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The Breast Feeding Support Thread

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  • Registered Users Posts: 684 ✭✭✭pushkii


    i have the jpmbb sling too. i find its a bit heavy? it takes a while to get used to it i got it last Friday but im determined to get as many uses out of it as possible.
    C is 11 weeks and she wasn't feeding well yesterday she only fed for a minute or two during night feeds last night and hardly took any today so far. would it be possible she is teething ? she isn't really showing any signs really should i bring her to the Dr if she's still not feeding tomorrow?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,251 ✭✭✭cyning


    pushkii wrote: »
    i have the jpmbb sling too. i find its a bit heavy? it takes a while to get used to it i got it last Friday but im determined to get as many uses out of it as possible.
    C is 11 weeks and she wasn't feeding well yesterday she only fed for a minute or two during night feeds last night and hardly took any today so far. would it be possible she is teething ? she isn't really showing any signs really should i bring her to the Dr if she's still not feeding tomorrow?

    Sorry Pushkii only seeing this now: I think my C went through the same thing about the same time: her feeds just shortened: what was taking a half an hour shortened to 5/10 min. Thank god I might add I really wasnt doing anything except feeding her. As PHN said providing she's still having wet nappies and is generally happy thats a great thing! But if you're at all worried I ask my PHN or bring her to doc :)

    I have a mei tai and love it: it feels secure and she's not too heavy in it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 684 ✭✭✭pushkii


    thanks cyning :-) ya she still has the wet nappies alright and is in good form i thought it was something i had eaten or drank. had coke over the weekend but im thinking she's just getting distracted easily during feeding. wow half an hrs was a long time to be feeding !! how is c now? did they find out what was causing the constipation ?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,251 ✭✭✭cyning


    pushkii wrote: »
    thanks cyning :-) ya she still has the wet nappies alright and is in good form i thought it was something i had eaten or drank. had coke over the weekend but im thinking she's just getting distracted easily during feeding. wow half an hrs was a long time to be feeding !! how is c now? did they find out what was causing the constipation ?

    She had high calcium and phosphate levels she had enemas if she didn't go every 3days for a fortnight and well we still have a few issues but nothing like before! So much better. We had to stop infant gaviscon for reflux too but it doesn't bother her a huge amount so not really worried about that!

    I find C gets very distracted and she likes to hold my hand while feeding these days too. I know if I eat sweet & sour I have an impossible baby on my hands but nothing else: and I eat a lot of spicy foods and have a terrible chocolate habit :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 684 ✭✭✭pushkii


    that's great she's doing a lot better thank god :-) Ya she was getting distracted again today but i won't worry too much about it. She's gas stopping to smile at me and everything ha ha! i thought she was getting. fed up of the boob but i read that babies wouldn't self wean under 12 months anyway


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  • Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭skit490


    So any tips for getting my little one to take bottle, know to not b in d room when she is being fed but anyone any tips or anecdotes. I don't have high hopes as she still refuses Soother


  • Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭littlemissfixit


    Just had a whole post written and lost connection :mad:

    Basically saying that my little lad was very stubborn to take bottle. Tried him at 5 wks I think and he took it no problem, so I thought we're fine, then got lazy and didn't try again for 2 weeks, and when I did, he screamed the house down, so I fed him. The next day, daddy tried, scream again so I fed him, the next day I thought, toughen up, he has to take it sometime!
    I prepared it about half hour before his usual time (time of day when he is normally in the best mood is always a good idea!) He refused point blank, so distracted him a bit and tried again, refused again and started screaming again (reminded me of my toddler's tantrums already at that age :eek:). But I didn't give in this time and after 10-15 min or so of crying (cruel I know!) he guzzled the whole thing.
    Still fed him after, as a reward I suppose, or out of feeling so guilty, and I reduced the time at the breast for that one feed per day as I was increasing the amount in the bottle over the following few days (he did put up a little fight for about 3 days I think, but shorter everytime). I'm telling you, after about a week, he liked his bottle so much he was trying to snatch it out of my hand as soon as I got to him!!!

    Good luck and be strong!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭skit490


    Just had a whole post written and lost connection :mad:

    Basically saying that my little lad was very stubborn to take bottle. Tried him at 5 wks I think and he took it no problem, so I thought we're fine, then got lazy and didn't try again for 2 weeks, and when I did, he screamed the house down, so I fed him. The next day, daddy tried, scream again so I fed him, the next day I thought, toughen up, he has to take it sometime!
    I prepared it about half hour before his usual time (time of day when he is normally in the best mood is always a good idea!) He refused point blank, so distracted him a bit and tried again, refused again and started screaming again (reminded me of my toddler's tantrums already at that age :eek:). But I didn't give in this time and after 10-15 min or so of crying (cruel I know!) he guzzled the whole thing.
    Still fed him after, as a reward I suppose, or out of feeling so guilty, and I reduced the ytime at the breast for that one feed per day as I was increasing the amount in the bottle over the following few days (he did put up a little fight for about 3 days I think, but shorter everytime). I'm telling you, after about a week, he liked his bottle so much he was trying to snatch it out of my hand as soon as I got to him!!!

    Good luck and be strong!!

    Well she took it no problem. Though woyldnt take s calma teat from medela just the normal teat, so drank very fast, can't say I'm fan of pumping. N I could not be bothered with bottles the whole time but was great to get couple hours off, don't think she missed me at all.


  • Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭littlemissfixit


    Thats fantastic! Not a fan of pumping myself, had to do it so much with my first (6 weeks at about 8 times a day :eek:) it was nearly a relief when my pump just died and it made no sense getting a new one, so its a bottle of formula he's now getting. Good getting him used to the taste too I say since Im not sure I'll be doing the full year bf!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,251 ✭✭✭cyning


    I hate hate HATE pumping! But needs must and all that!

    Going to try a cup with C tomorrow she still won't take bottles: I'm happy out feeding being honest but i'm exhausted I really need a break. I'd kill for even 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep :) I can't understand why she suddenly stopped taking bottles for me


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  • Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭skit490


    YEP def not a fan of pumping. it just seems to take ages. worry bout everything being sterilised properly and i find the have a picture of your baby to hand advice kinda weird, i think i get quite tense cos seem to be pumping for ages for very little milk, though do feel empty afterwards, guess baby just more efficient at it


  • Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭littlemissfixit


    :(:(:( Have a very tender right breast since yesterday, hoping its just clogged and not infected yet, putting heat compresses and nursing from that side as much as possible. Anything else I can do? When do I know I have to go to my gp?


  • Registered Users Posts: 435 ✭✭MintyDoris


    Long time lurker here ... This is a great thread.

    Littlemiss - I went to the doc when the pain from feeding from that side made me physically sick although I should have gone way earlier than that. I felt like I was starting to get the flu (high temp , excessive sleeping, no interest in food, very very weak) and the doc was the one who noticed the red mark on my breast. I didn't catch it in time and ended up in hospital for 3 days on IV antibiotics.

    I was advised to massage the breast with my knuckles applying quite a nit of pressure on the lumps while feeding along with what you are already doing. Lots of rest too but I know that's easier said than done sometimes.

    Might be no harm to go anyway. I really hope its not an infection but doctor will know by looking.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,339 ✭✭✭How Strange


    Littlemiss it sounds like a blocked duct. I found getting into a very hot bath with the affected breast in the water and massage it quite vigorously until the milk flows freely was the only thing that unblocked it.

    Continue feeding as often as possible from that breast so every hour if needs be. Apply a hot compress/bottle before a feed and a cold compress after. Point the baby's chin in the direction of the blockage as that can help. Take inbuprofen for the inflammation and most importantly rest. Get into bed with your little one if you can otherwise put your feet up and lie on the sofa as much as possible.

    If you get flu like symptoms you've got about 24 hours of trying to clear the blockage yourself and if you're still ill you'll have to go to the gp as it may have developed into mastitis. If, and I really hope it doesn't, develop into mastitis make sure you get antibiotics for 10 days.

    So act fast to clear the blockage and you should be fine.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,552 ✭✭✭Cartman78


    Hi all,

    Sorry if this has been covered before but couldn't find anything in a quick skim thru recent pages.

    Is there a generally accepted 'best time of the day' for expressing breast milk? And if anyone has tips of any type for introducing a bottle (it's the Medela one with Calma teat) they'd be very much appreciated :)

    We bought a pump last weekend but not really sure how best to proceed - the pump worked fine (expressed approx 40 mls over 2 days) but the little fellah refused the bottle big time and we haven't gone back to it since :confused:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    Cartman78 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Sorry if this has been covered before but couldn't find anything in a quick skim thru recent pages.

    Is there a generally accepted 'best time of the day' for expressing breast milk? And if anyone has tips of any type for introducing a bottle (it's the Medela one with Calma teat) they'd be very much appreciated :)

    We bought a pump last weekend but not really sure how best to proceed - the pump worked fine (expressed approx 40 mls over 2 days) but the little fellah refused the bottle big time and we haven't gone back to it since :confused:

    Apparently, around an hour after the first morning feed is the best time to express milk. Milk is richer in the morning.

    I can't give any tips about trying the bottle though, because I have expressed milk but I haven't tried to give him the bottle yet!


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,339 ✭✭✭How Strange


    I read before that the best time was in the morning so I was obsessed with expressing at that time. After a while I gave up and expressed whenever it was the best time for me.

    Do it when you've got a few minutes to spare and you're calm and relaxed. In the end I found late afternoons (if I was at home) and evening time suited me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,644 ✭✭✭✭lazygal


    Anyone winding down on breastfeeding? Little lass is nearly six months and lately I've been thinking about weaning off the breast. For a few reasons I'm getting more fed up with it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 53 ✭✭shelly6


    I find that I get more if I express in the mornings.

    If he is refusing bottles, you could try using nipple shields, as they are more like a teat. Also the medela calma teats don't free flow like other teats - baby has to suck to get the milk, like they would on the breast.

    Anyone any tips to reduce leakage at night.

    LO has been STTN for over a month, and I'm still waking up soaked every morning. I'm using avent night breast pads (after a lot of experimentation, these seem to the biggest and most absorbent!) but I still leak. Only on one side usually, as on her last feed, she usually only takes one breast. I've tried expressing a bit, but can only manage an ounce or two and it doesn't make much difference.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    shelly6 wrote: »
    I find that I get more if I express in the mornings.

    If he is refusing bottles, you could try using nipple shields, as they are more like a teat. Also the medela calma teats don't free flow like other teats - baby has to suck to get the milk, like they would on the breast.

    Anyone any tips to reduce leakage at night.

    LO has been STTN for over a month, and I'm still waking up soaked every morning. I'm using avent night breast pads (after a lot of experimentation, these seem to the biggest and most absorbent!) but I still leak. Only on one side usually, as on her last feed, she usually only takes one breast. I've tried expressing a bit, but can only manage an ounce or two and it doesn't make much difference.

    Could it be the bra you're wearing that is causing the leak? I found that depending on the bra I wore, my boob would kind of slip out from under the pad and leak.

    Have to say, I'm not sorry to no longer need to wear a bra or pads at night! (My boobs don't fill as much so no risk of leaking now).


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  • Registered Users Posts: 53 ✭✭shelly6


    Ivy I do find that with some bras, but not all of them. It's mostly that the pad is getting too full.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,339 ✭✭✭How Strange


    lazygal reduce the feeds very gradually to avoid blocked ducts or mastitis. I'd say cut one feed a day every 7-10 days depending on how your supply is adjusting.

    Tbh I found breastfeeding very easy once we got passed 6 months as he could easily go 5-6 hours between feeds but by 10 months I was kind of getting fed up with being a 24 hour feeding machine and I night weaned and a month later I cut out an evening feed. He totally weaned himself at 12 months.

    I really enjoyed wearing dressed again :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,937 ✭✭✭implausible


    lazygal wrote: »
    Anyone winding down on breastfeeding? Little lass is nearly six months and lately I've been thinking about weaning off the breast. For a few reasons I'm getting more fed up with it.

    My wee woman is off during the day now - no boob between 11 and 7 roughly, not going too badly. She's taking formula in a sippy cup, but she's taking the cup a bit literally - sipping, not drinking a lot in one go. I found that waiting until they were down to 3ish feeds per day and dropping the middle of the day feed the easiest with both of mine, as it's busy and they were/are more interested in food. I'll probably drop the morning one next week as she'd be hungry enough to take anything (that's the theory anyway!)

    The problem now is that she is so nosy, it's hard to get her to settle down to a boob at night-time and it's nearly a fight to get her to take it. Maybe she is self-weaning, any thoughts anyone?


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,644 ✭✭✭✭lazygal


    Thanks for replies. I'm trying to not quit on a bad day! I can't say baby is the problem, its more me. I feel very tied to her, and as shallow as this is I'm getting sick and tired of boob friendly clothes. She's a good baby but I'm getting fed up of having to sooth her with the boob. There was a good routine in place but since about four months this has gone to pot. The feedings are less than previously, but it still feels like I can't get a break from her. She gets one formula feed before bed so she's used to a bottle. I now find the actual feeding a doddle but I feel I need some of me back. It's also definately affecting my sex life, I can't bear have my husband touch my boobs. This is probably the first time I've admitted that out loud, but there you go!


  • Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭littlemissfixit


    Im the same as you, the clothes are starting to sicken me, and same for sex life!
    He's gonna be 6 months in just over a week, I have just started his first taste of food and he loves it. For two night too he slept from 7pm, had a dream feed at 11 when I went to bed and then went on to 5am, it was absolute bliss. but last night he went back to waking at 2 :( He is getting there! I had in my head that I would wean him for christmas, it would be my fourth christmas not being able to celebrate much due to being pregnant and bfeeding. He is on one bottle of formula now for ages, for some reason Im still hesitant to drop another one just yet. I only weaned my daughter after she was sleeping 7 to 7, so I suppose I so dont want to have to make bottles during the night or very early morning that Im putting it off constantly.


  • Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭skit490


    Cartman78 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Sorry if this has been covered before but couldn't find anything in a quick skim thru recent pages.

    Is there a generally accepted 'best time of the day' for expressing breast milk? And if anyone has tips of any type for introducing a bottle (it's the Medela one with Calma teat) they'd be very much appreciated :)

    We bought a pump last weekend but not really sure how best to proceed - the pump worked fine (expressed approx 40 mls over 2 days) but the little fellah refused the bottle big time and we haven't gone back to it since :confused:
    I tried the calma teat n as yet she won't take it. But she has taken bottle wit a normal teat, I think won't take the calma cos can't squeeze milk into teat. She has to suck. Whereas normal teat u can put some milk inher mouth....... Hoping she will take calma teat eventually cos afraid of her getting lazy on the breast.
    Also recommend expressing wen u can. I find it bit of pain. Keep saying I'll build up supply stash but not got round to it..


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,251 ✭✭✭cyning


    Oh I miss dresses and tight tops and wool cardigans... No one ever warns you about missing your clothes!

    I have my little girl drinking from a cup now (4 months) since she's refusing bottles on me... She has the odd bit of formula here and there so going to attempt leaving her for a night at the end of the month... Between expressed milk and formula back up I'm hoping she takes it and if not we are only 40 minutes away we can come home again. There's a fridge in our room at the hotel too so I can express away: although might skip the night feeds if I can at all :)

    Does anyone else find it really hard to get a routine? Like I wake her every morning by 10 she feeds every 2-3 hours all day and night: I was hoping by 4 months that would have stretched out! Although her weight is great 8 kg now!


  • Registered Users Posts: 53 ✭✭shelly6


    Skit, I find it easy to express - I just do it every morning for 5 min after her first feed. It is so handy to have a bit of a stash built up. (I suffered a lot with cracked nipples at the start, and my stash was an absolute Godsend! I get a bit panicky when I feel i don't have a bottle in the fridge, just in case, even though I don't need it these days)

    How often are/were 3 month old babies feeding? I'm a little worried she isn't getting enough.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,339 ✭✭✭How Strange


    cyning my son was exactly like that until 5 months and all of a sudden he stretched his feeds out until it was 5-6 hours.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 318 ✭✭littlemissfixit


    My nearly 6 month old has been on his routine since he was about 4 mths: wakes at about half 6, taken to my bed, falls asleep again till 8 so we all get up with my toddler as well.
    Feeds 8h30/
    sleep 10am/
    feeds 11h30/
    sleep 1pm/
    feeds 2h30/
    sleep 4pm/
    feed 5pm (bottle)/
    small feed and bedtime by 7pm
    Dream feed 10h30/11 pm
    feed around 3 am and sometimes 5h30 as well

    He had started skipping the 3am, which was amazing, but he's gone back the last couple of nights :(
    I find although you do have to follow their lead on the routine, you do have to tweak it a bit to what suits best the family and they are so adaptable at that age.
    I have now introduced food with the 5pm bottle, and a little bit at 9h30am for breakfast because he was getting too hungry before his 10am nap. My daughter was a 3 short nap/day as well and it was doing my head in she wouldn't sleep any longer, but with him, it suits us down to the ground cause if we have to go somewhere, I just time the car journeys with his sleeps and we can get on with whatever we have to do!


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