Let's help 1st time mamas with BFing! - Page 3

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by Island_Mama

where can I find a sns/lactation aid? i hear they are expensive...

What's going on, mama? How can we help?

I had a http://www.lact-aid.com/ . It was expensive (still cheaper than formula, though), especially since 2 are recommended. While one is being cleaned, it is VERY helpful to have another one ready to go.

[Island_Mama]

Originally Posted by Mizelenius

What's going on, mama? How can we help?

I have been having problems from the thrid day. my "partner" gave her abottle and she had nipple confusion. I have worked back on latching and it's been going good, except I have some issues at home, and it is affecting my supply.

Night time sometimes she just doesn't get enough and she will just cry and cry because she's hungry. I am supplementing with milk I pump during the day and sometimes formula when i can't pump enough. But I give it to her with a dropper since th bottle just completely made her not even want to latch.
I figured the lactation aid would work best, so she still at the breast.

I been going over to the breastfeeding threads too, breastfeeding is the one thing I knew I would hve to be able to do or I would go into total depression.
Its been getting better but last night it happened again and I just hate using the dropper, plus I hadn't pumped since she had been nursing good the past 5 days. I think the stress from "partner" (not much of a partner) when he's here on weekends is what is affecting it all.

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by Island_Mama

I have been having problems from the thrid day. my "partner" gave her abottle and she had nipple confusion. I have worked back on latching and it's been going good, except I have some issues at home, and it is affecting my supply.

Night time sometimes she just doesn't get enough and she will just cry and cry because she's hungry. I am supplementing with milk I pump during the day and sometimes formula when i can't pump enough. But I give it to her with a dropper since th bottle just completely made her not even want to latch.
I figured the lactation aid would work best, so she still at the breast.

OK, it is important to get this straightened out ASAP to keep your supply. I'd suggest doing this all today!!!
(1)Get a call into LLL
(2) Call a GOOD ILBC (get a recommendation)
(3)Start taking fenugreek and eating oatmeal
(4)Get her weighed in grams before and after nursing to monitor intake
(5)Are you a wohm (trying to figure out why you pump)?
(6)How strong is her suck?
(7)How long is she actively nursing? Count the pauses between nursing . . .is she falling asleep fast? (Her nursing would stop or just slow down a lot).
(8) Do you hear her swallowing?

The SNS is a pain to use so I want to help you avoid it if possible.

How do you know your DD is not getting enough at night? Being fussy at the breast is not necessarily it . . .she could be fussy for other reasons.

Check out http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/default.aspx
and http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mobi/ if you haven't already.

Keep going, mama!

[DecemberSun]

She could be fussy because of something you ate causing her tummy troubles. Keep nursing. You can do it, Mama!!!
Chocolate and dairy were culprits for my son, so I have been avoiding those this time around. I had some black beans the other day and my DD cried and cried with a tummy ache so I guess I have to avoid those too! (I felt so bad. ) Sometimes babies can get gas if Mama eats onions, garlic, broccoli, beans, and dairy products, among other things. Chocolate can cause tummy aches.
Drink lots of water, eat oatmeal every day, and avoid soy. I've heard it has some kind of estogen-like complex in it that can decrease milk supply. Take notice of what foods you eat and how your daughter reacts. Good luck, IslandMama!

[Nani]

Help

I have an important question:
My 2 day old baby wants to nurse constantly, and my nipples are sore, they hurt already. I'm trying to teach her a good latch, she opens her mouth pretty well, but dosn't put her tongue out much, so she still kinda chews on me. I panic. For real. I get hot flashes as I try to re-latch her 10 times or more. And I need to rest after the torpedo birth. So where do I rest my nipples and let her fuss/cry to save my nipples and when do I feed her my empty boobs as my milk hasn't come in yet? She will unlatch, as soon as my colostrum is gone.
I just can't leave her on my boob for more than 10 minutes, either because she unlatches and is done or because I get exhausted and my butt hurst from sitting on it all the time.

[shalena]

Nani - is she tongue tied? You can take her to your ped and have her frenulem clipped so that she can stick her tongue out more.

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...tonguetie.html

[Island_Mama]

Originally Posted by Mizelenius

OK, it is important to get this straightened out ASAP to keep your supply. I'd suggest doing this all today!!!
(1)Get a call into LLL
(2) Call a GOOD ILBC (get a recommendation)
(3)Start taking fenugreek and eating oatmeal
(4)Get her weighed in grams before and after nursing to monitor intake
(5)Are you a wohm (trying to figure out why you pump)?
(6)How strong is her suck?
(7)How long is she actively nursing? Count the pauses between nursing . . .is she falling asleep fast? (Her nursing would stop or just slow down a lot).
(8) Do you hear her swallowing?

The SNS is a pain to use so I want to help you avoid it if possible.

How do you know your DD is not getting enough at night? Being fussy at the breast is not necessarily it . . .she could be fussy for other reasons.

Check out http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/default.aspx
and http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mobi/ if you haven't already.

Keep going, mama!

sorry haven't been around.

I was pumping because supply has been non existent at night.
I know I'm out because nothing comes out with pump or manuel expression.
For a while it was going good, but now she has REALLY bad gas problems and nurses literally ALL day. by 6-7pm I'm out, since I don't get much sleep sine the gas problems. Nursing seems to confort her and settle her belly a bit.

I did get a lactation aid from a really good place here called Hawai'i Mother's Milk. I didn't get to weight her before and after. I'm thinking of doing that at home.
I am glad I have it, the dropper was making both of us frustrated.
I eat a ton of oat meal, and drink malta, a malt and hops drink.
A short hour nap makes up to 2 ounces total, but I'm not sleeping during the day, and at night, not until 5am, and usually for 2 hours, then another two hours.
I'm sure once I can get some sleep again I will be able to hve enough and ebf.
At least I am hoping!

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by Nani

I just can't leave her on my boob for more than 10 minutes, either because she unlatches and is done or because I get exhausted and my butt hurst from sitting on it all the time.

OK, this will get better once your milk comes in-- hopefully it has already!

In the meantime, I'd call LLL and like the pp said, check if she is tongue-tied. Also, are you taking pain meds like Ibuporfin? I take nothing while pregnant, but once the baby pops out I take it to relieve those early post-partum day pains! While you have a sore bottom and are nursing, you can (1) lie down to nurse and (2) while sitting, get a "donut" cushion to ease the pain.

LLL or a IBLC should be called if your milk comes in and you still can't nurse for more than 10 minutes. It is so important to build your supply now!

I hope that as I write this you are feeling 100% better!

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by Island_Mama

I'm sure once I can get some sleep again I will be able to hve enough and ebf.
At least I am hoping!

Yes, sleep will definitely help! I would also call LLL and/or an IBLC though . . .if you catch problems EARLY they can be solved so much more easily than if you wait.

I would also look here for support-- they got me through my trying days with my 2nd DD when she refused to nurse (and we succeeded in BFing!):
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mobi/
and
http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/default.aspx

[Island_Mama]

I saw a lactation specialist at Hawai'i Mother's Milk, but of course when I'm there I have enough and she nurses perfectly.
I'm nursing with a sling now and she seems to nap some afterwards this way. so I am attempting to catch some zzz..

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by Island_Mama

I saw a lactation specialist at Hawai'i Mother's Milk, but of course when I'm there I have enough and she nurses perfectly.
I'm nursing with a sling now and she seems to nap some afterwards this way. so I am attempting to catch some zzz..

Sounds like it is going well! If a baby can even sometimes nurse well, that is a GREAT sign! Isabel is so young that I am sure that plays a huge part-- by 6-8 weeks you should see a big difference!

[Nani]

Sorry, my internet was down for several days.
BF is improved today. I saw a LC for a few minutes today and she gave me some good hints on using my index finger to open her jaw a bit right before putting her on. That seems to make it manageable now, though still not pain-free. AlsoMy milk came in so she now eats, sleeps, pees, sleeps, eats, etc.
Also the LC gave me a syringe to feed her with, so I pumped today and dh fed her with it. It was a nice break.
On Monday I have a full on LC session, it's expensive, but dh being totally supportive thinks it's worth it, as he sees how I'm struggeling with this. He's my rock.

[Island_Mama]

QUESTIONS QUESTIONS..

Ok so here are my new questions :

If my supply goes down can it be brought back ?
Can she be draining me completely after one feeding?
She was nursing this morning for about 30 mins on left side, started doing her usual she does when she can't get anything out, so I tried expressing, and then pumping, and nothing. And this was morning time after about 5 hours of sleep. (she slept this much after she nursed with the lac. aid)

What she does when nothing comes out is just start crying insecively, bouncing her head on my breast, and looking for the nipple but won't take it again, until I switch sides, then she nurses for bit until I am out on that side and does the same again. If I use the lac. aid she stays on it and stays until its out, then she starts doing the whole bit again.

I have been getting sleep, drink plenty of water, eating lotsa oatmeal, trying to stay stress free, evevn drinking drink with hops. she nurses for at least an hour or more when I am out.
BF is the one thing I was MOST looking forward to, and now I feel like it was sabotaged by ex-bf with all the stress he gave me before and now I can't get it right again

[didkisa]

Tons of problems here

I am sooo tired and sooo frustrated, I just don't know where to begin! I feel like I'm in a Catch 22--either sleep or have sore nipples. My DD can easily sleep for 3-4 hours at night, but we wake up with her extremely hungry and me extremely engorged. I want to and am quite willing to feed on demand, but it seems that if I wait for her to demand, I'm not feeding her often enough and with the engorgement and her hunger, she's not latching on well enough. I've started dreading nursing sessions because of the pain. And she's going through phases of wanting to constantly nurse...and also uses the breast to pacify (I think she's very gassy and is having a hard time passing it...breastfeeding does help). She'll also do a bouncy thing on my breast and when I try to stuff as much of the areola in her mouth at once, she manages to pull back just enough to grab onto the nipple. Trying to break the seal is also very difficult--she doesn't give up without a strong fight.

Even with all that, she is gaining weight quite well and dirtying plenty of diapers throughout the day, so I know she's getting enough to eat.

So how does one feed on demand and listen to the advice that you should feed at least every 2-3 hours, avoid sore nipples, get enough sleep so you're not crying every morning, and don't grow to resent the breastfeeding relationship?? Yes, we plan to seek out a certified lactation consultant tomorrow, but I don't have much confidence right now. Really, how do you nurse often enough and get enough sleep??? I'm not doing anything else but constantly taking care of DD's needs. My DH has been tremendously supportive and taking care of all our other needs.

I honestly don't know how much longer I can do this...

[ccohenou]

Islandmama - it's really totally normal not to be able to express/pump after a feeding. I never could, and my supply has been fine with all my babes. The things to ask yourself/your healthcare provider when deciding if you have low supply are

1. Is the baby peeing and pooping enough - 5-6 wet dipes, several yellow curdy poops per day.
2. Is the baby gaining weight normally - ~6oz. per week.

If those things are happening, you don't need to supplement; supplementing in that situation can really sabotage your supply. Switch nursing like your baby is doing naturally is *great* for stimulating milk production.

It's really normal for babies to be fussy, to want to nurse a lot or for a long time, or to fuss at the breast, and there are lots of causes for this besides low supply; I'd really look in other directions if your baby's output and weight gain are good.

HTH.

[ccohenou]

Colleen -
It sounds like you are feeling really overwhelmed...I know the 24-hour needs of a newborn were a shock to me with my first babe, and the feeling that it was always me, all the time, was very, very difficult. This is a brief period, though - my experience was that by 3 or 4 weeks, we had found a rhythm and I felt much more confident. I think the best advice I received about breastfeeding with my first baby was to be absolutely committed to nursing for at least 6 weeks - and by 6 weeks, we wouldn't have done it any other way. But those first weeks were hard, and I know how discouraging and awful nipple pain can be.

The first thing I wonder is what kind of cues you are looking for, sorry if you already know all of this. With a newborn, almost anything is a cue to feed - smacking lips, stirring around, trying to gnaw a fist, waking up. So feeding 'on demand' doesn't mean you need to wait for a cry of hunger; that's a "late sign" of hunger.

Some babies are sleepier than others and need more encouragement to nurse, and I would err on the side of encouraging the baby to nurse if you are engorged or if she has gone more than a few hours without feeding. The usual advice is one longer period of sleep a day, 4-5 hours, is okay in the early weeks.

With the latch (which is probably causing your soreness), I'm sure the LC or an LLL leader who could see what is going on will be most helpful. In the meantime, tickle her lip with your nipple, try your best to wait for her to open as wide as a yawn (try opening your own mouth saying OOOOPEN) and bring her onto your breast chin first, so that your nipple goes over her top lip and into her mouth. If you are literally using your fingers to stuff your nipple/areola into her mouth, that definitely will tear up your nipples, I know from experience.

WRT sleep, my savior has been side-lying nursing, although I know that can take some time to master when you're struggling with latch. Take your sleep where you can get it, whenever the baby is sleeping or whenever you can nurse and lean back and doze. There's nothing more important to do now than to nurse and rest...you'll figure the rest out in time .

I hope this is helpful, and sorry you are struggling. If you can get to an LLL meeting for some in-person support, I *really* recommend it.

[Island_Mama]

Originally Posted by ccohenou

Islandmama - it's really totally normal not to be able to express/pump after a feeding. I never could, and my supply has been fine with all my babes. The things to ask yourself/your healthcare provider when deciding if you have low supply are

1. Is the baby peeing and pooping enough - 5-6 wet dipes, several yellow curdy poops per day.
2. Is the baby gaining weight normally - ~6oz. per week.

If those things are happening, you don't need to supplement; supplementing in that situation can really sabotage your supply. Switch nursing like your baby is doing naturally is *great* for stimulating milk production.

It's really normal for babies to be fussy, to want to nurse a lot or for a long time, or to fuss at the breast, and there are lots of causes for this besides low supply; I'd really look in other directions if your baby's output and weight gain are good.

HTH.

I was pumping before, about 3 oz total.
I got all engored for a period, ended up with the painful lumps, finlly went away after a day and a half, but now suply is way less. breasts really soft, etc. I been noticing she doesn't pee much like before also. When she has formula she pees right away and when she was nursing before she would also pee right away. She nursed twice today and still hasn't peed.
She doesn't poop often. last time was yesterday, she's been struggling with that for two weeks, but peds said its normal. Even though 3 different peds gave me 3 diff slightly different reasons, they all said pretty much is normal and everyone here said so too her poop yesterday was not as soft as usual, it was more pasty, and a little darker.
I have an appointment on tuesday so I'll see what she weights.

As long as I know I can get it back up, I'm hanging in here.

[ccohenou]

If she's getting a significant amount of formula, the poop would change, and possibly be less frequent. Every ounce of formula that she gets is an ounce that you are not stimulated to produce for her - this is how supplementing can wreck your supply. If you really have low supply, then of course your baby needs to eat enough to grow, whether that is your milk or formula or a combo.

But, like you said, it sounds like you have psychological sabotage issues going on more so than physical stuff...just a long-distance guess, and I hope you will get good in-person support to deal with it all. It is certainly possible to rebuild your supply and wean from supplements, but I think you will need lots of support and reassurance. Remember that weight gain is the bottom line - not how your breasts feel, not how much you can pump, and not whether your baby is fussy. Those things are really common "false alarms" for milk supply.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/lo...ly.html#supply

Will be thinking of you and rooting for you! Good luck!

[Island_Mama]

Thanks so much for all the advice.
I'm so tired and it's so hard all alone. I've never felt alne before but now I do and I can't even leave because ex is on birthy certificate and I was told I can't leave.
She's nursing constantly, I mean all day, and she won't sleep unless she's nursing. She tries to suck her thumb, I guess sucking conforts her through the never ending painful gas and belly aches. She's 5 weeks now and I am trying sooo hard not to giver her a pacifier, but she won't sleep and that means I can't sleep, and can't keep up my supply.
I just feel overwhelmed, not knowing how I am going to take my next shower, how will I get her to her ped appt. tomorrow, she's not going in her sling/pouch and since her gas problems she's been hating the car seat.I guess I'll have to carry her on the bus.
I have no clue how I am going to get some food, groceries, etc. It's just so much at once.
last night she went from one nipple to the other, for hours and hours, I finally gave in and used the lac. aid and gave her 30 ml of formula and she finally went to sleep for two hours. she hasn't slept today, going on ten hours. she's on my nippleand as soon as she falls asleep I try to burp her and she wakes up shrieking and squeezing her belly, she'll pass some gas, flail her arm for about 3 mins, then start crying and looking for nipple again.
I know it will get better, I know it won't be like this forever, but like I said I feel overwhelmed.
I really appreciate the encouragement it helps. thank you.

[didkisa]

Cassidy,

Thanks for the advice, esp the part about commiting to 6 weeks. I will try to hang in there for the next 4 weeks. We had such a good first week after the birth, which just seems to make this all the more difficult now.

It seems the problems are constantly changing. Sunday (my last post) was so bad (crying inconsolably all day, constant nursing--which led me to really engorged breasts Monday, along with the nipple pain), even my DH was reduced to tears! We went to the ped on Monday and she wasn't concerned. I spoke to an LC on the phone and that was helpful. But DD has not had a good nursing session since Sunday!! She has been sleeping virtually nonstop since then and no matter what I do to wake her, I can't seem to keep her awake long enough to finish one breast, and therefore never even get to the more tender and engorged one. I know she's extremely hungry b/c her tummy is growling and she's quite frantic when we first start nursing. But she quickly falls back to sleep. She's hardly had any dirty diapers, either, in the past 36 hours. I've started to pump to release the engorgement, but I'm afraid of doing it too much for fear of constant engorgement--over supply, esp. since she's hardly nursing right now.

Oh, and I think she has reflux, too. She keeps grunting, making gurgling noises in the back of her throat like she's choking on something, has started to spit up milk, and is coughing. This just started, too. Any advice on reflux?

Part of me thinks all these problems are my "punishment" for being so judgmental in the past of women who give up "too quickly" on breastfeeding...now I know how hard it can be!!! Now I totally see their side...I've been so tempted to throw in the towel some of these days and start with formula supplementation or something. Very glad I don't have any around here!