Help i'm at my wits end

Jessica - posted on 03/19/2012

My son was also a very hungry baby. i couldn't keep up with his feeds so i ended up giving him a bottle at lunch time and 1before bed. i did breastfeed him til 18months but kept up 1 or 2 bottles of formula the whole time. It can get very distressing for you but if the baby is hungry then she/he should be fed. you wouldn't be happy either if you're expecting a huge meal and just receive a cracker.... Give it a go and see if it helps....

Hayley - posted on 04/09/2009

yikes tough call. i would talk to your doc about it. every baby is different and all moms are different too. i put my baby on 1/2 bottle 1/2 breat til he was 4 months old and he was perfect with both. bottle day time and some breast when i had enough milk. then breast at night so i could lay with him in bed and sleep instead of get up in the middle of the night with him. that was the best time for me =) god luck.

ask your doc if you have questions!

Joy - posted on 04/08/2009

Have you tried a lactation class. That really helped me. I had a friend who's baby was not getting enough milk and she found out that her baby was basically starving two days till she went to see the lactation nurse. Once there, she did a lot better. I also had better success at BF after the lactation nurse. I am so comfortable now and it doesnt even hurt at all.

Amanda - posted on 04/08/2009

My son was a lazy eater and would eat 45/mins each side and then 1/2 hour off. It was ridiculous....that is all I got done doing. I pumped and bottle fed and that helped a lot. I started him on small amounts of food early too but you won't get much acceptance of that on here I have noticed. I switched to all formula at 3-4 months. Good luck. I know what you are going through!

Joanne - posted on 04/08/2009

It is normal for a baby that young to want to eat every 2 hours. It sounds like she is doing okay with the weight gain, a baby gains anywhere from 3 to 8 ozs a week. If your really concerned I would talk to your doctor. Make sure you are trying to give her both boobs, this will help you and her. It is important that you don't let her use you as a pacifier, you can introduce one now. Nipple confusion is less likely to happen. I would keep up with the breast feeding. Remember your body always produces what your baby needs, it is all supply and demand. You can also get a pill from your doctor that will help you produce milk faster. I know breastfeeding seem hard but it does get better over time. In the end you have to do what is best for you and the baby. If your stress the baby senses that and it makes breastfeeding more difficult. Don't guilt your self about switching to formula ( if that's what you decide). Formula has come a long way and is much better now.

Mel - posted on 04/07/2009

as others suggested have u tried a dummy? at 4 kgs i would say she is not quite getting enough (my daughter went thru problems with weight gain and was at one point gaining about 10 grams a week at that age and now at 12 months is losing weight). have u thought about giving formula as well as breast feeding? when i switched my girl over she gained 90 grams over night. also at 9 weeks maybe u could think about trying some solids within the next few weeks? maybe some rice cereal or pureed fruit and vegies. my daughter was very petite and born at 2.8 kilos and is still now only 7 kilos so some babies are actually jst quite small and dont gain heaps of weight.

Helen - posted on 04/06/2009

i breast fed with one bottle for the night feed - from when i added the bottle he gained weight much better and after 5 weeks slept right through !0 hours +

Emily - posted on 04/06/2009

At that age let them nurse whenever possible. The more you nurse the more milk you will make. Sucking for comfort is important too for a baby that young. 6 months old is the youngest age that the CIO experts recomend starting.

Amie - posted on 04/06/2009

Well being only 9 weeks she's still too small to self soothe. She needs to know mom and dad are there, babies don't have the memory yet to know that you'll always be there when you leave them so a lot of interaction is needed.
She may be going through or gone through already a growth spurt so that could be why she wants to eat more. The bigger they get the more they need. If you want to switch to formula though that's ok too. Don't feel bad about it. I know my own kids when they were babies, newborn included, it didn't seem like they were gaining weight but then they got longer before they got chunkier. Now with my older 3 though it's the opposite, they get little Buddha bellies then shoot up. lol.
The soother, dummy, suckie (whatever you call it lol) can be beneficial too but if she doesn't want it or gets upset by it don't push it. Our newborn has one but she's used it only a handful of times. My older 3, well our oldest girl used hers until she was about 10 months then threw it away, the other 2 only used theirs when teething. Some kids just don't like them. =)

Elizabeth - posted on 04/06/2009

HAve u tried a dummy. Iknow ppl dont like them butnhey they work....Liz

Merilyn - posted on 04/06/2009

I have a 9 week old boy who crys also when you put him to sleep during the day i have to give him a dummy and put him on his tummy that has made so much of a difference with him, im also breastfeeding but i dont weigh my son all the time i know he is getting enough milk by the amout of nappies if theres 6 or more then shes going fine! i have also thought about using formula but then i think the breast is quicker to get too and doesnt cost a thing :P good luck.

Kat - posted on 04/06/2009

yea there is absolutly nothing wrong with putting her on formula now, it has no reflection on you as a parent and you should feel confident knowing that you have given her the very best start by breastfeeding up to this point! I am a firm believer in routine vrs demand feeding as this will help sleep train her so she knows when its time to go to sleep and more importantly the difference between night and day! this will help you gain some normality back on you life also, I have a son just turned 2years and a daughter just turned 1year so for me this routine was and is essential it is also proving very effective.



I fed at 8am, 12noon, 4pm, and 8pm (the last feed being midnight, to begin with after a few weeks you can start to move the midnight feed back to 11pm then 10pm and by that time you should find her start to drop a bottle and you increase the amount she has in the day) and then having her on formula I was able to accuratly measure what she was taking in as well, this put my mind at rest really so when they did cry I knew it wasnt hunger and it wasn't anything they needed. It might take up to a week or 2 with leo it took 4 days with lexci it took 6 days but a 2 weeks vrs months of sleepless nights was a sacrifice I was willing to make! I really hope this helps you x If you do decide to go down this route then persistance is essential be confident knowing that your child will not be hungry if she is taking her bottles and so providing her bottom is clean there is nothing wrong she is just pushing boundrys which is perfectly normal in my experience. which ever way you decide to go i wish you all the best :)

Fiona - posted on 04/06/2009

i have twin boys which i tryed to breast feed one was good for the first two days they lost more then 10% of the birth weight in under two days my nurse got me to do sub feeds with formula ( karicare gold) with in days i seen the differents in both boys so i turned to just formula one of my boys would scream when i layed him down i found out that he was lacos intolerce also had reflux and colic it was so had to deal with but i got there now it is easyer there six months now and its easy things will get better in time if your to worried take her to your dc there will help you good luck keep me posted

Katrina - posted on 04/06/2009

i have 6 kids i bottle feed all my kids and there all fine but, My last son when he was 2 days old would have a bottle and fall asleep as soon as we layed him down he would scream this went on for 2 weeks we found out he was lacto intolerce had reflux and was consterpated we had to change his formula which helped,we had to make sure when he went to bed he was almost sitting up. If she is falling alseep while feeding try giving half a bottle and then give her a bath and then give the rest ,and in the middle of the night give half and then change her nappy then change her clothes she should drink the rest then go to sleep...good luck

Kate - posted on 04/06/2009

my sister had the same problem with her little one. she now feeds her by breast in the day, and gives her a bottle before she goes to bed. the health visitor advised her to. her little girl is looking much more healthy, and is alot more content now she has a full tummy. unfortunately breast feeding has the downside that they get far too comfy!

if you dont want to try the bottle... try keeping her awake when shes feeding (tickle feet etc), and then put her in when she falls asleep.

a good solution would be to get a dummy....?

Jennifer - posted on 04/06/2009

I was able to breastfeed my first till she was over 6 months old with no problems. However, second time around I just pretty much had nothing. My midwife was fantastic and got me an electric breast pump to used first thing in the morning before feeding to see just how much milk I had. I didn't even get to 50ml. My poor baby just wasn't getting enough to gain weight. So on to formula she went and we never looked back. Check with your main carer/doctor to see what is happening with your supply and if you do have to top up with formula or go formula completely don't beat yourself up over it. You have to do what is best for you and your little angel.

Tanith - posted on 04/06/2009

Make sure she is rinking all the milk from one boob before changing her over - the first half of your milk is watery to quench their thirst and the seconhalf is full of fat and nutrients to fill her up. If she does not drink a lot, trexpressing after she has had a feed and then give her that milk - it will keep her fuller for longer and you dont have to switch to formula. You could also try a dummy to ve her when she is comfort sucking

Good luck - mine did the same I found this helped heaps

Ashley - posted on 04/06/2009

My son did the same thing. He would feed, I breast fed for about a week. He did not catch on and I was latching him on right because all the nurses at the hosptial said so, he just wasn't getting the concept. I switched him to formula because he lost below the 10% weight mark after birth. If you decide to switch from breast milk to formula there is nothing wrong with that. My son is perfectly healthy and has been on formula since birth practically. If you do decide to keep trying the breast, feed her when she wants and wake her up for feedings otherwise she will let you know when she's hungry. A pump does work. After I switched from breast milk to formula I had to pump because I was sore and tried again to give him breast milk and he didn't want it. So try to pump and that may help her feed more.

Lisa - posted on 04/06/2009

i had the same problem with bailey my second son i decided i want to continue breast feeding but started expressing so i knew how much he was getting helped loads as i knew he wasnt hungry when he was drinking 8 ounce bottles x

Becca - posted on 04/06/2009

i think if you really want to breastfeed maybe a breast pump could help build your supply although dont ever feel guilty for swapping to formula if that suits you both best. formula is specially formulated to give your baby everything she needs and can sometimes be more beneficial. as for her wanting to suck i found that a dummy is a godsend my third child only had one for 4 mths but it helped when he was newborn and all he wanted to do was suck. hope this helps

Amanda - posted on 04/05/2009

I have a daughter that is going to be five months this month and when she was first born I was concerned about the same thing as well she seemed to feed and while feeding she would fall asleep, if your baby tends to fall asleep while feeding try feeding with just a diaper on or a cool cloth to brush on their forehead these are a few things I tried and they seemed to work!  Anyways my little one didn't seem like she was gaining weight but when she had her check-up she was doing good!  Also if you continue to nurse make sure you give your baby vitamin D drops as breastmilk does not supply this and it is very important to baby's growth!  Don't give up!  Maybe you should try pumping off your milk and mixing it with formula, like a half and half mixture this may help baby sleep better!  Does your baby take a pacifyer?  If yes try feeding and then when baby falls asleep put the suther in the mouth instead that also worked with my little one!   Hope this helps!

Valerie - posted on 04/05/2009

Breast feeding is Definatly the BEST method, I've done it for all 3 of my kids and I think having a baby @ 16 if I can do it and deal anyone should beable to try. I know there are Medical probs sometimes and ppl can't... anyway I would Talk to your Dr before switching and to see if your baby is sick. Maybe she has Colic there is a lot  of gas medicines and things to do for the baby like a warm heating pad or baby bouncer, my kids Loved being on their tummies. My son is now 2 and he was like that would be hungry but then not eat and cry when you lay him down.  Sometimes they are too warm, try taking her socks off and tickling her feet make sure she is awake to eat so she will eat more and be full. Not all babies gain alot of weight quickly mine is very skinny Still that's just his body.. Good LUCK if you need to chat, I will be on here :)

Debbie - posted on 04/05/2009

hi Ginelle,

Im a mum of twins born earlly. I had the same problem What I did was gave breast milk n followed by some formula n it helped as the formula settled their tummy.

The doctors did some tests on my breast milk n found out my milk was closer to water then milk so its good to check it out.

my boys went on Nan Gold formula full time from 7 weeks of age n if u see them now u wouldnt think they were premmies

Susan - posted on 04/05/2009

If you are not getting adequate sleep and rest yourself then your milk might not be enough for your baby. Try formula to suppliment breast milk at night

Claire - posted on 04/05/2009

I bottle fed my first and breast fed the 2nd for about 2 months and also supplemented him with formula.  But he put on loads of weight.  My view of breast feeding is, if you're happy and relaxed then baby will be.  But why stress yourself out just because people tell you breast is best.  As long as baby is loved and fed does it really matter where the milk comes from.  You want a happy contented baby and mother and that's what's important.  If you really want to breastfeed then don't give up yet, but don't make yourself ill by thinking it's the be all and end all.  Baby will do just fine on formula.

Sarah - posted on 04/05/2009

try alfalfa vitamins or blessed thistle vitamins, or both, they help to make the milk more filling for the baby, i used them both times and loved it. best of luck to you.

Candace - posted on 04/05/2009

Feed her when she wants to feed and wake her up inbetween feeding. Theres nothing wronf with feeding until she's fast asleep, just take a warm cloth and wipe out mouth and gums. I would talk to your doctor about switching and get a pump too to bring in more mik. Good luck