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Having a baby Old Style???

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  • donna-j_2
    donna-j_2 Posts: 467 Forumite
    I think it's fine to leave the sterilised water at room temp then add the formula once he's ready for it. So I've been told anyway ...

    Lots of people mix feed. If he just pulled a face but still took the breast milk then it sounds ok to me. Not that I know myself, just from what other folk have said.
  • jellyhead
    jellyhead Posts: 21,555 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    with regards to the feeds, he had room temp ready made milk in hospital and at home i've been making it at room temp to feed straight away, having room temp water ready in a bottle then adding the formula when the bottle is needed. i find it quicker than waiting for a refridgerated bottle to be warmed up, and also it's easier all round if he has it room temp, it saves all the cooling and warming if we're out. the breastmilk is normally warmed from the fridge though, he only had it fresh from me while in hospital and that didn't work well (we tried for 48 hours straight, during which he didn't sleep and never stopped feeding, he was literally starving and slept as soon as he was given formula by a midwife), it was only once the other day i gave him the fresh breastmilk because he'd already finished his bottle and only wanted a little bit extra so i gave him that bottle i'd just expressed because there was only an ounce in there.

    i did wonder about giving him a mixture of breast and formula (not in the same bottle obviously!) because i thought it might upset his tummy but absolutely every midwife etc. has told me to carry on with it. i also asked if i should freeze or refridgerate the breastmilk and give him a whole feed of it when i have enough but i've been told to give him the ounce i manage to express and then give him formula straight afterwards. i've spoken to breastfeeding counsellors and they all say the same. i realise you shouldn't use both breast and bottle/dummy because of the 2 different sucking actions, but he's having the breastmilk in a bottle so i've been told it doesn't matter. his tongue is a bit tied and he can't latch on, we've already tried nipple shields to see if that helps him get his tongue in the right position but it didn't help. plus i don't make milk fast enough and i have rubbish nipples. we've tried everything to get breastfeeding established, the only thing left was expressing with a pump and putting it into bottles. i've been told over and over that expressing the tiny amount i produce and then using formula the rest of the time is better for him than just using formula. i'm expressing regularly but am only getting 3-5 ounces per day, and that's with using drip try shield things to catch the drips. i just don't make much milk. the initial idea was that the regular pumping would encourage my milk supply and that once my milk came in i'd have enough to be able to feed him breastmilk, and not have any need for formula top-ups but it's just not working. nobody can tell me why.

    anyway, if anybody else thinks that this mixed feeding is bad for him and that i'd be better just sticking to formula please let me know - i'm new to this and i don't know much about breastfeeding (i didn't make a drop of milk for my first child, it never 'came in'), i also don't know anybody who breastfeeds, just the one friend who expressed into bottles because her child had trouble breastfeeding. i've been led to believe that any breastmilk i can give him is a good thing, but of course if the mix of 2 different milk types is causing him discomfort then i'd like to sort it out, i don't want my little peanut being in pain if i can help it. i would prefer to be able to give him breastmilk all of the time but i just don't make it. any suggestions? i've tried hot flannels, cold flannels, baths, stimulation by hand, nothing increases my milk supply. my breasts are swollen and they are visibly 'empty' after i express, i just don't seem to make much. any help appreciated :D
    52% tight
  • hi I don't want to state the obvious but sometimes it helps to go back to basics, are you getting enough rest? (yeah right with a new baby!) Are you drinking plenty of non caffeine non alcohol type drinks-especially in hot weather? Being anxious about producing milk can hinder your supply so you need to find a way to relax about the whole thing.The more baby feeds/you express the more milk your body will supply, breast fed babies usually need feeding every 1/12- 2 hrs as the milk is less fatty & therefore digests quicker, this is normal.Have you read "breast is best" by penny stanway, or "fresh milk" by Fiona Giles. Above all love and nurture your baby,as you obviously do and trust your instincts, You are doing a fabulous job and sound like a very caring mum, good luck with the breast feeding,but the most important thing is that your baby gets fed whichever way works for you both.
    when things go wrong, Don't go with them!
  • jo_b_2
    jo_b_2 Posts: 7,122 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Jellyhead, sounds like you are doing fine. Even a little bit of breastmilk is going to give your baby a brilliant start in life.

    I have certainly never heard any suggestion that mixing the two types of milk causes any difficulties in digestion or stomach pain etc. The only potential problem is the confusion around the different types of sucking involving with breast and bottle, which isn't an issue for you.

    Make sure you look after yourself, drink lots and lots of fluids, eat well and try not to worry. Take care. Jo. x
  • Sarahsaver
    Sarahsaver Posts: 8,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    i have 3 kids, all in an 'old style' way. Terry nappies, homemade food. Try to make our own entertainment as much as possible. Couldn't manage the breastfeeding for more than a month each time. Kids all wear each others' clothes and we get clothes from a friend's children who are older than mine. Always bought from charity shops since before they were born. My son's first toy was from a charity shop. Their cot had been used by 2 friends kids before coming to mine - 10 children in all, then I gave it to a childrens' charity. My children have all homemade food, keep chickens, my daughter could read the sentence 'buy one get one free' when she was 3. What Im saying is it can be done and start them young.
    Going back to the breastfeeding, please do what you feel best about. Your baby will thrive whatever you feed with - your milk or a formula. *hugs* and I remember it well with my first because no-one listened to me that I could not manage. Daughter only put on 4oz in the first month.
    It is possible to breastfeed lying down and you can even be asleep as long as you and babe are in a comfy position. All the best xxx
    Member no.1 of the 'I'm not in a clique' group :rotfl:
    I have done reading too!
    To avoid all evil, to do good,
    to purify the mind- that is the
    teaching of the Buddhas.
  • Hi Jellyhead,

    I have no direct experience of breastfeeding (yet!) but I have done lots of research and spoken to many breasfeeders. Have you tried having a 'babymoon'? Basically, you and little Roo take to your bed, lots of skin to skin contact, feeding on demand and you do nothing but look after him for however long you decide (24, 48 hours, whatever).

    Also, oats are good for aiding milk production - great excuse for flapjacks in my book ;-) but maybe porridge is an easier way to get more oats into you.

    Have you spoken to a breastfeeding counsellor? La Leche League's site is http://www.lalecheleague.org/ and I'm sure they'll have had experience of helping people with tongue tied babies etc.

    There's absolutely no doubt that your breastmilk *is* doing Roo good, so if you're happy with the current arrangement then that's the most important thing. I'd imagine that LLL could answer some of your questions about mix feeding too, though I know lots of people who have done so with no problems.

    Good luck :)
    Baby #1 due December '05 :)
  • Zziggi
    Zziggi Posts: 2,485 Forumite
    1,000 Posts
    maggie1976 wrote:

    Have you spoken to a breastfeeding counsellor? La Leche League's site is http://www.lalecheleague.org/ and I'm sure they'll have had experience of helping people with tongue tied babies etc.

    I rang these people up when i was having probs feeding DS. They put me in touch with a breastfeeding counsellor who was nothing short of excellent! She spent absolutely ages on the phone with me and tried to come up with a whole range of ways of increasing my milk supply in ways that fitted in with what i wanted and our lifestyle. As it happens, with DS i didn't really get to breastfeed better but i probably did carry on trying for longer due to the advice and encouragement i got from the breastfeeding counsellor. However some of the tips i was given i remembered and used with dd and that definitely helped breastfeeding dd.

    Definitely try la Leche league IMHO.
  • pozalina
    pozalina Posts: 179 Forumite
    Hi there,

    Did any of you guys go for a pre-pregnancy check up at the doctors prior to conceiving? I know these things are not always planned but I've read that you should do it if possible. I have a vague memory that Somerset Primcess said she was going for one recently, and wondered what sort of things they are looking for. Rubella immunity is one, I think. Do you just make an appoinment like normal or do you have to specifically request a pre-preg appt? Should I discuss all pre-existing conditions such as previous heart conditions?

    OH and I think we should go together but I feel a bit nervous as I haven't even come off the pill yet! :o

    Thanks,

    P.
    If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right - Henry Ford
  • janjan
    janjan Posts: 22 Forumite
    My daughter was to be breast fed however she had other ideas and refused all food for the first nine days of her life. Despite three midwives trying all they could, my DD ended up in hospital, weighing 5lbs and being fed rehydration fluid then formula through a tube in her nose! (She did finally accept formular feed in a bottle but it took a while).
    I say feed however you can and go with what feels best and if the midwives say a mix is OK go with that unless it gets too much. My DD did not sufer all the horrendous ills that are said to befall formula fed babies and despite feeling a complete failure for ages I now realise it wsa not my fault, she was just awkward!
    Whatever you do enjoy it feeding is fun and at least if you are bottle feeding you can share the night feeds with your other half.
    Jan
    If it aint broke don't fix it!
    God bless
    Jan Jan
  • jellyhead
    jellyhead Posts: 21,555 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    mixed feeding is going okay, i tried him on the breast again but he can't do it. he has colic but the health visitor says the combination of breast and formula isn't causing it, and to carry on doing both if i want to. i got a different pump and am a lot happier with it. i get a bit more out but only just over one feed per day. better than nothing i suppose, hopefully it will help him avoid some of the problems. i know plenty of children who had no problems on formula but we are a family with lots of asthma, eczema, hayfever, dairy intolerance etc. etc. and so are more prone to react badly to formula. i wanted to breastfeed for moneysaving reasons too :rotfl: some people tell me i'm mad to spend a couple of hours on a breast pump just to make one feed, but it makes me feel useful :D
    52% tight
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