breastfeeding thread - Page 2

[3babiesin2years]

I am nursing for the first time this time. This is day 9. On day 5 or 6 I was about to give up. She was eating all the time and I was dry as a bone and in pain and bleeding. But I have great friends IRL who really encouraged me and now it is going better.

This is a great thread.

[danaalex]

audrey, that is wonderful to hear that your first experience is going well. the initial pain is worth it in the end . it's also great that you have such an amazing IRL support system. i've heard so many people quit in the first 2 weeks because of the round the clock feedings, and pain and people in their lives telling them to just quit, and give the baby some formula.

congrats !!!!!!

[aprildawn]

hey everybody. great idea for a thread!

we're at 4 weeks and a couple days. breastfeeding was really difficult with dd#1. i hurt for 9 weeks. i hoped it would better this time around. but it's not.

this time, however, i went to see a LC at 2 weeks, when i was still hurting. she didn't blow me off as just having a bad latch like so much of the bfing literature seems to do. she worked with improving the latch (which was already pretty close to good). she also said dd#2 has a short tongue and she doesn't suck right. those things combined have proven to make me quite sore. right now the soreness is subsiding, but i have a milk blister on each nipple. those things HURT!

what do i do as my latch on ritual? depends. dd#1 and i like to sing happy birthday to dd#2. keeps my mind off the pain.

[julesmiel]

Lopsided breasts?

I just noticed that one of my breasts is now bigger than the other. I don't care, but I'm wondering if I need to do anything to equalize my milk supply? I've been really careful to alternate the breast on which I start feedings, or to start with the last breast if the feeding was on multiple breasts and the last was a short one.

Dmitri tends to want three breasts at a feeding, falling asleep at the breast each time and then still ready for more (giving strong cues). Not sure if this info helps, but I would appreciate any advice.

[ctdoula]

(sorry I dropped off the planet... I was at a breastfeeding conference for the past 2 days )

Aprildawn - are you sure your baby isn't tongue tied? That can make a huge difference in latch/pain. I hope things keep getting better for you!

Julie - almost all women are lopsided. Actually, at this conference, Dr. Peter Hartmann was the featured speaker (he's from western Austrailia & is the creator of the new Symphony breastpump by medelia & has done & is doing amazing research on breastfeeding). He showed really cool data about breast storage capacity, etc. Basically it's totally normal for women to produce different amounts of each breast, regardless of stimulation to that breast. So, don't worry about it. For your own sake, you may want to encourage him to nurse longer on one side, just because it's easier for you.

Audrey - congrats on keeping going!!! I promise it gets easier! the first weeks are the hardest, but once you're 'over the hump' nursing really does become second nature.

Another interesting thing learned yesterday.... we used to tell women to nurse longer per side for more fat (hindmilk) but his reasearch is showing that it really doesn't matter, because fat content varies over the day, not just feed to feed. My son only feeds for maybe 7 minutes tops ever. But, he's gaining weight like crazy. It also makes sense if you think about native/tribal cultures who's babies nurse every hour for only a few minutes. They grow/thrive just fine without worrying about 'hindmilk', etc.

[JoyAnne]

ctdoula-

so glad to read that about hindmilk- i was already worried he wasn't nursing long enough on one breast- and then i had a green poop and really worried! only one though.

anybody have a reaction to chocolate? i ate a lot one day and had a very fussy baby the next- i have cut it out and he seems fine. please tell me it wasn't the chocolate!

[speedknitter]

Originally Posted by JoyAnne

anybody have a reaction to chocolate? i ate a lot one day and had a very fussy baby the next- i have cut it out and he seems fine. please tell me it wasn't the chocolate!

I eat a little bit of chocolate every day, and she seems fine with it. Yesterday's lunch, however was a bad experience - no more spinach quesadillas from the local mexican restaurant!

[julesmiel]

Originally Posted by ctdoula

Julie - almost all women are lopsided. Actually, at this conference, Dr. Peter Hartmann was the featured speaker (he's from western Austrailia & is the creator of the new Symphony breastpump by medelia & has done & is doing amazing research on breastfeeding). He showed really cool data about breast storage capacity, etc. Basically it's totally normal for women to produce different amounts of each breast, regardless of stimulation to that breast. So, don't worry about it. For your own sake, you may want to encourage him to nurse longer on one side, just because it's easier for you.

Thanks so much for the reassurance! I'm glad it doesn't make much of a difference.

Another interesting thing learned yesterday.... we used to tell women to nurse longer per side for more fat (hindmilk) but his reasearch is showing that it really doesn't matter, because fat content varies over the day, not just feed to feed. My son only feeds for maybe 7 minutes tops ever. But, he's gaining weight like crazy. It also makes sense if you think about native/tribal cultures who's babies nurse every hour for only a few minutes. They grow/thrive just fine without worrying about 'hindmilk', etc.

Fascinating stuff. I've been thinking a lot about those frequent nursers in other cultures. Dmitri seems to like to nurse anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes, sometimes 30, but he's a major snoozer and sipper. Last night we had a major nursing marathon! About once every 20 min. to half hour from 1am to 5am. I started crying around 3, but my husband Joe got me through it. We're certainly exhausted today!

Joy, just wanted to let you know that I've had minimal chocolate, and Dmitri seems fine with it so far.

Love this thread!

[sarajane]

I have been bf since Sunday. I have started to make more milk on the left side than on the right. I always have to milk myself a little on that side before she will latch on. The milk is just literally pouring out of the left breast by her next feeding. I also noticed that my milk in my left breast still has a little bit of clear fluid and isn't all white. My right breast's milk is perfectly milky white. Is this common? I find it strange.

I was worried at first when she wouldn't latch on my left breast then noticed she would take my right side with no problem. Took me awhile to figure out why, it was wierd. Didn't think having too full a breast would bother her.

[proudmamanow]

great thread idea!
sorry I've been missing from the boards, we've had lots of guests and when I have time I tend to sleep, tidy or gaze at our beautiful Annie.
Bf, going well right now, my milk came in with a vengeance on day 3 and we had a very hard night with engorgement & a hungry baby. But things are pretty ok now. A good friend who had seen an LC a few weeks ago came over last week to share tips. I'll probably have her over again to help me with any bad habits I've picked up. About 50% of the time, Annie goes on no problem and stays on for 10-15 min at least, which is great. I've been using cross-cradle and football holds with my new nursing pillow.
But about 50% of the time she fusses & fusses and can't get on and it takes 10-15 min. to get her latched. I worry that this is mostly because I'm not very coordinated & manually dextrous so I don't have her in the right position nor do I squeeze my areola the right way. It seems worse in the middle of the night when I'm very sleepy!

sarajane, Annie was strongly preferring my right breast for 3-4 days, which was ok except the left one was leaking and getting a bit sore. With the new positions, it seems a bit better and she's not showing such a strong preference. My mw says not to worry, that it will balance out eventually.

ctdoula, great info about the hindmilk, thanks! I've been wondering if she's been getting enough and probably expending too much energy watching the clock and which breast my little 'boobie monster' is eating from. But she is very healthy, so I should probably just relax!

[ctdoula]

Originally Posted by wan2bemama

I've been wondering if she's been getting enough and probably expending too much energy watching the clock and which breast my little 'boobie monster' is eating from. But she is very healthy, so I should probably just relax!

Yes, please do (relax). It will make your life so much easier & you'll probably feel less overwhelmed (not that you necessarily are). With my first I was a total clock watcher, knew when she fed last, how long, etc. This time, I just stick a boob in his mouth when he seems hungry. I literally never look at the clock, don't know when he fed last, etc. It's so much easier this way!

Sarajane - I wouldn't worry about being lopsided/making more on one side. We all have one that produces more. It may look more clear because the fuller the breast, the more diluted the fat level (meaning in an emptier breast, there is a greater % of fat in the milk). This isn't a good or bad thing, just is. I think sometimes babies prefer one side over the other because the mom is more confident on one side & they probably get more from the higher-producing side. My kids have both liked both side (no preferences), although I was pretty lopsided during my pregnancy because I'd always nurse my dd to sleep w/the right breast, and that one would get 2-3 nursings a day as opposed to the left that only got 1-2 nursings/day.

Julesmiel - I'm sorry to hear about your late night nursings. Late at night is the worst, I know I'm not my most patient in the middle of the night. Have you tried swaddling him & nursing him laying down in bed? I know this has saved me with both of mine! I swaddle Cole before bed, nurse him to sleep, and he sleeps right up against me. Then, when he wakes up to eat, I just turn him on his side & insert boob. When he's done, I just turn him on his back & he's sleeping. I'm a HUGE swaddle fan. Also... another tip. With my daughter, she would wake up if I tried to lay her down after nursing at night. So, for the first few weeks, I'd nurse her, then hand her to my dh. He'd put her on his chest (her ear over his heart) & pat her back. When she was out cold, he'd lay her between us. That helped too.

JoyAnne - no chocolate problems here (yet, LOL). Cole is pretty gassy sometimes, but I can't say it's related to anything special. Babies are so unpredictable & often are gassy, so I try not to stress about it, LOL. My dd wasn't sensitive to anything i ate/drank, so I'm hoping Cole will be the same.

[danaalex]

i would die if my kids didn't leatn to nurse lying down. that is the only way i get enough sleep to get through the next day.

i swaddle and then nurse julianna on one side and we both fall asleep. when she wakes i flip her to the other side and as soon as she latches on i'm back to sleep. it works really well for us.

[3babiesin2years]

For some reason we can't master the nursing laying down thing. She can't seem to keep it in her mouth that way. I don't have a problem with getting up every few hours but it's the nursing every 20 minutes all night that has almost killed me. She did it again 2 nights ago and I even tried to give a bottle. She wouldn't take it. But I kept thinking, I can't live like this.

Last night was much better. I keep telling myself that she is still new and we will get it. But it is frustrating b/c it is all I ever do (nurse) and I feel like my other children are getting the shaft sometimes. Not to mention the fact that my dh barely even gets to hold Leah b/c she is always nursing.

Sorry for the vent.

[julesmiel]

Originally Posted by sarajane

The milk is just literally pouring out of the left breast by her next feeding.

I've been wondering about this pouring milk thing. My instinct is not to block the flow of milk. I hate bras anyhow, so I just walk around the house in loose cotton shirts, which occasionally get soaked. I think I also read somewhere that blocking the flow of milk from the opposite breast during a feeding could cause a plugged duct during the first couple of weeks, so to just let it flow.

Right now, however, I'm wearing a bra and pads because Dmitri is in the sling and I don't want to get it soaked. :LOL Any mamas out there knowledgable about blocking vs. not blocking?

Jesse, welcome back, and congrats to you, Beth and Annie!

Originally Posted by wan2bemama

sorry I've been missing from the boards, we've had lots of guests and when I have time I tend to sleep, tidy or gaze at our beautiful Annie.

I hear ya. We had family in town for six days and are just decompressing now. Babygazing and sleeping are our new favorite hobbies!

I've been using cross-cradle and football holds with my new nursing pillow. But about 50% of the time she fusses & fusses and can't get on and it takes 10-15 min. to get her latched. I worry that this is mostly because I'm not very coordinated & manually dextrous so I don't have her in the right position nor do I squeeze my areola the right way. It seems worse in the middle of the night when I'm very sleepy!

I use those holds, too. The cross-cradle works best on my most comfortable side, and the football is great on my awkward side. I do wonder about only one side of Dmitri's neck getting developed, though. I'm gradually introducing different positions on different sides as I feel more comfortable.

That manual dexterity thing is finally kicking in for me (Dmitri is 11 days old today), and we have far fewer fussy latches, so hang in there! It gets better fast. I find that the advice to squeeze your breast well back of the areola at 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock (as if there's a dial on your breast) is very helpful. I also noticed that if my breast is pretty full, I may think I'm squeezing, but I can always squeeze a bit more and that makes the latch better.

I've been wondering if she's been getting enough and probably expending too much energy watching the clock and which breast my little 'boobie monster' is eating from. But she is very healthy, so I should probably just relax!

Joe and I went through this phase about day 3 through day 7. We wrote everything down meticulously, just to reassure ourselves and to see if Dmitri had any patterns. It was actually helpful in letting us work through our anxieties. Seeing the number of feedings and wet dipes was reassuring because we tended to underestimate before. By the time we were ready to let it go on Saturday, we were much more relaxed.

Originally Posted by ctdoula

Julesmiel - I'm sorry to hear about your late night nursings. Late at night is the worst, I know I'm not my most patient in the middle of the night.

Glad you're on this thread, Amy! You're always so reassuring. We actually doing pretty well, though. Dmitri appears to like to wake twice during the night and feed for a couple of hours straight each time. During one session last night I think he emptied alternating breasts seven times! Each time he fell asleep at the breat and came off, got burped, sat for a minute and decided that he still wanted more. I was getting nervous toward that end that his tummy couldn't hold that much, but no spitting up or tummy problems. I was still able to get 5-6 hours of sleep last night. I'm trying to go to bed early.

Have you tried swaddling him & nursing him laying down in bed? I know this has saved me with both of mine!

I think we'll catch on to this pretty soon. We have nursed in the side-lying position twice on the left. Haven't gotten the hang of it on the right yet. Also, I'm watching the latch so I need to have the light on when I do this. Part of what was causing late night anxiety was that I so much wanted my husband Joe to grab a couple of hours of sleep when he can, and I felt upset that I was disturbing his rest. (He's been a very involved papa and missing sleep just as much as I have been.)

The situation improved when I moved the main nursing station from the bed to the futon that we use as a couch in our living room. Something about the angle is good for my back, and Joe can snooze in darkness when I have a long nighttime session now. One of my goals for today is to practice side lying during the day so we can become old hands at it. Wrapping the baby is a good idea, too! One other problem with side-lying -- it's much harder when the breast is full, as it is at the beginning of a nighttime feeding.

So, for the first few weeks, I'd nurse her, then hand her to my dh. He'd put her on his chest (her ear over his heart) & pat her back. When she was out cold, he'd lay her between us. That helped too.

Joe has been a saint in this regard. In fact, he has been Dmitri's major sleeping companion. He's also the one who recognized in the early days that Dmitri would sleep much better on him than between us. Now he's secure enough to sleep between us, too. I'm so thankful for his help!

Originally Posted by 3babiesin2years

I don't have a problem with getting up every few hours but it's the nursing every 20 minutes all night that has almost killed me. She did it again 2 nights ago and I even tried to give a bottle. She wouldn't take it. But I kept thinking, I can't live like this.

Just wanted to say that I know the feeling, Audrey! One thing that has helped is that now I'm coordinated enough to take a drink, read and operate the remote control while I'm nursing. This helps me through those late night sessions a little better now. Hope it gets better for you soon!

[Mizelenius]

We've had a hard BF road this time!

With DD1, I had pain from her bad latch (VERY hard to get her to open wide). I had pain for about 2 months but she gained well and all was good.

Now, this little DD is a different story. Her latch was great from the start. My milk came in really fast, and I thought all was fine. But, she wasn't gaining quickly, even with tons of pee/poo dipes. She wasn't losing, but the gain was minimal.

So, I started realizing how quickly she fell asleep-- sometimes after just a few sucks. I nursed her all day though, so she stayed hydrated but wasn't getting hindmilk (I didn't realize this at first). I tried everything to wake her during feedings without success.

In the meantime, w/o realizing it my supply was dwindling. I saw an LC and starting a big pumping routine w/ a Lactina. We fed DD what I pumped in a bottle. She continued to latch on well without doing much else.

Since my supply was low, the EBM wasn't enough. We had to give her some formula a few times a day. I will NEVER criticize formula again!

Since starting to bottlefeed EBM and formula, DD started gaining really well. But, I was at a loss as to how to get her to actually NURSE. I feared she'd never learn-- I don't think I'd know how to parent without being able to BF!

I saw another LC. She didn't give me any new info, but thought DD would learn to nurse soon. I wasn't so sure.

Yesterday, Mother's Day, I was a mess. I was crying off and on, exhausted from the constant pumping and elaborate feeding rituals (nursing for 30-40 min., bottlefeeding for 20, then pumping for 15 minutes). And I kept thinking . . .maybe DD just won't get it.

I started using a Haberman Feeder to encourage her to suck consistently.

Today, by some MIRACLE (a belated Mother's Day present) DD has started nursing well! We still gave her a few bottles of EBM and 1 of formula, but for the 1st time she has been mostly getting her milk direct from the tap. I still feel anxious while nursing (which I need to stop!) because I am listening to intently for the gulping/swallowing, but I feel MUCH BETTER.

I can't even tell you what a feeling of bliss I have. I will never, ever, EVER take BF for granted.

For those of you with BF issues, this is a great group:MOBI Mothers with Breastfeeding Issues
For pumping issues: PumpMoms

This experience has taught me so much . . .and I don't think I will ever judge a FF again.

[Qerratsmom]

Elana, So glad to hear that things are going better! Your'e a strong mama

[JoyAnne]

Elana-

Congratulations- you must be so happy and oh so relieved. This is my first child- and already (six whole weeks in) I am really grateful for so many things- and you are so right, BF is one of them.

I am still really conflicted about using a pacifier. I went so far as to buy one yesterday, but it isn't opened or boiled yet! My DS sucks on my pinky for long periods after nursing, which is great as he isn't choking on my milk, crying in frustration, waking himself back up, or even spitting up very much anymore. So what is really the difference in a paci or my pinky- I am not going to sit him in a bouncy chair with a paci for six hours a day or anything, but then I feel like I shouldn't even open that door, you know? If we never use it, we will survive I am quite sure, and we won't know what we are missing. But it would be great to be able to use that hand, or use it in the car...

Anyone have sage advice

[Qerratsmom]

My ds was a huge boob junky and I ende dup using a pacifier for times like in the car or once in a while to keep him asleep a little longer or so I could go to the bathroom! He used it until he was about 4 or 5 months and then we just didn't need it so much anymore. He never got "addicted" to it or anything (he's still addicted to the boob though LOL!)

[danaalex]

elena, wow! i am so glad that things are better and that your nursing issues seem to have resolved themselves that's great news!!!

[Mizelenius]

Thanks, mamas! We're not out of the woods yet, as DD is still inconsistent. But, any progress is very hopeful to me, and we are not out of options. At least she's healthy now!

Joy, we used a paci with DD1. She'd get mad if milk came out when she just wanted to suck. It was GREAT for the car and such. However, at 6 months she took it out and never went back. I didn't appreciate it before then-- that was the end of my sleep as she'd want to nurse every 20 min. at that age! My friend has a supply like yours and she has to use her pinky since DS won't take the paci. I think that's the kind of situation that the paci was meant for!