how is breastfeeding going for everyone?

[polishprinsezz]

i got real lucky this time. aside from the normal tenderness of the milk coming in for a couple of day, my breasts and nipples feel great. little guy likes to nurse every 30 minutes to an hour during his awake times but only nurses every 4 hours during the nite. so i am getting good sleep. my 2 year old was up nursing every 1 1/2 hours to nurse for several months.

[alegna]

don't want to jinx myself, but nursing is going great so far....

-Angela

[MamaVolpe]

We are doing great! Most of her awake time is spent nursing. Yeah!

[Molck]

My nipples are sore, and I have a super forceful letdown, but we're working on it. I'm confident that with time/practice we'll catch our stride.

[NatureMama3]

doing great! I do seem to possibly be having some mastitis yesterday and today, though no red spots/etc. Maybe I'm just fighting the flu?

best of all my older nurser has made peace with the milk flavor and is nursing better again.

I'm just amazed at how different my 2 nursers are! my older one was always a nurse 45 minutes of every hour boy and this one is gaining faster yet probably only nurses 10 minutes at a time every couple hours and only once or twice overnight!

[babysanchez614]

going much better than the first week, my nipples were bleeding!!! so I had to pump a couple of days the first week to give my nipples time to heal some and got right back to breastfeeding as soon as possible.

Still not sure that we get the greatest latch based on how it feels, it doesn't hurt really but doesn't feel particularly comfy. His position, lips, all that looks right. Is it supposed to feel like no part of the mouth is rubbing against the nipple? Maybe I'm overly sensitive I just don't love the way it feels right now.

That's my only complaint.

He nurses every 4 hours at night as well.

[PerkyKP]

Crappy

I have low supply, and she won't latch on or suckle from me. I'm pumping 8-10 times a day and only getting a small % of her daily needs. It was like this with ds too, but at least he would nurse. I just didn't make enough despite pumping, fenugreek, reglan and domperidone.

It honestly makes me feel that I can't birth or feed my children normally.

[NatureMama3]

I'm sorry karen

[justmeandfamily]

Originally Posted by PerkyKP

Crappy
It honestly makes me feel that I can't birth or feed my children normally.

I felt that way too. I have had 3 unwanted c/s and each time I've had MAJOR nursing issues. But, I think I have come to terms with it. I am a good mom, despite the fact that my children do not come out of my vagina and feed from my breast. In a perfect world they would but it's not, so I have to work with what I've been given. In no way am I trying to minimize what you are going through, I struggled with depression and stress about this for 4 years! I just want to offer a hug and a word of encouragement. Breast milk isn't the only sign that you are a good, caring, gentle, loving, affectionate mother! Look at all you have gone through just to try to make it work! I say (and I know I am stepping on toes here) if you have exhausted every effort and it is just stressing you more, calm down take a breath and realize formula was made for this. Formula was made to help moms who need help in the milk department. Ignore all the moms who just feed formula because the couldn't be bothered with breastfeeding and focus on all the moms out there who are in the same boat as you. In the long run this isn't going to matter. You will love your baby no less!

Sorry went kinda long....I guess I needed to preach to myself too

[clutterbug]

Sorry to hear that, Karen. ETA: I posted at about the same time as justmeandmyfamily, and I totally agree with her take on it...no toes stepped on here!

Things are going pretty well here. I am still cycling between being sore and not being sore. I had the same thing with DS1, for about 9 weeks, so I guess we have about 2 weeks of it left? It is bizarre. On the bright side, they are not THAT sore, just...irritated. Like, by the end of a bad day, I want to crawl up the walls. Declan is still doing his weird breaking the seal thing on the right, but only when he really doesn't feel like nursing - when he wakes up hungry in the middle of the night, he latches to the right just fine. So I guess I have to learn when to stop pushing the boob on him when he's not really that hungry, he's just not that into comfort nursing (maybe due to fast letdown?)! I am used to comfort nursing for every problem so it is a learning curve to find other ways to make him happy!

[Shanana]

s Karen.

We are doing good, I think. Still doing some block feeding. I try to nurse uphill when I can to help Sophie with my forceful letdown, especially if I hear her clicking (breaking her latch). I notice she hardly ever breaks her latch at night. I think it's because she's sleeping and not sucking as hard, so things are easier for her.

I get some tenderness here and there, but usually only for a day or so, and then it goes away . And it's not that bad either, just a little annoying.

[amyaebi]

Hugs to those that are struggling. Breastfeeding is definitely not something that I take for granted as my sister and close friends have just really seemed to have a difficult time with supply. I don't know how I got so lucky.

Sam will be a month old this weekend and things are going great. I was worried because DS2 had such latch issues, but DS3 has suckled since birth. I did have my typical two weeks of VERY sore nipples, but we are past that now.

He also doesn't really have an interest in nursing at night (I wake up so engorged), but I usually try and put him at the breast because he is such a grunter and being right next to my boob tends to have him sleeping peacefully in no time.

Amy

[K's Mom!]

Aww Karen, I'm sorry you're feeling this way. Big to you. I agree with ALL of what justmeandfamily posted.


BFing is going well for us. This is the second baby I've nursed (never could get dd1 to latch despite months of trying ) and I'm always a little hesitant that its going to work. But it has! She is a really great little nurser. She seems to prefer the right breast to the left. I'm hoping that I can boost supply in the left as I'd rather not have asymmetrical boobs for the next 2 years. Also, I think she is showing signs of having a dairy allergy, so I'll begin ditching that in my diet.

[NatureMama3]

i've had to ditch dairy too. oh well, was going to anyway it was just convenient still! but it's not worth the rashy skin and fussiness.

[junipervt]

nak

we are doing great. funny though my left side produces 2x as much as my right. I'm a bit lopsided

[KingsDaughter76]

Nursing is going great here! I pump every now and then to add another bottle to my freezer emergency supply..have about 8 bottles stored. She nurses about every 2 hours now- and a couple of times at night too.. I really dont pay much attention to the "how often" clock....just nurse when she seems to need it and dont stress the rest. She is chunky and healthy and thats all that matters to me! :-)

[mommy2naomi]

I'm sorry Karen...

Jackie will be 5 weeks on Thursday and I'm having a really hard time. She's got a tiny amount of blood in her stool, reflux and LOTS of gas. She wants to nurse ALL THE TIME. I started the total elimination diet on Sunday.

When does it get easier??? I want more than 20 minutes to myself. My older daughter was easier and slept more.

[snazzy_mom]

It's going better now. My supply is good and he's gaining. I took him to the ped for a weight check and he's almost 9lbs, which is 1.5lbs higher than his birth weight and he was 5 weeks at the time.

I'm really upset about going back to work in a few weeks though. I can't pump, I get nothing and I know that my supply will dwindle quick once I can't nurse every two hours.

[Shanana]

Originally Posted by snazzy_mom

I'm really upset about going back to work in a few weeks though. I can't pump, I get nothing and I know that my supply will dwindle quick once I can't nurse every two hours.

Do you have an electric pump? I ask because my friend never got anything w/a manual pump, but had success w/an electric one.

[Shanana]

Originally Posted by mommy2naomi

I'm sorry Karen...

Jackie will be 5 weeks on Thursday and I'm having a really hard time. She's got a tiny amount of blood in her stool, reflux and LOTS of gas. She wants to nurse ALL THE TIME. I started the total elimination diet on Sunday.

When does it get easier??? I want more than 20 minutes to myself. My older daughter was easier and slept more.