Community› The Bump Message Boards› Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
New Discussion

need advice.....

klee831klee831 member
in Breastfeeding

So I have been breastfeeding since day one. My son had to get 3 bottles of formula in the hospital, (i had to have an emergency c-section and lost a lot of blood, and was too weak to feed him myself) but thats it. Breastfeeding has been very rewarding to me, and I know that my son is getting so many great benefits from it.

However, I am the first one in my family to ever breastfeed, so it is all very foreign to them. Since he was 2 weeks old, everyone has been second guessing me. I've been getting the "are you sure he's getting enough?", "do you think that you should start giving him formula?", "do you think you should be supplementing?" questions. And the comments of, "he really seems hungry all the time", "he's not getting enough". I get these comments from EVERYONE including my husband. I tried to explain to them about cluster feeding and growth spurts, but I got worried looks, as if they thought i didnt know what i was doing.

My son will be 3 months old next week and at his last appointment he was in the 90th percentile for weight and height. The doctor said that he is doing great, and that made me really happy, and kinda proud of myself, you know? Like i was doing something right.

I had to start back to work on 6/20 and i am desperately trying to keep up with pumping, and for the most part i think i am doing a good job. The daycare hasnt had to use any of his frozen stash yet so I think thats a good thing.

Here is my issue, and I only want to ask people on here because no one else seems to truly understand. My son is almost 3 months old and has been waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse. Maybe thats normal since he is still very young. But I feel like he should at least be getting through at least half of the night right? Maybe I'm wrong. Everyone is saying that he's not getting enough to fill him  up before bed, so he keeps waking up, which makes sense. I guess what I'm asking is, do I need to start giving him a little bit of formula? I really dont want to, but if i have to, i have to. I just want to make sure that he's getting enough to eat.

I also wanted to throw in that he's not really getting consistent amounts and I asked the DC to feed him on demand. For example, he was very hungry at DC yesterday and while i was at work from 8:30-5, he got 24oz total....which to me seems like a lot, but hey he ate it. BUT on friday, he had two 6 oz bottles and was fine with that.

I'm getting confused and dont know what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Report Reply to Post

Re: need advice.....

  • eclipstar01eclipstar01
    My daughter is 9 1/2 months old and is still exclusively on breast milk. I had to return to work when she was 3 months old, so to prep for that I started pumping when she was 4 weeks old. My husband would give her a bedtime bottle, and at that point she started sleeping through the night around 5 1/2 weeks old. I swear it is because she was getting more from the bottle than she was at the breast. You could try pumping and giving him a bottle at bed time. It doesn't have to be formula, although I have heard people speculate that formula-fed babies do fill up easier. Regardless, with a bottle at bed time you know how much he is getting.
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • aprillewis24aprillewis24
    My daughter is 9 mnts and when she wakes up through the night I give her the breast. She still doesn't sllep ALL night. I think she uses it really for a pacifer. That may be what your baby is doing. And I agree with eclipstar maybe a night time bottle will do the trick.
    Report Reply
  • hsthst

    You don't need to give formula, from what I've read that is just a myth that they will sleep better with formula.

    Your baby may just want to be with you too.  I work full time and sometimes I think the 2-3 night feedings are the price I pay...

    My DD eats inconsistantly during the day, I try to feed her as much as possible through the evening, but I still nurse her at night, it's often very quick and she goes right back to sleep.

    Good luck. 

    Report Reply
  • WilwarinWilwarin
    Breastfed babies do seem to wake more at night.  Mine just started sleeping through the night last week. Don't pump, don't give a bottle or formula.  It sounds like you are doing everything by the book.  In fact, I think you are doing wonderful, especially with such little family support.  Next time they toss out another one of those not-so-helpful comments, try some of these suggestions.
    image
    Daisypath Christmas tickers imageLilypie Pregnancy tickers
    Missed miscarriage 12/26/11 at 12 weeks
    Report Reply
  • belladonna11307belladonna11307 member
    It's hard to compare babies.  DD is 9 weeks old and will sleep up to six hours at night, but not every night.  Sometimes she still cluster feeds.  Pretty much whatever your LO is doing is normal for him/her.  Especially if he/she is growing well.  I'd point out to your friends and family how well he is growing.  Is there a breastfeeding book you rely on that you can lend out to support your points?
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
    Report Reply
  • klee831klee831 member

    actually no, is there one that you could recommend?

    I went to see a LC every week during my maternity leave which seemed to help but now that i am back at work, i cant go to see her.

    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"