The Breast Feeding Support Thread

cyning

No this is a much more intense screaming pain: going to sound mental but I forgot a out the vasospasm! It seems like a lifetime ago: nipple looks normal. I don't know if it's still not thrush: I know it doesn't look it externally, but considering I have broken skin I don't know that it can't entirely be ruled out? I'm maxed out on neurofen and Panadol so going to have to do something about it.

Sligo1

cyning wrote: »

No this is a much more intense screaming pain: going to sound mental but I forgot a out the vasospasm! It seems like a lifetime ago: nipple looks normal. I don't know if it's still not thrush: I know it doesn't look it externally, but considering I have broken skin I don't know that it can't entirely be ruled out? I'm maxed out on neurofen and Panadol so going to have to do something about it.

You wouldn't have gotten mastitis/infection cyning would you? Temp ok and everything? Hope u get on ok at the gp today. X

cyning

Couldn't get an appt so will be tomorrow: first time ever I haven't been able to get a same day appt. went to chemist and got fucidin and alternating that with daktarin. No temp but I'm sick anyway with a throat and cough viral thingy so that's probably not helpinh

madeinamerica

You poor thing, you are having an awful time of it.

tinkerbell

cyning wrote: »

No this is a much more intense screaming pain: going to sound mental but I forgot a out the vasospasm! It seems like a lifetime ago: nipple looks normal. I don't know if it's still not thrush: I know it doesn't look it externally, but considering I have broken skin I don't know that it can't entirely be ruled out? I'm maxed out on neurofen and Panadol so going to have to do something about it.

Try the dry heat compress anyway, just in case it helps. I'm not sure if there are different levels of vasospasm severeness so it could be that again, or mastitis - mastitis is possible if there's broken skin.

Hope you feel better soon

Julo12

Does anyone feed lying down and if so what age were your babas when you started?
Up since 2.30 with my 4 week old and I'm going to lose the plot if I don't get a decent sleep soon... Can hear the toddler starting to stir now too. I could cry from tiredness and frustration 😭

cyning

Julo12 wrote: »

Does anyone feed lying down and if so what age were your babas when you started?
Up since 2.30 with my 4 week old and I'm going to lose the plot if I don't get a decent sleep soon... Can hear the toddler starting to stir now too. I could cry from tiredness and frustration 😭

Literally from the night they were born... So work away,.. I actually always found it easiest to feed that way

Sligo1

Ditto. From when they were born. I brought LO into the bed with me on night 2 in the hospital and we feed and slept all night.... And all day....

Jerrica

It was a few weeks before I was able to get used to both myself and the baby's positioning to do lying down feeding, but it's how I feed her all night, every night now!

Julo12

And did you have to wind them after? I'm a bit clueless as to how to feed lying down. I've been looking it up and tried briefly at 5.30am but we couldn't get it to work.
Mostly our problem is baby feeds a decent amount, falls asleep, I try to wind her, sometimes we get a burp sometimes not but she seems fast asleep so I put her back in the crib. Then anything between 1 minute and half an hr later I have to get her up again. Then once she eventually gets a burp up she often gets hiccups and so wants to feed again to get rid of them... And then it's repeat for anything up to 3 hrs - 4.5 last night which was a new low!

Sligo1

Julo12 wrote: »

And did you have to wind them after? I'm a bit clueless as to how to feed lying down. I've been looking it up and tried briefly at 5.30am but we couldn't get it to work.
Mostly our problem is baby feeds a decent amount, falls asleep, I try to wind her, sometimes we get a burp sometimes not but she seems fast asleep so I put her back in the crib. Then anything between 1 minute and half an hr later I have to get her up again. Then once she eventually gets a burp up she often gets hiccups and so wants to feed again to get rid of them... And then it's repeat for anything up to 3 hrs - 4.5 last night which was a new low!

Julo, I always found I would wind her if I was putting her into her crib otherwise she would wake with wind. If I was letting her fall asleep beside me lying down I wouldn't wind her. For whatever reason she wouldn't wake with wind if she was snuggled into me. Might bring a little bit
Up but that was the height of it. She needed to be winded tho if I was transferring her to sleep somewhere else as I found she would sleep better after the winding.

emer_b

Julo I've been lying down on my side feeding since day one. I have a 13week old and a 2yr old and wouldn't have survived until now without it.
I did it a lot for the first two months but baby is settling in the cot more easily the older she gets. I have a little system for it so we're both comfortable and able to sleep: small pillow for behind my back (can get uncomfortable staying in one position so this helps for me), soft towel under baby's head in case she spits up (saves the sheets!), I wear a loose long sleeve top that I can pull up to feed (keeps my upper body warm and I don't have to pull the duvet up around us, she's toasty from my body heat anyway).
If I have a lot of milk built up during the night I'll feed her sitting up first, wind her, then lie down to finish feeding and don't need to worry about winding again. Sometimes when she wakes up after the lying down feed she'll just burp then but it definitely doesn't stop her nodding off beside me.
Hope this helps and you can make it work for you

Fagashlil

What were older generations told about breastfeeding that they're so against it? We'd a howler of a night with our almost 7 week old, think he's going through a spurt, so I asked MIL would she come and stay a few hours with him whilst I slept so I knew I didn't have to sleep listening out for him, all I've got since she got here is a lecture on the sooner I put him on the bottles the better.

Sorry, rant over!


His latest thing is throwing his head back when I'm feeding him, whilst he's still latched on, it's not overly painful, but there is the odd time he pulls back a bit far, short of holding his head in place is there any way to stop this?

His reflux is a little better, he doesn't bring up after every feed anymore, he seems to of learnt when he's had enough. Except in the mornings, his 7 am-ish feed is brough back up within the hour, usually in spectacular cartoon-spew style, he seems happy and is cooing and laughing away after he does it so not overly worried!

Fagashlil

Another quick question re the spitting up, have just fed himself, he fed solidly for about 7 minutes, then had him sitting up, but he burped and still brought up, he's now sitting up on hubby's knee, but is doing the whole tounge smacking he does when hungry. To feed or not to feed? If he's bringing up as he's over feeding, has he lost enough to warrant another feed? Or is he looking for comfort from the throwing up?

Sligo1

Fagashlil wrote: »

Another quick question re the spitting up, have just fed himself, he fed solidly for about 7 minutes, then had him sitting up, but he burped and still brought up, he's now sitting up on hubby's knee, but is doing the whole tounge smacking he does when hungry. To feed or not to feed? If he's bringing up as he's over feeding, has he lost enough to warrant another feed? Or is he looking for comfort from the throwing up?

Hiya, id just feed him if he's hungry tbh. I always fed on demand. Spit up doesn't always mean they've overfed and sometimes they can just bring a bit up with their wind. I doubt he lost so much to warrant another feed as such... But maybe he's just a bit hungry. Feed away I say

Fagashlil

Sligo1 wrote: »

Hiya, id just feed him if he's hungry tbh. I always fed on demand. Spit up doesn't always mean they've overfed and sometimes they can just bring a bit up with their wind. I doubt he lost so much to warrant another feed as such... But maybe he's just a bit hungry. Feed away I say

Super thanks, was never sure on if I should feed after a brought up feed and I keot forgetting to ask anyone!

Sligo1

If you're feeding on demand... That's what it pretty much means. On demand whenever they are hungry regardless of time, spit up etc. It can be exhausting but so worth it.

Fagashlil

Thanks for that, yep feeding on demand, it's not bad at night as he usually sleeps in 4-6 hour blocks, but is all over the place during the day! Adding to my confusion is the PHN who told me I'm over feeding him!

Sligo1

Fagashlil wrote: »

Thanks for that, yep feeding on demand, it's not bad at night as he usually sleeps in 4-6 hour blocks, but is all over the place during the day! Adding to my confusion is the PHN who told me I'm over feeding him!

Are you exclusively breastfeeding? If you are id pay no attention to what the phn says tbh...

Fagashlil

Yep am EBF tried to give him bottles of expressed milk when he was only feeding from the right side, but he was having none of it! Thanks, you've been a great help

Sligo1

No problem. You are doing great I'm sure. PHNs (usually) aren't great when it comes to opinions on breast fed babies unless they've bf themselves. So unless baby is overweight, starving or sick id take what they say with a pinch of salt. You've obviously got a great supply!

Fagashlil

Don't think he's overweight, he was 11lb13 at his 6 week check on Monday, was born 9lb4- he's far from starving anyways. And he's generally happy and alert so must be doing something right!!

tinkerbell

Yeah, your phn doesn't know what she's talking about. You can't overfeed a breastfed baby, unlike with formula. Sometimes they'll want comfort from boob, other times they will feed - they'll only eat when they want to. So if baby is looking for boob, just offer it. It is exhausting though but it's very rewarding.

Sligo1

Fagashlil wrote: »

Don't think he's overweight, he was 11lb13 at his 6 week check on Monday, was born 9lb4- he's far from starving anyways. And he's generally happy and alert so must be doing something right!!

Def not overweight! She's talking crap! Lol.

cyning

Ya just feed away in demand. Both my little ones would latch off, puke, and latch back on! They definitely won't over feed

Doc reckons S's latch was always a bit poor even post tongue tie. Now that she has teeth the teeth are rubbing: I have a number of cuts and cracked nipples and combined with a cold, teething, ulcers being sick her latch is just crap. On anti inflammatories and painkillers for the week, going to pump some feeds and cup feed for a few days until lc is back. I love my GP: not once did he suggest bottles, or that I might have to stop feeding, or that I've done enough. He just made a plan that worked for me & S. I love that support. I think me being sick and S being in hospital twice in a fortnight was making it seem much harder, but much more positive today

Sligo1

cyning wrote: »

Ya just feed away in demand. Both my little ones would latch off, puke, and latch back on! They definitely won't over feed

Doc reckons S's latch was always a bit poor even post tongue tie. Now that she has teeth the teeth are rubbing: I have a number of cuts and cracked nipples and combined with a cold, teething, ulcers being sick her latch is just crap. On anti inflammatories and painkillers for the week, going to pump some feeds and cup feed for a few days until lc is back. I love my GP: not once did he suggest bottles, or that I might have to stop feeding, or that I've done enough. He just made a plan that worked for me & S. I love that support. I think me being sick and S being in hospital twice in a fortnight was making it seem much harder, but much more positive today

That's great to hear you are feeling a bit better today cyning. Hopefully the cup feeds will give you time to heal

bovril

To give a soother or not? Baby is 3.5 weeks. She usually falls asleep while feeding but on transfer to her crib she wakes up. She sucks her thumb/fingers then before sometimes dropping off. Sometimes she can't settle herself so I feed again and again if needs be. We've had to cover her hands as she scratches the face off herself. Just wondering if introducing a soother might help her settle or would it be more trouble. Would I miss feeding signs or risk nipple confusion at this young age?

monflat

bovril wrote: »

To give a soother or not? Baby is 3.5 weeks. She usually falls asleep while feeding but on transfer to her crib she wakes up. She sucks her thumb/fingers then before sometimes dropping off. Sometimes she can't settle herself so I feed again and again if needs be. We've had to cover her hands as she scratches the face off herself. Just wondering if introducing a soother might help her settle or would it be more trouble. Would I miss feeding signs or risk nipple confusion at this young age?

If you feel like she would benefit from it to settle off
Give it to her some people say it reduces time spent on the breast but if a baby is hungry no amount of sucking a dody will mask that.

I found it great for two of mine as they settled off themselves.

My oldest would not take it.


I think I introduced dody around 3.5 weeks too on my little Lad as he kinda woke up around that week!!

margo321

Congrats in baby, mine is just 4 weeks and it's my first, so I'm only learning. I find I have to let her fall into a deep sleep before moving her as she wakes up. We gave her a dummy but it kept falling out waking her so we don't give it to her any more. It's all trial snd error. Good luck

bovril wrote: »

To give a

soother or not? Baby is 3.5 weeks. She usually falls asleep while feeding but on transfer to her crib she wakes up. She sucks her thumb/fingers then before sometimes dropping off. Sometimes she can't settle herself so I feed again and again if needs be. We've had to cover her hands as she scratches the face off herself. Just wondering if introducing a soother might help her settle or would it be more trouble. Would I miss feeding signs or risk nipple confusion at this young age?

madeinamerica

Fagashlil wrote: »

What were older generations told about breastfeeding that they're so against it? We'd a howler of a night with our almost 7 week old, think he's going through a spurt, so I asked MIL would she come and stay a few hours with him whilst I slept so I knew I didn't have to sleep listening out for him, all I've got since she got here is a lecture on the sooner I put him on the bottles the better.

Sorry, rant over!


His latest thing is throwing his head back when I'm feeding

It's mad alright, some of them genuinely think the bottle is so much better. The formula companies must have had great ads back in the day.

My guy did that too, pulled on my poor nip quite a few times. I've no advice for you, sorry, just sympathy!