MSE Pregnancy Club 28

FreddieFrugal

Thanks Zarf,

Sounds similar situation. Fred was 6lb 2. He was kept just an extra 36 hours for monitoring, but he dropped a lot of weight 16% by day 5. So we had to go in to hospital and top him up with formula as we couldn't get anywhere near enough through expressing.

She's been given antibiotics and told that if bleeding doesn't clear up by the 6 week checkup she'll be sent for a scan to check for any retained placenta. That'll be what's mucked up the supply and got us in this situation with the breastfeeding and weight loss.


We're using cow and gate. He seems fine on that. Plenty of wet nappies. Not many poops but he does usually one a day. Maybe miss a day and make up for it with a nappy avalanche the next day!

We're also using the perfect prep machine.

Its made it so much more manigable.

He's having 3 oz feeds at the mo, so we have to do a 6 oz feed on the prep machine (as it can't do less than 4) split between two bottles once its made.

We also have little bottles of ready mixed that we can take along with a couple of sterilised feeding bottles if we go somewhere.

Its keeping on top of washing and sterilising the bottles that's a pain!

But really if we were just formula feeding it would be perfectly manageable - it seemed a lot of FAFF at first but its just normal now. Its the doing both thats tricky.

Especially when we have no clue whether he's actually getting any milk at all. We've seen breast feeding consultant but there's a limit to what you can do.

Short of just stopping formula all together - there's no way to tell if he could get enough just from the breastfeeding. He'd just end up back in hospital..



We've made the decision today to start gradually cutting back on the number of breast feeds. She'll still try and do one or two ainyy, but its just not manageable as it is.

He can't be getting much breast milk out if he's still needing the amount of formula he is. He's coming off the nipple still starving.

zarf2007

FreddieFrugal wrote: »

Thanks Zarf,

Sounds similar situation. Fred was 6lb 2. He was kept just an extra 36 hours for monitoring, but he dropped a lot of weight 16% by day 5. So we had to go in to hospital and top him up with formula as we couldn't get anywhere near enough through expressing.

She's been given antibiotics and told that if bleeding doesn't clear up by the 6 week checkup she'll be sent for a scan to check for any retained placenta. That'll be what's mucked up the supply and got us in this situation with the breastfeeding and weight loss.


We're using cow and gate. He seems fine on that. Plenty of wet nappies. Not many poops but he does usually one a day. Maybe miss a day and make up for it with a nappy avalanche the next day!

We're also using the perfect prep machine.

Its made it so much more manigable.

He's having 3 oz feeds at the mo, so we have to do a 6 oz feed on the prep machine (as it can't do less than 4) split between two bottles once its made.

We also have little bottles of ready mixed that we can take along with a couple of sterilised feeding bottles if we go somewhere.

Its keeping on top of washing and sterilising the bottles that's a pain!

But really if we were just formula feeding it would be perfectly manageable - it seemed a lot of FAFF at first but its just normal now. Its the doing both thats tricky.

Especially when we have no clue whether he's actually getting any milk at all. We've seen breast feeding consultant but there's a limit to what you can do.

Short of just stopping formula all together - there's no way to tell if he could get enough just from the breastfeeding. He'd just end up back in hospital..



We've made the decision today to start gradually cutting back on the number of breast feeds. She'll still try and do one or two ainyy, but its just not manageable as it is.

He can't be getting much breast milk out if he's still needing the amount of formula he is. He's coming off the nipple still starving.

Tell me about it, the constant round of sterilising bottles is a pain!

When our son was in the Nicu my wife managed to express some and does produce some milk but not enough for a full feed. TBH at least he is getting some is how I see it and the formula is definitely bulking him up (he lost 300g of his birth weight initially but has made that up quickly then some).

The nappy changes I don't mind (let's just say I can't look at Dijon mustard the same way again ) but it doesn't really smell (no doubt this will change when he starts on solids after 6 months).

The hardest part is the fact that you feed, burp, change nappy and by the time he is settled an hour has gone by!! My wife does the 12:30am feed/change and I get the 3:30 so by the time he is settled I have to set off for work a couple of hours later so that's a killer.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about the minimal breast feeding, at least he is getting some

FreddieFrugal

Hello all, sorry feel like I've hijacked this thread a bit over the last few days. I should have left by now!


Just wanted to say that this morning she tried again with the pump for 15 minutes and got 10ml of breast milk out! She was only using it in the hope of reducing the engorged feeling she had, as he'd struggled to latch this morning,

That may sound tiny but considering she was getting barely a ml before it seemed like a huge amount to us and caused a lot of excitement.

Unfortunately as we'd figured she just wasn't pump compatible we'd only been using it thinking of it as stimulation, so it hadn't been properly cleaned or sterilised.

So had to throw that precious milk away!

It's all clean now though, so she's going to try again after the next feed and see what we get.


EDIT - he's latched on now and we can actually hear swallowing!

psychopathbabble

Good afternoon all, our little Miss (no name yet!) decided to arrive 8 days early at 3.56 this morning weighing 7.7lb. It's so surreal to think we are parents now and are responsible for this newborn! Both of us are doing well, and I am hoping to feed her myself but I guess time will tell.

Tinks05

psychopathbabble wrote: »

Good afternoon all, our little Miss (no name yet!) decided to arrive 8 days early at 3.56 this morning weighing 7.7lb. It's so surreal to think we are parents now and are responsible for this newborn! Both of us are doing well, and I am hoping to feed her myself but I guess time will tell.

Congratulations :j:j:j

Hope everything went well!

Beckyy

I'm so behind on posts, I hope everyone is well.

Congratulations Psycho!! Hope you're both doing well and everything went/is going smoothly x

Freddie, supply is meant to be at its highest late evening and early morning so they might be the best times to express the most. Glad baby Fred is doing well. Does he take both sides when he's breastfeeding?

Kynthia

Congratulations Pyschopathbabble. :j A little girl, how lovely. You'll have to share your story soon.

FreddieFrugal

Congratulations pyschopathbabble! :T

rubywhatashmoo

Ahhh Team Pink!! Congratulations psycho let us know when you pick a name and how you're getting on

sexymouse

Congratulations psychopathbabble - I've been looking out for your announcement ever since you posted to say you thought you may be in labour. Hope you're well?