Screaming and Lots and Lots of Tears

WhitEm14

This is going to be the longest four days ever. LO will not be bfing because I'm on medication that won't let me (I posted earlier *Big Fat Emotional Wreck*). Now HE'S a mess. Every time we try to give him a bottle (it's a combo of formula and breast milk, since I didn't know I was going to have to go on this medication and I don't have enough frozen milk to get through these few days without supplementing some formula) he SCREAMS and CRIES and REFUSES to eat. Where he normally eats 5-6 oz bfing, he's now eating 2-3.5 oz. He fights and screams and doesn't really eat, doesn't matter who is feeding him. He's crying. I'm crying. My husband is losing his ever loving mind. We are a mess here.

Any tips on how to help LO eat better for these next four days? He's really not used to the bottle at all or formula (he's only had a little bit of formula a few times with my mom). I know this seems silly to complain about, but it's so hard and I'm wrecked up over it.

WhitEm14

I'm only assuming that's how much he was eating while bfing because whenever I pump (from both sides, just like I was feeding him) I get about that much in a much shorter period of time and my boobs feel super empty (just like before). Is that an incorrect assumption I'm making? I would stress a lot less if it were!

yvdukana

Pump output isn't a great indication of supply or how much LO is taking. Like pp said the only real way to know how much he gets is doing weighed feeds and even they can vary from session to session. For example, I do weighed feeds every week at a BFing group with an IBCLC, and one week DS got 3.75 oz, the next he took 2.3 oz. same time period, my boobs felt the same, pretty empty, but he was just less hungry the second week, and we surmised there was probably still milk and I wasn't as empty as I felt. When I pump to replace a feed, I only get about 2 oz, I know more is in there, I pumped to replace a MOTN feed the other night when DS STTN, and got 4 oz, the most I've ever got pumping. Some people just respond better to a pump than others.

All that being said, I'm sorry you're going though this. It sounds awful. Hope it gets better quickly and you guys can return to BFing soon.  

rp-chicago-mom

If its only a few days what about a SNS taped to your finger? I kinda hate the SNS but it got us through mastitis.

latnprincess

I was going to suggest SNS as well. 

Also try and have someone else feed him.  If you're doing it, he can smell you and your milk.  DS doesn't easily take a bottle from me, but he does all day at daycare. 

I also agree that pumping is not an indication of how much he's getting at a feed.  My LO doesn't do more than 3 oz in a bottle and I can pump out 5 oz in a session.  So hopefully that helps you. 

AprilAngie

I have no suggestions just wanted to send hugs! I remember whe I had to wean for medical procedure with by first. It's hard. Now that u have taken the medication u have to stick tothe bottle.

Are u pumping and dumping over be next four days to keep ur supply?

Mzbr

Can you do skin to skin while giving the bottle?

WhitEm14

It's just me that he won't take the bottle from. DH fed him last night and it was doable and he ate 4 oz each time. I fed him this morning and he ate 3. DH isn't helping the situation any either. He' going to be gone from 8am this morning until 10pm tonight and he doesn't understand why I'm upset and crying about it. I know crying doesn't help anything but I'm having a hard time NOT crying when my child is so obviously upset. What is SNS?

greeneyedjess

Yeah, a syringe or dropper might be a solution.  When I was in the hospital on mag sulf, my mom fed DS with a syringe of my breastmilk because I didn't want him to favor a bottle.  Have you not introduced a bottle up until now?