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Gutted.....Breastfeeding again ** UPDATE **

I've posted this in the breastfeeding forum too.

I'm sat here in tears. I think i might have to give up breastfeeding. This might ramble on a bit, i just need to get it down.

Lucy is 14 weeks and she has been breastfed from birth with a bottle of formula before bed (advised to do this by midwife as i was badly aneamic and totally wiped out). Since well before Christmas Lucy has started waking through the night for a feed where she had previously slept through. Last week my hv advised me to try feeding her every 2 1/2 hours through the day to try and fill her up. This only resulted in her playing around at the breast and did nothing to stop her waking for the extra feed at night. Monday night was horrendous, after feeding her every 2 1/2 hours through the day she woke at midnight for a feed and again at 3am and then at 5.30. Three extra night feeds plus all the extra feeds during the day! I'm shattered. I went along to the clinic on Tuesday morning in a right mess!

The main worry is that when she is waking up in the middle of the night her little tummy is going mad! Proper grumbling for food and she goes mad at my breast, like she's starved. The health visitor suggested going back to on demand feeding (to stop the faffing) and give her an extra bottle of formula before her bedtime one (instead of a breastfeed).

Lucy is due her next feed (the extra bottle) around now so while she is asleep i thought i'd express. One of the girls on here advised me to do this so that i could eventually drop the bottle and go back to boob. My boob was so full before i started, painfully full yet i only managed to get less than 2 ounces off it and it feels empty now. I'm gutted.


Thank you for listening.

:cry:


** UPDATE **

We started giving Lucy the extra bottle on Tuesday and since then she has slept through every night and she seems so much happier in herself. She has also stopped fighting with my boobs at each feed. Im so pleased! Thank you all so much for your help, advice and support x

[Modified by: lauranoble on 17 January 2009 21:37:54 ]

Replies

  • Forgot to add, we gave the extra bottle for the first time yesterday and she slept through till 7:30 this morning. No gurgling stomach or boob attacks.

    Sorry it's so long and hope you all don't mind me posting it here x
  • Hey,

    Firstly - a baby is much better at getting milk out of you than a breast pump especially if it is a hand one. So dont think that the amount you got out was the amount that your lo gets from each feed.

    I wonder if feeding her every 2 1/2 hours got her into a pattern which she wanted to continue during the night. As she's still young she wont fully understand its night time yet!

    She may also be going through a big growth spurt so will be waking more at night for feeds.

    Louise is 6 months, also breastfed and we've had good and bad weeks with her sleeping, it only settled down at the begining on jan when we moved her into her own room.

    Formula is digested more slowly so quite often will help a baby to sleep longer or go longer between feeds.

    Lisa
  • What happens if you don't feed her every 2 1/2 hours? Barney went through a phase of not taking proper, full feeds at each sitting and was therefore waking more at night. What worked for us was stretching the length of time he went between feeds during the day, when he was really hungry he took a lot more milk at each go which helped him sleep. AT 16 weeks he was going 4 hours between his daytime feeds.
    Please don't worry about not getting much when you express, I have an electric pump and I get next to nothing. Some people are just 'better' at expressing than others, I found as well that the more stressed I got about it the less milk I got.
    xxx
  • Thanks for your replies girls.

    Katie - She has been showing signs that she might be ready for weaning but i just don't know. The hv did mention it so i think she might be thinking along those lines too but i want to try and hold off if i can (just so i don't have to start cooking! lol)

    Lisa - Thanks, that's really put my mind at rest about the amount of milk. I'd lost all hope there for a second (total drama queen!)

    I thought it was a growth spurt, but she's dropping down the centiles on the chart? She seems to have really lost interest in the breast (except the night time one when she's a little savage!) Even before feeding her every 2 1/2 hours, she used to feed for a good 20 mins on each side, but at about the same time as she started waking through the night, she will only take 10 mins on one side and i'm very luck if i can get her to take 10 mins on the other.

    Don't babies make you worry!! x
  • Must have been typing at the same time as you :lol:

    Don't worry about her dropping down the centiles either, bfed babies nearly always do as the charts are based on the weights of formula fed babies who gain weight very differently.
    xx
  • Sorry, took so long to reply i didn't spot your posts.

    I going to persist with some breastfeeds as long as i can. I've happy to combine breast and bottle if it means she's getting enough food, i just love the convienience of bfing!

    Beadhead - I went back to on demand feeding yesterday and we had a much better day (and night!) I wasn't happy about the 2 1/2 hourly feeds straight away but persisted because it was the advice of the hv. Never again! She normally goes 3/4 hours between bf's.
  • Thanks. Blooming chart, i'm not going to look at it anymore! x
  • Hunni,

    First of all, do not be upset, you are a fab mummy and you have done so bloody well with b'feeding I know how much you wanted to suceed and guess what- you have and you should be so proud.

    You know I had lots of problems with Amber on the boob to the point where she just refused it in the day and I fed her before bed and in the night if she woke, also a sleepy feed in the morning when she woke and this worked great for about 3 weeks then she refused it. She never fed for more than 10 mins at a time unless it was a dream feed then she could be on for 30 mins or so. She was always pulling off and never seem contented after a feed, I had to feed her every hour in the evening and she would want more and more, and even take a bottle after of about 4oz.

    I am glad I kept going until she said no more, the last straw was when she lost weight - and I just thought, what is the point she is obviously not contented on my milk so on we went to formula full time and she is a different baby. Of course I am not suggesting you so the same as me I just wanted to tell you what happened with us. She is your little one and only you can decide what you want to do for the best.

    As Katie said she may well be ready for some food, maybe try her in a week or so if things haven't improved?

    If you go onto the bottle then do not be upset you have done so well, if its getting you down so much then mix feed hun, I got so down when I was reducing feeds but it made so much sense and I have been so much happier and as a result so has Amber, maybe Lucy is picking up on a bit of tension and pulling of because of it?

    Whatever happens you are a fabby mummy so be proud of yourself
    image

    Love Amy n Amber xx
  • Glad demand feedings going better for you, Connor is 17 weeks now and we started him on baby ricelast eek as he was showing all the weaning signs, hes now dropped a night feed maybe it would help?

    Gill
    xxxx
  • aw babe, big hugs! I know how you feel and hope you can continue to bf her for some of the feeds. When you start to wean her that would be a god time to use you breastmilk to make up the baby rice as you don't need much. Yeah don't go by how much you can express as she is a pro and will be able to get more out than that!

    i hope it all works out, you are a fab yummy mummy and have a gorgeous healthy little lady! x
  • any chance this could just be a growth spurt??

    i know they have one at around 3 months so the extra feeds may just be because shes growing alot at the moment ...
  • Thank you all so much for your messages. The support on here is fab!!!

    Amy - It certainly sounds like Lucy is going the same way Amber did. After a breastfeed from both boobs on Monday she took 4oz of formula. She wouldn't take from me but she was happy enough to take from a bottle.

    Even though she has been better since we went back to on demand feeding she is still fussing so much at the breast and pulling off (really hurts!) I don't think i'm tense when we sit down to feed but i certainly tense up when she starts messing around cos i know it's gonna hurt!

    I'm going to stick with what we're doing at the moment, the two bottles, and i'm not going to feel down anymore. I promise! If she's not satisfied then we'll try something else, introduce another bottle, whatever it takes to keep my gorgeous girl happy. If in 3 weeks things are still like this i'm going to try her on some baby rice.

    Thanks again girls xxx
  • hey,

    am glad your feeling happier, let us know how you get on!

    Lisa
  • Just see how it goes hun and do whats best for you both. Whatever is going to make you feel happy and DO NOT feel guilty if you decide to stop b'feeding you have done so well. Hopefully things will pick up and you can carry on.

    Amy xx
  • Thanks. I'm feeling a lot more positive about the whole thing, and proud of myself for getting this far. I don't have any problems with giving her formula, it was just the thought that my body was failing her somehow. But i know i was being silly. Me and my boobs have gotten her this far!

    2 day's isn't crappy hun, you gave it a go. She got the colostrum which is the most important thing. I know how hard those early days are. I cried so much, Adrian was the only reason i kept going. REALLY couldn't/wouldn't have continued if it weren't for him.
  • They we're horrible weren't they?! Like labour contractions all over again! Not nice! x
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