angie-bum
Gold Member
hi guys, have been off for a while as have spent almost every waking hour for 4 weeks, trying to bf my baby. Katia didn't poo for the first 2 weeks and my mw was as much use as a chocolate teapot, so much so that my hv has reported it. Katia probably wasn't getting anything like what she needed in breast milk. My hv says it should have been managed differently and a plan sorted long before she got on the scene (god bless my hv!) Babs lost more than 10% of her weight and has only just recovered that, up until last week she was still losing weight and hv very concerned. Saying that, I have spent a great deal of the last week hand expressing/pumping and supplementing Bab's diet with a carton of sma. She has put on 7oz this week =) so at 4 weeks 1 day, she has only just got back up to 9lb, which she started at. I have been beside myself.
I went to the gp this week as my hv had noticed that babs wasn't seen at 24hours (I wasn't told I needed to go or I of course would have done!) gp was really odd with me and in broken english chastised me for not coming in sooner (doh! i wasn't even aware I needed to) she did the hip check etc and pronouced my child normal. I redressed babs, when gp announced she'd changed her mind and would weigh baby. So I undressed babs again. Gp then looked at the weight and blanched, as not back up to start weight. Babs started crying as I was redressing her and gp announced that crying was because baby obviously hungry, that I obviously wasn't producing enough, that I needed to check my technique for bf (though bf support, mw and hv all said my bf technique was spot on) and needed to go on formular. Anyway long story short, was totally in bits, felt I had failed Katia and heartbroken that I hadn't been able to sustain her (or notice there was a problem...she is a happy baby, seemingly growing out of clothes, feeding well...or so I thought, wet nappies, good complexion...)
Met a friend who does bf support, who happened to be in the gp surgury reception, she managed to collect my shattered belief in myself and supported me to go over the road and talk to the bf friendly hv's.
Anyway. With the help of fenugreek seed pills and lots of expressing, I have managed to increase my milk supply. Baby only seems to feed stongly very first thing and later in the day, the rest of the time she just has small snack and falls to sleep, which is why I have been tied to the sofa feeding her all hours for weeks. Under my hv suggestion, during the day I am now only feeding babs 15 mins on each boob and then supplementing her feeds with portions of sma. Since doing this baby seems more satisfied, I am less tired and upset and actually have time and 2 hands to express. I am actually able to type this as my supply is good this am, I have fed her from both boobs and been able to hand express nearly 20ml whilst she sleeps by the side of me wrapped in my dressing gown.
Right! so now baby is gaining weight and I am not an emotional wreck I might be able to think about losing weight. After the initial loss I am putting on again. I hate being back to a size 20, doesn't suit me at all. I am aware that I need to preserve my milk supply. Have been thinking about slimming world. It might also be good for me to do and have something else in my week to go to.
Anyway, need to go to sleep and take my sleeping beauty up stairs with me =)
I went to the gp this week as my hv had noticed that babs wasn't seen at 24hours (I wasn't told I needed to go or I of course would have done!) gp was really odd with me and in broken english chastised me for not coming in sooner (doh! i wasn't even aware I needed to) she did the hip check etc and pronouced my child normal. I redressed babs, when gp announced she'd changed her mind and would weigh baby. So I undressed babs again. Gp then looked at the weight and blanched, as not back up to start weight. Babs started crying as I was redressing her and gp announced that crying was because baby obviously hungry, that I obviously wasn't producing enough, that I needed to check my technique for bf (though bf support, mw and hv all said my bf technique was spot on) and needed to go on formular. Anyway long story short, was totally in bits, felt I had failed Katia and heartbroken that I hadn't been able to sustain her (or notice there was a problem...she is a happy baby, seemingly growing out of clothes, feeding well...or so I thought, wet nappies, good complexion...)
Met a friend who does bf support, who happened to be in the gp surgury reception, she managed to collect my shattered belief in myself and supported me to go over the road and talk to the bf friendly hv's.
Anyway. With the help of fenugreek seed pills and lots of expressing, I have managed to increase my milk supply. Baby only seems to feed stongly very first thing and later in the day, the rest of the time she just has small snack and falls to sleep, which is why I have been tied to the sofa feeding her all hours for weeks. Under my hv suggestion, during the day I am now only feeding babs 15 mins on each boob and then supplementing her feeds with portions of sma. Since doing this baby seems more satisfied, I am less tired and upset and actually have time and 2 hands to express. I am actually able to type this as my supply is good this am, I have fed her from both boobs and been able to hand express nearly 20ml whilst she sleeps by the side of me wrapped in my dressing gown.
Right! so now baby is gaining weight and I am not an emotional wreck I might be able to think about losing weight. After the initial loss I am putting on again. I hate being back to a size 20, doesn't suit me at all. I am aware that I need to preserve my milk supply. Have been thinking about slimming world. It might also be good for me to do and have something else in my week to go to.
Anyway, need to go to sleep and take my sleeping beauty up stairs with me =)
