It’s just not happening this time

What I mean by that, is the breastfeeding, here I was thinking that Cooper and I had got this feeding thing sussed. Then the mw came over today and we have found out otherwise... basically my milk supply is not up to scratch this time around, and the poor boy isn't gaining any weight and is basically hungry, which explains his high demand for a feed every day and night.

He was 3250gms born and when he was weighed at 7 days he had gone down to 3180gms. Today at 3 weeks old he's 3220gms! Which is hard to believe considering that he gets feed every 3hrs.

So it looks like I'm going to have to top him up with a bottle of formula and while he's having that I have to express to try and keep my milk supply up. We have four days to get his weight up, if it doesn't happen we could end up in hospital.

He's still Jaundiced too, so we had to get another Billirubin test done today, and again if the results aren't favourable we'll be back in hospital so he can go under the lights.

I'm feeling quite hopeless at the moment , after the struggles that I had at the beginning I really thought that we were doing really well. Ok, I wasn't coping with the 2hrs wake up time between 12am - 2am, and struggling with not settling him to sleep, and we'd end up caving and putting him in bed with us just so he'd sleep. It seems that all it was, was hunger.

So that is my "woe is me" post for today. We get the blood test results back today, so I'm praying that it's good news.. which I doubt.

maybe before you get too upset and start on the formula - which wont help you build up your supply - you can think about other things to build your supply. he may not be as hungry or as bad as plunket make out either cause bf babies do grow differently and all the charts they have are for bottle fed babies. i think there was some recipe ideas to help your milk on here and i know bananas are good and if no allergies so are nuts. also brewers yeast. smoothies with bananas and complan are good too.
Chin up, onwards and upwards... it will get better.

You can get a really good breastfeeding tea and tablets from healthfood shops. Its put out by weleda i think from memory. Fennel tablets are good too.

Also Jaundiced babies tend to be a bit more sleepy and not so agressive with their feeding.

If you want to keep up with the breastfeeding dont feel pressured to give the bottle. He has had a gain this week!

Good luck.

Yeah, when my supply wasn't that great I drank a 'power' shake every day which had in it:

brewers yeast
complan
maltexo
milk
drinking chocolate (to taste)or you could add a banana

It seemed to work for me...you can but try something like that or what the other ladies here have suggested. And try not to get too stressed as that affects your supply as well. Good luck!

Big bugs hun
Gina was jaundiced too and I always made sure (once we were home) that I let her sleep next to a closed window in a shaded sunshine. Thank goodnes we never had to go back to hospital - she had 3 sessions under the lights before we got home!
My milk supply was also very low (as in I hardly make anything by myself ) but my GP prescribed me some drugs that I took and I managed to b/feed Gina fully for the first 6 months. There are natural remedies too but I only ever tried the milk and bananas as I like those.
Hope things improve soon. And having a formula top up does not mean you have failed as a mum so don't feel bad. As long as Cooper is getting at least some milk, he'll get all the benefit from that. Big hugs again

Big hugs Mel. I'll be thinking of you. I second what the others of said try some other things before resorting to formula. But on the other hand do what makes you feel happy.

I starting drinking complan and I to found that good.

Is he tongue-tied at all?

You can buy fenugreek tablets if you don't like the tea. My DS had jaundice too and we had to stay in the hospital for 6 days while he went on the billiben, once home he was feeding 2 hourly during the day and 3 hourly at night. I would give him as much naked time in the sun as possible to help as well. Feeding or expressing 2 hourly would help build your supply up as well, you also need to get a decent amount of rest (not easy with other children to look after). Maybe give a formula top up before bed, that way he might sleep longer for you, I read that you have the most milk between 12 and 4am, so perhaps express after your night feed so you have some EBM to top him up with as well.
Hope things pick up for you

want to say that just because you arent expressing any more doesnt mean you arent making any more. expressing isnt always an accurate way to measure that as it isnt as efficient as the real thing.

Aw I'm so glad to hear that things are improving, Mel.  Long may it continue!