EBF / Bottle Feed Help!

candicejeff2013 · September 2015

Ok so I have been EBF for the past 3weeks however a) my nipples need a break and b) I have a couple coming over from out of town this evening and would like to enjoy a glass of wine.

So last night I had my husband bottle feed our 3 week old breastmilk but she was just insatiable. He gave her 2.5 oz of milk. She was still acting hungry and fussy so I decided to go ahead and BF and she seemed to calm down. Again this morning, gave her a bottle of about 2.5/3 oz and she was still making the hungry face and whimpering. So I BF her again and she seemed to have fallen asleep.

My question is, shouldn't 2.5 oz be enough? Or is she just wanting comfort from the breast? Should I offer her more in the bottle or just settle with the fact she may not enjoy the bottle? Any experience with this? As of right now there doesn't seem to be any nipple confusion. She goes from one to the other with no problem.

Thanks

EmEeGee · September 2015

How fast does she suck down the bottle? Sometimes they can drink too fast and it doesn't register that they're full because breastfeeding paces them a bit more and the feeding time is more drawn out. If she's actively sucking and clearly eating when she wants to bf after the bottle, she may still be feeling hungry. But try to pace her bottle feeds more by giving more frequent burp breaks. I've read that a bottle feed should take just as long as a bf session. If you can tell that she's just sort of faking it when you go to bf and is just soothe sucking, she may just want the comfort.

taylorharber1108 · September 2015

DS does the same thing when we give him a bottle. He is four weeks old and usually will eat about 2.5 -3 oz. Sometimes he cries when we remove the bottle from him mouth and acts as if he is still hungry. The moment I go to breastfeed him he falls asleep. For him I think it's a comfort thing. Lately I can give him a paci and hold him as if I am breastfeeding him and he will calm down and go to sleep.

candicejeff2013 · September 2015

^With my husband she sucked it down fast, however, I *did* have a successful mid-night bottle feed with several burp breaks and some rocking...she was out for another 2 hrs. And then this morning she wasn't satisfied with the same amount...so maybe I'll offer a little more next time. Just trying to avoid an inconsolable baby after I've had a glass of wine .

Thnx!

kettlekitten · September 2015

Try paced feeding (google it). We are doing that with DS. It mimics breastfeeding in that it helps to draw out the feed by incorporating pauses as would happen at the breast.

stephhpets · September 2015

Our three week old takes 3.75-4 oz per feed, so it could be an amount thing but it could also be the bottle/breast transition. I usually pump more during the day, and breast feed at night since there is definitely that comfort factor that the lil baby might be looking for. I was told by our lactation consultant that Dr. brown bottles are the best for going back and forth - the flow of milk is slow and similar to the breast. I go back and forth between the pumping and breast feeding too because of the nipple pain!!!

ElleMF728 · September 2015

My 3 week old will eat 4 oz normally and will even go for 5 every once in a while if he is tanking up for bed occasionally. I also nurse and give bottles of pumped milk at night because DS2 has a very lazy latch when he is so sleepy.

Saratiff · September 2015

My almost three week old takes 2oz sometimes three every two hours. How often is your baby feeding?

acgonzalez22 · September 2015

I pace feed but DS was still eating 3 to 4 oz at 3 weeks. He is at 4 to 5 oz now at 5 weeks.

toccoaparker · September 2015

My four week old will drink up to 4-6 oz at a time (not always though!), I just assumed she was a piggy :@)

candicejeff2013 · September 2015

Saratiff said:
My almost three week old takes 2oz sometimes three every two hours. How often is your baby feeding?

I feed her every two hrs...during the day. Sometimes at night we go longer.

candicejeff2013 · September 2015

Ok good to know. I'm gonna offer more milk and see if that helps along with pacing it over a span of 20 minutes..

jlsweets · September 2015

If I give a pumped bottle it's 3oz (3 weeks old) sometimes 4.

irohspupil · September 2015

My four week old will eat anywhere from 2.5-6oz. I feed on demand but she tends to eat every hour and a half to two and a half hours during the day, then will go about three and a half to six hours at night. There's no telling!

mgarrett921 · September 2015

kettlekitten said:
Try paced feeding (google it). We are doing that with DS. It mimics breastfeeding in that it helps to draw out the feed by incorporating pauses as would happen at the breast.

We just started doing this with our 2 week old. Works well for all involved.

heath3er · September 2015

I would get a different nipple. A lot of times bf babies are such good suckers they suck so quick and over eat.

My lactation consultant recommends a slow release nipple for them to drink out of. Also she recommends a big nipple pacifier.

Ambermom043 · September 2015

Why are your nipples still hurting?? I would think they should be getting used to it by now. Mine (for the most part) stopped hurting at about 2 weeks.... Until she got thrush that is... Back to square one! Also, would taking breaks in breast feeding make it take longer for your nipples to get used to it? Like learning to play guitar.. if you stop playing, you lose your callouses and it hurts again. ;p

brielee333 · September 2015

I had the exact same experience when my daughter was three weeks old. She was always hungry even when we used a bottle that took much longer. It turned out she just needed more milk. She would eat 4-5 ounces and be happy.

kettlekitten · September 2015

Ambermom043 said:
Why are your nipples still hurting?? I would think they should be getting used to it by now. Mine (for the most part) stopped hurting at about 2 weeks.... Until she got thrush that is... Back to square one! Also, would taking breaks in breast feeding make it take longer for your nipples to get used to it? Like learning to play guitar.. if you stop playing, you lose your callouses and it hurts again. ;p

It took 6 months of EBFing my DD before it stopped hurting, and that was with enormous amounts of assistance from different LCs. So no, the guitar callous theory doesn't apply. Some of us just have sensitive boobies!

irohspupil · September 2015

kettlekitten said:

Ambermom043 said:
Why are your nipples still hurting?? I would think they should be getting used to it by now. Mine (for the most part) stopped hurting at about 2 weeks.... Until she got thrush that is... Back to square one! Also, would taking breaks in breast feeding make it take longer for your nipples to get used to it? Like learning to play guitar.. if you stop playing, you lose your callouses and it hurts again. ;p
It took 6 months of EBFing my DD before it stopped hurting, and that was with enormous amounts of assistance from different LCs. So no, the guitar callous theory doesn't apply. Some of us just have sensitive boobies!

I was told my pain wouldn't go away until LO got bigger (also around 6 months like PP). I couldn't imagine going through that pain for so long when she could be perfectly fine being bottle fed, and I could have my poor cracked nipples to myself.

kjandericka · September 2015

My 3 week old takes 4-4.5oz every 2.5-3 hours.

candicejeff2013 · September 2015

The nursing isn't the bad part. It's the initial latch that hurts like hell! Soo painful... I've changed positions, expressed milk be before the latch but it still hurts. I've been to a la leche meeting but seems pretty typical. Ouch.

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