I Supplemented the First Days of Life to Keep Him Safe and Fed, Now We Don’t Need to Supplement

By Aubri

My baby is 9 days old. The first night in the hospital he had regular glucose tests because he was a big baby and his blood sugar was low on the 2nd test. Thanks to your site I didn’t think twice about saying yes to formula when they suggested it for one feeding to bring his blood sugar back up. I continued to try to breastfeed after that and the 2nd night in the hospital he kept us up all night cluster feeding. The Lactation Consultant told us that his blood sugar was now measuring fine and I was producing colostrum and there was no medical reason to supplement.

I continued to try to breastfeed, but after a full hour going back and forth from breast to breast he started screaming and flailing and attacking my breasts and seemed to be desperate for food. I told the nurse to bring some formula and I cried the whole time, but he ate that formula so desperately and then went right to sleep. I went back to breastfeeding as long as I could and when the same thing happened the next evening I didn’t hesitate to grab a bottle. The next day my milk came in and we haven’t needed to supplement since, but the formula got us through those first few days. I don’t understand why my baby and I had to be in tears to make sure he was fed, but I’m so glad I found your site before I had him so that I had some source of reassurance that I was doing the right thing. So thank you.

Gryphon, safely supplemented by mom until her milk came in

#supplementing #listentoyourbaby #SafeBreastfeeding #FedisBest

Published by Christie del Castillo-Hegyi MD

Co-Founder of the Fed is Best Foundation, Board-Certified Emergency Physician and Investigator of Breastfeeding Complications that Result in Infant Rehospitalization, Brain Injury and Disability

One thought on “I Supplemented the First Days of Life to Keep Him Safe and Fed, Now We Don’t Need to Supplement”

  1. drbriansymon says:
    Reply

    It’s interesting. Today I had lunch with a friend who is also a family physician. We talked about feeding practices when she was a young mother about 40 years ago. When the babies were born they were all given glucose until the milk came in and all was well. It was PEACEFUL. As a family physician myself delivering babies in a country town 100% of my babies were offered a little milk formula from feed one day one. As the mothers milk arrives the babies decline top ups except on those days when the mother is overly busy and tired and her milk is down in the evening. They then need a little “dessert”. I never readmitted a baby post discharge for poor weight gain, dehydration or hypoglycaemia. Well done Aubri.

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