MSE Parents Club Part 16

Gillyx

I have no idea about bottles, because I don't have a baby :rotfl: but it just grates me when Health professionals get on there high horse, when it's something they don't have to live with day in, day out. How practical can it be when you have another child, to be feeding every 45 minutes :eek: you have other people to think about including yourself.

If Pigpen was about she'd probably be able to advise something

I guess though when he's hungry enough he'l take it? You could maybe try alternating for a while between both breast and bottle then at least you know he's getting something? But I'm not sure if that would just make the situation worse as he'd be confused?

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Winnie_in_Pooh

I'm just glad that DS1 is 11 and somewhat self sufficient although he's really missing out on time with me because I've got a baby attached to me constantly!

I've been wondering whether cold turkey is the way to go with the bottle, not offer him the breast at all, but that just seems really cruel! If I was going to do that I would have to delegate to DH and stay well out of the way so I don't feel guilty and end up giving in!

Blimmin hard work this baby lark!

Is Pigpen ok? I've not been around much, but I saw on fb her Squeak hasn't been well?

Kira000

Winnie_in_Pooh wrote: »

Thanks Gilly, have been beating myself up for even thinking it but you are right. It doesn't help that Finn wont easily take a bottle of expressed milk, nevermind formula! I keep trying but yesterday he screamed blue murder for nearly 2 hours and only took 1oz and spat most of that out!

Has anyone got any advice for getting him to take a bottle or is it just a case of perseverance?

Hi Winnie... i know i'm interloping, and not even had my bean yet. Was just nosing around to see what issues everyone was having to help prepare me for the weeks ahead! I have been doing reading up ( great book, "Your baby week by week", good cos its not judgmental or spelling out rules, just tells you what might be happening when and what you can do about it), so whilst i cant give you my experience, i can tell you what the expert there says, no idea if this will help, so hope i'm not pitching in out of place!

Try some different teats on the bottle, look for one shaped most similar to your nipple shape so its more familiar to him. Also maybe look at the flow rate. If it is much slower or faster than breast, it will be very strange for him. Bottle tends to be faster than breast, so he may be feeling a bit choked by the increased flow.
It also says, if you want to use breast and bottle, you need to use the bottle every three days, or they will forget how to use it again, so might be a case of persevering in using it enough.
It also says sometimes they get too worked up to settle into a feed, so maybe you could try breast for a short while, just to calm him down, and then switch to a bottle of expressed during the feed when he is not as ravenous?

Could you maybe speak to a Breast feeding expert at La Leche or similar? Reading their site, it seems helpful, and they have branches all over. They may have some tips as to what the problem is and how to help?

wendz86

Hi everyone,

With the bfing, at that age Poppy was probably still feeding every 2 hours during the day. It does get easier though.

As for a bottle and dummy.I have never been able to get her to have either. I have tried a few different bottles and she used to just scream but now she just doesn't seem to know what to do with it. I have given up really and hoping she will be ok with her sippy cup by the time she starts nursery in March. I know some people have said the breastflow bottles are quite good for bf babies, haven't tried those myself.

Make-it-3 - your lo sounds like mine, can't get her to sleep in her cot in the day.

Just been swimming again this morning, trying to take her every week as she seems to enjoy it and was smiling and squealing away.

*BigBird*

Well done on the job MV :T Joe goes to nursery one day a week and to a childminder for another 3. He's usually a bit tearful when DH drops him off at nursery, I guess he's not as settled there as he is with the CM because he doesn't spend so much time there. But he's always fine after a few minutes. Personally I prefer him spending more time with the CM rather than at the nursery, just because its more of a family environment, but if the CM wasn't available I'd be happy sending him to the nursery more often.

Hope your interview goes/went well Mi3.

I think your HV needs a slap, Winnie! She should be helping you to keep BF if that's what you want to do, but not telling you to just put up with it. I gave up BF at around 10 weeks as I just couldn't fill Joe up. He'd feed for an hour at a time and then want another within a couple of hours. We introduced a bottle in the evening at around 5 weeks just so that I could get a bit of sleep. Luckily my HV was great and told me she'd offer me all the help she could to carry on, but that I had to think about my own sanity. I really felt like I'd let Joe down by giving up so early, but he was a much happier baby on formula and I was also far less stressed and tired.

If you want to continue, is there a BF drop in session at your local Sure Start centre? Or give one of the breastfeeding helplines a call. There are plenty of resources to offer practical help for you carry on if that's what you want (rather than just telling you to put up with it!)

Have you tried your OH giving the bottle? When you feed, Finn can smell your milk and is expecting boob, so he won't be impressed when that's not what he gets. He won't be expecting to get any sort of milk from your OH, so might be a bit more accepting. Other than that, it will just be perseverance.

Joe was nocturnal for the first few weeks, Wonder Womble, and I'd definitely second what Becles says. Don't creep around if she's asleep in the day, just go about your business as you normally would. Then at night keep the lights low, voices low, no fun. Joe got the idea fairly quickly.

missymoo81

hey, sorry haven't had much time to catch up, posted this o my diary but i thought i would post it here too as feeling a bit emotional about the whole thing, pretty sure its the 2 nights of 2 hrs sleep catching up with me.

well health visitor has been and gone, baby isnt putting on as much weight as he should be, eventhough he seems to be constantly feeding! Apparantly he needs to feed less often but for longer so that he gets the good milk feel really bad that hes not doing as well as expected, as im solely feeding him, feels like its my fault

For all those other new mums out there, how do you find the time to do anything? Sometimes i barely get chance to brush my teeth!!Have done nothing again today, apart from make lunch, bath baby and wash up, really dont want to go out when im this tired and its so cold.

mirrorimage0

winnie youve done really well getting this far i only managed around 6 weeks with my eldest who is now 12 and around 8 weeks with my middle one who is 9.

yes some advice form the HV can be helpful but they are not in your position nor are they with you 24/7 to know how your feeling and how its affecting you. if you feel the need to switch to bottle then do it and dont feel bad, theres plenty of babies who dont get breastfed at all for various reasons and theres nothing wrong with them is there. you have gave him a great start and built up a really good bond. honestly the times samuel has had a bottle he has been no different apart from a tiny bit more that he brings up when winding.

i know what you mean about feeling guilty though as i do but if it means you are interacting better with him during the day because you are getting sleep then its worth it.x

hugs.x

Winnie_in_Pooh

Thanks everyone for all your advice and kind words, you've made me feel so much better about making the decision stop breastfeeding. Going to have a good chat with DH tonight and then go to Tesco and have a look at the different teats and maybe try a different bottle system with better shaped teats. The Tommee Tippee ones are really big and bulbous, not very nipple shaped at all (or at least not like my nipples lol)

missymoo81 wrote: »

For all those other new mums out there, how do you find the time to do anything? Sometimes i barely get chance to brush my teeth!!Have done nothing again today, apart from make lunch, bath baby and wash up, really dont want to go out when im this tired and its so cold.

Hi Missy, I've been struggling so hard to do anything but I have started chucking Finn at DH as soon as he walks through the door just so I can have a shower or cook tea or do something non baby related. Have you got someone who can take baby for a bit in between feeds? Even if its just 10 minutes I've found that helps

missymoo81

thanks winnie, I have OH but he will be going away again just after christmas and at the moment is busy finishing off the house as it needs finishing, he goes away in a week and a half too not sure how im going to cope to be honest, as whenever LO is with me he wants to feed whethere hes hungry or not as he can smell my milk

and hun I would definitely try OH giving your LO the bottle see if that helps, mine will take a bottle but took a few tries, we have the tommy tippee closer to nature ones as they are supposed to be good for bf and bottle. Have you tried to do it when hes relaxed and maybe a little hungry rather than really hungry and grumpy? Might help x

Wonder_Womble

missymoo81 wrote: »

For all those other new mums out there, how do you find the time to do anything?

I don't!! Glad I'm not the only one though!