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Post by Susan on Feb 1, 2007 23:00:53 GMT
I have been feeling so smug about getting Rachel to latch & what appears to me to be feeding well ( breastfed all my 3 other children -no probs) but over the weeks Rachel has not gained any weight. Now 31 days old & she just wieghs her birth weight, HV & doctor have advised me to supplement BF with formula which I have started today reluctantly and amid floods of tears. HV keeps telling me its not failing but we do need to increase her weight now. I feel so awful & tearful . Husband has come in from work feeling sick so gone to bed . I so much wanted to feed her myself , the emotional weepy side of me can't seem to make any sense of it, and I can't help but feel like I'm failing her .... Have any others of youfelt this way or had sim. problems. xSusan
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Post by Rilith on Feb 2, 2007 6:41:15 GMT
((((((((((((( HUGE HUGS ))))))))))))) Babies with downs can find it a litte harder to get established onto breastfeeding hun. Down to the muscle tone in their mouth and co-ordination. Think of it this way, you are not failing, you are just giving her a helping hand to gain strength in order to feed better and stronger Persevere with it and she will soon really get the hang of it. Or maybe try little and often. Again babies with downs don't feed for as long as other babies, maybe she would prefer the little and ofetn route (not easy with other kiddies about... LOL) Maybe see the doc and ask for a suppliment to add to your breastmilk so you can express it for her, so she doesn't lose the taste for it. You can get on prescription something called duo-cal. Its like a high cal addition to food. Not sure what age you can use it from though. Holly wasn't very old when she was first tried on it. Don't give up trying. You are doing a BRILLIANT job hunni. You are a fab mummy, don't feel you are failing hun. ((((((((((((((( Come for a hug anytime you need one ))))))))))))))))))))
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Post by shirley on Feb 2, 2007 6:52:21 GMT
Hi Susan,
I am soooo sorry that you are not able to feed your LO yourself. I myself ended up in a similar situation when Grace was born . I hadnt even bought any bottles as I was so set on breast feeding her, then when she was born they took her straight from me and into NICU and put a tube down to feed her. I then expressed for her and they gave it to her through the tube, so I thought well at least she is still getting my milk.After about 10 days of this they advised that she go onto formula in order to help her gain weight. I like yourself was 'gutted' and felt like a failure . I thought that at least if I was giving her my milk I would feel like I was doing something for her as I couldnt carry out the rest of her care with her being quite ill. But when she went on the formula she immediatley started to gain weight and by the time she was 3 weeks we got her home. So.. in the end it worked out for the best AND my hubby was secretly pleased cause this meant that he was able to feed her too and he found this great for helping him to bond with grace. Sorry if I have went on a bit. You shouldnt feel like you are failing Rachel, breatfeeeding just insnt right for her and im sure she will be just as pleased when you are sitting feedcing her with the bottle.
Hope you are feeling better soon
Shirley x
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2007 9:37:11 GMT
yes, from what i hear it is very very common for babies with downs to struggle with BF. So you are being a great Mum by wanting to BF but also a wonderful Mum by taking advice and supplimenting her with formula. I know what you mean by feeling a failure but keep telling yourself that you are not at all - you can keep trying to BF just for comfort as well if you want to. Good luck, Rachel is lucky to have such a wonderful committed Mum.
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Post by Susan on Feb 6, 2007 0:21:13 GMT
Just to say that today when Rachel was weighed she had put on 9 ozs - so she is now 6 lbs 6 ozs at 5 weeks old. I am still BF first for 10mins and then topping up with FF, but i have created quite a store of breast milk in the freezer so will start to use some of that. Today she even managed to have a few sucks without the nipple shield so may be she will get the hang of it later? Trying to keep calm & stress free, just doing the best for our Rachel. Thanks for for kind words & support, so pleased I found this site. xSusan
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Post by shirley on Feb 6, 2007 14:34:53 GMT
Ah that is brilliant news, good for you, it must be working
Shirley xx
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Post by pinkshell1110 on Feb 6, 2007 14:45:07 GMT
great news susan
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Post by Jojo on Feb 9, 2007 21:51:32 GMT
Well done Susan, good on you!
I only managed two weeks b/f Lisa, and most of that was expressed. I gave up as her jaudice wasn't getting any better, and I just wasn't making the milk.
Well done hun, keep up the good work!
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Post by Rilith on Feb 9, 2007 22:46:01 GMT
Awwwww Well done hunni And Well Done Lil Rachel for feeding without the shields She'll get the hang of it in no time
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Post by leeandali on Feb 11, 2007 11:23:20 GMT
Hi susan
i've been there too, as i wanted to breastfeed finlay. His weight at birth was 7lbs 13oz, and after 3 weeks it'd dropped loads to 7lbs. My midwife was brillant though because she didn't panic me and told me to perservere but wake him up and to feed him every 2 hours in the day and 3hours through the night for at least (he'd feed for about 10-15min a time but be latched on for about 40min). It was really hard and v tiring for me but after a week of this we started to see a slight weight gain. It eventually took him a month to get back to his birth weight, which sounds similar to rachel. It wasn't long after that he really started to gain weight steadily. I owe a lot to my midwife as she didn't want to hand me over to the HV's until she could see a weight gain, so they didn't stress me out too much! Finlay has now been BF for 3.5 months and it was definately worth all the sleeplessness, crying etc...
Do make sure the HV's are plotting her weight on Downs weight charts (can get them from the Down Syndrome Association). Or you never hear the end of 'your baby is not gaining enough weight...'
Keep going it sounds like you are doing brilliantly!!!
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Post by mum2rachel on Feb 11, 2007 14:51:43 GMT
Thanks everyone for the encouragement, we are at the moment still topping up with formula but Rachel continues to B/F as well, she has had a few more feeds without the nipple shilds but will only do it on the right breast not the left !? I would dearly love to get her back on to exclusive B/F. The HV brings the Downs weight chart with her each time to plot the weight, but I have found a site for doctors and professionals which talks about charts to fit the red books will look up the web address and post it later. xSusan
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Post by shirley on Feb 11, 2007 15:10:44 GMT
We have a chart that fits into the red book, I got it from the special care unit when grace was in hospital.
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Post by pinkshell1110 on Feb 11, 2007 18:29:16 GMT
so did we you should be able to get it from your health visitor hun xxxxx
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Post by Jojo on Feb 19, 2007 23:34:20 GMT
I got my downs growth chart from the HV too.
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kerry1974
New Member
Is This cheeky or What? 29/09/07
Posts: 16
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Post by kerry1974 on Mar 29, 2007 11:18:14 GMT
We got our inserts for the red book from the hv they should know who to ocntact to get them for you. If u ask them next time they should get the ones that stay in your red book
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Post by mum2rachel on Mar 30, 2007 21:40:05 GMT
Thanks everyone , the DSMIG sent me an insert, which I put in & transfered all the weights etc to form the other chart & then when HV came she went 'ooh that's kind of shown me up & so I told her where her practice could order them from and I told her how much better I felt about having it . So perhaps in the future when they are dealing with families in our situations they might do the right thing for them!! Lets hope so. Our paed . consultant was impressed too, he said 'oh that's handy ' as if he'd never seen the inserts for the red book before? So I told him as well.
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Post by shirley on Mar 30, 2007 22:15:54 GMT
OMG I would have thought that all the health proffesionals would have known about the inserts, just goes to show, we CAN teach them a thing or two lol xxx
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Post by Rilith on Mar 31, 2007 7:00:20 GMT
LOL @ the professionals...... Makes you wonder doesn't it .
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