Well it's been a funny few weeks.
We always knew that I might not have a full milk supply due to surgery I had in my early twenties. I always found the idea of breastfeeding a but ikky in abstract but as soon as I got pregnant I knew that I wanted to breastfeed my baby. We knew that the medical complications would mean that we would have to monitor Olivia's weight gain carefully to see if we needed to supplement her diet.
Out she came and she took to breastfeeding straight away. I had already started to think there might be a problem on the 4th day when I thought my milk had come in but she was feeding every hour all days and half of the night but still didn't seem satisfied. By the evening of the 5th day I had a big panic and we tried her with a bottle, which she wouldn't take. When she got weighed on day 6 she had lost 14% of her birth weight - not good. The upper limit that is considered acceptable is 10% so we knew there was a problem and started topping her up with formula after each feed.
We were worried about giving her bottles before breastfeeding had become established as babies can start to prefer the ease and fast flow of a bottle feed and refuse to go on the breast so we started off cup feeding. We both found it amazing that you actually can give a newborn baby milk in a cup and they will lap it like a kitten. We did this for about 5 days before a long day left us both exhausted by midnight and out came a bottle. The problem was that it took about 90 mins to coomplete each feed, which gave you about an hour before she wanted to be fed again and the whole roundabout started again. You tended to spend this hour cleaning her and changing her clothes as she was covered from head to toe in formula. It was also very difficult to get any worthwhile amount down her as she tended to get too sleepy to drink and most of it was down her front anyway.
So, now she has a bottle after she has been breastfed and she is perfectly happy. I love breastfeeding her as not only does she get the immune system and numerous other health benefits of breast milk but also it is such a bonding experience and allows us lots of skin to skin closeness. She looks so happy and peaceful and I could just stare at her for hours. It was of course very disappointing that I don't produce enought milk, and tears were shed as I felt I had let her down, but her welfare is our primary concern. I try to express after feeds so that we can supplement her with breastmilk as much as possible and to encourage my milk supply to meet the increased demand. I'm also trying herbal tintures and prescription medication to try and increase my supply so we can supplement less.
It has all been an emotional rollercoaster. We both started crying when she was weighed for the second time and we saw that she had gained weight. I don't think we realised how much we had been stressing about the situation. She is gaining weight well and yesterday she was back to within 7% of her birth weight. The midwife said that they look for the babies to have regained their birth weight by 3 weeks so she is well on target as she seems to be gaining about an ounce a day at the moment.
An aside on the generalities of breastfeeding - I have a REALLY low embarrassment threashold and really don't feel comfortable breastfeeding in public. I guess we kind of have the best of both worlds as it does mean that if need be then I can give her a bottle when we are out and about if she needs it but she is still getting the many advantages of breast milk. Plus in this country we have a ridiculous law which says that women can be asked to stop breastfeeding in public!!!!! Scotland has passed legislation allowing women to feed in public. Although it isn't my personal choice to feed in public I think it is totally wrong that such a natural process is not protected. Oi government - sort it out!
We always knew that I might not have a full milk supply due to surgery I had in my early twenties. I always found the idea of breastfeeding a but ikky in abstract but as soon as I got pregnant I knew that I wanted to breastfeed my baby. We knew that the medical complications would mean that we would have to monitor Olivia's weight gain carefully to see if we needed to supplement her diet.
Out she came and she took to breastfeeding straight away. I had already started to think there might be a problem on the 4th day when I thought my milk had come in but she was feeding every hour all days and half of the night but still didn't seem satisfied. By the evening of the 5th day I had a big panic and we tried her with a bottle, which she wouldn't take. When she got weighed on day 6 she had lost 14% of her birth weight - not good. The upper limit that is considered acceptable is 10% so we knew there was a problem and started topping her up with formula after each feed.
We were worried about giving her bottles before breastfeeding had become established as babies can start to prefer the ease and fast flow of a bottle feed and refuse to go on the breast so we started off cup feeding. We both found it amazing that you actually can give a newborn baby milk in a cup and they will lap it like a kitten. We did this for about 5 days before a long day left us both exhausted by midnight and out came a bottle. The problem was that it took about 90 mins to coomplete each feed, which gave you about an hour before she wanted to be fed again and the whole roundabout started again. You tended to spend this hour cleaning her and changing her clothes as she was covered from head to toe in formula. It was also very difficult to get any worthwhile amount down her as she tended to get too sleepy to drink and most of it was down her front anyway.
So, now she has a bottle after she has been breastfed and she is perfectly happy. I love breastfeeding her as not only does she get the immune system and numerous other health benefits of breast milk but also it is such a bonding experience and allows us lots of skin to skin closeness. She looks so happy and peaceful and I could just stare at her for hours. It was of course very disappointing that I don't produce enought milk, and tears were shed as I felt I had let her down, but her welfare is our primary concern. I try to express after feeds so that we can supplement her with breastmilk as much as possible and to encourage my milk supply to meet the increased demand. I'm also trying herbal tintures and prescription medication to try and increase my supply so we can supplement less.
It has all been an emotional rollercoaster. We both started crying when she was weighed for the second time and we saw that she had gained weight. I don't think we realised how much we had been stressing about the situation. She is gaining weight well and yesterday she was back to within 7% of her birth weight. The midwife said that they look for the babies to have regained their birth weight by 3 weeks so she is well on target as she seems to be gaining about an ounce a day at the moment.
An aside on the generalities of breastfeeding - I have a REALLY low embarrassment threashold and really don't feel comfortable breastfeeding in public. I guess we kind of have the best of both worlds as it does mean that if need be then I can give her a bottle when we are out and about if she needs it but she is still getting the many advantages of breast milk. Plus in this country we have a ridiculous law which says that women can be asked to stop breastfeeding in public!!!!! Scotland has passed legislation allowing women to feed in public. Although it isn't my personal choice to feed in public I think it is totally wrong that such a natural process is not protected. Oi government - sort it out!
I loved nursing too!
ReplyDelete...and our son, Gage, was breast or bottle fed. Either way, he was fine!
:)