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June 2011 Moms
bookkitten
member
supplementing BF w/formula - seriously bummed
bookkitten
member
Max is one week old today and at his pediatrician's appointment it was confirmed that he is jaundiced. We were sent to the hospital to have his billirubin levels tested and they re high, so the dr said we need to supplement the breastmilk with formula. Not a ton - 2 oz twice a day - but still. We have to go have his billirubin levels tested again on Friday to see if this has taken care of it.
The nice thing is that my Sweetheart is able to give Max the bottle tonight, which is a lovely time for them to have together. But I want to cry that he needs this supplement. I know it isn't rational, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong that my milk isn't enough to keep him healthy.
(I half hoped the Baby would refuse the bottle, but no luck. Even though I just fed him a little while ago, he seems to be enjoying the bottle. I had to walk a little away from them because my breasts started aching when I saw him drinking it. Sigh.)
I may start pumping once or twice a day to be sure my supply keeps up with what he needs. I have read that after his first feeding of the day is a good time, so tomorrow or Friday I will try that.
Thanks for letting me vent.
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Re: supplementing BF w/formula - seriously bummed
I know you're bummed but try not to take it personally. As long as your LO is getting better, that's all that matters. Can you continue exclusively BFing once the jaundice is gone?
Either way, HUGS. It will be okay
My Married Bio
Love, marriage and a baby carriage
Aw, I can relate. My baby was born a little early, was 6lbs 10 oz but skinny, and jaundiced. We had to supplement with formula in the hospital and then for 2 weeks after we got home. The lactation consultant at the hospital had me feed my LO the formula through a feeding tube attached to a syrenge (sp?). I took the feeding tube and taped it to my nipple and he got the formula while he nursed. You may want to find a lactation consultant near you to see if this would work for you and your LO.
I ended up giving my LO bottles of both formula and BM while we were supplementing and a passi earlier than we had expected and he didn't have any issues with nipple confusion or getting enough BM after we stopped supplementing.
earl&pearl put it so well- try not to let it stress you out. Remember, jaundice is very common.
Lurking.. Sorry
My LO was Jaundiced the day he was released from the hospital. It took almost 3 weeks for it to go away completely. I still breastfed during that time and we took him on walks and had him sunbathe for at least 15 minutes a day (so 15 minutes sun bathing and a 10 minute walk outside). His levels were at a 14 (I think) so it wasn't severe Jaundice and this may be why your Dr. is insisting on supplementing w/ Formula.
Do you know what kinda of jaundice your LO has? Is it due to blood incompatibility or breastfeeding jaundice? If it is blood incompatibility, I would call and ask the doctor if you can continue to BF and just have LO's Bili levels checked weekly (or daily) depending on what his Billi levels are.
I found this article helpful when I was researching his jaundice.
This. You do not have to use a bottle at all. You can have the baby suck on dad's finger and use a curved tip syringe to push the formula OR you can use the feeding tube (called SNS) while you feed several times a day. The baby get formula and never has to have a bottle. We do both of these with breast milk since my baby doesn't latch really well. I pump after every feeding and we give her pumped milk at each feeding through a syringe while she finger sucks to keep her intake up. We did use formula at the hospital a few times, but once again, never used a bottle. We are going to move to SNS and away from the syringe next week if she is still needing the extra food so that she continues to stimulate my breasts at each feeding and she gets all the food she wants.
It's just temporary. You're doing the best thing for him. Hopefully the jaundice gets all cleared up fast and you can go back to normal.
I'd for sure pump just to keep supply up. You will also be able to build your stash faster with him not taking the milk from those two feeds. The other day DH gave DD a pumped bottle and I was able to pump in place of her eating and I ended up getting SO much milk out than normal since she did not take it before I pumped.
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Thanks, all, for the support. After getting the bottle from my Sweetheart, Max is happier hanging out with Daddy and that is a *huge* plus. He didn't finish either bottle (left about 1/2 oz each time), so I hope he got enough of whatever he needs.
I will be able to go back to EBF when this is over, though maybe we would keep one supplemental bottle a day for Daddy to gve him until we run out of this stuff? (We haven't decided.)
Despite my concer, he has been fine breast feeding, too - no nipple confusion or trouble latching or anything - but we're back to the 10-15 minutes every hour or so we did when he was first born, including all through the night. (He was sleeping about 4-5 hours at night and feeding close to two hours when he woke.)
I feel a little better about the whole thing, thanks in no small part to you awesome ladis, and hope his billirubin levels are better after tomorrow's appointment.
Thanks, again!
peace,
katharine
Book-Kitten blog