MSE Newborn to 1 year Baby Club 1

Bamama

I'm really sorry to barge in like this but I'm desperate for some advice. I'll give a proper introduction once I am home. I've been hanging out in the pregnancy thread still.

My boy Dewi is 6 days old and we've had a few hiccups. All is fine but we are still in hospital.

He is being fed by tube, 55ml every 3 hours. He's having my breast milk which is apparently I have a huge supply of (sister said I have enough to feed the unit). I'm pumping every 4 hours through the day and just missing out one while I've conked out for 8 hours sleep and maybe another what with visitors. So that's 4-5 and I'm now getting 60-100ml a boob. Have been doing both at the same time.

We are trying to get him to breast feed but they seem to full for him and he's on meds so is drowsy.

I'd like to know how often I should express, how much I need to express and is my supply too much? I have no idea how much he should be taking and they've left me to it in terms of expressing.

Sorry if that's all a bit much but I'm not being given that much information.

moneypenny21

Can't help too much bamama but if it's a comparison when I do express from a boob (about once every three days) I've been getting 70-80ml. This little one is 12days old. Sorry to hear you are still in ICU !


Thanks for the tip Kira & offer of more helpnim sure I'll be taking you up on it.

We are 1hour16 into the night routine/shenannigans at the moment. No sleep yet but no hysterical child as yet - we may be winning! Just used Huggies for the first time today & had three leaky nappies do back to pampers ASAP for us I think! Doesn't help that we have now had to have the first outfit change of the night routine!!

Bamama

Thanks moneypenny. Maybe I am producing more but not the freakish amount I seem to believe

We'll be home after an MRI and we've got him on the breast. He's still so drowsy from the meds though

Hope all is going well for you, despite what I just read.

martafdz

Bamama, on day 5 I was told by the midwife to fill the bottle with 3oz (90ml) for feed, and feed on demand. My LO wasn't used to that much after being starving for a few days, so we had to start with half of that. For what I understood, 90ml every 2-3h is normal during first weeks. We are still getting there, she had her first 3oz bottle in a feed yesterday, day 16.

moneypenny21

I asked the midwife how much expressed milk to give and she said you can't compare it to bottle really. She suggested an ounce at a time and if babs wants 3-4 ounces by this stage (11days) that's ok. I guess at day 6 it's probably about an ounce unless he wants more.!

Almost at 4 hours into night time nightmares here. Fed her every hour from both sides & gave her 80 ml I had expressed. She is still totally unsettled albeit with a very fat belly. We've winded her changed her abd fed her up, I'm just at a total loss what's wrong with her !

martafdz

Could she be hot / cold / uncomfortable? Sorry to hear feeding didn't help. Ours falls sleep whilst feeding when she's full. I guess the 3oz rule was because we needed to put weight on her. At day 11 she was having 1-1.5 oz every two hours or so. About 14-17 ounces every 24h (400-500ml).

Have you considered colic? When we asked the mw about it she said you generally know if they have it because you get a screaming baby than cannot be settle with.anything, generally in the evening. Is the mw visiting you again soon? Or the hv?

Bamama

Oh thanks girls. That's made me feel so much better gotta go get him changed now xxx

Student_Mrs

Hey bamama, are you in Cardiff with a gorgeous name like Dewi? My Welsh dragon was born at the Heath and we struggled with bfing for the first 5 days I hospital and then a week after we got home. 18 weeks later, it's so worth it. Are you home now?

So, what type of pump Are you on? Electric or manual, hospital or yours? I have no idea how much you should be producing but know a good kellymom link - a bfers bible - http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/ I've also found baby centre invaluable in night feeds- both bfing and pumping groups - http://community.babycentre.co.uk/groups/a1669245/pumping_mummies

You say he's on feeding tube, are you able to strip down and have skin to skin with him? If he is finding them too full, you could hand express a little to help him get on. He will get much more than a pump ever will. My little man was jaundiced and had to be woken up during feeds, wouldn't latch properly until 6 days later we were given a medela nipple shield.

Pumping I'm going to try and get someone from Facebook group but it should be 8-12 times a day, you should be mimicking a newborns feed pattern and after an attempted feed as you'll be more emotional. Also, milk production is supposed to be higher between 2-5 am I think it is so you'll prob have to get up at least once (which I know is hell, we had to be woken up every 2 hrs to wake him up to get stressed about him taking an hour to feed!)

2 last points and I'm sorry this is so garbled, this is night to me not morning! Get eating and drinking yourself, can oh bring flapjacks? Oats increase supply. In the hospital I couldn't eat, it was though I was waiting for him to be able to eat but needed the energy!
2ndly, ring la leche league or nct support, an internationally board certified lactation support consultant if you can afford them - http://www.lcgb.org/consultants_local_wales.html this might seem ott and too much effort but you sounded like this info will help and for us definitely, breastfeeding is a skill that didn't come easy but is now one of the most enjoyable parts of my day.

Rest well and congratulations!!! Xx

mozzyc

Bamama I'll try get Kira to pop on and give some advice . Congrats and good luck x

Bamama

Hey, always nice to see a fellow Welshie! I'm currently in POW, we got transferred from Singleton after having him in the birth centre in Port Talbot.

I'm using the electric one in the hospital as I've been able to stay with him so far. We've been trying to get him on the breast at most feeding times. I can keep him near my boob while they tube feed him then. He's just falling asleep while he's trying now.

I have some oat biscuits which I've actually eaten a lot of in the week before hospital. Sounds like I need to be expressing much morr often. The ladies here seem happy with every 3-4 hours though?

Thank you for all the links and the advice. I'll have a proper look through when I have more time

xxx