The Breast Feeding Support Thread

JenniG

[QUOTE Gallah you could try to express so dad can give a bottle, if that's important to you both - if you want to go back to exclusively breastfeeding.[/QUOTE]

It's nearly week 2 and I saw this page. And since day one both little miss and I have had difficulty with this one. The nurses had fun with me at hospital trying to assist, the lactation consultant during hospital, then the next one at home, the one after that, the pediatrician, etc. I was beginning to feel like a performing circus monkey. I finally gave up on the idea and took to expressing.

Now the pro is that she gets breast milk which is my preference and as per Nicowa's note Mr is happy to support me either way I go. And he loves feeding her, so they are getting extra bonding time.

The con, well it's double the work. It can take a while to fill the bottles oh and I started to run out of milk, then the lactation consultant advised me that I need to let her latch on once a day. The suction on the express feeder is not like the real thing. So once a day I have a miserable little girl who wails because she cant feed properly. As it turns out my nipples are inverted... (after all of that) the performing circus monkey has left the building and is now a milk producing factory.

Nicowa " but the Irish Mammy in me kept stopping me." Okay I'm not Irish, from Cincinnati, but possibly have Irish blood in me? Now why is it that I can quote once but not twice. What have I done wrong?

liliq

JenniG wrote: »

As it turns out my nipples are inverted... (after all of that) the performing circus monkey has left the building and is now a milk producing factory.

Nicowa " but the Irish Mammy in me kept stopping me." Okay I'm not Irish, from Cincinnati, but possibly have Irish blood in me? Now why is it that I can quote once but not twice. What have I done wrong?

If you press the button with the " beside the quote button on mulitple posts you can quote the multiple posts

As for inverted nipples- if you did want to try latching on again, you could try nipple shells for a while before feeding. They're meant to help, and when used for a short time to help the baby latch, can end up with long term results cos the baby kind of pulls out the nipple when they're sucking.

Cat Melodeon

I think we're having a growth spurt or else I've jinxed myself by telling everyone what a great baby I have! She's 9 weeks now and has been sooking since Monday (I should also say she had her 6-in-1 & PCV on Monday). We've been doing demand feeding anyway so I'm not too bothered by it but there hasn't been much sleep over the past 2 nights. What is concerning me is that when she's been looking to feed at night, she hasn't actually fed much, it's like she's just looking for comfort. Before Monday, she would feed like a demon from both sides at 1am-ish and then wake around 7 or 8 for another monster feed, then take normal feeds every 2-3 hours during the day. It was great and I'm hoping it will return, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed a change in their baby's behaviour after vaccinations? My first lad woke every 3 hours until he was nearly 9 months so I can't compare like with like.

NextSteps

JenniG wrote: »

The con, well it's double the work. It can take a while to fill the bottles oh and I started to run out of milk, then the lactation consultant advised me that I need to let her latch on once a day. The suction on the express feeder is not like the real thing. So once a day I have a miserable little girl who wails because she cant feed properly. As it turns out my nipples are inverted... (after all of that) the performing circus monkey has left the building and is now a milk producing factory.

Nicowa " but the Irish Mammy in me kept stopping me." Okay I'm not Irish, from Cincinnati, but possibly have Irish blood in me? Now why is it that I can quote once but not twice. What have I done wrong?

Definitely talk to someone about that. Cuidiú has a list of breastfeeding counselors (for Dublin South West, for example: http://www.cuidiudsw.ie/content/breastfeeding-support) who could give advice, or la leche league?

lynski

galah wrote: »

Nicowa, I'm with ya there! I also thought 'breastfeeding, bah, simple' (that's the impression I got from a lot of people who did it (who seem to have a very selective memory of only the wonderful moments, not the pain, drama, self-doubt kinda moments).

We had the same problems - nipples bleeding and raw, the first week of bfeeding was agony. PHN suggested the nipple shields, and it was much easier from then on. I think I have a superfast let-down as well, so baby was choking and pulling on the nipple every time, getting really frustrated, making it even more un-fun. With the shields, bfeeding is bliss(er) - was supposed to only use them until the nipples healed enough, but missed the point, and now I cant get him off them. But stopped caring - as long as he gets the breastmilk, I am happy.

However...on top of that, we do give a bottle at night. For some reason, he seems to get very very hungry at night, and I suspect my milk supply decreases in the evenings, and cant sate him - so we started to give him one bottle of formula. It works a treat. I get 4 hours rest to refill, baby gets full and sleeps properly. I was wracked with guilt initially, but started to realise - whatever makes a happy baby and mammy is the best way forward.

No need to have a baby screaming with hunger for hours, mammy in tears that she cant produce enough, everyone totally frustrated, just for the sake of one extra breastfeed (or to make a militant breastfeeding-nazi happy)...screw that. it is also a great bonding opportunity for dad - and he loves giving the bottle. so everyone's happy, really.

Nicowa, you could try to express so dad can give a bottle, if that's important to you both - if you want to go back to exclusively breastfeeding.

Quick post here.
have son no2 here (third child) and at the start we had all the problems imaginable - fast letdown, small mouth, big breasts, sore nipples, me crying, gassy baby, etc etc. THEN i found laid-back nursing or biological nursing, just google it, and we have not looked back. within 2 days niples healed (one was bleeding), pain gone and happy happy baby.
He is 11 mths now, has had bottles on 3 occasions when i was out or away and he is still bf. I am having issues now with teeth, but hoping to keep going.
It is the way to go! it is the only way i am still feeding, initially it was difficult as you have to do all feeds laid back, but after a few days it is all good. he is latching himself since he was about 3 weeks. the gassiness stopped shortly afterwards too.
Try the laid back nursing and also look at tongue tie as a possible issue. http://www.cwgenna.com/quickhelp.html

Some tongue-tied babies breastfeed without difficulty, others cause their mother pain, don't get enough milk, or have difficulty swallowing properly and are very unhappy during and after feeding.

liliq

lynski wrote: »

Try the laid back nursing and also look at tongue tie as a possible issue. http://www.cwgenna.com/quickhelp.html

We had real issues with a tongue tie- I was in excrutiating pain for nearly 14 weeks til we got it clipped. I had no idea that that was what was causing the problem until I finally gave in and went to a lactation consultant. The ties can be really hard to spot, especially the posterior ones, and can be the root cause of a bad latch and a world of pain!
It's really worth ruling out if there are still difficulties with breastfeeding after a few weeks.

nicowa

So she slept for 5 hrs and 3 hrs last night. Was awake for from 7.00am til 8.30 feeding and being changed and just staring round the place til she fell asleep again. Then she woke at 10 - slept for just long enough that I was able to shower - but not dress - at 12.30. Slept for an hour and a half from 2 - but only after she got an oune of formula - despite having fed from both sides. Fed for an hour, fell asleep and woke ten minutes later. I was half way through this post and am finishing it one handed... as I do most things anymore...

I'd be a little more reassured that I was able to feed her enough if my breasts felt somewhat full between feeds. Even when she woke after the 5 hours I didn't feel anyway full.

liliq

nicowa wrote: »

I'd be a little more reassured that I was able to feed her enough if my breasts felt somewhat full between feeds. Even when she woke after the 5 hours I didn't feel anyway full.

It could just be that your supply has settled- once this happens the milk isn't really stockpiled like it was in the beginning, it's produced more on- demand, so you won't get that full feeling as intensively or as often.
I nearly didn't feed at all off one side yesterday, and going to bed at 12 I was only starting to feel full!
It can be a bit disconcerting, but once you hear her swallowing, she's getting the good stuff

Future Baby

How long should I use the breast pump for? This is day two of me using the pump and just as I was finished my little monster was looking for food again and Im not sure he was getting anything as I think I had empty the breast leaving nothing for him, I ended up then giving him what I pumped as I was afraid he was still hungry for him just to puke it up a few minutes later!

How Strange

Future Baby I'd say pump once a day in the morning as that's when you (breastfeeding mothers) tend to have a lot of milk. Your baby is most likely cluster feeding in the evening so while he may only want a few sips or just the comfort of your breasts the best thing is to go with it as its part of the process of your body making more milk. Your breasts are never empty even if they feel like they are. You've always got enough milk to feed your baby.

Future Baby

Thanks for the advice, think I will get the hang of it over the next few days, think I had the pump turned up too much today, my nipple is on fire tonight, the only thing I have in the fridge that I could think of to cool it down is this tub of Ben & Jerrys, and they say you cant put deforsted stuff back in the fridge, so I may eat it now!

liliq

:)Haha, I like your thinking Future Baby!!

Pumping is so awkward Great to have a few ounces in storage though!

Orion

I've moved the Moses basket conversation to its own thread.

This thread is now stickied.

hacked

Pumping in the morning is definitely the best idea, as its easiest then. Just remember, the more you use your boobs (Whether its feeding baby or pumping!) the more milk they will supply!

annamcmahon

Also your baby is much more efficient at getting milk from boobs than the best pump. Don't worry if there are days when you don't pump much, it doesn't mean that your baby isn't getting enough.

lynski

stickied!! yeah!

red fraggle

oh my right nipple is so sore!!! no blisters or bleeding. it just hurts like hell even when shes not feeding!! goin to doc for check up 2moro so hopefully he can give me somethin.

last night was hard. emily woke every 2 hours which meant i got bout an hours rest in between. she also seemed like she couldnt poop even tho she had just gone and spent a while crying and groaning. so hard. and now when its time to feed off the sore boob i could cry!!

im thinking of expressing so husband can give a bottle or if i need to go somewhere my mam could mind her and give her the bottle. i think this would help me a bit mentally aswell. has anyone else expressed a bit and still breastfeed. she is really thriving so i want to try keep it up. im goin to the breastfeeding group wed.

also has anyone given a breastfed baby a bottle of formula at night?

my sister in law is now bottle feeding and her little one sleeps for 6 hours! this makes me cry!!

wmpdd3

I have no advice for you, but I ended up bottlefeeding my baby after about 3 weeks and up till 11 weeks, she had a 1 oz bottle per hour. She never went more than 4 hrs without waking for a 1 oz bottle.

The whole kitchen was covered in bottles, dirty bottles and drying bottles!!

My sister bottlefed hers and the behaved as you sister in laws. Who knows luck of the draw!!

lynski

red fraggle wrote: »

oh my right nipple is so sore!!! no blisters or bleeding. it just hurts like hell even when shes not feeding!! goin to doc for check up 2moro so hopefully he can give me somethin.

last night was hard. emily woke every 2 hours which meant i got bout an hours rest in between. she also seemed like she couldnt poop even tho she had just gone and spent a while crying and groaning. so hard. and now when its time to feed off the sore boob i could cry!!

im thinking of expressing so husband can give a bottle or if i need to go somewhere my mam could mind her and give her the bottle. i think this would help me a bit mentally aswell. has anyone else expressed a bit and still breastfeed. she is really thriving so i want to try keep it up. im goin to the breastfeeding group wed.

also has anyone given a breastfed baby a bottle of formula at night?

my sister in law is now bottle feeding and her little one sleeps for 6 hours! this makes me cry!!

Sounds like a latch problem, have you tried laid-back breastfeeding?
this works for older children not just newborns, i fixed our latch problems when my son was nearly 2 weeks old with this approach.

Especially during the early weeks, using laid-back positions reduces the steps mothers need to remember about getting their baby latched on deeply. Good breastfeeding dynamics occur almost automatically, allowing mothers to focus on their baby instead of what they need to do next. With gravity helping instead of hindering breastfeeding, the same reflexes (such arm cycling) that can get in the way in other positions actually make it easier for baby to get to the breast and attach deeply. Having at least one hand free also makes it easier for mothers to help their newborn or just to stroke and enjoy her. If desired, variations of laid-back breastfeeding can also be used when mother and baby are out and about. Mothers can just scoot their hips forward in their chair and lean back.

http://www.nancymohrbacher.com/blog/2010/7/18/laid-back-breastfeeding.html
I am reading this again and i keep forgetting some of the early problems - i do not mean this is a smug way but it gets so easy after awhile that you forget the difficulties - my little man would be latching on, then seemingly finished and asleep only to wake up an hr or so later. It took awhile to figure out that he had a trapped wind and once that burp came up all was good. but did that take time to get up!
I guess i am lucky in that since the day he was born my son gets annoyed if he gets milk when he wants a comfort suck, so he has used soother from day two. any comfort feeds would be thrown up. I think it was due to a big supply. now still will not go to sleep 'on the boob' just afterwards.

galah

red fraggle - we've been feeding our little one a bottle at night - had the same prob as you, feeding hourly, sore nipples, endless screaming - I was exhausted, and the little one really seemed not to get enough - so we decided on one bottle - I'd feed him first, both breasts, and then he'd take another 60 ml or so in formula. this also means i defo get 4 hours rest at night before normal breastfeeding commences -otherwise i would have given up on the breastfeeding a long time ago!

I know about cluster feeding etc - but he'd still be screaming after both breasts, so I think our baby is genuinely not sated. giving him that one bottle has defo made life a lot more pleasant for all of us. not saying it's the right way for everyone, but it worked for us ;-)

lynski - i also tried the laidback feeding, it sound really good - but baby absolutely hated it...

implausible

red fraggle wrote: »

also has anyone given a breastfed baby a bottle of formula at night?

my sister in law is now bottle feeding and her little one sleeps for 6 hours! this makes me cry!!

I really think it's luck of the draw with the night-sleeping. My wee man was waking in the middle of the night for a feed and when I'd give him the boob, he would barely take any. I figured he was just looking to suck, so I introduced a dodie. After that, from 5 weeks on, he slept through the night. A bottle is not a guarantee of a full night's sleep and at 3 weeks old, it's very unusual to get one.

My advice is to not make any decisions until the doc has checked you, you've been to the support group and don't quit on a bad day.

How Strange

red fraggle of your nipples are sore and bleeding there's a problem with the latch. If you can get that sorted they will heal almost immediately. If your baby is still under 6 weeks you're still covered by the hospital so you could go to the lactation consultant there or contact your local la Leche league or ciudiu all of which are free resources. Alternatively you can pay a private lactation consultant. It is money well spent but the free expertise are available too.

Go back a few pages on this thread and you'll see a post saying almost the same as you; constantly hungry baby who wouldn't sleep and I was fed up and exhausted. I didn't give up that night or the next day and I'm so glad now. The cluster feeding is normal but it doesn't last forever. It's exhausting and frustrating but she's trying to build up your milk supply by constantly feeding.

You could express a bottle and get your husband to give it for the late feed so you can get some rest. A bottle of formula is not the magic bullet that people would lead you to believe. Your little one might not sleep any longer after it. There were studies carried out on how much sleep new mothers get. Breastfeeding mothers (who cosleep) get the most, then formula feeding mothers and mixed feeding mothers were found to get the least sleep.

Also giving formula can affect your breast milk supply as giving a bottle of formula sends a message to your body that your baby doesn't need milk so the process is interrupted.

I'd really advise first that you get the latch sorted and take it from there. The best way to sort that problem is by visiting a lactation consultant.

JenniG

Ok here I go,

It's insane hour & like clockwork if giving her feed. Liliq l have tried the nipples shells. They have difinitle made a difference. So thank u. What is becoming an issue is I was full before she wakes up or is ready. I woke up over an our ago in agony...

I was pacing up & down trying to figure out what to do. I don't know what to do. So I expressed a little to help. Then feed her afterwards, from the breast. I'm feeling better & put the extra aside in the fridge. Is it normal to have extra? And the pain. Wow, if it hurt during pregnancy? It hurt just to walk, the build up was so bad. A week ago I was loosing milk. Now making extra. My body is completely confused.... Does it get to a point where it regulates? Just knows?

How Strange

Hi JenniG yes that painful engorged feeling is totally normal and is a sign that you're making lots of milk. Hand expressing is a great idea. I remember getting up in the middle of the night sometimes and expressing 4oz by hand!

The body is so clever it's just amazing. Breastfeeding never ceases to amaze me. Your body will get used to your little one sleeping longer very soon so you won't wake up in agony and each time they go longer between feeds you'll notice the engorgement and then soon after your body adjusting. You'll always have a lot of milk in the morning which is why it's the ideal time to express.

Cat Melodeon

red fraggle wrote: »

im thinking of expressing so husband can give a bottle or if i need to go somewhere my mam could mind her and give her the bottle. i think this would help me a bit mentally aswell. has anyone else expressed a bit and still breastfeed. she is really thriving so i want to try keep it up. im goin to the breastfeeding group wed.

also has anyone given a breastfed baby a bottle of formula at night?

my sister in law is now bottle feeding and her little one sleeps for 6 hours! this makes me cry!!

On my first lad, I started expressing properly when he was about 6 weeks old. He was feeding every 2-3 hours and I was wrecked, so I tried expressing one bottle's worth each morning, which my husband would then give him around nine at night so I could have a break for luxury things like a cup of tea or a wash It worked well and gave me the confidence to be able to express for the very rare occasion that I got to leave him with someone to go to the shops or get a haircut etc.

A friend of mine was keen to get me to try him with formula so she could take him overnight for me. To shut her up, I tried one night when he was about 4 months old but he completely refused to take it, the expression on his face was priceless, classic 'wtf mam???!' I built up a stock of expressed milk for the freezer after that so we were never stuck. Until he was 7 months old and we were leaving him overnight with the in-laws. I'd brought all the frozen milk but the stupid icebox had stopped working and by the time we realised all the milk had soured. We ended up giving him formula that night and he took it no bother (taste buds expanded by introduction of solids I guess) but he had wicked stomach cramps all night & awful constipation the next day. Poor in-laws didn't get much sleep!

Obviously formula won't harm your child, but it might upset your child at the start and could interfere with your supply if you're not fully established yet. I had a good experience with expressing last time (I haven't bothered this time round as baby2 is so unexpectedly good to sleep). What I found magic about expressing was that it leaves you slightly ahead in terms of supply - whenever there's a growth spurt you can either forgo expressing for a day or two to satisfy your baby or you can dip into the freezer stock to give yourself a break now and then.

Formula doesn't necessarily mean more sleep either. My first breastfed baby didn't sleep through until he was 9 months, my second has been sleeping though since 9 weeks. My best friend formula fed all three of hers - the first slept through from 6 weeks, the second didn't until she was nearly a year old, the third still only sleeps in 4-hour blocks at 5 months old. My sister's breastfed son was sleeping six hours per night when he was 3 months old. She weaned him onto formula and he developed such bad colic that he (and they) couldn't sleep through. She only breastfed her second who has never been a good sleeper but at least she doesn't cry. All anecdotal, but my point is that whether you give breastmilk or formula probably isn't the only determinant of whether your child will sleep or not. It might knock them out for the night; it could also make them worse.

red fraggle

thanks for all the advice/comments. its so good to hear other ppls views and see how expressing/formula worked for others.

doc said there is nothing wrong. woman in the breastfeeding group said just keep an eye on the way she latches on at that side. to me it seems fine but ill pay close attention. bought nipple shields but havent tried them yet, also got these compress things you can put on your nipple all day and its suppose to be good. gona try these from tomorrow. i think now i know theres nothing wrong its not as bad. im also gettin a bit more used to the night feeds and am starting to enjoy them. granted when its 2 hours instead of 3 or 4 its a bit harder. well whats hard is getting up (or down!!) the wind afterwards. if there was no wind then we would be sailing through!!:D:rolleyes:

im hoping to start expressing just one bottle from next week once she is over 4 weeks old and see how she goes. that will be for her daddy to give and if it goes ok then i will be able express for if we go out or i have an appt or long soak in the bath!!! just to know i could have one bottle if she needed it would be peace of mind for me. id rather not go down the formula route yet. breastfeeding woman said express 3oz in the morning from the side im not feeding from and then i can continue to top that bottle up to mayb 5oz throughout the day. she said to give it to her warm. so i store it in the fridge, top it up, put it in the fridge then take it out that night to give to her. does this sound right??

does anyone here store it in the freezer? not sure if ill do this unless i know something is coming up where she will be getting minded and i want to have some ready for that.

annamcmahon

I went back to work on Saturdays when my daughter was 10wks so built up a store in the freezer through the week so my husband could feed her. I never had the time to pump in the mornings so when she stopped waking for a feed around 9pm I started to pump then.
I used to freeze it in 3oz lots to prevent wastage. We found that if she only had half of the milk in a bottle the rest went sour after an hour or so even if it went straight back in the fridge. My husband just took as much as he thought she'd need out of the freezer on Friday night and left them in the fridge. They'd usually defrost over night.

Lola92

I saw this on facebook just now and thought ye ladies might get a giggle out of it!

red fraggle

Lola92 wrote: »

I saw this on facebook just now and thought ye ladies might get a giggle out of it!

:Dthat made me laugh!

whitelightrider

Hi ladies,
At what stage did you start expressing?
My wife was advised to give it a shot now, and then by others to wait till 6 weeks. We were going to try it so that I could give a feed and she could get some rest. But now were confused.