Anyone combination/mixed fed?

[Shiv52]

I'm with Amanda. In the early months I didn't put R to bed until we were going to bed at 10/11 and just kept her down with us. Maybe you could feed her and DH could sort her while you do Cs bed and let her have a nap in the sling and attempt bedtime later once C is settled and asleep?

[cath~]

Following along with interest

Fwiw L also had rubbish evenings and was up with us (in a sling and feeding about hourly) until we went to bed until she was about 2 months. From then on BTs and evenings (at 7pm) were a lot better (although of course we still had plenty of rough patches).

Don't think bottles/formula would have helped us at all in the evenings (just more hassle to prepare and you have to sterilise too don't you) and I think I would have woken just as much during the night even if DH had been the one giving her a bottle.

[<Catherine>]

Evenings here are unsettled too Nicola. Bens in my arms screaming right now. We don't have any kind of BT routine in place yet at 7.5 weeks. He's downstairs with us cluster feeding until I go to bed between 9 and 10.30pm. I didn't cluster feed last night and it was a big mistake.

[cuckoochick]

G is cluster feeding earlier as in late afternoon. I could try and keep her downstairs with us but she often seems ready to sleep a long stretch at that time and I confess in many ways I am just done and want some baby/child free time after having her in the sling most of the day but yes DH could have her in the sling!

It probably is a case of me rushing to try and get a bedtime routine sorted and perhaps I am being unrealistic at this stage. I'd just like us to get back to those 3hrs between feeds at night. Perhaps I could try a DF or would that be asking for trouble with our wind issues?!

I feel like we're being really inconsistent with everything as now we've stopped the gaviscon she's vomited loads more today. She hasn't seemed too uncomfortable though.  We've been giving her infacol. Much less screaming at BT tonight though.

[C&B&E]

Huge hugs.  BTDT.  Where are you up to with going dairy free?  DD was very squirmy at night/gassy etc, and cutting out dairy made a huge difference to her.  It isn't as bad as I thought it would be - there are dairy free margerines, oat milk etc, which makes things relatively easy. 

Not sure if you know, but Gaviscon not being effective would not rule out reflux - it isn't great for many bf babies, and it isn't technically even a medication it is just a thickener.  We had lots of issues with it causing constipation, and we ended up with ds and dd both going on ranitidine and then a ppi (these meds actually reduce the acid ). 

I mixed few with DS (he had severe tongue tie and wasn't gaining weight) and in retrospect I regret it as although he needed more milk in him, I wish I had been better informed as in hindsight he was probably MSPI.  So I agree with the others, it may be worth holding out until you have established whether he has other issues, as although it may feel like you want to do something now, it may actually make things more difficult iyswim  . 

What are her poos like (when she's not on the gaviscon!)?

[Fiver]

I'd just like us to get back to those 3hrs between feeds at night

And you will, I promise, but these first few weeks have so many GSs and suchlike that once you find some sort of equilibrium, it's only ever short lived.  Get past that 6w stage and they're not quite so frequent.

And as PPs have said, Gaviscon doesn't neutralise acid, just adds some 'weight' on top of the milk to try to stop acid from coming up (which as a previously pregnant woman who has taken it, I know not to be particularly effective!!)

[cuckoochick]

Claire, her poos are perfect BF poos when not on the gaviscon. Yellow with some milk curds. No sign of any mucous. She's been less windy without the gaviscon during the night too. With the gaviscon it was really thick and we'd get total blowout poos after a while of being bunged up.

I am going to do the dairy free, I'm building myself up to it because food is my life and I use it as a big comfort to me especially in times of stress. That probably makes me sound really horrible but I know I will find it hard. Will start tomorrow as DH made me buttered crumpets and tea with milk while I was in the shower this morning despite it being the plan to go dairy free today after we did our shopping.

Thanks ladies for all your words of encouragement. My head is all over the place so sorry if I'm not making much sense. Right better get to bed as no doubt G will be up soon!

[ZacsMumme]

Nic Toms poops were fine until closer to 6-8 weeks old so she could still be intollerant

Hugs Hun, it's so hard!

[Shiv52]

How'd your night go lovely?

[cuckoochick]

Thanks Shiv,
She woke at midnight and then every 3hrs so 3ish, 6iah and then at half 7 in a bit of discomfort. So much better.

HV came  today and G has out on another 12oz in a week so in terms of her weight gain she is doing fab. I've got an appointment with the GP tomorrow as when I rang up there were no appointments left despite me ringing yesterday and being to,d to ring T 8:30 as I couldn't book an appointment. However today they've given me an appointment for tomorrow Anyway as long as we get to see her I'll be pleased. The HV acknowledged she is v good so fingers crossed.

Our today today is going terribly though as G short napped and then we struggled to get her back down and of course just as we did HV arrived and woke her up to weigh her. she's now in sling and has just woken at 30min mark and is going nuts, rooting against my chest. Gonna be a long day and DH is off to work.

[Lindy612]

Hi Cuckoochick, I'm quite new here but wanted to offer some support. It will be good to see GP to discuss issues. I'm a GP myself but by no means an expert on a lot of these issues - I have a very similar story to yours and we're at 8weeks now! - I would say that Infacol and Dentinox Colic Drops(which are similar) can actually make reflux worse. I assume your health visitor has gone through all the non medication things to help - raising head of crib a couple of inches, keeping upright for 15-30mins after a feed, winding mid feed. Making sure emptying one boob before moving to next to ensure not getting too much lactose rich foremilk which even if not lactose intolerant can cause increased wind as the extra sugar is broken down.  Like you I found gaviscon useless really and with good weight gain wasn't keen to start acid reducing medications like ranitidine or omeprazole. I do combination feed, just bottle at night when i dont have enough EBM to make up a feed. I don't find it has made any difference to reflux or wind to have the odd bottle of formula, I have tried EBF and dairy free etc but for us that wasn't the culprit. In the beginning when DH gave a bottle of formula at night I expressed to keep my supply up - I loved this because DH had LO and I could have a cup of tea and not feel like I should be running round tidying up or sorting other things! A random thing that I found helped with T's reflux and fussing at night was to give the bottle of formula or EBM when I have enough, cold from the fridge, he wasn't sure of that at first but now seems to like it and he doesn't cry or writhe around after his last feed like he used to.
Sounds like you're doing a fab job though and your LO is obviously thriving, it is hard, we just have to do what's right for us and our wee families at the end of the day, hugs, x

[Me.and.my.two.boys]

Hey hun, I havent read through every post but you are discribing my life 9 months ago! I have a few ideas

If you suspect MPI dont introduce formula - I was giving aptimil before we suspected MPI and when we looked back he was much worse on the formula than breast milk even when I was eating dairy.

C was gaining loads of weight too and didnt have the mucousy poos, just the vomiting, unsettledness and screaming!! I really had to push the doctors with his carem first for meds for reflux and then for a referral to the ped but it was all totally worth it

I have been combination feeding since C was 4 weeks old, mostly 1 formula feed per day and the rest breast milk from me or expressed (when he is at nursery). He was on aptimil until we saw the ped at 4mo and now he has neocate. When he was smaller I would express in place of a formula feed unless it was during the night when I'd just sleep through. Now I hate expressing so I tend not to do it so much but I dont really get much milk when I express anyway now even though I am making enough milk for C's feeds.

With the dairy free - I was so worried - At the start it was hard because I never knew how much actually contained dairy but now I am so used to it I think that even when I stop bf or if C grows out of his MPI, I will continue to follow a dairy free diet. I have just made amazing banana muffins and ate 3 of them with a cup of tea lol! Food can still be good without dairy and if you need any help there, just ask

Hugs honey xxxx

[cuckoochick]

Thanks ladies

Lindy- yes we've been trying all of those tips thank you.

I started dairy free today. This might sound like a silly question but is it just cow's milk products I'm avoiding? Ie can I have goats cheese or cheese from ewes' milk?

Kelly I'm definitely going to have to do some baking. C has been tucking into some flapjacks this afternoon at snack time and I was v jealous!

[shivi]

huge hugs Nicola,

Sounds a lot like Emma in the early days. I was so sure we were dealing with issues related to OAL/OS and her tongue tie daytime (so wind due to not being able to deal with the fast flow and amount of milk) and then FM/HM imbalance as she'd get fed up with one side easily (weak such again due to TT) and I'd swap and swap again and again. In the evenings due to my own exhaustion (wintertime, 2.5 yr old male toddler at home, DH working 12 hr days Mon to Fri so alone all day including bedtimes and an EWing toddler to boot) my milk would actually be very, very low. So I used a bottle for that 7-8pm feed, first to the breast and then I'd top her up with what otherwise I would have used for a DF. It was a sanity saver, really and truly.

From when I first introduced it, I had both of them down by 7pm for sure and had an hour or two of peace for myself. DH would get in around 8pm, cook for us and I'd go to bed. I fed 11pm or 12 midnight DF, DH would do everything but the feeding. I never ever learned (nor did my babies) how to feed lying down. I have teeny boobs and babies with big heads (lol) so I could never see what was going on. I would just prop myself up in bed and snooze sitting/half sitting (which was also good for the OAL as they fed against gravity.

G's weight gain is really brill for a EBF little girl - AMAZING! Also, I wanted to add that I was really trying everything to not go dairy free as it would be extremely difficult in PL as those allergy-products even for gluten free, diabetics etc are only now coming onto the market. We even had green mucousy poos (but they were the FM/HM imbalance type) and with such amazing weight gain, good poops when block fed or fed non-distracted, lack of issues with skin etc - I finally put all her early issues down to TT, windiness associated with this and OAL/OS, distractible nature (and big brother around LOL) and lack of patience in the evening combined with spiritedness and my exhaustion.
I swear until we stopped at 18 mths, Emma's only "textbook" feeds (after a very successful feeding relationship with Oscar) were DFs or early morning feeds later (when I went back to work at 7mths, I would feed her semi comatose in the mornings as I had to leave at 7am). Not great, I know, but I did what I had to to "control" the others - in the dark where possible, in friend's bedrooms when visiting their houses, under a black blanket outdoors etc etc. Otherwise, we had the windy green poops even at 3 mths +.

So, just another take - it can be lactose overload, distractibility etc and not necessarily dairy.

S x

[cuckoochick]

Thanks shivi. I'm worried we won't be taken seriously anyway because her weight gain is do good.

It's really humid here today and G has decided napping is for the weak. Going to be a long night I think. Lucky DH being at work late!