Hi can I give formula and breast milk?

My little boy is almost 2 weeks old and at night he is constantly hungry I feel like my breast is not enough.. he also has jaundice which is really bothering me... Has anyone else got a jaundice baby or how long did it take to go? Did they have it in there eyes?

[Hidden]

Anyone???

[Roux93]

Hi this might help

[Roux93 in reply to Roux93]

nct.org.uk/baby-toddler/fee...

[Lindsay05]

My son is 22 weeks and gets formula and breast milk I combine feed.

[Claireeeeeeeeeeeee]

Its worth being aware that feeding constantly in the evening is the way they regulate supply and is completely normal. Its not a sign that you arent producing enough milk. Its hard work but it does get easier.

[Octoberbaby2019]

Yes ofc you can do combined feeding, I don't know how it works with the formula quantities but you could call a HV to ask for advice on how to measure the formula vs breastfeed. Hope it all goes well for you x

[Fudge26]

I wasn't producing enough milk so did combined feeding my little girl preferred formula and my supply dried up. Just be careful I would say. Have you tried expressing milk in the day to top up with at night? Good luck x

[PoppyC38]

My son was jaundice, we were given an appointment to have him checked at a month old but it cleared up just before so we didn’t have to go. Get as much sunlight on him as you can. I used to strip him to a nappy and sit in a sunny window with him. If you want to combi feed make sure you look up paces feeding, bottles are much easier than breast so they can end up rejecting the breast if you aren’t careful. He’s also working on your supply. The first 6 weeks or so of feeding are intense but then it definitely calms down.

[Solly-44 in reply to PoppyC38]

Yep I second this. We used to lie our boy in his Moses basket in front of a window for him to get some sunlight! It definitely helps

[roxannacar]

What do you mean by constantly hungry? It's quite normal for such a young baby to feed every 1-2 hours and that's because they have a tiny stomach, so it completely normal. They do go longer in between feeds as they grow a little more.As for the jaundice, have you had the levels checked with his bloods at day 5. A little bit of jaundice is quite normal for babies as their liber is.100% working when they are born, but if levels are very high they might need treatment, I'd discuss with your midwife/health visitor.

[Hidden in reply to roxannacar]

As in he wants to be fed every 5 mins at night.. I know what is normal for a new born I have a 5 year old... At night he just wants to be fed every 5 mins

[copperkettle8]

My daughter was jaundiced and stayed that way for maybe 3 or 4 weeks. It was kept an eye on but apparently it takes longer to go in breastfed babies, and she was exclusive breastfed. Cluster feeding like that could be a way to increase your supply for a growing baby. It sounds exhausting though, you poor thing!

[Hidden in reply to copperkettle8]

Hi did your daughter have jaundice in her eyes aswell? What I don't understand is I here breast fed babies jaundice to clear off... Would they not be better off on formula if that is the case?

[Hidden in reply to copperkettle8]

Hear*

[LauraJ85 in reply to Hidden]

My son was jaundiced and exclusively breastfed, we spent 8 days in hospital for treatment and also saw a pediatrician on day 14 who was happy to sign him off then as it was just delayed from breast feeding. I was never advised to stop breastfeeding and he was clear by around 6 weeks old. Maybe you could speak to your midwife if you are worried. It also sounds like he is cluster feeding which is completely normal, but exhausting. It does get better but no harm in combi feeding. You have to do what works for you x

[Waterfall2]

My LO was jaundice, we spent a week in hospital while she got blue light treatment. During that time I expressed and bottle fed with formula top ups as she didn't latch at first.Once she latched I breastfed with express milk bottle top ups as she seemed to feed constantly. She was eventually diagnosed with tounge tie. After we got that cut she just breastfed.

It look ages to go away and was in her eyes too. She's was over 2 months old when the blood test showed the levels were low enough not to need to see the doctor any more but wasn't till around 3 months old when her skin and eyes didn't look yellow.

I was so worried but the HV said it was common in breastfed babies to take longer for it to clear.The advice I got was fed lots and plenty of sunlight. Which wasn't easy with a winter baby in Scotland.

Hope it clears up soon. Xx

[dkinuk]

You should speak to a breastfeeding consultant. I know it seems like your baby is feeding excessively, but as long as they aren't losing weight and slowly gaining, it's perfectly normal that breastfeeding is really hard work in the beginning and that it feels like you aren't producing enough. Every woman can produce enough milk assuming they haven't got a very special circumstance like operation around the breast tissue, and a few other rare situations. Good luck, I know it's super hard. But you should definitely be able to breastfeed only, if that's what you wish to do

[dkinuk in reply to dkinuk]

And as someone else has said here, if you haven't had your little one checked for tongue tie, you might want that checked out at a specialist.

[Solly-44]

Hi,

My baby had jaundice after birth inc in his eyes. As someone above mentioned, try to get him lots of sunshine (or in the current weather probably just daylight!) by lying his crib next to a window or something.

It must be exhausting that he wants to feed all the time but this is also good - we were told to feed as much as possible as it helps clear out the jaundice. My baby was too sleepy from it to want to feed so that part was a real struggle.

We supplemented with formula from about a week old. Either 30ml or 60ml a time, 2 bottles a day. I can’t remember the exact amount though so check with midwives or HV.

Hope it goes soon - even though it’s very common I remember being really upset by it so it’s natural you’re worried but I’m sure he’ll be absolutely fine. Our midwife team were great with post natal care so don’t be afraid to get in touch with them if you’re worried xx

[pinkie93]

This is called cluster feeding and it completely normal! My son used to go for up to 6 hours feeding almost non-stop from 5pm to 11pm. After about week 6 it stopped. I exclusively breastfed until 6 months and still breastfeed now he's 18 months, so nothing wrong with my supply. It may be very difficult at the time, but now I really miss those evenings. I got myself a Netflix subscription and bought the Sims 4, would sit down every evening with 1-2 liters of water and a lot of snacks. If you want to stick with exclusively breastfeeding then you just need to go with the flow.

My boy also had jaundice, but it was almost unnoticeable by 2 weeks, so ask your midwife or GP about this. Is your baby getting any sun? Obviously not too much, but 10 minutes a day can do a baby the world of good (although the weather might not be very obliging at the moment).