Oct. Mommies how is nursing and nightime going?

[happyme226]

How is nursing going?
Anyone else have too much milk?
How is the night for you and little one?


Our little boy was born a week ago.

we can only do one breast a feeding because it's the only way we can get them softened. I have must have the milk for twins, or something.
I just can't wait until my supply calms downs, it will makes things much more enjoible.

Now, don't get mad at me for saying this...
but he sleeps very well at night, so far.
For the first month, my first two never sleept more than
1.5-2 hours at a time and night.
He like to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time. I love getting to sleep but my breast hurt so so much

He is a big baby, 9 lbs 14 oz and he only losts 4 oz before my milk came in.
Do bigger baby sleep longer at night?

[mamabrandy]

Well, my little guy is 4 1/2 weeks old now, and I don't think he has slept for more than 2 hrs since he was born. My older son was a big baby and he was a horrible sleeper as well. My NB also has at least one stint per night of just wanting to be awake for like 2+ hrs at a time. It is rough to say the least. I am becoming very grumpy in the mornings...I hope things change soon before I go crazy from lack of sleep.

[NDFanatik]

Other than getting a scab on my boobs nursing is going great (especially now that they're almost healed up 100%)! At 1st when my milk came in I was soo sore and tight. But I guess they're getting regulated out now and I'm not having to pump to help relieve pressure and pain. Baby's doing a good job getting it all out now . But night before last I did leak THROUGH my breastpad, through my bra & shirt, and ALL over the baby & bed, lol. It was crazy! I had a great supply with my son last time too so I feel very blessed that I'm not having any supply issues or even other issues and that it's going so well.

As for sleep, it's good... better than I expected, lol. I'm co-sleeping and for most of the night she's asleep also. And if she's not then she's a very quiet baby and doesn't bother me, lol. I've woken up to her just staring at me before... so sweet! I'm very in tune to the slightest movements she makes and often move to switch breast for breastfeeding so my sleep isn't very restful, but I get at least 6-8 hours a night nonetheless. Well, except on the rare occasions that she gets upset and I have to REALLY pay attention to her and rock her, but that's only happened twice so far. Hopefully things continue to go well and she'll continue to be a good sleeper. I like my sleep

[trimestersdoula]

Calli is 6 days old and we had a rough start to breastfeeding.

I was formula feeding in the hospital. When we got home her latch really sucked and it was very painful for me to nurse her so once a night I was giving her a bottle. I felt horrible about it. My milk came in and my breasts were sore for one day but they are good now. Nipples are very sore at the beginning of a feed. I have pumped a couple times just so DH can feed her if I am super tired. I am not doing that anymore but the couple times I did it was sure nice. So she is completely off the bottle (pumped milk) and completely off formula. Thank goodness for that. I hated giving it to her. She projectile puked it up all the time and spit up VERY often. She even kept spitting it out her nose which was scaring me. I also noticed that the formula made her cheeks and chin super red. When I didn't give her a bottle her face was fine. I think it was giving her a rash....poor girl. Her face is all cleared up now though.

She is only sleeping 1-2 hours at a time.....at night. During the day she sleeps 3-4 hours at a time. I really wish she would switch that around hehe.

[Marcimama]

We are nursing like old pros now. The 1st weeks were typical: sore scabby nipples and I got mastitis. It all gets better with time.

Night time is good. She sleeps 3-4 hour stretches and we just moved her into the adjoining room because we were waking her and she was waking us with those precious little newborn noises. Naps are also getting more routine as she is eating in more routine blocks of time. All is good!

[Changed]

Still fighting letdown and oversupply but it's getting better slowly. He only sleeps for 2 hours at a time at night and has more broken sleep during the day but sleeps a lot still. Doesn't matter because if he slept longer than 2 hours at night, I'd have to pump and change his diaper anyway. He poops NONSTOP!

[NotTheOnlyOne]

I am so tired. I have a fussy baby. I think he has refulx and he spits up after almost EVERY feeding. A LOT. And it seems to cause him pain. We have him on meds, but no big improvement yet. Ugh. I am making dh get up and deal with one "episode" a night after I feed him so I can at least relax, if not sleep. I too, have an overactive letdown which doesnt help things, but I try to have my 2 yr old nurse first whenever we can so the baby doesnt have to deal with the gushing.... and can just nurse peacefully. I was afraid in the begining that would impede weight gain, but so far it hasnt, everyone is full of milk and it saves a couple of newborn choking/gasping sessions.

Sigh.

Oh yeah, I am back at work already. I do home daycare and all the kids came back this week.... so no more naps or sleeping in.

[Baby_Cakes]

Nighttime nursing is still really hard for me. During the day we are doing okay - even though I'm still not convinced that her latch is "right" b/c I feel like my nipples shouldn't be as sore as they are. Her upper lip is still tucked in most of the time, and I have to coax it out, which makes her break suction and we have to keep trying and trying.

But nighttime, I get so frazzled. I have to get up and come out to the living room to nurse b/c side lying only works for one side (unless I'm missing something key about sidelying), and it's too dark to see her latch. I get frustrated and so does she.

Anyways, so I have to come out to the couch and set up all my pillows and get situated, and it's enough to make me cry, which I usually do. Last night I felt so bad about how upset it was making me that I said out loud that I just don't feel like doing this anymore. Then I felt terrible about that so I smothered her with kisses and told her I was sorry.

Then I remind myself that even though she is 4 weeks old, we've only been nursing for 1 full week continuously and I really need to cut myself a break.

Not only that but I cannot seem to find anything to wear to bed that works for me. I bought nursing pjs, but the person who designed them obviously didn't take into account that my boobs would be large and swollen with milk. They fit everywhere but the chest. So they're a no-go. Then I'm thinking I'll just wear a tank top - but when I nurse, the other breast LEAKS all over Nora and soaks her, which means I either have to shove a burp cloth between us, or change her entire outfit after we're done and she's sleeping. I really just want something short sleeved, that buttons down the front, that allows me somehow to have breast pads. I can't figure out if that's even possible, though. Any advice? I would love to wear nothing but it's too cold and I'd soak the bed and the baby that way.

[JMarie930]

We had a rough start to BFing, I think a lot of it had to do with the amount of fluid in her little tummy when she was born. Two days of spitting that up had her refusing to eat at all, but especially from the breast. I was pumping but the horns were too small and I would hardly get anything out, so we supplemented for a few days until I figured it all out. Got the bigger horns, pumping got much easier, nipples healed, and M went right to the breast again. We have to use nipple shields, but it's an improvement. Hopefully we'll be off those in a week or two.

As far as sleeping, I can't complain. She sleeps like a dream. Wakes up only when she's hungry and she'll generally have a marathon nursing session around 11PM-ish and then sleep for about 5-6 hours. As long as I can get to sleep right when she's finished nursing, it's working really well for us. She stays awake around mid-morning for an hour or so and then again in the afternoon just before dinner. At two weeks she is just getting back to her birth weight. DS was on formula but I'd have to look up what he weighed at his two week appointment. I think he was about the same though.

[NotTheOnlyOne]

BABYCAKES: I have found that loose v-neck gowns work best for me. WHen I was leaking really badly, I would wear a sports bra with pads in under a gown. When I wake up instead of pulling my shirt open or up, I just stretch the "V" under my bbob instead. Its much less hassle.

[JMarie930]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes

Not only that but I cannot seem to find anything to wear to bed that works for me. I bought nursing pjs, but the person who designed them obviously didn't take into account that my boobs would be large and swollen with milk. They fit everywhere but the chest. So they're a no-go. Then I'm thinking I'll just wear a tank top - but when I nurse, the other breast LEAKS all over Nora and soaks her, which means I either have to shove a burp cloth between us, or change her entire outfit after we're done and she's sleeping. I really just want something short sleeved, that buttons down the front, that allows me somehow to have breast pads. I can't figure out if that's even possible, though. Any advice? I would love to wear nothing but it's too cold and I'd soak the bed and the baby that way.

Carrie, right now I just wear an inexpensive Target nursing tank top to bed. I have a zip-up sweatshirt by the bed that I just throw on when M wakes up to nurse. Keeps my arms and shoulders warm, and the tank gives me enough support/coverage that the leaking boob doesn't drench us. I've debated getting those little ballet sweaters that wrap around so I can just leave those on, but I think the untying in the middle of the night would get to me.

I also have some bedtime nursing bras, but they have almost zero support and that just does not work for us right now. The tanks offer a bit more support without being too constricting. Either one holds the pads in place though.

[myrmom]

I am finding nursing very frustrating at the moment. It is hurting alot and I couldn't seem to find anything wrong with his latch. After nursing for 4 years you would think I would have this figured out. Saw a lactation consultant today and she said other then maybe trying to get him to latch a little deeper everything is looking perfect, so that is even more frustrating becasue my nipples feel like they are on fire. I am worried that we might be getting thrush, so I have gotten my midwife to phone in a perscription for newman's nipple ointment today. I am also taking grapefruit seed extract and acidophillus so hopefully that will help as well.

As for nights, looks like he has his nights and days mixed up, that added with being a little more gassy at night then day I am tired.

so hopefully he will start sleeping better at night and my nipples will stop hurting so much and things will be so much better.

[Bee21]

We are doing good here, for the most part. Our latch is fine, and she regained her birthweight and then some by the time she was 5 days old. I definitely have a good sleeper, and have to wake her up to nurse most of the time. I just wish she would nurse for longer at each session to relieve some more of this pressure. I feel painfully full most of the time. Pumping helps, but I really want to avoid pumping now since I'm going to be a slave to my pump when I go back to school.

We are having some minor problems- gas in the evenings/nights has arrived the past couple of nights (not the screaming kind of gas, just bad enough to where she won't settle into a good sleep) and I think she has thrush. I don't think I have it yet, but I'd like to prevent myself from getting it if I can. Anyone have any thrush experience?

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes

Not only that but I cannot seem to find anything to wear to bed that works for me. I bought nursing pjs, but the person who designed them obviously didn't take into account that my boobs would be large and swollen with milk. They fit everywhere but the chest. So they're a no-go. Then I'm thinking I'll just wear a tank top - but when I nurse, the other breast LEAKS all over Nora and soaks her, which means I either have to shove a burp cloth between us, or change her entire outfit after we're done and she's sleeping. I really just want something short sleeved, that buttons down the front, that allows me somehow to have breast pads. I can't figure out if that's even possible, though. Any advice? I would love to wear nothing but it's too cold and I'd soak the bed and the baby that way.

I love the sleep nursing bras. I just wear a bra and shorts to bed, since I get hot anyway. I wear nursing pads, not that they do much good since I have sooo much milk leaking. I sleep on a towel folded in half under my sheet to protect my matress from the milk.

[daniturtle]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes

\
But nighttime, I get so frazzled. I have to get up and come out to the living room to nurse b/c side lying only works for one side (unless I'm missing something key about sidelying), and it's too dark to see her latch. I get frustrated and so does she.

Anyways, so I have to come out to the couch and set up all my pillows and get situated, and it's enough to make me cry, which I usually do. Last night I felt so bad about how upset it was making me that I said out loud that I just don't feel like doing this anymore. Then I felt terrible about that so I smothered her with kisses and told her I was sorry.

Then I remind myself that even though she is 4 weeks old, we've only been nursing for 1 full week continuously and I really need to cut myself a break.

Not only that but I cannot seem to find anything to wear to bed that works for me. I bought nursing pjs, but the person who designed them obviously didn't take into account that my boobs would be large and swollen with milk. They fit everywhere but the chest. So they're a no-go. Then I'm thinking I'll just wear a tank top - but when I nurse, the other breast LEAKS all over Nora and soaks her, which means I either have to shove a burp cloth between us, or change her entire outfit after we're done and she's sleeping. I really just want something short sleeved, that buttons down the front, that allows me somehow to have breast pads. I can't figure out if that's even possible, though. Any advice? I would love to wear nothing but it's too cold and I'd soak the bed and the baby that way.

I could have written this myself! Just so you know you are not alone!

Thalia is 3.5 weeks at this point and nursing was a bit rough at the beginning- she was so sleepy she didn't like to wake up to nurse. And my milk took a week to come in. She lost (too much- over 10%) weight, we supplemented for two days with an SNS system, which I felt horrible about!... But now she's gaining and the breastfeeding is going quite well.

But nights...ugh. She does sleep 3-4 hours at a stretch for which I am profoundly profoundly profoundly grateful. But it doesn't make it easier for me to wake up. The first 2-3 weeks I cried every night, several times. I wished she was 20 years old already. And felt like a horrible mama/person. Because I didn't spend her nighttime nursing sessions gazing adoringly down at her but rather being resentful and crying onto her head or at best just bored. Thankfully, it *has* gotten better now that my hormones are not as insane. And my husband keeps up the patter that I am a great mama and doing really well. But waking up is still hard as hell. Sometimes my husband has to wake me up to tell me that Thalia wants to eat (so much for that finely tuned mama-child communication!)

Co-sleeping (bed-sharing), which we didn't plan on doing cos I was freaked out about her suffocating, (and let me tell you the first night I did not sleep a wink because of intense anxiety .. I was a total wreck) helps a lot.

My husband is divine. Can I just say? Cos Thalia has at least one stretch of time at night during which she is very awake/fussy but not hungry. And he takes her during this time- they hang out with her on his chest and I flip over and sleep the sleep of the dead. He sleeps while I nurse so he says it's all even. I'm not entirely sure that's true and feel a wee bit guilty about it. But mostly I'm just incredibly grateful for his participation in nighttime parenting.

[daniturtle]

oh and yeah, what to wear in bed. Breasts bursting! I leak all over the place. I've taken to wearing a nursing bra at night so that I can have breast pads. This helps marginally....

[audsma]

I'm with you all on soaking everything. I just had an epiphany-- his dipes may not be what's wetting him. I only sheild my off duty breast while I'm awake, and he doesn't detatch until after I fall back to sleep. He never soaks a dipe during the day. Therefore, we're back to the same problem w/ over supply you are all having. I soak a breast pad each feeding, only have 6, and they often leak, so I just change my shirt often.

Night is pretty great-- rooting kid when not always hungry, and he only cries during diaper changes, and sometimes not even then. I lucked out this time. The down side is, he's appearing a bit congested today, so I hope this isn't his first cold.

[mkmb129]

Anyone else not experience engorgement? I did with ds, but I was pumping & supplementing. Ainsley nurses non-stop (though it's starting to slow down a bit) so I guess my boobs just don't have the chance to fill before she drains them. She's nursing well, initial latch on hurts like a SOB, but once she's on we're good. She makes it difficult to get her on, though, b/c she's always got her hands up in her face and pushes me away.. it's very frustrating for the both of us!

And I'm also excited to say that last night slept great again, 5.5hrs straight! Wake to eat, slept for another hour, woke to eat, then slept for 2.5 hours. I'm so grateful for her good sleeping these last two nights (and pray it continues!) because I'm not doing well emotionally and if she wasn't sleeping I really would lose it I think!

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by audsma

I'm with you all on soaking everything. I just had an epiphany-- his dipes may not be what's wetting him. I only sheild my off duty breast while I'm awake, and he doesn't detatch until after I fall back to sleep. He never soaks a dipe during the day. Therefore, we're back to the same problem w/ over supply you are all having. I soak a breast pad each feeding, only have 6, and they often leak, so I just change my shirt often.

I had the same epiphany a few nights ago, when I realized when I was changing her clothes in the middle of the night that she was only soaked on her tummy above her diaper line. I was like, duh, Carrie.

The sports bra might just work. I have two normal nursing bras with flaps, and one "sleep" nursing bra, which are all so friggin' uncomfortable to sleep in. I'll give the sports bra a go tonight and see how it works.

[sonshine_rae]

My kiddo is 4 weeks old now.. time is flying!

Nursing is going well, still have painful latches and sometimes painful the whole feeding, but thankfully not always. Still teaching him to latch properly.. sigh. Eats allll the time, with maybe 1 or two long stretches in the day (always in the day not night lol).

I'm just happy if he'll go 2-3 hrs at night, but that doesn't always happen. Last night he pretty much nursed alllllll night .. just switched sides a couple of times.

He almost always has a 2-3 hr wake period in the night where he fusses, eats, screams and repeats for the whole time! I think we are dealing with reflux and apparently that is his 'worst' time of day, though it's starting to happen in the afternoon sometimes too. Besides the fact that he's spitting up and crying some after most feedings anyway.

Well I'm having a snack and heading to get some sleep while he's down.... ttyl girls.
~Rae~

[Faerieshadow]

Originally Posted by mkmb129

Anyone else not experience engorgement? I did with ds, but I was pumping & supplementing. Ainsley nurses non-stop (though it's starting to slow down a bit) so I guess my boobs just don't have the chance to fill before she drains them. She's nursing well, initial latch on hurts like a SOB, but once she's on we're good. She makes it difficult to get her on, though, b/c she's always got her hands up in her face and pushes me away.. it's very frustrating for the both of us!

Me! In fact I didn't even know my milk had come in until I saw it dribbling out of Elina's mouth on the 4th or 5th day. boobs got plenty bigger, but no engorgment or leaking whatsoever. All I get is a slight tingling if she sleeps longer than usual, and feeling slightly heavier when it's time to nurse/softer when she's done. Total opposite of what I experienced with ds. I remember how much the engorgment and leaking bothered me, you'd think I'd be happy to have escaped it, but I often wish I had some kidn of sign that my supply was right - like if I saw the leaking.

Curious, moms who nursed through pregnancy or weaned recently, did you leak? Just wondering, ds weaned himself last October and I got pregnant in January, could my boobs have remembered or something? Maybe I'm so tired right now I'm grasping at silly straws, lol...