The Breast Feeding Support Thread

linute555 your supply will adapt very quickly, within 2-3 days, but it's recommended to stop very gradually to avoid blocked ducts etc. when you feel it's time to stop cut out one expressing a week for about 3 weeks then perhaps 2 a week. I'd say stopping over the course of 5 or 6 weeks would minimise the chances of problems.

dublinlady wrote: »

I know it's not recommended to have formula around when your breast feeding but I have a carton of sma that comes everywhere with me!!! It's just knowing its there gives me peace of mind that no matter what I'll be able feed my child!

I think that's a really good idea & I'd feel more secure knowing that worst case scenario if things go wrong this time, it wont be a middle of the night dash to the nearest all night Tescoes which is a good 20 minute drive away!
I also love your idea of using formula at night. Does it affect your supply at all? or are you ever sore in the morning from having too much milk?

wmpdd3 I'm sending my child to you for sleep training, that's brill to be getting such a good nights sleep so young :eek:
I have the no. for the lactation consultant you used (thanks!) and have been in contact with her.
I'm going to wait til I have babs then call her in as I find it easier for someone to show me how to do something as opposed to telling me how to do it.
So if I got her out before I had baby I'd only be learning in theory what to do, I think I'd learn better if she was there to show me if that makes sense.
Although a friends sister recently had a baby, I don't know if she had planned to breast feed previously but did anyway in & took to it like a duck to water.
Baby is only about 3 weeks old & already sleeping great, has to be woken for feeds, she had no pain at all when she started feeding.
I'm praying for a similar experience

Galah that's a good question. I found the same when I was pregnant last time, I rang the hospital run one (can't remember if that's LLL or Cuidiu) but there next meeting wasn't until a week away & I was at the end of my tether at that point with a hungry baby to feed.
Handy knowing you can just ring them up for advice.

How Strange I've had great intentions of making one of the meetings or coffee mornings prior to baby arriving but the past fortnight has been a bit hectic as my husband is off work sick with fractured spine,
I had great ideas of leisurely coffee mornings on the 2 or so weeks of my maternity leave prior to baby arriving but best laid plans and all that :rolleyes:

Thanks a mill all for the replies, was having a bit of a hormental panic about things when I posted last.
I know I need to chill the feck out first of all & hopefully my fears will be unfounded, it'll be a breeze this time

Yeah I've been trying to wean myself off nighttime expressing so dont have to wake if oh doing the night feed! I've gotten it now but do wake up at 7.30 am with bulging leaking boobs!! I have to express a small amt to make it comfortable for A to feed! But it's great - I do seem to have milk all day - I.e no diminished supply! I give formula at 9.30 pm and 4.30 am. I express at 10pm so that I keep that supply as when she's stretching longer I may go back to it myself!
I was using expressed milk but found she was digesting it quicker and so waking earlier - causing too much sleep disruption for me - was only getting 2-3 hrs a night and couldn't cope!
I'm freezing the expressed milk I make now for when I finish breast feeding so that I can give her a couple of those a day for an extra couple of weeks!!

Cuidiu are great as well, if there isn't a La Leche League meeting that suits you

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Im having hassel with wind, every time i feed him, he pulls away after a few minutes and i spend ages trying to get up wind. Then he MAY go back to feeding or he just gives up and eats his hands then crys the feeds for a few mins then pulls away! I've given up coffee and i try to express a bit before i feed him though not always. I tried to google laid back b/feeding but i dont really get it. I'm usually in such a rush to get him fed the he ends up hungary with hicups.

It's very frustrating - A is often like that. Sometimes when she is thrashing about like that it's just that shes winding herself up!! I take her off, wind her for a few mins, then put her back and hold her head at my breast gently with my hAnd - then she seems to latch on properly and will feed well , I just keep repeating this. It's like I have to hold her head up against it and then she goes - oh yeah that's what I was doing and this is how it works!! Obviously I don't force it and if she keeps thrashing I take her off wind her for longer and try the other side. Usually it dies work tho.
I find laid back breast feeding difficult to get into the right position for us and have to wind her so often during feeds I'd be up and down anyway and so it only stresses me out more!!!!
A has the hiccups after 50% of feeds.... Nothing I try makes a difference and she doesn't always get them just when I'm rushing!
The one thing I have learnt tho is that if I'm rushing she knows and makes sure to take a good 45 mins!!!! So I have just tried to surrender to it and accept that I'll always be late while breastfeeding!!! Since I did that she's more obliging!! They pick up on stress and want comforting... Sure where's more comforting than your boob!!!!

Sorry I do realise none of that is useful or helpful but just want to reassure you it's not just you!!!

wmpdd3 I found my son was always very relaxed if I fed lying down. I know its not so easy if you've two little ones. I'd definitely consider cutting out dairy as it could be irritating him. I pretty much cut it out until 5 months except for my morning cup of tea which is sacrosanct!

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Yeah he loves lying down? I have resorted to giving her a yoghart and lying down on the floor feeding him. None of this infacol stuff seems to work. Gripewater works but trying to find a sterilised spoon and getting it into him is a last resort.

Ohhh have I found somewhere with gripe water?!? Can't find it anywhere!!!

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I got mine in wales! I might try a spoon of camomile tea tomorrow if i make it to the shops to get it. Atleast he sleeps at night. He here beside me like a little angel. makes up for the crapy day! He is silent in bed with me but sounds like a drunk 50year old when he naps in the daytime!

[Quote=wmpdd3;! He is silent in bed with me but sounds like a drunk 50year old when he naps in the daytime![/Quote]

Hehehehehe!!!! That's exactly how A sounds!
Doc prescribed Zantac liquid yest eve... She had last feed at 11... Down by 12... And I'm lying here quietly waking for her to wake at 5.30!!!! Dunno what to do with myself!!!! Really must have been reflux!!! Delighted!!!! Now I just need to get my own sleep pattern back to some semblance or normality!! Body clock woke me at 4 and there's no return since! Shes tossing and turning but no grunting!! I think she's tossing and turning cos she's used to waking up too! Hopefully that will stop! She's still smothered with a cold but at least I know that will go! She only on med for couple of weeks - hopefully system will have sorted itself out by then!!!!
Whoop whoop!!!!!
Actually most copy this to newborn thread where I've done all my moaning!!! Hopefully it'll last more than one night anyway!

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Wow that sounds like the first time i gave my daughter galvascon..... We stood over her staring at her in disbelief. I'm delighted the doc listened to you and sorted you out. How do you give it to her? Spoon?

Meant to give it via oral syringe but she spat all out ... Put it in her bottle... Prob wrong thing but did the trick!!!
Next problem.... Now constipated.... Oh well!!!!!

ck83 wrote: »

You might find that if she's having a day of bottles, she will go longer between feeds. My baby takes 7oz bottles, but I reckon he doesn't take that much from me. (I've heard it's something to do with it being much easier for babies to drink from a bottle than from the breast, so they take more from the bottle). When I leave him with a minder for a day (9.30-6), he usually only feeds every 4 hours, so only takes 2 bottles while I'm gone.

thats great only taking 2 bottles when your gone!! she was only getting this one bottle at night this night and she drank all 9 ozs and prob would have drank 10/11!! is this right like? thats a lot!! what age is your fella?

Hi,
Just found this thread. I have a 9 week old girl who is exclusively breastfed. It was hard at the start, she was very slow to gain weight and lost a lot of weight after she was born. It took her until she was 5 weeks old to regain her birthweight. She feeds loads, but, is a snacker, she just loves to be on the boob. I am feeding her to sleep at night, she is sleeping in our bed and wakes twice or three times a night for a feed, but, its much less exhausting than formula feeding was (I FF my older children) because she feeds lying down so I barely have to wake up.
Looking forward to chatting with you all here.
I do have a question, at the start my nipples got very sore, and then they seemed to toughen up, and now they are getting a little sore again, why would that be happening?

hi there

Hi,
Just found this thread. I have a 9 week old girl who is exclusively breastfed. It was hard at the start, she was very slow to gain weight and lost a lot of weight after she was born. It took her until she was 5 weeks old to regain her birthweight. She feeds loads, but, is a snacker, she just loves to be on the boob. I am feeding her to sleep at night, she is sleeping in our bed and wakes twice or three times a night for a feed, but, its much less exhausting than formula feeding was (I FF my older children) because she feeds lying down so I barely have to wake up.
Looking forward to chatting with you all here.

im in the same boat, ff first girl as she never latched, currently co-sleeping with my 13 week old. i only realised now i feed him to sleep, so im going to have to try change this as i'll be back at work working evenings in 8 weeks.

Fir the mums who were looking for gripe water; I got a mail from pharmacy2u saying you can preorder gripe water which they'll have back in stock soon. They deliver to ROI.

dublinlady your body and your milk supply will adjust quite quickly which is another example of how incredible our bodies are! The only problem I could see if you're away from your little one for a night. If that happens its important to pump around her usual feeding times. Other than that it's all supply and demand!