Breastfeeding Support - Page 10 « Back to Group Discussions

[NewMumJoy]

I had a u-shaped 'knockoff' Boppy pillow that I couldn't live without the first 4 weeks or so, but lately I've been having better luck w/a down-filled king sized pillow.  It's long and really smooshy so I can bend it into the shapes/support I need.  Just this week I had some luck nursing William in the cradle hold - w/o any pillows - he's grown long enough that his butt rests in my lap and I don't have to support his entire body on my arm.  But I'm still relying on pillows and lots of back support 99% of the time....William takes FOREVER to nurse (he'll suck 24/7 if he could) and there's usually screaming involved at some point, so I need to make ourselves as comfy as possible.  I'm still nowhere near ready to NIP.....I have no clothes/outfits that I could possibly to do it in either - I go braless around the house and would much prefer to stay that way!

I get soooo frustrated w/DH when he trivializes all my "hangups" about NIP that prevent me from getting out of the house and doing more.  Whenever I "complain" or mention how I can't just run errands, get groceries, shop, goto the park, etc. (w/o a bottle and careful planning/timing) he thinks its just a modesty issue and tells me that I "just need to get over it and get out there" - grrrrr!!  It's so much more than that, as you all know.

The BF'ing itself seems to be going well though - the pain/discomfort have become more tolerable, which I can accept for the longer term.  William would nurse ALL DAY AND NIGHT if I let him.  I still worry sometimes that I don't have enough milk to keep up w/him by the end of the day, especially when he's cluster feeding.  I'm trying to get at least one pumping session in each day and am slowly seeing some improvement in the yield.

For those of you who are pumping - how many ounces do you give in one bottle feeding??  When I was EP'ing the first few weeks, I was giving 3-4 oz at a time, but that was weeks ago and I'm wondering if now @ 8wks, William should be getting more than that?  He still fusses after DH gives him the bottle (3-4 oz) but I also think he's just super attached to the boob and can't console himself w/o it.....

[Sol_y_Paz]

Monkey  - Kind of both.  I have an old boppy that is just not working right.  I was considering buying a new one, but I would rather that money go towards something else like adorable baby clothes if I am not going to get much more use out of it.  Right now I am using it all the time.  NIP is so difficult for me and I really need to be able to do it while out even more so since the pump and I are not BFF.  I have been NIC (car).  

Edited by Sol_y_Paz - 10/12/12 at 5:45pm

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Monkey, that sounds like thrush to me. We have it too only for us, it is making the baby very irritable and she avoids nursing unless she is starving or incredibly sleepy. We are treating with nistatin (sp) and gentian violet. So far we have seen a huge improvement.

I have bad news though - I was told that I can't freeze anything I pump while we have thrush because the stored milk can reintroduce the thrush after it is resolved. Giving baby milk I pumped recently is fine, the danger is reintroducing the yeast after its gone.

[iixivboots]

I have noticed from nursing on borrowed boppies that they really do lose their loft after awhile. Mine is second hand but it was pretty new, I think, because it's still pretty firm. You are so right, modesty is by far the least of my concerns about NIP!

Hey Joy, from what I've read, breast milk gets more caloric as baby ages, so you don't necessarily have to give more than 3-4 oz. (amazing!)

Also you asked how Lyle was diagnosed with reflux...these are the things we noticed and our doctor asked about

-prefers to be upright

-pulls legs up when screaming

-arches back

-fusses while nursing

-seems to be in pain

The medicine (zantac) has helped mostly with the fussing during nursing. He still fusses when he's done and during his colic hours, though. He never spit up a lot, it's called "silent" reflux. We're still not sure if the medicine he's on is helping enough for if we should ask for something else (doc told us to call)

Plus, I'm thinking of switching pediatricians. Someone gave me a card for a ped. that is also a LC. I think that's pretty awesome and too good to pass up (and a great way to get  insurance to cover LC) I'm curious if she'd say it was truly reflux or some other issue with our BF (OAL or something)

I've got some pretty sore nipples here after not taking my probiotics for a few days and also his latch is kind of crappy lately. I hadn't been using any nipple cream, either. I've been noticing I feel like he's not on deep enough and my nipple rubs against his hard palate every minute or so.

[LilyTiger]

NewMum, Boots is right that they don't need to increase total ounces eaten after two months or so.  I think Kellymom said it's about 25 oz a day, split into whatever number of feedings your LO takes.  We average it out to about 3oz a feeding, but it obviously varies.  I've been freezing milk in 3oz increments just to avoid wastage.

[iixivboots]

I think Lyle probably gets between 2.5-3 oz each feeding. He also stopped taking both breasts each feeding, so now we alternate. I think that's okay, does everyone else do that?

I need to get back to pumping, whatever happens with my job I'd just like to maintain a good supply.

[monkeyscience]

Finally seeing an LC tomorrow! Kind of excited. Hoping I can end this sore nipple crap once and for all. Tried giving Baby Bird his first bottle of expressed milk yesterday, after a couple of failed cup-feeding tries. Bottle feeding failed as well. In both cases he was interested, but couldn't figure it out. He'd get the milk in his mouth with the cup, but then drool most of it out instead of swallowing. With the bottle, he never really got any suction going - he wouldn't close his mouth around the nipple. Sooo... we'll see what the LC has to say. I may be stuck with exclusive breastfeeding regardless of my feelings! (And my feelings are that I DO want to exclusively give him breastmilk, but that I'd like to be able to leave him with Grandma or Daddy for more than an hour or two!)

[NewMumJoy]

Originally Posted by bootsvalentine 

Hey Joy, from what I've read, breast milk gets more caloric as baby ages, so you don't necessarily have to give more than 3-4 oz. (amazing!)

Well THAT is good news to me!

William seems to have all the same reflux symptoms that you describe, Boots.... plus his burps smell sour and are curdly (when anything comes up all).  He doesn't spit up a lot though, which makes me think he may have the "silent" reflux as well....  We're going to have to see the doc this week to sort out his hives and mucousy poops, and I'm guessing that something in my diet is giving him all this gas too (just wish I knew what it is??)

[Ugh, I started writing this response @ 10am.... and it's now 11pm... yeah it's been a looooong day of holding this little fussy one upright all day....sigh..}

[monkeyscience]

Okay, I had no idea so many questions could be answered in such a short time period!

Issues my baby has that the LC told me were all related to a slight posterior tongue tie:

-Why he sounds horribly congested after eating (due to leftover milk in his throat from the way he handles fluid)

-Why the above problem is not resolved by nasal suctioning - and why nasal suctioning is totally unsuccessful

-Why he can't take a pacifier, but instead shoves it out of his mouth with each attempt to suck

-Why he was struggling with the bottle we tried giving him (very similar to pacifier issues)

-Why he's gagged and spit up occasionally when the pacifier is too far back in his mouth

-Why he spends so much time eating, falls asleep eating, and eats so frequently

-Why he gets so gassy

Issues that I have (or probably have) that have contributed to the on-going nipple pain:

-Sensitivity to lanolin, leading to contact dermatitis on my nipples

-Sensitivity to disposable nursing pads (probably contributing to dermatitis)

-Vasospasms in my right nipple

I'm kind of kicking myself for never stopping to consider I could be reacting to the lanolin. But that would totally explain why my symptoms would wax and wane, since I wasn't completely consistent with my lanolin usage. And it also explains why, since I switched to wiping down my nipples with grapefruit seed extract this weekend, and stopped using the lanolin, things have been improving. I'm hopeful with ditching the disposable pads (which, ironically, I only used after trying them at the LC's store when trying on bras) and the lanolin that my nipples will finally stop being red and bothering me.

I was completely caught by surprise when she said he had a slight posterior tongue tie. Since he's been gaining weight and seemed (to me) to be nursing well, I've assumed that was a non-issue. But almost everything she said about babies with posterior tie was EXACTLY like him - it's like she'd been spying on our apartment before meeting us! Apparently, we were blessed with my relatively abundant supply and easy let-down making up for his relatively inefficient nursing. Also, I apparently naturally position/latch him better on my left side than on my right, which may explain why my right nipple has had more issues than my left (plus the fact that the right side seems prone to vasospasm while the left does not). And we figured out that I definitely needed a bigger breast shield for my pump (plus I wasn't holding it correctly, either). So pumping should be a little easier/more comfortable now. I'm not looking forward to trying to find a bottle that will work for Baby Bird, but it does make me feel better that it's not just a personality thing or all in our heads.

I went to this meeting with somewhat low expectations, but I was floored by how many concerns we resolved, and by the LC's general knowledge base. I was also very impressed by the fact that, although she owns the store where she does consults, and sells a variety of breastfeeding supplies, she was by no means pushing me to buy things from her, and mentioned other places I could get things she recommends but does not carry. I'm so excited to see if we can get things working better for us!

[Sol_y_Paz]

So happy for you and that you got this figured out! What a great LC 

Originally Posted by monkeyscience 

-sounds horribly congested 

-the above problem is not resolved by nasal suctioning 

-he can't take a pacifier, but instead shoves it out of his mouth 

-he's gagged when the pacifier is too far

- falls asleep eating, and eats so frequently

Issues that I have (or probably have) that have contributed to the on-going nipple pain:

-Vasospasms 

This sounds similar to mine, makes me wonder...  

Thanks for sharing.  

[Sol_y_Paz]

I NIP this weekend. We went out to eat and we were on the patio.  He loves being outside so we were holding him and then 3/4 way through he started to get hungry.  I was tired of going to the car and had on the right clothes to be very discreet.  It was tricky for me, I still need lots more practice but we had a great meal out on a lovely day with a very happy baby, so that made it worth it. 

[CCoello]

Yay Sol!

NIP isn't always easy or comfortable, but I love the freedom.
 

[NewMumJoy]

Woohooo, Sol! That's awesome!  I'm sure the first time is the hardest but then it gets easier from there on....  :)

[iixivboots]

Has anyone else considered starting to sign for breastfeeding? I was talking to a woman at knitting group with a daughter with Downs who started signing to her at 5 months. I get so frustrated with Lyle's "cry when I'm done" thing. I think I'm going to start using the milk, all done, and more signs...

http://www.examiner.com/article/using-baby-sign-language-to-enhance-your-breastfeeding-experience

[sallyrae17]

Anyone doing Vitamin D supplements? I didn't do them with my first and my pediatrician is kind of pushing them. To clarify, I'm talking about vitamin D drops for my baby, not vitamin D for me. We are exclusively breastfeeding. Thoughts?

[iixivboots]

Our pediatrician is pushing them, too. Whatever. Notice they are made by formula companies and say "essential for BF babies." I read some stuff from LLL and Kellymom and decided we're fine and since we live in AZ neither of us will probably have a vit D deficiency.

.
 

[Sol_y_Paz]

Thanks C and Newmum!

Sally - Our ped suggested the D drops too from the very first visit and at every visit after.  There is no way I would give the brand that was recommended with all the junk in it, but I might during the winter months try this http://www.amazon.com/Carlson-Labs-Natural-Vitamin-Drops/dp/B003BVIBMO.  All the BF moms I asked in person said they don't give them though.  

It makes sense since baby doesn't just have to be outside to get sunlight.  Windows can work too, otherwise green houses wouldn't work. 

I did find it interesting a formula company both makes and heavily markets the drops to make it seem like if you are BF you must take a supplement.  Suggesting directly that mom's milk isn't good enough for baby by itself and that baby daily needs doses of glycerin, water, ascorbic acid, polysorbate 80, ferrous sulfate as a stabilizer, natural and artificial flavors (doesn't specify what these mystery ingredients even are) and caramel color along with a lot more various vitamins than just D.  There are 15 more ingredients that are greater in volume than the amount of vitamin D in "vitamin D drops" (that counts as the label reads - natural and artificial flavors are counted as only two ingredients instead of who knows how many or what they are since they are not listed) 

Edited by Sol_y_Paz - 10/23/12 at 8:03am

[sallyrae17]

I didn't do them with my son because we lived in Texas, but now I'm in Minnesota and there is a serious lack of sun in the winter....so now I don't know. My gut tells me that she doesn't need them, so I might just go with that.

Sol - Thanks for the link. I ended up buying those drops (I found them for $13 on amazon and the only difference I could see was the box). I don't know if I'll use them, but it'll be nice to have something natural around!

Edited by sallyrae17 - 10/23/12 at 8:04am

[Sol_y_Paz]

I did get the new boppy and was so needed before I gave birth.  Such an improvement.

[pennywhistle]

I just heard about vitamin D drops at the pediatrician today.  He didn't push them, but they were listed on a flyer as being necessary for breastfed babies.  I live in California and take the baby outside almost every day...I think I'll just ignore it!