Advice on bottle feeding needed please

[Knomester]

I have a 4 week old baby who has so far been exclusively breastfed. I also breastfed my first child, so I am clueless when it comes to feeding with bottles and formula.

I am hoping to continue breastfeeding, but after 4 weeks of hell (tongue tie, ductal thrush, bacterial infections and severe nipple trauma) and today being hit with full on recurrence of thrush, I need a back up in case I can't make it through the weekend to Monday when I have an appointment with a breast specialist.

I just wondered if anyone could advise on what I need to buy and where I can buy it from this afternoon. I have a tomme tippee (sp?) microwave steriliser and bottle which I'd bought in case I needed it with my first son. Will this be sufficient for now just for the weekend? What sort of teat is best for a breastfed baby (preferably one which will fit the bottle I already have)? Which formula should I buy?

I am utterly clueless so would be extremely grateful for any help!

Thanks

[hellosailor]

So sorry you're going through such a lot with feeding, hopefully the breast specialist will help on Monday.

Tommee tippee bottles are liked by a lot of babies, just check that the teat is a size 1 flow teat (will say on the teat itself) as that is what a tiny baby has. Generally when you buy a new bottle it's size 1 so it should be.

If I was you I might try to buy another bottle just so if you do need them, you have one to use while one is being sterilised, but if you might just need it once or twice then it only take a few mins to sterilise so no probs.

Aptamil seems to be the formula midwives recommend, it will be the number 1 type that you buy, for newborns. You can buy it in powder form of course and also ready to pour bottles and little cartons which are easy if you're on the go. Generally babies go for it more if it's made room temperature at least, or warmed, rather than cold. If your baby doesn't like the bottle you have, dr. brown bottles and teats and nuk bottles and teats are ones that bottle refusers often go for. both avail in sainsburys

xx

[Saffron]

If you have a dishwasher, you don't need a separate steriliser. The heat and detergent in the dishwasher are sufficient and can be used with any typical feeding system.

The best bottle and teat are probably ones that your baby will actually take! My daughter had to have a few bottles of ebm/formula when we started breastfeeding, as we had a lot of problems. Luckily she was a 'sucky' baby and would take any teat. And after things got better, we went back to 100% breastfeeding.

It might be worth sending out a Forum SOS for anyone with spare bottles, if she won't take the bottle and teat you have. I did this for my neighbour when her little one wouldn't take a bottle. I got loads of different bottles for her for free from lovely Forumites, until she found one that worked for her LO.

As for formula type, if I had it to do over again, I seriously wouldn't bother with powders - what a pfaff! Whatever brand you choose, stick with that brand if your baby tolerates it well, as switching brands can lead to tummy upset in young babies. This is because each brand is formulated slightly differently.

Sorry you're having a tough time. I hope it gets better soon!! xx

[Convex]

I have a mam bottle you can have, it's self sterilising

Otherwise if you want to buy them, I think sainsburys stock an avent starter kit

[Knomester]

Thank you all.

We have taken your advice and bought another Tommee Tippee bottle with the slow flow teat and a few little bottles of ready mixed aptamil to tide us over if needs be.

I'm hoping the specialist has some miracle cure for us on Monday, but I'm not holding out much hope given that we have taken things as far as we can with the lactation consultant, but I can dream!

Convex - I am intrigued about self sterilising bottles!

[Saffron]

You've probably tried all of this already, but just in case there's anything you haven't tried, here's what worked for me when I had extreme breast/nipple pain...

For really traumatised nipples, I found silicone LilyPadz breast pads used with a tiny bit Lansinoh lanolin were the best. You can wash and reuse them, so they're good value for money. I got mine from the NCT website, but I think MotherCare might sell them as well.

Also, the MotherCare nipple shields were very useful, and I think I wore these until my daughter was 3+ months. I know some people are anti-nipple shield, but I found them helpful. I think I tried 2 or 3 other brands before finding these.

Breastmilk itself is very healing. Before putting Lansinoh on my nipples, I used to rub them with breastmilk and let it dry just a little (not totally), then place the LilyPadz over them. The conventional advice to let nipples dry completely isn't necessarily good if your nipples are already traumatised. Over-drying can lead to micro-cracks in the skin which prevent healing and promote infection.

Have you been able to clear the thrush/bacterial infections? Some people respond better or worse to different combinations of anti-fungal/antibiotic treatments. So if one round didn't clear, it might be worth trying different ones the second time.

If your breasts simply needs some 'time off', you could try hiring a hospital grade double electric pump. These are much more efficient than other styles of pumps.

If, like me, you have one nipple that's much worse than the other, limit your feeds on that side. Your other breast will start to dominate. The milk supply adjusts, and you can actually feed a baby on just one breast if you need to do so.

Strictly anecdotal, but other things that help are cake and wine. So, so much sympathy! I hope the specialist will be able to help you on Monday. xx

[Strawbs]

I am jiggling a crying baby so need to be short but worst car if you need it I have some dr brown bottles with level 1 teats in if the tt's don't work. I've had to switch baby Strawbs to bottle and he quite likes the tts. X

[Convex]

It's not that mysterious, really! You just assemble the bottle a bit differently add water and it means you can sterilise in the microwave without a separate steriliser.

Ack, I'm not making sense...

Anyway, sorry your boobs hurt and hope the specialist can help.

[SEnewbie]

Hello

Get the slow teat... Usually newborn stage 1.

I found medala bottles brilliant when I was struggling with breastfeeding & needed to top up with a bottle them switched to advent ( similiar to tommy tippee).

http://www.mothercare.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-MCENGB-Site/default/ProductExtensions-GetImageZoom?pid=322906

The bottle is expensive but worth it if combination feeding.

Best of luck, sounds like you're doing everything you can ;)

[Knomester]

Thank you for your lovely long post and kind words Saffron.

I am using the novogel pads (similar result to what you describe I think, with the moist open wound healing). Sadly nipple shields and expressing are even more painful and destructive for me than feeding (you could have heard me howl here from Katie Fisher's house in Croydon when we tried the nipple shields!). Thankfully, baby's tongue is fine now and latch pretty much textbook so at least no new damage is being caused. I'm also blessed with a good sleeper (for now!) which means I can rest my worst side for quite a few hours over night - although it doesn't help with the healing it gives me a break. I doubled up feeds on the (marginally) better side yesterday but worry about making that side worse and leaving myself with no room for manoeuvre if I do that too much! I took a loading dose of flucanazole yesterday for the thrush and pain from that has lessened already so I'm glad I had that in the house ready.

The main thing is baby is fine and gaining weight and other than these issues we're both healthy for which I feel very lucky. And we've made it through another 24 hours to tell the tale.

[Saffron]

At certain points I also found the pump more painful than feeding. I think I didn't really settle with the pump until my milk was more settled. If you like the idea of having your own ebm, maybe try again in a couple of weeks? In the early days of breastfeeding, so much can change from week to week.

Also I found pumping (or feeding) in a cold room was really painful. This was due to having Reynaud's syndrome, which usu affects hands/feet but can also affect nipples!

There are just so many variations on what does/doesn't help. I hope you find the right combination for you and your LO. xx

[Saffron]

Remembering how disheartening some of the anti-formula propaganda is, I just wanted to add that far from undermining our breastfeeding relationship, being able to give a few formula feeds in the early weeks actually saved our breastfeeding relationship. xx

[Convex]

Saffron Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Remembering how disheartening some of the

> anti-formula propaganda is, I just wanted to add

> that far from undermining our breastfeeding

> relationship, being able to give a few formula

> feeds in the early weeks actually saved our

> breastfeeding relationship. xx

Agree!

[Knomester]

I just wanted to thank you all again for your kind words and advice. We have managed to make it to 7 weeks with the bottles and formula still waiting to be opened which is as big a surprise to me as anyone!

We will be making the move over to formula soon though as the diagnosis of irritant dermatitis / eczema 3 weeks ago, which seemed at the time to be the best news (at last a reason why things weren't improving at all...) has turned out to be the opposite as the topical steroid creams have had no impact other than to temporarily slow the deterioration of my wounds.

I do think that taking the step to be prepared and mentally ready to switch to formula helped me persevere longer so thank you all for your support.

[Belle]

Hi Knomester, you sound like you have had a terrible time. Just to say that it's great, as you say, to be mentally prepared to make the switch. I found that once I'd decided that's what I was doing , it was like a weight off my shoulders, because I knew I could just get on with other things! Sounds like you have had plenty of bottle feeding advice but shout if you need any...I bottle fed my first after a couple of weeks, and my second I mix fed at first then switched to bottle about 4 weeks in. I'm prob a bit out of date now (youngest is 2.8yrs) but happy to help if I can! One thing I found with #1 was that we moved up the teat sizes very quickly, I think the age indication is just a guideline. There is a lot of info out there on forums etc if you need it. I'm so impressed with the ready made bottles with teats - didn't have those first time around, just the fiddly cartons. My mantra was to al ways be prepared and go out with an extra carton or two in my changebag.

Anyway, a bit rambly but really just saying, poor you and hope things get a lot better now.

[midivydale]

Hey Knomester, just to say that you are a brilliant mum however you feed your baby. I remember how emotional I felt about "giving up" breast feeding 4 weeks in due to so many problems. I felt I had to justify it to everyone I came across in a very timid, I have really tried kind of way. Sadly midwives and hv did nothing to ease this guilt.

An american friend pulled me out if it, she said "enough with this "giving up" bull - honey you are moving on to something else". I loved that.

You are doing amazingly x

[jennyh]

Another show of support here. I had a rough time of it with breastfeeding my two and sadly after much wrangling and crying (at the time) I bottle fed both of my children. Interestingly with my second I had an identical breastfeeding journey despite the fact my son could latch a little better, just wasnt to be for various reasons. Like other posters say, once you've made the decision and prepared yourself mentally it is much easier to look forward and not back. You've given your baby a wonderful start in life and you will continue to see them thrive and develop those adorable chubby wrists and ankles. There is nothing more rewarding in my experience than a baby who is delightfully full whether breastfed or bottle! Happy, relaxed, content and smiley!

Shout if you need any further advice...we are currently dealing with constipation, a common plight for formula fed babies I think!

[Knomester]

Thank you Belle, midivydale and jennyh. Wise and comforting words... It never ceases to amaze me how wonderfully supportive and caring people I don't know in real life can be.

[devsdev]

Hi Knomester - I posted on your other post without seeing this. My comments stand - you will be doing the best thing for yourself and your relationship with your children since you won't be in pain and can focus on having fun being a parent. Really sorry it hasn't worked out though. Will PM you some tips on preparing bottles. In the end you find a method that works for you. Good luck :)

[simonethebeaver]

Knomester, both my children had formula as I have low supply for medical reasons. It made me very sad, mostly because I felt my body had failed my babies, but so many wise people told me how little it matters how a baby is fed, so long as they are loved. While I continue still to feel upset about my own body, I really can't complain about how healthy and happy my children are.

Someone I know posted this quote on FB the other day, which made me laugh:

"I bottle-fed, and I breastfed, and before I knew it, they were all eating stale french fries off the floor of the minivan, and I was like, whatever, thanks for cleaning."

[Belle]

Love that quote Simonethebeaver!! So true.

[Knomester]

devsdev & simonethebeaver thank you both.

I love that quote simonethebeaver - I can just picture my 3 year old rummaging under the table for blueberries he dropped the day before (covered in crumbs and cat hair...)!

[Bubster]

Huge relief to find this thread today. Our firstborn is nearly five weeks and breastfeeding has been a nightmare: tongue tie, severe nipple trauma, bacterial mastitis. We're combination feeding for now - expressed breast milk and formula via bottle. One of the reasons we've persevered so long despite all the pain and trauma is because of the lack of information about and support for formula feeding. I want to be positive if and when we finally give up trying to breastfeed the 'normal' way (eg. Without nipple shields or tube feeding or expressing) but it's really hard to be positive when there is no official support for it, and it seems so complicated and liable to error around sterilising etc. I will just keep repeating simonethebeaver's story to myself to keep things in perspective and I hope it is ok if I pm a few of you who've offered advice and your experience with making life using formula easier.

[CocoC]

Hi Bubster

I'm so glad this thread has been useful although I'm obviously sorry to hear of your troubles. I've exclusively formula fed since my daughter was 12 weeks old (she's 8 months now) and I remember the same feelings of frustration that there just didn't seem to be any clear, practical advice on the net. One of the best purchases I made was the Tommee Tippee 'Perfect Prep' machine which makes bottles to order at exactly the right temperature using powdered formula. I must have saved a fortune by not using the pre-made stuff all the time. I know there are other ways to save time when you're making up powder but I was always confused and worried about sterile conditions etc. Anyway, best of luck x

[Bubster]

Thanks so much, CocoC. I'll check it out now. And thanks for the moral support too!