expressing for a newborn......?

[tallulah73]

Last night was a nightmare. Im breastfeeding my 5day old newborn and last night he woke at 2am for a feed and was still going at 4am! I fed him from both breasts which he completely emptied and then cried for more.
I changed him back to the first breast i started with but i don't think the flow was fast enough for him so he got really frustrated. In the end i had to resort to giving him formula from a bottle to top him up which i really didn't want to do.

Would it be too early to invest ina breast pump and express for nightime feeds incase this happens again or would this just confuse him?


Maybe in just not producing enough milk to satisfy him.

 

[valentine]

It is possible, but in all honesty its a bit early. If you introduce bottles and teats with a baby so young, he may get nipple confusion and end up preferring the bottle (easier suck to get milk out, breastfeeding for babies is a bit of a skill).

I totally understand how tired you are, believe me, but the only way to get your body to produce more milk is to keep him on the breast. I know you won't believe me, but your boobs don't run out of milk, they keep producing something, no matter how empty they feel. Giving formula at this point is not a great idea (but I do understand why you did it) as it'll just give your boobs the wrong message about how much milk your baby requires.

It sounds like you are producing enough milk, but if you are worried I'd advise plenty of drinks of water (at least 2l a day), lots of oats like porridge and flapjacks and plenty of rest (ha! I know). Your baby is still so young so your body is still adjusting to how much milk he needs and will do for a few weeks yet. You are at an absolutely crucial stage now and I'd encourage you to keep going on the breast, you won't regret it, its brilliant once you get past these hurdles.

If you are so so tired, could you consider co-sleeping? Its perfectly safe if you follow the guidelines which your mw or HV can give you. Or could your OH or someone else close to you take baby for a walk or look after him in the house for an hour or two while you catch some sleep?

Good luck and keep posting.

Valentine Xxx

 

[widowwadman]

Without my pump I would have given up in the first week as Mills and I really struggled when the milk came in properly. She never had a problem with switching back from the bottle (TT closer to nature) to breast

 

[keelie_b]

The first few weeks with a newborn are so damn hard its unreal. you really do have to be carefull using bottles and BF, it goes wrong for so many people. As Valentine said, your LO wont go hungry but he will just have to work that bit harder. its so tiring, no one can prepare for the sleep deprivation you suffer with a newborn, and all though you know its worth it, it doesnt make it any easier. At day 5 your emotions will be going haywire as well, i remember crying at everything and anything so dont beat yourself up if this is the case.
If your really worried you could express, but i would recomend paying more for a bottle that works with breast feeding. Do you use dummies? your LO's so teeny he could just be wanting to comfort suck, i know Sherlock knows of good ones that dont create confusion is it NUK or something like that? hopefully she'll see this if not you could PM her. I love when she answers my posts shes like a baby guru
At 5 days old your LO could just be wanting to be with mummy as thats all he knows i agree co sleeping is a good idea?
When you gave LO the formula, how much did he take? was he actually hungry? i was also told that if giving formula someone else should give it as LO will smell your milk and want the real thing!
The famous word when breast feeding "Persevere" (i dont think i can spell it ) it DOES get easier. your LO will work out his own routine and you'll just have to go with it as much as you can .
I hope you find something soon that works for you

 

[Chrissy1]

I've expressed one bottle a day for my daughter since the day my milk came in and she's never had a problem and it's been brilliant for me