February Chit Chat - Page 5 « Back to Group Discussions

[birdhappy85]

 Michelle, I'm so sorry about your mom. My mom had breast cancer early in her 40's and beat it, and I remember even as a kid how difficult it was for everyone to go through. I'm sending positive thoughts your way!

[TalkToMeNow]

Michelle, so sorry to hear about your mom. Hugs.

Jasper can probably empty my breast in five minutes. He never wants to stop there, though. He usually nurses for much longer... Sometimes an hour, straight through his nap. My milk will let down multiple times.

I got a milk saver last week and am loving it! I don't have a pump but still wanted some milk put aside, just in case. I have no plans to be away from J until he is much older, but it makes me feel better. Anyway, I'm getting about 2-3 oz a day with it. Its not much, but a few of those could make a decent bottle. Well, actually I have no idea how much babies eat in a feeding! I'm sure 6-8 oz would be decent...

So, now that dh is here for a while, I moved the bassinet into the corner of our room. I used to just have J in bed with me all night, but we have a double bed and it's a bit small for three. Plus, dh and I can't snuggle as I won't turn my back to the baby. Anyway, I am so not used to him being across the room! I wake up several times a night gasping, wondering if he is okay. Luckily, he's a noisy sleeper. He comes into bed around 3-4. I think he has to leave the bassinet when he can roll over. Not sure what I'll do then. There is no way he could sleep in another room. I'd have to sleep on the floor with him! We may have to move his crib into our room. Or maybe we can finally get a bigger bed! Woo!

[jbk21]

Amanda- actually Jasper would probably only need a 3 oz bottle or so.  We gave D a bottle to see if he'd take it, and he only drank 2-3 oz.  

He nurses for about 5 minutes every 2.5-3 hours.  He doesn't comfort nurse.  

[LunaLady]

Amanda, we put our crib up next to our bed in a side-car position and it works great! Rhyko isn't sleeping in there, yet, but it affords more space as I can sleep really on the absolute edge of the bed and not fall out because the crib is there. Very nice :)

With the milk saver... would it work even if I don't usually leak on the opposite breast? Does it somehow encourage milk to let down? Or is it just to catch drips? I'd love to try it if it helped milk come down! 

[Abraisme]

We have this kind of set up too.  My DH custom made a co-sleeper that is the same level as our mattress.  It's basically a small, side-carred crib.  Coralie sleeps on her own mattress, but is still very close to me.  This works well for us.
 

Originally Posted by LunaLady 

Amanda, we put our crib up next to our bed in a side-car position and it works great! Rhyko isn't sleeping in there, yet, but it affords more space as I can sleep really on the absolute edge of the bed and not fall out because the crib is there. Very nice :)

[birdhappy85]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abraisme 

We have this kind of set up too.  My DH custom made a co-sleeper that is the same level as our mattress.  It's basically a small, side-carred crib.  Coralie sleeps on her own mattress, but is still very close to me.  This works well for us.
 

Aww! That sounds so nice.  I'd love to have the baby in her own bed "connected" to mine. Having her in her crib in the nursery is working well for us but it would be nice to be able to just set her down next to me after feeding her during her second stretch of sleep in the morning. Our bed is 5 years old and too soft for her to be in bed with me without me waking up constantly to make sure she's positioned okay. It worked fine when she was smaller and I could cradle her easily or lay her on my chest. Not anymore. I want to buy a firmer mattress next time around.

[LunaLady]

Oh, just to say in case it wasn't obvious in my post - our crib is a drop side crib, so we put it together without the drop side and then put it against the wall and then pushed our bed up next to that... so it's open to our bed. 

[seraf]

Amanda, I think Shay is taking 4-6 ounces at a feed from the bottle, but, as I'm always saying, he is a big guy. 

Luna, I think the milk saver encourages leaking for me. When you tuck it into your bra the part on your areola probably encourages more milk to come out because I can get 2 ounces sometimes but I don't leak that much without it. 

[Jaimee]

Can someone post a link to the milk saver?

[LunaLady]

Originally Posted by seraf 

Amanda, I think Shay is taking 4-6 ounces at a feed from the bottle, but, as I'm always saying, he is a big guy. 

Luna, I think the milk saver encourages leaking for me. When you tuck it into your bra the part on your areola probably encourages more milk to come out because I can get 2 ounces sometimes but I don't leak that much without it. 

Hmmm, that sounds like something I might look into, then. I would really like to work on my freezer stash a little as the oldest milk that is in there is now almost four months old as my guy is almost five months old. My breastmilk fridge magnet says milk should only stay in the freezer for 3-6 months.. but that's a rather broad range. Anyhow, I want to work on some newer milk in my stash, but I couldn't be bothered to pump!

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by LunaLady 

My breastmilk fridge magnet says milk should only stay in the freezer for 3-6 months.. but that's a rather broad range.

My understanding is a rule of 6's on the conservative end.  So 6 hours out of the fridge, 6 days in the fridge, 6 months in the freezer (longer in a deep freezer).  But once you're saving milk for so long in the freezer the milk isn't really biologically appropriate for baby either since the fat content changes so much from newborn to 6 months old.
 

[seraf]

http://www.mymilkies.com/

[jbk21]

I would still use the frozen milk- even 6 months later.  It's kind of like donated milk- breast milk is breast milk, even if not necessarily optimal for that age, etc.  It's being used in a pinch, not for every meal, so I would keep it Christina!  I think the range is so wide because shelf life varies from person to person.  For instance, my milk is higher in the enzyme lipase which breaks down the fat and gives milk an off taste.  This happens over time, so if my milk is chilled or frozen for a short period (as is the case for my donated milk) then it's okay, but can't be stored for longer periods because the enzymes break down more and more of the fat.  Lipase imbalance is fairly common- it's not harmful, just changes the taste.  

[LunaLady]

Yes, I have it just in case anything happens to me and I'm not able to feed him for whatever reason. It's just enough that he'd had a day's worth (or, at least I think a day's worth) of milk and I could pump if needed (if I was away from him... which seems so unlikely).

Thanks! :D

[TalkToMeNow]

I've thought about the side car... My reservations are purely aesthetic. So silly, I know! I'm thinking that once Jasper is big enough to be out of the bassinet, I might be okay with him starting out the night in his room. Maybe... We'll see! I have a little while to figure it out. Ideally, we'll get a king sized bed and there will be plenty of room. The double bed is perfect for just J and I. He has his side, I have mine. He'll sleep over on his side for a good five hours before he wakes up to eat. When he's done nursing, I can scoot back over and have my own space. I'm thinking in a king bed, I could do this even with dh in the bed.

I'm not sure about the milk saver. I'm a leaker no matter what. It might encourage more, like Sara said.

[LunaLady]

Also wanted to share... R. had his four month check up (two weeks late because they were snowed in two weeks ago when his appt was initially) and he met or exceeded all of the four month criteria! And his doctor didn't even need to use the preemie weight/height chart she printed - he's very much on the regular chart. He's 25% for height, 50% for weight and 75% for head circumference for his actual age - not adjusted age! 

She said he's not considered a 'preemie' baby anymore because he's perfectly on course for his actual age!

She is also my doctor for well woman visits - so I *finally* got a postpartum exam! And everything looks fine, thankfully. Still irked by the fact that the doctors at the hospital, despite it being where I delivered, refused to see me for my postpartum exam. 

Edited by LunaLady - 6/29/12 at 4:25pm

[seraf]

Amanda, sorry, I meant I leak more while I'm using it. I leak regardless but if I put it in my bra I leak (and save) a larger quantity. 

[Jaimee]

Yay Rhyko!!!  That's great news, Christina!

[LunaLady]

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Edited by LunaLady - 6/29/12 at 4:25pm

[mamabelle]

Thanks for the milksaver link! I have never heard of that and am going to order. I'm too lazy to pump, but it'd be nice to have a little stash. I'll let you know if it seems to encourage more leaking. Now that I'm back at work (with baby), I'm extra conscious of leaking! The milkies seem pretty pricey, but since I hate pumping I will give it a try.  

We have our crib sidecarred as well. Our house is too small to put the baby anywhere else until she's old enough to share a room with her big brother (18 mo? Any experience?). I love the arrangement, but do hate feeling like I can't get out of bed without disturbing everyone!