rubbish at this

[annie4]

my lo is almost 2 weeks old. I have been trying to bf him but with 3 other children i have resorted to 'topping' him up with formula after every bf - he does latch on well but he falls asleep despite all the tickles etc - he can be latched on and be semi feeding (sucking on and off) for almost an hour and still down 2/3 oz of formula - i know there is loads of milk as it is running down his chin when i go to burp him - where do i go from here??? I would love to exclusivley bf him but i do need a break of at least 2/3 hrs between feeds for the other children - if he could he would pitch up permantent residence at my boobs and never move-just doze and eat all day and night (lovely life if you could get it)
any advise would be appreciated
thanks

 

[Lola's Mummy]

Lola was like this she would always fall asleep and as soon as I moved her away from the breast she would wake up again and want feeding, I found she would always feed best in the rugby ball position.

It did get better after about 3 weeks the feeds started to get shorter, She's 6 weeks today and it takes 10/15 mins now.

I'm really glad I stuck with it but I didn't have any other children to look after

Hope it gets beeter soon

 

[trixipaws]

i just put up with it it only lasted 3/4 weeks, but i dont hav any other children- i think if i had 3 others i wouldnt hav time 2 BF at all! u done really well

 

[Beany]

I cant offer any advice from personal experience but I know a man who can! lol (well a couple of women anyhoo )

Budge has 4 children and all have been breastfed - so I am sure she wouldnt mind you sending her a PM just in case she doesnt see this thread. Also Kina has been BF her second LO so she may also be able to offer advice. Beanie is very experienced to so she is another source of info that may come in handy.

Good luck and let us know how things go

 

[budge]

my lo is almost 2 weeks old. I have been trying to bf him but with 3 other children i have resorted to 'topping' him up with formula after every bf - he does latch on well but he falls asleep despite all the tickles etc - he can be latched on and be semi feeding (sucking on and off) for almost an hour and still down 2/3 oz of formula - i know there is loads of milk as it is running down his chin when i go to burp him - where do i go from here??? I would love to exclusivley bf him but i do need a break of at least 2/3 hrs between feeds for the other children - if he could he would pitch up permantent residence at my boobs and never move-just doze and eat all day and night (lovely life if you could get it)
any advise would be appreciated
thanks

The topping up bit after a feed has to stop if you are to succeed chick .

The thing is what you are doing is feeding him perhaps the foremilk which isn't filling him and then topping him up woth formula. So youtr breasts are not producing the right amount of milk for your baby.
Try not topping up. Let baby fed till hes had enough and drops off the breast. Wind him the try the other side.
If your other children are making it hard try getting them all busy whilst you do it. Sit them with you and read a book to them or stick cartoons on or give them some snack or something . Anything to distract them.
I do empathise with you. it is hard when you have other kids.

good luck.

and by the way you're not rubbish at it at all. don't think like that.

 

[annie4]

thanks for the replies - i know in my heart that the top ups are a bad idea - just wish i could manage it all

 

[budge]

how old are your other children annie?

 

[Xena]

Aye it's hard when they do that - fall asleep whilst feeding and then wake up as soon as you put them down wanting more food.
Alex does this sometimes as well, but sometimes I find that it's not food that he's after when I put him down, it's just that he was comforting himself with the sucking and the feel of the breast being there.

I give him a dummy if he starts fussing after I've put him down. Sometimes that calms him down and he goes back to sleep (in which case I know it was just the comfort of sucking that he was wanting).
Other times the dummy doesn't work, so then I put him back to the breast because it's obvious that he really is still hungry.

I don't like dummies very much but I've found them useful for Alex I have to say. Lydia never needed one, but then again, with her I had more time to sit around just have her on my breast. Obviously I can't do that with Alex though because I have Lydia to look after aswell, so I do the above mentioned dummy test with him

 

[cloud9]

I don't have any other children so it is much easier for me...

Things that helped me in the beginning

Stripping dylan down to his nappy when he dozed off also sitting him up to feed rather than snuggled down.

Now he is older it is normall his supper feed whn i know he hasn't had enough so i put him down on the bed and leave him a couple of minutes to wake up so i can top him up..he has alway ate at a great rate though

for you