Feeding

I wish I could of done this a little but my baby who is now just over two would never take a bottle

Are you giving both breasts when feeding? You can get a breast pump and try to express and give baby bottle that way. Or maybe do breast in day, formula at night. But you’d still need to express so breasts don’t engorge

Babies do love to cluster feed in the evenings unfortunately! You may have to trial lots of different bottles, but I've found the phillips avent natural response bottles best! If you want to reduce your supply for the times you plan on bottle feeding, hand expressing is good to remove some of the milk so you don't get engorged but your body will start to adjust pretty quickly

Babies will cluster feed for the first 6 weeks. If you introduce a bottle or formula before 6 weeks it can cause issues. You should have a local number to your healthy families team/ health visitor. Call them and ask to speak to breastfeeding support or go to your local children’s centre/ breastfeeding group for advice

Yes agree with Shantaye - call for breastfeeding support and wait 6 weeks so breastfeeding is established. I found first weeks super challenging as my LB cluster fed a lot, sometimes 1.5hrs at a time, but I'm glad I persisted. He's now very efficient feeder at 5.5 months.

I had exactly this when my son was born and it absolutely trashed my mental health feeling like a milk machine in constant use so we went to breast + formula top ups and honestly, it saved my sanity. Yes breast feeding is wonderful but if you can't do it for your own sanity, I personally don't see the harm in formula top ups. Yes it'll mean your supply will likely be lower but if it's supply vs sanity and you choose sanity, that's ok. Please no one come at me for saying this, I just wish I was made to feel that it was an acceptable thing to do and not the work of the devil when I decided to do formula top ups lol. Feel free to message me if you would like a chat or any support. At the end of the day, you've got to do what's right for you xx

We expressed and bottle fed from 3 days as my other half went back to work a few days after she was born and it was a lifesaver as I could express and then get some uninterrupted sleep each day. Some babies do struggle with the transition but we found thr tomee tippee natural start bottles worked really well and she still switches between boob and bottle happily. The health visitor breastfeeding support is also a fantastic avenue of support. Good luck!

My baby will only have my boobs, I've tried everything

1 feeding has to be 15 minutes both breasts. That is 30 to 45 minutes per feeding. If you try doing that you will be able to nurse around 8 times to 12 a day. 10 days is still so young I would advise that you don't count how many times he is latching with the app it will stress you. Just hold your baby and bond. Nap when the baby naps. To me bottle feeding is just extra work and expensive. There are tough times with breastfeeding but it's worth it and you get better at it.

I only fed on one boob for two years 😅✨👏🙂

@Steamtrane Family Didn't one look bigger than the other? 😂

I'd reach out to some local breastfeeding support groups or health visitor if you get one where you are. It Is hard work it really is. But it's so rewarding. Stay strong! X

@Lucy they sure are and do but owell, also my partner gets a Pre baby boob like the good old days and a I've had a baby sexy mama boob 🤣

I would speak to your MW or HV about this. My baby fed to this extreme and it turns out she had latch issues but also tongue tie that wasn't found until 12 weeks! I was told it was just cluster feeding but a senior matron checked my notes recently and said it was extreme and should have been looked into further. I have a complaint open with the health board! It has got better though and now she's 16 weeks and we have finally settled and feeding at our own rhythm! I still add a little bit of formula but tbh it's more work! I don't even bother at night with it because the idea of going downstairs to sort a bottle at 3am sounds like a bloody nightmare 😂 Definitely speak to your MW or HV!

I combi fed my first from the beginning and it worked out. Cluster feeding is hard work and it helps to increase your supply. So do it while you can then maybe swap to a bottle and get some sleep. If you keep breastfeeding at other times you will keep producing milk. Formula takes twice as long to digest as breast milk. It's OK to part time breast feed xx

My baby was exactly like this. Unfortunately she later rejected any bottles but Lansinoh sometimes worked. Your baby is tiny, he’s trying to cluster feed to increase your supply which will be great in the long run. Him latching and coming off and then rooting again could mean he has wind trapped and making it uncomfortable, my baby had lots of wind issues. I know dad might want to be involved but sometimes babies just want the boob. Now my baby is 8 months and I’m so glad I persisted, still ebf 😁

I’m winding him in between feeds when I can intervene without screaming and he’s not rooting for more . He burps often when he is winded but not sure this is him windy or hungry … I am following his lead and going with the flow but after 8 hours it gets to the point where I feel trapped and need a break - sleep deprivation isn’t good for anyone, and my mental health to has to be considered. It’s so tricky as I know ‘breast is best’ but there are so many other factors to consider too. Xx

Fed is best in my opinion and you have to do what’s best for you in this instance. I was feeding the same as you, hours and hours and I’m a solo mum with no support so trust me I get it. There were days I could’ve even eat or leave my bed. Do what’s best for your health and feel no guilt mama ❤️

I had a thought afterwards, are you counting each time he comes off and re latches as a separate feed? I count that as one feed including both sides if she hasn't finished. It is normal for them to take a break from the suck swallow. Then you can get a real idea how long one feed is taking them and whether their latch is efficient enough and that they are "emptying a boob" (you can never really empty but that it goes soft). It should be about an hour both sides. There's a HV feeding team that can be helpful rather than the hospital. However, they can also end up using you as a dummy as that sucking is a comfort thing for them too. We introduced a dummy early for this. I will say that the first few weeks are 100% the hardest and they do cluster feed to get your supply going. Before you make any long term decisions I would have a decent chat with a midwife or the infant feeding team, get some support and advice. Get them to observe a feed PROPERLY. You can probably improve this then.