baby wanting to b nursed even tho she wasnt nursed from the

[storm285]

hi all
need some help my daughter is 5 weeks old on friday she was bottle fed from the start but when she was about 2 weeks old she wanted to b breast fed wouldnt take bottle at all not even from her dad now every night around the same time she wont take her bottle bust she will take the breast my other two children didnt do this and im worrid as i cant have enough milk to satisfy her i know i cant have as she will wake for her normal bottle pls let me know if u can help or if someone has had a similar problem thanx

p.s she only wants to b nused at night not through out the day

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

OK, first I'm just wondering why you had decided to bottle feed from the start, and I'm not really clear on the reason why you don't want to exclusively breastfeed, particularly since your dd seems interested.   I'm not completely sure what you want, so I'll base my answer on increasing the breastfeeding.

It may not be too late to switch to breastfeeding completely, instead of formula, and it's possible to even increase your milk supply so that you can do this exclusively.  However, to increase your supply, you need to stimulate your breasts, so that means nursing your dd frequently (like every 2 hrs).  At the start, if you don't have enough milk, you can use a feeding tube placed in a bottle of formula with the other end at your nipple (a lc can show you how) so that your breasts are stimulated but dd is still getting fed.  However, every time you give a bottle of formula, you're telling your breasts that they don't need to produce milk for that feed, so it will decrease your overall supply.

Even if your other children weren't breastfed, you can still breastfeed Chloe.  If she's less interested in nursing during the day than at night, maybe try nursing her when she's sleepy, and increase the skin-to-skin contact. If you're worried about not having enough milk to satisfy her, there are lots of ways to increase your supply too!  Let me know if you have more questions (or if I didn't really answer your original question.  :oops:  )

[annamum]

From your post it is really unclear if you want to nurse her at night or not. I think that if you want to try, it is worthy to breastfeed, even partially, if you can't commit yourself to exclusive nursing.
You can definitely increase your supply, not only to maintain her evening feeds but generally to be able to nurse also throughout the day.

As Erin said, more frequent nursing will increase your milk supply because it works on a principle of demand=supply. It is still early for you to work on it and up your supply.

As to why your baby is asking for a boob while your two other children didn't... Maybe she is more vocal and pronounced about her needs than the other two. Or maybe she has this special need they didn't have. Evenings are the most difficult time for babies, they are generally exhausted and overtired and they need a good wind down to be able to fall asleep. Probably your Chloe is looking for some comfort too, which at this age is natural.

Let us know if you have more questions, I hope we helped you a little.

[storm285]

hi
i would love to breast feed her but i need more ideas on how to increase my supply chloe has made it clear she wants it so i dont see n e reason not to give it too her im just worrid about her not getting enough and thanx for your replies   u did help

[annamum]

Here is how to improve supply:

-Feed as often as your baby wants; in newborns feeding on demand at this point will create an adequate supply (some say to have a baby moon and take care of baby only, have lots skin to skin contact)
-Don't use pacifiers and bottles, you need nipple stimulation to produce more milk
-Use breast compression. This is a technique that helps baby get more milk. It is squeezing breast while baby is feeding. When baby is still sucking but not swallowing put your thumb on one side and your other fingers on the other side of the breast. You should be holding a big part of your breast in your hand, bring your thumb and fingers together and compress the breast. More info: http://www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html (look for a link on breast compression).
-Use herbs known for increasing milk supply (you should consult your health provider before) such as Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle, they are can be found in health food stores, they usually come in capsules, take both 3 times a day 1-3 capsules (depends on what your bottle says). They can increase your supply within 24 hours but they don't always work.
-Some drugs are known to have a side effect that increases your supply. Such is Domperidone, you should ask your physician if she could prescribe it for you
-Pump your milk
-Have a lot of rest, eat good food and drink a lot of water or juices. Sufficient liquid intake is very important and often tired and sleep deprived new moms forget to drink. Keep a glass of water by your side when you nurse. Usually, in first weeks your thirst can be paramount which is good, it reminds you to keep drinking.

I hope this helps, let us know how things are going  .