What more can I do?!?!

Awwww Fuzz - you made my cry, thanks love... we'll organise a playdate soon! And thank you for all the support. I guess to some extent I was amazed (although I did have some idea) of the lack of support and dedication and understanding of the benefits of bf-ing here in the UAE. In Oz there is a distinct level of discimination towards those who don't bf! Almost come full circle. After all you support and knowledge and help ladies - this is my plan... I'm going to continue to breastfeed. I will continue to offer formula top ups in the short term (I'll reassess when he's full-term and discuss with a pediatrician). I will weigh him weekly to ensure he's still putting on weight and I'm not going to question my choices... I'm chosing to do what's best for my baby and I know it (thanks in part to all of you!). Breastmilk IS best... and both I and my LO love it :D

Thanks LD. I think to start with I might take him to see the pediatrician that I take my older two boys to - Dr Shola at DLC. She's always been great with my older two rascals. I will be in touch if I don't feel she is a bf-ing advocate tho - thanks. The more any Dr's talk about changing to formula the more I dig my heels in and become adament that I want to bf for as long as possible... why is it so difficult to do what's best for our LO's here!!!

Meals, what your paed said is ridiculous! Anything between 15 g and 30 g per day is within the recommended weight gain guidelines for preemies. This by the way is what I've been told by healthcare professionals at Al Wasl, by DD's paed as well as Cecile De Scaly (lactation consultant). 21 grams per day is within the upper range of that norm so is quite an achievement! Stick to what you're doing now... it's obviously working and bringing results. LD - THANK YOU!!! How can a pediatrician that I was referred to by the neonatologists at the hospital not be aware of the guidelines??? He has made me question myself all day (and I do enough of that already without someone else chipping in!)... It's difficult enough to feel comfortable that I'm doing the best for my LO without contradictory reports from Dr's who are supposed to know and advise accordingly.

I salute you, lady! ... and yes, there does seem to be a propensity amongst medical staff to dismiss breastfeeding. Ask your Dr if he's using the WHO weight gain charts based on breastfeeding babies? Here's a [url=http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/Research/UK-WHO-Growth-Charts'>link[/url'> to them... might be worth printing them off! Thanks HK :) According to the charts he's in about the same percentile that he was when he was born (according to birth weight) - nothing wrong with that for his gestation by my thought processes... Grrrrrrrr!!! I'm sick of second-guessing myself and my choices!

Thanks ladies! :) It's lovely to recieve such support... Honestly, I felt like he was trying to tell me that my milk wasn't of a very good quality (something I am paranoid about, and try to overcome by eating well and drinking loads of water). He indicated I should be stimlulating him to take more milk, pushing him to take more... This isn't my first time on the merry-go-round - I bf my first two LO's and I know what I'm doing (or like to think I do!). I know it's not an issue with regards to volume - I have plenty of supply. Muzza1 you're right, this is our first week home and he is recieving more stimluation with regards to big brothers and visitors. He is just settling in (and so am I). I just feel that regardless - there is always something his Dr's seem to find to knock me down. Would be lovely to get a gold star from them with regards to his development. 200g aim for weight gain just seems enormous - considering his current weight, that's quite a large percentage of his body weight they want him to gain each week. It's difficult for me to just stay home and keep little J tucked up tight in bed all day for sleeps and quiet controlled environments for feeds - I have two other LO's who adore and want to smother him (and yell the house down), I have school runs, lovely friends who visit and cuddle... surely if the right enviroment for him was a quiet, temperature controlled, minimal movement situation they would have kept him in NICU - and perhaps that's why in other countries they do keep them in NICU longer than here... Just frustrating - esp when the messages as contradictory. I will msg BFC and ask her to read and see what she has to say too. FYI - he feeds for 30-40mins bf-ing, I offer the other side but he rarely takes it (there's still plenty of milk on the side he feeds - slight issue with oversupply to start with and my supply is just sorting itself out. I don't want to only offer each side for a short time each as I want to encourage him to take as much hind milk as possible). I also offer 35ml low birth weight formula after each bf until he's done sucking to maximise weight gain. He'll take between 10-25mls of this. I went in today expecting top marks for J - his cheeks are filling out, he's no longer feeling "hollow" and he's looking healthy (I think)... way to shoot a mummy down! :(