Pumping after breastfeeding ?

Is she putting on weight okay?

If she's putting weight on and having plenty of wet and dirty nappies, there's no real reason to do so. I'd be asking their reason for saying so x

@Ryan they haven’t weighted her yet, she said they would do that tomorrow or the day after

@Frankie they said because she’s 37 weeks so it’s best to top up to make sure she’s getting what she needs

I’m not a medical professional but if she’s doing plenty of dirty and wet nappies I’d say you want to keep breast feeding and not introduce formula unless weight is a concern

Top up! No! Just keep feeding your baby. If you are feeling confident feeding on demand. And there's no concerns for her weight. Then you just feed her. You can always offer baby more milk, more often than 2 hours. If shes hungry she will latch and feed. If she's not hungry then she won't, but if you put a bottle in her mouth she will suckle even if she doesn't want it.

@Chloe last night she was feeding every other hour which in my opinion Is great as she’s sleepier during the day but when I told the consultant this she said “ well to me that’s a concern because clearly she’s hungry then “ but she’s been sleeping fine the whole day today and she’s been happy to just feed on me. They are trying to say that the top ups are because she’s premature but she was born at 37weeks

37 weeks is term. The only factors that would contribute to introducing formula is - low birth weight - losing 5-10% weight after birth - not gaining weight - low urine output which is less than 1ml/kg/hr - baby not latching to breast - baby sleeping more than 18 hours a day ( however antibiotics do make babies sleepy) - Allergies like diary in your diet If baby is feeding fine and is having enough wet nappies, i wouldn’t introduce formula. Ask the doctor how much milk baby should be having. They usually calculate it by 100mls to 200mls/kg/day. For example 120mls x 3.5kg= 420mls / 12 feeds = 35mls every 2 hours. Ask if you can pump and bottle feed baby and then top up with breast if they are hungry. If bf is something you want, then be firm. There’s no need to introduce if you have a good supply. Ask why they want to formula rather than breast and tell them that the WHO guidelines recommend bf till 2yrs. So why would they suggest otherwise?

@Mina I’m in a shared room and I could heard them going around encouraging formulas feeding. I did pump and gave her 10 ml of colostrum and she still tried to tell me to give her another 15 mil of formula( I didn’t ) I’m just gonna put my foot down and carry on just breastfeeding especially since she’s having plenty of dirty and wet nappies.

That’s absolutely absurd. Keep doing what you’re doing and track how much she’s feeding and the amount of wet and dirty nappies. Also, question their reasoning and rationale for everything. Doctors change in the evening so maybe ask a different doctor what the plan is, to see if you get a different answer.

My little one was born at 38 weeks, and they were really supportive of it. The others on my ward were formula feeding, but they kept coming in and checking to mak3 sure he was feeding well on the breast and had the right latch. On day 3 weight check, he'd only lost 3.5% of birth weight. Day 5 wasn't as great, and was 3.2% so still gained but not massively. But for breastfed she said it was amazing and booked in again fir this Friday to check his weight again. They've not once pushed fir formula so keep standing your ground. As long as baby is happy to feed, you're happy, baby is gaining weight, and having wet and poo nappies, there's no reason not to. You're doing amazing x

Your baby is days old, it's totally normal for her to be feeding every 1-2 hours. My baby did that for the first 6 weeks. Just put your foot down, if you have no concerns about breastfeeding then keep at it. 37 weeks is a full term baby, it's totally normal. at the end of the day it's body. If you don't want to "top-up" then don't. Just feed more frequently (if that's what baby wants) If anything it's only going to increase your supply, so bonus

@Chloe yeah I put my foot down yesterday and told them I wouldn’t do any top ups, the lady just stood there giving me a funny look then left. My milk came in today and she’s been feeding really well so I’m super glad I didn’t listen. Thank you!