Hello Ladies

I need some reassurance that im still doing ok...

My little girl has just gone 11 weeks and is EBF We had some problems in the beginning, she dropped from 7lb 14oz when born to 7lb 4oz then slowly started to gain weight. I was prescribed Domperidone to increase my supply as the HV wasnt satisfied with DD weight gain. Even now at 10 weeks she only weighed 9lb 5oz - which doesnt seem much to me??

The last few days she has wanted to feed almost constantly.. maybe going half an hour before screaming for me. My mam and hubby are starting to suggest she would be better on formula but this is so important to me. I suspect half the time she is just using me as a dummy but iv tried numerous different types and she will not tolerate one!

She will do about two four hour stretches at night but we co sleep so it could be more often.

Am i starving her??

If she's feeding constantly last few days its probably a growth spurt. If she has lots of wet nappies, and is lively and alert when she's awake I'm sure she's fine.

Have you been back to the HV for more advice? Is she supportive of you wanting to BF? Are there any local BF advisors you can talk to or groups you can go to?

Hiya, yes HV is very supportive and it was her who made the appt with Dr to ask him to prescribe me the domperidone. She is coming out next Wednesday to do her 12 wk check so will ask her then. I'm just really having a confidence crisis. My 4 yr old is playing up, waking in the night having huge temper tantrums and demanding only me... It's taking it out of me... He wakes her then I have to feed her off to sleep again. Hubby is complaining I go to bed too early and we don't get any time together... I'm doubting everything I do.
Yes she is having wet nappies, has milk on her lips / tongue when i pull her off, is alert but is only happy for very short periods of time when not feeding. My little boy was FF so I have no BF experience and constantly worry I'm not enough for her x

Sounds like a growth spurt to me, which is really common at around 12 weeks. When my DD did this she fed every half an hour for 16 hours and I was terrified that I had run out of milk and wasn't satisfying her. I spent a lot of time on the phone to an NCT Breastfeeding Advisor who was really helpful and reassuring and basically said to just keep feeding her as it's how she tells your boobs to make more milk.

Maybe tell your Mum and Hubs that you need them to entertain your 4 yr old for the weekend so you can concentrate on feeding your baby.

Take a big bottle of water and snacks up to bed with a good book and spend all day feeding and snoozing as often as she wants and trust your body and her to know what they're doing.

Relax and enjoy this special time together - it passes much too quickly!

Mrs B xxx

PS.
I have a fantastic book called The Food of Love which I always reach for when I need reassurance. Try and get hold of a copy it'll fill you with confidence.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Love-Formula-Successful-Breastfeeding/dp/0954930959/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324111556&sr=8-2

Thank you. Will have a look for that book, don't know why it didn't occur to me to look for one before!
Hubby has just took DS downstairs and brought me breakfast in bed so hopefully if we feed all day then she will settle back down. I'm so determined to do this I just worry incase my stubbornness over clouds my common sense and stops me making a proper judgement on what's best for her. X

It definitely sounds like a possible growth spurt. Hannah has had one recently (along with teething) & has had me up 5-6 times during the night. I'm trying to find time for DH & myself with children in bed, time to wrap christmas gifts, time to play with Samantha & feel like that time is ever diminsihing with Hannah wanting more & more (anyone would think I starve her but she probably gets more food than the rest of the family put together).
If your LO is gaining weight then your milk is providing nutrition. Remember to watch what you eat & drink also as that is essentially what you are feeding baby (you should be aiming for 2500 calories a day).

i agree, prolly a growth spurt and it doesnt mean you need to stop bf or that you dont have enough milk. your body will adjust. it always bothers me when people suggest formular as the answer to stuff. my son (now 4 and a half months) started waking up loads at night and people also said give him formula even when i knew he wasnt waking due to hunger. i say continue if its going well for you and as long as shes healthy and happy youre doing everything right. x

Hi
I had the the same problem Isabelle lost more that 10% in the first few days. I have battled for 8wks of her crying pretty much all the time. She was only quiet while she was feeding.
Feeling totally warn out and pretty much at my limit I decided to take the plunge and top her up with a bottle. I do feel a little let down that I have had to do this but for me I did not see any other option as she was waking every hour through the night for a feed.
I now have a different baby she is so much more content and happy. I am still breast feeding as well but just topping her up with a bottle at night.
She is now sleeping from 9pm until 3am, which is amazing. Don't feel guilty all through my pregnancy all I wanted to do was breast feed I guess it does not work for every baby. At least she is still getting some of my milk. I am not suggesting formular is the answer to everyone's problems but I think for me mixed feeding is working because otherwise I think I was heading for a nervous breakdown I was not happy and neither was Isabelle.
Good luck
Annie

hi miss strawberrie

just wanted to say what a fab job you're doing - its not easy to commit to bf after you've formula fed a previous child - it's harder work and you know how it would probably be if she had formula - so good on you for resisting. Family mean well but usually its a general ignorance about what is normal for BF.

Your LO sounds completely normal. There have been 24 hour periods where ive fed my LO every hour - its a killer but its natures way of getting enough supply for the future. He always goes back to normal after this time.

i think it matters less what she weighs as how that plots on her growth chart. Formula fed babies do get stodged on formula and settle better, this doesnt mean formula's better for them, it isn't. I can't imagine how hard things are with another LO as mine is my first but you've come this far. You always have the option of early weaning in a month or so if it becomes too much - i would rather give food than formula (I thought at 12 weeks i would do by 17 weeks, we are now 17 weeks and things have settled so am holding off as long as i can).xx

Thank you Alfie

She does seem to have settled back to normal... only thing is normal with her is still feeding lots!

My Mum actually BF me but apparently i only fed for 10 mins every 3 hours and put on weight in huge amounts!! I think the main reason my Mum is questioning me is that my little boy absolutley adores her and had stayed overnight a few times already by my daughters age but every time, well not every time but a lot of the time she picks her up DD crys for me. She is going to look after her when i go back to work so i think shes starting to panic over her attachement to me. (i would never go to anyone else when i was a baby and no one would look after me!)

Annie I did think at the beginning of supplementing her with a bottle at night so i could spend more time with my little boy but i worry about interupting my supply and because this is what happened with DS im scared to try it. She wont take a dummy so i doubt she would be to impressed with a bottle and iv struggled to express.

Kazzie, thanks i am trying to eat properly but a reminder about calories was helpful.

hi miss strawberrie

normal is lots - i think things were unusual for your mum. Not to be disrespectful about your mum, but my mum remembers all kinds of crazy things that can't have been true. A lot of stuff she cant remember at all! You can imagine in 20 or 30 years it will all seem a bit of a blur.

My friend at postnatal group has a baby that started life at 8 pounds at term. She is now 16 weeks, on the 9th centile, you can feel everyone of her ribs. She feeds for 5 mins every 4 hours and always has done. Its not enough for her and wouldnt be for most babies.

your little girl probably cries for you because she feeds so frequently and everytime she gets snuggled to someone it reminds her! She also has lost time to make up for with her weight loss in the beginning. I know its tough on practicalities but you've just done SO well - and work is a way off yet.

My LO loves the boob so much its almost a spiritual thing for him (lol) he relaxes in a star fished position so everyone asks me if he's asleep- he's not, he's totally blissed out feeding! When he goes on he tunes out of the world and when he comes off he always looks round with surprise that we're all still there. He won't take a bottle as he loves his snuggles and bfs so much - im perservering as i worry about him being distressed when i go back, but i have 4 months and he'll be an older child by then - there's always the option of a beaker too.

ill always feed him where i can and will never regret doing it - its been so special...im very defensive of breast feeding mummies as they do an amazing job which is very rarely appreciated by others, but your LO knows what an amazing thing you're doing for her.xx

Your probably right Alfie its just my insecurities that make me question everything! It also doesn't help that my best friend had a baby two weeks before me (who granted was a pound heavier at birth) but she is ex bf and feeds 3 hourly and weighs over 14lb now!
I think I just need to concentrate on us and see how we get on. Luckily I'm confident in feeding in public so we arnt confined to the house! And another plus is that she cries for me every time the MIL has her!
Weigh day on Wednesday so will see how we get on then x

Baby girl had put on 10oz in two weeks.. not a huge amount but i was soo pleased as the previous 4 weeks she had only put on 7oz! HV says she is dainty and is never going to be one of those babies that gain loads of weight.

For the moment im just going to enjoy her being teeny as she is the last baby im going to have and wait patiently for her to fit in to all her gorgeous out fits that I have for her in 3-6 months!!

Will look at food weaning in 6 weeks or so and see how we get on, would love to be able to do this until she is old enough to drink cows milk and bypass formula all together.

Thanks for all your advice and support x

you're doing great miss strawberrie x