Mix feeding?

daves_friend · May 20, 2010 8:51AM

Another question!

After some very wakeful nights from Freddie we've decided that he's not taking enough milk on board during the day and so is waking at least once in the night to feed. Up to now he's been bf but last night to give me a break OH was up with Freddie and a bottle of Aptamil at 130 - he drained 4 oz and looked for more, so is definitely waking hungry. He then woke again at 515 and I bf'd him.

During the day he's too busy to feed - and I know that sounds ridiculous!! He won't stay at the breast for more than 7 minutes and sometimes only manages 3 or 4 before he becomes distracted and loses interest. He eats 3 good meals a day but I think his milk intake is too low. Today for his afternoon feed I've given him a bottle of Aptamil but struggled to get him to take 3 oz. And at bedtime he took 4 oz and then threw at least 2 back up before battling hiccups to try and have some boob.

Any suggestions how I can get more milk into him during the day? Will mix feeding wreck my milk supply? (hoping to carry on bf'ing for another couple of months)

In short - please help?!

xx

summer_76 · May 14, 2010 5:03PM

does he have milk before solids - toby is a bugger for milk but if he know he wont get solids unless he has it so we do the following

7.30am - 6 oz - he only has about 3 ounces so use the rest to make porridge

11am - 3 oz max

12.30pm - meal and dessert and water

4pm - between 3 and 6 oz

5.30pm - meal plus dessert and water

6.30pm about 4 oz

bath

7.30pm - goodnight milk 7oz (usually eats between 5 and 7oz)

Some days he has 15 oz in total others he has over 20

also milky puds add to the overall daily need - rice puding and yoghurts etc - toby has a yoghurt a day spread over 2-3 meals.

Hope this helps a little x

daves_friend · May 14, 2010 5:15PM

Hiya, thanks for replying hun - yes we do milk before solids but problem is if he's had 2 feeds in the night the little monkey struggles to even have 2 mins at brekkie, but then he does have 2 oz EBM in his porridge. He does have yogurts but one pot can easily last 2 days! And I never thought that would contribute to his milk quota - he loves rice pud too.

Your day looks remarkably similar to ours but the obvious difference is I don't know how much BM he's had! Think I'm going to carry on with ff for his afternoon feed and see how we go ... and I'm sure Freddie won't mind eating rice pud more often

Feel a bit silly for not realising his porridge, yoguet and rice pud all counted!!

Thanks again xx

summer_76 · May 15, 2010 3:50AM

i sneak abit of milk in everything - he is having lasagne today and i will add about 1/2 ounce to that also x opps hes crying must dash x

EmilyB · May 15, 2010 7:05AM

Welsh - I think this was exactly Jak's problem. I was absolutely knackered, which I think affected my milk as well. In the end, hubby and I discussed it a LOT and decided to do a day of formula to see how much he was taking and whether we could get him to take at least 4 lots of 7-8oz. I expressed when I felt full, and froze the milk to use later. It kind of worked, we fed him when he woke at about 7ish, then 11am, then 2:30pm, then he needed a few ounces at about 4:30pm, then bedtime. I gave him the feed at 4:30pm so not sure how much it was, but I don't think it was heaps and heaps. He did still wake, but it kind of helped to 'reset' his feeding pattern. Very soon after that is when I discovered he was waking for a feed but only taking about a minute before he came off and intead of trying to get him to relatch and eat more, we experimented and put him back down to sleep.
I think he was like Freddie - snacking through the night so not taking proper feeds in the day. One bedtime he took 5oz and that was it, that was a week ago. For the last two nights, fingers and toes crossed, he's slept through, but I've been tough mummy and haven't spent hours and hours trying to settle him, I've let him shout at the mattress instead. I really hope we've cracked it, he's been so much happier in the day time now, and soon I plan to sleep at night too! (keep lying awake waiting for him to wake up, I'm so daft!)
ow he's having a formula feed at bed time, and today we're thinking of upping it to another formula feed at lunch time as I've got to have him completely on formula by the time I go back to work

so I'm enjoying the time I have left bfing!
I hope that helps hun

Em x x x

daves_friend · May 17, 2010 3:42PM

Hi Em, that's a big help thank you. We seem to be back to one feed in the night again now despite me trying to get him to take more milk in the day Freddie has his own agenda!!

He'll only take 2 - 3oz from a bottle and then refuses the rest, but if you pour it into a beaker he'll then drink another oz or 2, which is fine on an afternoon but far too messy at bedtime. His attempts at bedtime bottles haven't been great either - guzzle 4oz and then throw half back up and then stay awake for the next hour. We're back on (.)(.) at bedtime!!!

I've tried leaving him to get himself back off as he doesn't really cry or shout - he's just awake loudly (scratching cot bumper, banging slumber bear against the cot sides, hiding behind his comforter waiting for someone to play 'where's freddie', yawning etc) and he stays awake for over an hour by which time I've also been awake for over an hour so I end up cuddling him/feeding him

At sing n sign this morning all the other mums of bf babies seem to be having the same trouble - strangely that made me feel good!!

xx

mummabear-72331 · May 17, 2010 7:12PM

Could it be that Freddie doesnt like a bottle anymore and maybe prefers the beaker? Not the same but my friends son was exclusively bf and never took to a bottle. He went straight to a beaker. Could you try starting a day feed with the beaker and see how much he takes then?

As for the mix feeding, it hasnt done wonders for my milk supply. But it was always catch 22. I didnt have enough milk and no amount of expressing would stimulate me to produce more (Im presuming) so I had to introduce ff for some or he would go hungry. But I think if you try to be consistent with which feeds you keep as bf then your milk supply should remain for that feed(s).

Like summer, I sneak milk in any solids that I can and rather than offer water first, I offer him milk from a bottle at the end (as well as having given him a bf before the feed).

daves_friend · May 18, 2010 2:43AM

TBH Sim I think Freddie's just fussy! He'll take EBM from a bottle and he'll take the first 3oz of formula from a bottle and then he loses interest. Bit like bf, he'll only stay a few mins latched on before he finds something else to do - kicking the edge of the sofa, looking to see if the tv's on, trying to sit up - you name it and he'll be distracted by it.

Am consistently giving him formula on an afternoon and what he doesn't drink from the bottle he gets offered in a cup. Any EBM left from his porridge also gets added to his food - could be why he thought his chicken dinner tasted odd last night!!

Don't know if it's worth trying a different bottle or if it's pointless now as he's always taken TT closer to nature til now?

mummabear-72331 · May 20, 2010 8:51AM

Fussy Freddie!! Brody is easily distracted too. he gets on the boob for a few mins then sits himself up. Then back on, back up, back on , back up!! Just stay on there man!! He also fusses with the bottle. But he does take most of his feed in the end.
as of today I have introduced a sippy cup. He wouldnt take to the first one I bought (TT) a few weeks back as kept biting it and couldnt get anything out. But I bought an Avent one today and he can use that one so much better.

Mix feeding?

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