MSE Newborn to 1 year Baby Club 1

Bamama

Thanks mozzy x

Kira000

Bamama wrote: »

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.

Hi hon. It sounds like there are a few things in your post. I had a few problems with my LO and milk at about day 5/6 and we ended up back in hospital. Day 5/6 is usually when your supply really kicks in, and i had a bit of an oversupply issue, which LO sometimes found it a bit difficult to deal with. Mostly it is a strong let down that causes the issue, bit like a hose going off in your face, rather than too much milk itself- generally your supply with gradually adjust to how much LO is taking. For strong let down, the best bet is to manually express for a short period, just to get the let down going- dont worry about catching it to use, i did it into a clean muslin (or two!). That gets rid of the inital spurt, which should make it easier then for LO to latch on without being swamped.
The other issue with oversupply, is that LO tends to get too much foremilk, which is thirst quenching, then feels full and comes off, before they get enough of the richer hind milk that keeps them going longer. Luckily if you do the initial express into the muslin thing, it gets rid of some of the foremilk, so they get to the hindmilk.
The other thing to do with oversupply, that helps with the fore/hind issue, is block feed. So start on the same boob you last used. i.e feed left, then offer right. Next feed, feed right, then offer left.

On expressing, when we were at the hospital after being readmitted, i was told to express after every feed, and told to feed every 2 hours by day, every 3 hours by night to start with, which is ALOT of feeding and expressing! You should find that your supply is greatest in the middle of the night/early morning, and dwindles a bit in the afternoon, when you are most tired. So if you are expressing to collect for feeding, you should make sure to do a night collection/early morning one. Drinking plenty of fluids around 3pm, and eating oaty flapjacks/drinking malt drinks, and sitting with your feet up for an hour, should boost your supply at the low times.

Hopefully if you can get him established on the boob, you can drop some of the expressing, which will make things easier!

Hope that helps a little. Shout if i can help at all.

K xx
Hope that helps a bit?

RebekahR

Cant stop long as a long travel home here. But you can never ever have too much milk. Stick resr in bittle bags and freeze t home. Im now at the stage of about to start weaning and have noe stored!Buy the
week by week book some else cqn plonk u the link it has rough guides.for.feeding od each week both for milk amounts and also for breastfeeding which is measured in times of feeds.I would say to have lots of skin to akin bare boobs time and plqce baby bwtween your boobies that way can smell you and get used to what they feel like and smell. dont wxpext latxhing attempts but if they happen then brill.Gotta run suitcase to pack i try and dip in later!But 100ml sounds tons i dont remembee her taking moee than that at this stage so you have super boobs indeed!!! xxxxxx

katiechoc_2

Morning ladies

Congratulations Bamama, hope some of the advice is helpful for you.

How are you and your family doing now sammie? Hope you're ok.

What does everyone have planned for tonight? We're going out to fil's in the early evening but will be home by 12 and probably tucked up in bed!

We've got tooth no3 coming through at the moment, have calpoled him this morning as its all we've got in but its not done much. He's also pulling himself up on anything he can get his sticky fingers around - its exhausting keeping track of him all the time! Any tips on how to stop him standing up in his cot? Bit worried he'll wobble over and clonk his head on the bars...

Little vid of G battering his new xylophone
http://youtu.be/VT_-nhTQQe8

turtlemoose

bamama you've had some great advice here, so I won't drone on and on

I second kira with drink plenty of water, rest, eat oats, and drink malt drinks. I second rebekah telling you to get the boobs out! Lay/sit with your baby having skin to skin as much as poss. studentmrs is right you do need to be pumping a little more (don't worry you can always freeze any spare) because you need your body to think it's your baby suckling not the pump.

My boy was also too poorly to feed, and was in hospital for the first 10 days. When i held him and attempted to feed him, he was limp, floppy, asleep, unresponsive. So I spent 10 days exclusively pumping (and feeding him with a cup), and then his condition improved and on day 10 he latched on. He'll be 7 months on Friday and is still breastfed stick at it honey, it can be done!

Anything you need to know, or just wamt to moan and get support, we're all here x

Bamama

Thanks so much Kira. Do you think I'm ok staying at every 3-4 hours with the expressing? I'm matching it to his feeding times and noone here has mentioned doing it more often.

Also I don't think I have a strong let down though most of his feeds have been in between my expressing times. They just tend to dribble down him lol.

turtlemoose

Oh bamama when we were in hospital we had to keep track of his feeds, I've just dug out the chart thing. AT 6 days old he was having between 40ml and 60 ml every 3 hrs, and was 8lb at birth. (and I was pumping every 2.5 hrs in the day and every 3 hrs during the night) I remember the hospital tried to get me to feed him more, based on a calculation of age and weight, however that is for formula and whnever I fed him that quantity he would just puke is up. Every baby is different, there's a pumping mummy on here called sexymouse her baby is about 3 months old I think, and he drinks nearly twice what my boy did at that age - so there is a little bit of trial and error to see what is enough for your baby.

Bamama

Thanks turtlemoose. Ive seen sexymouse lurking in the pregnancy forum. I will pump more often from today on! Should i be setting a time or amount limit?

Gillyx

I exclusively expressed and was told every 3 hours but in reality I needed to do it 8-12 times a day. I would wake twice in the night to do it as I'd get the most milk then. Hope he latches on soon xx

Bamama

Deffo need to up the number of times then.

FYI I "emptied" this morning and finished at half 6. Having got 2x80ml. Got a bit delayed with the doctors and got 100+80ml finished at 10.50.

So many questions! Am i ok doing both every time or should I be alternating? I'm happy to express more as i would like daddy to be able to give him a few bottles in 3/4 months.