactate I think it's called. Bit of a faff to administer when bf but as u know, a mother of a babe with wind/tummy cramps/colic, or whatever it actamyally is, will try owt!!

    Not sure administering a bottle will help the wind as they seem to take more air from bottle...but, in my opinion, there is no one right answer or method so is no harm experimenting a little with options if current practice isn't working for u. After having to give ju sum bottles, I have to say it wasn't a magic answer to all the problems altho it met a need at the time...I.e getting her food in her. Much prefer her on the breast now have experimented a little and am trying to work with the bf with even more effort now with help of bf counsellor at hospital ...bloody hard work aint it ...well when it isn't straight forward, that is. Gud luck chick, am 100% here for ya xxx
  • I'm not sure if mixed feeding will help but as far as it working I have successfully mixed fed my boy since he was 3 months and he is now 10 months so it works perfectly. He now gets 2 breastfeeds and 1 bottle a day (while I'm at work).
  • well i had bf facilitator visit me and she wasnt much help tbh (last day in the job for her so dont think her heart was in it) 2she didnt help with the latching on which is a major problem at the moment as she comes of as soon as the milk comes down. she advised to give a bottle at her 1am feed as this is the one causing so much trouble with wind from not feeding properly she said use expressed milk which is fine but i cant get enough expressed milk a day to use every night. asked if it would be ok to use formula for this one feed and she looked horrified. she said it would undo all the good work bf had done which i think is total crap. so took no notice and gave her a bottle of formula (2oz she took) at 12.30am feed and she slept until 4.15am no wind no screaming just blissful sleep. i then fed her myself and she did just great took a big feed and went back to sleep until 715am when i fed her again and she went back to sleep until 8am when we all got up. she is very stuffed up with a cold at mo which doesnt help but i feel so much better for decent sleep. no gripe water required last night. she seems a bit more settled this morning and is swinging away in swing. we also gave her a normal teat on a dr brown bottle which she took no prob. so will carry on with this for the time being until she settles more in the night. xx
  • well that went tits up! she had the bottle at 1am which was fine. she had wind which is normal but wouldnt go back to sleep! she normally falls asleep on the breast and she wanted to do this. i tried then to feed her myself and she suckled until my milk came down and then started spluttering and crying! she refused the dummy as per usual so i ended up waking hubby to get her to sleep and put her down. she then slept until 6am so had she gone down after her feed at 1am she may have slept a good period but she didnt go off until 330am so i am exhausted again today! i have had no sleep for 5 weeks and im shattered! good stories of bf babies might help! x
  • I think you have proved to yourself that ff isnt always the answer. Have you thought about cosleeping? It helps with the miilk production and also the sleep issue. You may find that baby actually helps herself if you have your boobs exposed and you may initially wake to latch her on, but then doze off while she feeds herself. It isnt for everyone, but it can work if done safely. I find cosleeping works for me as i am still able to function during the day and i have 4 to look after. want more info?
  • Girls you have my sympathy !
    Archie is 12wks and I have nearly given up soooo many times. I am offering a bottle about once a day just to check he isn't hungry, sometimes he guzzles 3oz but usually he spits it out after 1-2oz. Breastfeeding is really hard when you can't see what they are having so I think if mixed feeding gives you the piece of mind you need and a few hours rest then go for it. Mixed feeding is still better than no BF at all.
    Katybee- I agree cosleeping can make things much easier, however Archie used me as a dummy which made me sore but didn't actually latch on & suck enough to pull milk through. Now I prefer to sit up properly so I can feed him in his usual position (he takes more that way) and then put him back in his crib so we don't disturb each other.
  • well last night i took the bottle up but never gave it as hubby was gonna feed her before sleep but she didnt wake until 130am so i lay down to feed her and she latched on great and fed well she took a bit of settling after this but then slept until 4am then again until 7am when hubby took the kids downstairs and he gave her the bottle then to give me an hour she had about 2oz then i fed her at 8am. katybee i cant co sleep i have to wind her alot after a feed as she has alot of wind and if i dont then the wind goes to her belly and it causes hell. also i dont sleep well at all with her or my son in the bed - in fact i can just about tolerate hubby lol ! will just continue how we are doing and try and get past this difficult stage as Hayleyl is right it upset me alot when i gave up bf my son at 5 weeks and have always regretted it x
  • well last night i took the bottle up but never gave it as hubby was gonna feed her before sleep but she didnt wake until 130am so i lay down to feed her and she latched on great and fed well she took a bit of settling after this but then slept until 4am then again until 7am when hubby took the kids downstairs and he gave her the bottle then to give me an hour she had about 2oz then i fed her at 8am. katybee i cant co sleep i have to wind her alot after a feed as she has alot of wind and if i dont then the wind goes to her belly and it causes hell. also i dont sleep well at all with her or my son in the bed - in fact i can just about tolerate hubby lol ! will just continue how we are doing and try and get past this difficult stage as Hayleyl is right it upset me alot when i gave up bf my son at 5 weeks and have always regretted it x
  • well last night i took the bottle up but never gave it as hubby was gonna feed her before sleep but she didnt wake until 130am so i lay down to feed her and she latched on great and fed well she took a bit of settling after this but then slept until 4am then again until 7am when hubby took the kids downstairs and he gave her the bottle then to give me an hour she had about 2oz then i fed her at 8am. katybee i cant co sleep i have to wind her alot after a feed as she has alot of wind and if i dont then the wind goes to her belly and it causes hell. also i dont sleep well at all with her or my son in the bed - in fact i can just about tolerate hubby lol ! will just continue how we are doing and try and get past this difficult stage as Hayleyl is right it upset me alot when i gave up bf my son at 5 weeks and have always regretted it x
  • she had the bottle at midnight llast night and slept until 230 as normal then i fed her and she slept until 5 am and i was awake until 7am then with her until hubby got up with kids. im just hoping we get into a routine soon as it seems so hit and miss at the moment x
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