Still advisable to bf?

[Verona's]

Hello all mummies ,

My baby don't really latch on well , she won't be sucking for long then she will kept screaming & crying until we bottle feed her . She is with my MIL because during confinement she was helping out already so we just continue the routine . I have decided to continue to bf till she is on soild food since i still have milk now Thanks all ~

 

[xue]

Hello all mummies ,

My baby dont't really latch on well , she won't be sucking for long then she will kept screaming & crying until we bottle feed her . She is with my mother in law because during confinement she was helping out already so we just continue the routine . I have decided to continue to bf till she is on soild food since i still have milk now Thanks all ~

My baby also dont suck for long... should i bottle feed her as well? but i really do wish to latch her on instead of bottle feeding.. but im worried she isn't feeding enough.. she has not poo for the last two days..and she only poo once today... :embarrassed:

 

[cmeilim]

dear xue and verona's

my guess that your babies do not latch on well is because of lack of practice with latching on, early introduction to bottle teat and as a result, nipple confusion. the earlier babies are given the bottle, the easier they will find it to suck the softer bottle teat where the flow of milk is faster, and the more they will reject the nipple becos they need to suck harder to illict the let-down reflex. it's a downward spiral. with less latch-on and more breastmilk-feeding thru pumping, it tends to lead to decrease in milk supply becos the pump is not as strong as baby's suction.

for my boy, we didn't introduce the bottle to him until he was more than 3 months old and we had to let him practice drinking EBM from the bottle in preparation for my return to full-time work.

 

[xue]

dear xue and verona's

my guess that your babies do not latch on well is because of lack of practice with latching on, early introduction to bottle teat and as a result, nipple confusion. the earlier babies are given the bottle, the easier they will find it to suck the softer bottle teat where the flow of milk is faster, and the more they will reject the nipple becos they need to suck harder to illict the let-down reflex. it's a downward spiral. with less latch-on and more breastmilk-feeding thru pumping, it tends to lead to decrease in milk supply becos the pump is not as strong as baby's suction.

for my boy, we didn't introduce the bottle to him until he was more than 3 months old and we had to let him practice drinking EBM from the bottle in preparation for my return to full-time work.

I bottle feed only when I leave baby at home with my maid to do some shoppin..
Hmmm.... So what do I do now? Will she forget about using the bottle teat if I do not let her use for a few days?

 

[allycat]

Hello all mummies ,

My baby dont't really latch on well , she won't be sucking for long then she will kept screaming & crying until we bottle feed her . She is with my mother in law because during confinement she was helping out already so we just continue the routine . I have decided to continue to bf till she is on soild food since i still have milk now Thanks all ~

Great! ancing_tongue:

I bottle feed only when I leave baby at home with my maid to do some shoppin..
Hmmm.... So what do I do now? Will she forget about using the bottle teat if I do not let her use for a few days?

Dont think so if its only for a few days. I'm bottle feeding Quan once every few days to or when I'm out without him. So far so good.

 

[cmeilim]

I bottle feed only when I leave baby at home with my maid to do some shoppin..
Hmmm.... So what do I do now? Will she forget about using the bottle teat if I do not let her use for a few days?

i don't think this reverse problem happens often simply cos it takes less effort to take in milk thru bottle teat.

during my confinement month, my mum tried to 'convince' me to introduce the bottle becos she claimed that my boy would get so used to my breast that he wouldn't want the teat later on. duh....which human being wouldn't be happy with an easier way out if available? i didn't heed her 'advice' but continued latching on full-time. stubborn cow i was!

latching, using the bottle teat, sucking thru straw etc - all these are like swimming and cycling skills. once we learn it, we don't forget it even if we don't do it often. so rest assured to latch as often as you can. ancing_tongue:

 

[cmeilim]

Hello all mummies ,

My baby dont't really latch on well , she won't be sucking for long then she will kept screaming & crying until we bottle feed her . She is with my mother in law because during confinement she was helping out already so we just continue the routine . I have decided to continue to bf till she is on soild food since i still have milk now Thanks all ~

Routines are man-made, meaning they can be changed over time. When there's a will, there's a way. It's your baby, so you decide what you think is best for her.

Happy for you that you have decided to continue to bf your baby. Happy for your baby too! You know you have the support of many of us mummies here in this forum. :001_302:

 

[Verona's]

Hehe ! Yes i am very happy to make this decision because i know it is good to bf her , true enough i was quite a lazy mummy . i latch on her just now , for around 5-10 min until she stopped herself it has been so long since she suck that well , my breast turn softer already but after 1+ hour she start to get hungry isit because she is not full yet? Have no choice to let her drink formula & she fall asleep after that . She is awake throughout the whole 1 hour + ..

 

[cmeilim]

Hehe ! Yes i am very happy to make this decision because i know it is good to bf her , true enough i was quite a lazy mummy . i latch on her just now , for around 5-10 min until she stopped herself it has been so long since she suck that well , my breast turn softer already but after 1+ hour she start to get hungry isit because she is not full yet? Have no choice to let her drink formula & she fall asleep after that . She is awake throughout the whole 1 hour + ..

Why did you give her FM instead of latching her on again when she got hungry after 1+ hour? It's very common for breastfed babies, esp young ones, to get hungry after 1 to 2 hours. The time between nursings is shorter for breastfed babies because our BM contains 70% water and is more digestible than FM for babies. This doesn't mean BM has less nutrients than FM. It actually has more but is naturally more digestible becos newborns' digestive systems are not so developed yet. That is why many babies on FM tend to suffer from constipation and need to drink water to help to soften stools, whereas breastfed babies before 6 months old only need mummies' milk and no water at all.

What's more, newborn's tummies are as small as walnut-size. It's only natural that they can only take in small amounts of breastmilk at a go. The next time she is rooting again, latch her on. Latching her on demand will also help you increase your BM supply. Giving her more FM via bottle will not help you in this respect.

And keep telling yourself that you have more than enough breastmilk to satisfy your baby. Jia you! ancing_tongue:

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

Hehe ! Yes i am very happy to make this decision because i know it is good to bf her , true enough i was quite a lazy mummy . i latch on her just now , for around 5-10 min until she stopped herself it has been so long since she suck that well , my breast turn softer already but after 1+ hour she start to get hungry isit because she is not full yet? Have no choice to let her drink formula & she fall asleep after that . She is awake throughout the whole 1 hour + ..

Breastfeeding on demand means feeding directly as demanded, whether it was 30 min or 3 hours since the last feed. During my boy's growth spurt, he was latched on for 1.5 hours. He diligently sucked until milk was produced to satisfy him.

He is now 13 months and not had a drop of formula milk. Very strong, healthy and developing well. I truly believe that breastfeeding helps him develop to his full potential.

He still wakes up to nurse at night, and we co-sleep to let everyone get enough sleep.

Going outdoors and travelling is super-convenient when breastfeeding.

And babies don't need to drink EBM via bottles if they don't wish too. Cup / spoon / syringe-feeding are easy too. My boy rejected the bottle at 5 months old after I didn't let him try bottle for a month, so he started using open cup. Even better, saves me a lot of time on cup-training.

Breastfeeding is the best gift from Mummy to baby and just continue for as long as both of you desire to. All the best!

 

[cmeilim]

Breastfeeding on demand means feeding directly as demanded, whether it was 30 min or 3 hours since the last feed. During my boy's growth spurt, he was latched on for 1.5 hours. He diligently sucked until milk was produced to satisfy him.

He is now 13 months and not had a drop of formula milk. Very strong, healthy and developing well. I truly believe that breastfeeding helps him develop to his full potential.

He still wakes up to nurse at night, and we co-sleep to let everyone get enough sleep.

Going outdoors and travelling is super-convenient when breastfeeding.

And babies dont't need to drink EBM via bottles if they dont't wish too. Cup / spoon / syringe-feeding are easy too. My boy rejected the bottle at 5 months old after I didn't let him try bottle for a month, so he started using open cup. Even better, saves me a lot of time on cup-training.

Breastfeeding is the best gift from Mummy to baby and just continue for as long as both of you desire to. All the best!

1.5hrs! wow, super-long. The longest time my boy was latched on was abt 45min, if I don't recall wrongly, and that was on one breast. And when my boy cluster-fed during his growth spurts, he was latching on as often as 1hr. Very siong at that time, but looking back now, it was worth it. Those times will pass, and they did! =)

 

[Verona's]

Why did you give her FM instead of latching her on again when she got hungry after 1+ hour? It's very common for breastfed babies, esp young ones, to get hungry after 1 to 2 hours. The time between nursings is shorter for breastfed babies because our breast milk contains 70% water and is more digestible than FM for babies. This doesn't mean breast milk has less nutrients than FM. It actually has more but is naturally more digestible becos newborns' digestive systems are not so developed yet. That is why many babies on FM tend to suffer from constipation and need to drink water to help to soften stools, whereas breastfed babies before 6 months old only need mummies' milk and no water at all.

What's more, newborn's tummies are as small as walnut-size. It's only natural that they can only take in small amounts of breastmilk at a go. The next time she is rooting again, latch her on. Latching her on demand will also help you increase your breast milk supply. Giving her more FM via bottle will not help you in this respect.

And keep telling yourself that you have more than enough breastmilk to satisfy your baby. Jia you! ancing_tongue:

I am afraid i don't have milk already thats why i gave her FM because only 1 hours plus .. I am trying to feed her as regular as i could leh ... pumping every 4 hours & also direct latch on if she is hungry except in the night , just can't get up but i think 4 hrs by 4 hrs slowly will increase back one , but very glad that never decrease much 4 hours got 120ml le .. Thanks god ~ Now kept trying my best to let her latch on properly , dislike pumping , if she can latch on nicely & till she is full then gd already . Pumping is really tiring !

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

I am afraid i dont't have milk already thats why i gave her FM because only 1 hours plus .. I am trying to feed her as regular as i could ... pumping every 4 hours & also direct latch on if she is hungry except in the night , just can't get up but i think 4 hours by 4 hours slowly will increase back one , but very glad that never decrease much 4 hours got 120ml .. Thanks god ~ Now kept trying my best to let her latch on properly , dislike pumping , if she can latch on nicely & till she is full then good already . Pumping is really tiring !

Even if it has been only 1 hour, and breasts seem empty, latching baby on would stimulate the breasts for more production (on the spot). This is the way to increase supply permanently to match baby's demand.

Remember that supply will meet demand, as long as the breasts are given the chance to be suckled.

Pumping is tiring and a lot of work, and stimulates the breasts LESS than baby's suckling.

 

[cmeilim]

actually our body, under normal circumstances, never stop producing breastmilk. there have been occasions when i wake up to pump at 3-ish am in the nite. then my boy wakes up not long after i finish pumping both sides, earlier than the expected 5am-6am. i latch him on as usual, and it never ceases to surprise me to hear the long slurrrrp-slurrrrrp suckling sound and his throat swallowing after a while. milk!! and it must be enough for him because he is content to go back to bed till 8am.

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

actually our body, under normal circumstances, never stop producing breastmilk. there have been occasions when i wake up to pump at 3-ish am in the nite. then my boy wakes up not long after i finish pumping both sides, earlier than the expected 5am-6am. i latch him on as usual, and it never ceases to surprise me to hear the long slurrrrp-slurrrrrp suckling sound and his throat swallowing after a while. milk!! and it must be enough for him because he is content to go back to bed till 8am.

My boy does the same -- he can make the breasts produce milk anytime he wants to drink.