Need help from FFers

NoodleM · January 2012

I'm using formula right now as my milk isn't in and I don't think there is any colustrum left. I was able to express a bit of it early on and now there is nothing. My poor daughter tries really hard to eat and gets frustrated because there is nothing there so she clamps down hard and bites me.

I'm hoping my milk will come in soon, and I'm still attempting to BF but she needs to eat.

How do you know how much to give them or when they are full? I know her stomach is only about 1 oz right now so I only give her small amounts. She doesn't pull away when she is full though and spit up today.

Do you burp LO right away or do you let it sit for a bit? I find if I do it right away she seems to spit up quite a bit.

I'm sure I have more questions but I'm exhausted right now. Thanks in advance!

lageorgiapaperie · January 2012

First, congrats!!

I would imagine she'll let you know when she's had enough. I know the premade bottles from Similac are 2oz and they market them as being the perfect size for newborns. If I remember correctly we were feeding Harry 1.5-2oz of formula when he came home from the NICU.

I usually try and burp multiple times throughout the feeding, he definitely spits up less if he has multiple burps. After he's done I usually let him rest for a minute before attempting to get him to burp one last time.

awillis13 · January 2012

I try to burp LO a few time through a bottle, and that seems to help a lot in preventing big spit ups. When LO was about a week old he was eating 1-2 oz in a feeding. Generally, I would remove the bottle after .5 oz or so, burp, have him breath a minute or 2 to have everything settle in his tummy, and then offer the bottle again. If he was still hungry, he would take it again, if not, he would generally force the bottle nipple out of his mouth.

JNicMTek · January 2012

My milk didn't come in and I gave up, so props to you for sticking it out.

Start slow. Let her suck a few times and pull the bottle away so she can swallow what's in her mouth, then do it again. Burp at most after each ounce. I am conservative and burp after each half ounce. Some spit up is normal for formula. After you think she's done, hold her upright for a few minutes longer, I usually try for 10, just to make sure it all stays down, or it can come up easily if it's going to. We have powder and make 2oz at a time. Sometimes Cori stops after 1, and sometimes she drinks both.

LauraR326 · January 2012

The first couple of days we were feeding him the little liquid enfamil bottles. They were 2 oz but we were only feeding him 1 oz. I would feed him half and burp, feed the other half and burp. He also started eating the full 2 oz the last day he was there and when he came home he was eating 3 oz. I still stop and burp him a couple times through each feeding. He doesnt spit up at all.

cutcopypaste · January 2012

lageorgiapaperie:
First, congrats!!
I would imagine she'll let you know when she's had enough. I know the premade bottles from Similac are 2oz and they market them as being the perfect size for newborns. If I remember correctly we were feeding Harry 1.5-2oz of formula when he came home from the NICU.
I usually try and burp multiple times throughout the feeding, he definitely spits up less if he has multiple burps. After he's done I usually let him rest for a minute before attempting to get him to burp one last time.

All of this. I pump and bottle feed but Cam takes 1.5-2 oz at this point (she is 40w5d adjusted). Also are you holding the baby upright or laying her down? Cam spits up 100% of the time if I lay her down flat soon after she eats. She needs to be held upright on my chest for at least 30 minutes, preferably like 60 if I have the time.

But spitting up is totally normal, I know it is frustrating because it feels like they are spitting up their whole meal but they really aren't. It looks like a lot more than it really is. Try pouring out 5 or 10 mLs (of water) out on the counter, I think you'll be surprised at how much it looks like.

NoodleM · January 2012

cutcopypaste:
lageorgiapaperie:
First, congrats!!
I would imagine she'll let you know when she's had enough. I know the premade bottles from Similac are 2oz and they market them as being the perfect size for newborns. If I remember correctly we were feeding Harry 1.5-2oz of formula when he came home from the NICU.
I usually try and burp multiple times throughout the feeding, he definitely spits up less if he has multiple burps. After he's done I usually let him rest for a minute before attempting to get him to burp one last time.
All of this. I pump and bottle feed but Cam takes 1.5-2 oz at this point (she is 40w5d adjusted). Also are you holding the baby upright or laying her down? Cam spits up 100% of the time if I lay her down flat soon after she eats. She needs to be held upright on my chest for at least 30 minutes, preferably like 60 if I have the time.
But spitting up is totally normal, I know it is frustrating because it feels like they are spitting up their whole meal but they really aren't. It looks like a lot more than it really is. Try pouring out 5 or 10 mLs (of water) out on the counter, I think you'll be surprised at how much it looks like.

This is probably what I did wrong. Today she spat up a ton of formula, it seemed like everything she ate. It felt like my timing was wrong because I changed her, fed her (I was leaning her back), she spat it all up and then she took a massive dump and I had to change her again. After changing her again she started giving me hunger cues. I only gave her a small amount, held her up right for awhile and burped her and she had a tiny amount of spit up this time. She seems like a bit of a porker too, so I'll try burping her periodically throughout and look for continued hunger cues.

It does feel like a lot is coming up, but if she's not hungry some must have stayed in her stomach, right?

The hospital is sending a nurse over tomorrow to check on how I'm doing as my first few days as a mom alone. I'm kind of nervous to tell them I've given her formula since I got about 50 'Breast is Best' type pamphlets while I was there. I would like to BF but I don't know if this milk is ever going to come in and in her frustration and hunger she keeps hurting me and getting upset.

jwolfe1205 · January 2012

I don't FF but I bottlefeed breastmilk and I have found it helps if we stop her half way through the feeding and burp her (also massaging her lower back, by rubbing in a pinching way on her hips, it seems to help a ton with her gas). Our pedi also recommended trying to burp LO before the feeding because when they fuss when they are hungry, they tend to swallow a lot of air and become gassy before they even eat.

We also try to keep LO upright for 15-25 minutes after her feeding and that seems to help. But remember some spit up is normal :].

NoodleM · January 2012

Good tip about the pre-burping!

Does anyone use powdered formula? The instructions for mine say to use cooled pre-boiled water with the powder and to warm up the bottle under the tap. I'm wondering if it's fine to prep a bunch of small bottles and keep them in the fridge until ready to warm for convenience. Do any of you do this?

lageorgiapaperie · January 2012

NoodleM:
Good tip about the pre-burping!
Does anyone use powdered formula? The instructions for mine say to use cooled pre-boiled water with the powder and to warm up the bottle under the tap. I'm wondering if it's fine to prep a bunch of small bottles and keep them in the fridge until ready to warm for convenience. Do any of you do this?

What kind of formula are you using? We use Similac powdered and I just use tap water. I know with Similac/Enfamil/others it is fine to make a bunch and keep it in the fridge for up to a day, you can even feed it to LO cold if they'll take it.

You must have some crazy Canadian formula

NoodleM · January 2012

It's the Nestle Good Start Probiotic, their website actually answered my question. They have a lot of good videos on there for FTM's

Nestle

It says I can keep the water in the fridge but to add the powder later and then warm under the tap.

I fed Sloane again because she was showing hunger cues, tried just letting her suck for a bit, then burped her and held her upright and she fell asleep. She probably doesn't need much yet and this is probably a lot to her compared to what she was getting from me, haha. She's been asleep in my lap for about an hour now.

Mike&Care · January 2012

NoodleM:
Good tip about the pre-burping!
Does anyone use powdered formula? The instructions for mine say to use cooled pre-boiled water with the powder and to warm up the bottle under the tap. I'm wondering if it's fine to prep a bunch of small bottles and keep them in the fridge until ready to warm for convenience. Do any of you do this?

I use powder formula... This is what we do:

Fill a bunch of sterilized bottles with filtered water from our fridge, then set them on the counter. We don't warm them. We wait till they are room temperature (they sit there all day with the lids on) and then when she is hungry we put the scoop(s) in and feed it to her. So easy!

We use this to sterilize the bottles in the microwave:

https://www.amazon.com/Medela-Quick-Clean-Micro-Steam-Bags/dp/tags-on-product/B000096QQ5

and this little thing holds 3 servings of formula, so we fill this up and take it to our room along w/ three bottles for the nighttime routine.

https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Powdered-Formula-Dispenser-Colors/dp/B0009ET94A/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325652836&sr=1-1

and we dry the bottles on this, but this isnt a necessity if you dont want:

https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-16001-Deluxe-Drying-Rack/dp/B000RFBW00/ref=pd_sim_ba_1

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