Hellobee Boards

We used the Avent natural in the beginning for DD with supplementing and really liked them. She didn't have problems with spit up, though. When she went through a fussy phase at 4months I was worried about gas and bought a couple Dr Browns. I don't know if they helped but she did get happier.

I think the difficulty cleaning them (dr Browns or any bottle really!) is worth how well they work. At some point we started just putting them in the dishwasher. For awhile I soaked the dirty ones and then washed them all at once (we had a bunch though!) and boiled the pieces in a big pot of water. I know it's a lot of work with a newborn though. If we do this again ill probably do dishwasher plus boiling at least the small parts.

have you thought about a weighted feed so you can determine his bf intake? Pumping isn't a good indicator because they are more efficient at nursing than the pump is at removing milk. As far as spit up goes, have you tried sitting him upright after feeds? My 3 week old was spitting up a lot until we started doing that. We do it for about 15 or 20 minutes after a feed.

I agree with @mrs someone and @rockies11: pumped output is an unreliable indicator of your milk production. Maybe a silly question, but are you offering both breasts at every feed? Definitely see a lactation consultant if you can and offer baby the breast very often (maybe every hour or more often, in these early days) to stimulate your supply.

As for bottles, we found this one to be good. It has holes in the bottom which supposedly help reduce the baby's intake of air: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EM5CLDI/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1431887378&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=mam+colic+bottles&dpPl=1&dpID=31K5vM4bj5L&ref=plSrch

@kemma: good point about comfort sucking. My little guy used to get upset after a feed because he couldn't comfort suck at the breast while awake for some reason (only while drowsy or asleep!) I used to think he was still hungry but it turned out he just needed to suck. We used to give him our knuckles or pinky to suck.

LC visits should be covered by Obamacare now. I'd check with your insurance company!

3+ oz is a lot for that age. Might be comfort sucking and if you can satisfy that urge in a different way after giving the bottle he might not need that 3rd oz. You could try putting him back to the breast or a pacifier once he is doing better with breast and bottle. You might try starting with preemie flow nipples as they are good for starting out.

We got Avent Naturals gifted to us but they were too fast for DS. We used Nuk bottles at first because he was such a slow eater and they were REALLY slow. Then we switched to Dr. Brown's around 2 months and stuck with those, as much as I didn't want to, because they trapped less air in DS and he burped easier. Just buy 1 Dr. Brown's bottle and try it. The washing isn't really terrible - you just get used to it.

@macintosh: so obviously I'm not an expert, just a Mum who has worked through her own bf'ing struggles so feel free to ignore my rambling thoughts!

Milk intake for a newborn should be around 20-24oz so supplementing with 3oz every three hours is more like a full days worth of milk which means that your LO is possibly not even hungry for breast milk. If your aim is to get baby back to the breast full time then I worry that baby won't be providing the demand side of the partnership.

It's completely normal for a newborn to want to spend lots of time at the breast, it's part of building supply and meeting a biological and instinctual urge to suck. Allowing free access to the breast and spending plenty of time skin to skin are both great ways to increase supply!

Will you be meeting again with your LC to review and reassess your feeding strategy? I can also highly recommend the breastfeeding forums on the La Leche website if you want some more advice - the ladies over there are amazing!!

Hang in there, Mama - you're doing great!!

@macintosh: I know LCs sound expensive, but they should be at least partially covered by insurance, and if they can help you get your supply up, you'll save on formula costs Good luck, its a rough road! You're doing great though!

@macintosh: yay that is awesome!

@macintosh: such a great update, hope things keep improving for you!!