The Breast Feeding Support Thread

How Strange

caprilicious every pregnancy is different but perhaps you have visible signs of leaking this time because it's your second pregnancy. When I was pregnant I had yellow stains in my bra sometimes (tmi!) but I never leaked the way some women do but once my milk came in I had an oversupply.

At 29 weeks it's probably a bit early for starting expressing and you probably have colostrum not milk as the colostrum comes first so it won't affect your supply when the baby is born. As lynski said; frequent laid back breastfeeding is the ideal way to establish supply. Don't follow routines, don't watch the clock and just feed your baby when he/she wants. Kangaroo care or lots and lots of skin to skin are recommended too.

Attending done la Leche league or ciudiu meetings from now on might be good too as you'll get to know the counsellors and can call them after the birth for reassurance and advice.

annamcmahon

Caprilicious, I agree with How Strange's suggestion about attending your local LLL and or Cuidiu groups. I'm due in April and still feeding my daughter who's just turned 1. I had an easy time with her but due to luck rather than anything I did. I'm going to my local groups in case I have any issues this time I know who to call. I think with these things finding someone you like to help is as important and finding someone knowledgeable.

Cat Melodeon

How Strange wrote: »

Cat Melodeon it could be a blocked duct. Regular feeding should help ease it if it is a blocked duct. Is the milk flowing freely if you hand massage?You can also take ibuprofen which is safe while breastfeeding and is actually better than paracetamol if there's inflammation. If your phn has no info or advice get in touch with a la Leche league or ciudiu counsellor as they've probably come across it before.

Thanks for that. I've been dosing myself with ibuprofen and it's having a definite effect. I'm still not sure about the blocked duct thing - I've had that before and this feels different - breast isn't hard, milk flowing normally, no redness, just very tender and sore. I guess it could be a duct, just a bit deeper than I've had before. No matter, the drugs are doing their magic so there's obviously an inflammation of some sort. I can't believe I forgot ibuprofen was okay once the baby is out - megathanks for that How Strange!

caprilicious

Thanks a mill for the advice ladies. I'm going to invest in a few more nursing bra's (non wired) as I think the one I had was constricting things.

I looked up the local Cuidiu group, they meet the first Monday of each month (which would've been today) but typical my husband was working late's for the first time in ages so missed tonight's one.
I'll make sure to stop by for their next one though.

Has anyone here used a lactation consultant or found the need for one? I might just look one up in case I do run into problems these times.

It is strange for me the complete difference between the two pregnancies. In hindsight my breasts were desperately tender through most of my last pregnancy. I just had to rub clothing off my nipples to be in pain (like being pinched), but thankfully not a bit of it this time.
I'm hoping it's a good sign that things will run more smoothly this time

Last time I wrongly assumed that something as natural as breastfeeding would come naturally without prior preparation. I was wrong there

liliq

caprilicious wrote: »

Has anyone here used a lactation consultant or found the need for one? I might just look one up in case I do run into problems these times.

I've gone to one who was amazing. Saved my breastfeeding career, literally! I'll PM you her details

How Strange

caprilicious breastfeeding is natural and we're biologically designed to feed our babies with our own milk but sadly the skills and the knowledge that women passed down to the new generation of mothers have almost been wiped out.

There is little or no breastfeeding culture in Ireland in the sense that most of our grannies and mothers used formula. Also it's not valued by our healthcare professionals and they regard formula as good enough. The sligan breast is best is bulls*t. Its normal and natural but I'm not a saint if i choose to breastfeed my baby. Im just using what my body has made for my baby.

Theres a whole industry dedicated to making mothers and pregnant women believe that breastfeeding is tough, it doesn't always work, not every woman can do it etc etc etc. Thats why it's important that breastfeeding mothers help snd support other new mothers so the skills can be relearned and passed on.

Ok that's my rant for the day over Enjoy your breakfast!

whitelightrider

Folks our little one has serious issues with wind pains in that shell buckle on us. We've tried all the techniques yet nothing woks. We resorted to infacol and that seems to help at times. But we also got gripe water but were not sure when to give this.
Any advice? She's 4 weeks old

How Strange

whitelightrider if your little one is exclusively breastfed then wind is usually caused by an oversupply of milk and/or a fast letdown. Your partner could try block feeding from one breast so for 3-4 feeds use one side and then switch over. This ensures that your baby gets the thick, creamy hind milk as well as the watery fore milk as too much fore milk can cause wind and won't satiate hunger.

A fast letdown is when the milk comes out in force and the baby is gulping and pulling off the breast and milk is spraying in her face. Block feeding will help this but also hand expressing just a small amount when the letdown activates and latch the baby on when the force has eased.

Laid back breastfeeding will also help and there are some excellent references to it here.

Wind in a breastfed is something which is best resolved at source. Gripe water etc is great but it won't 'cure' it. We used to give 5ml in a syringe in the evening time if he was particularly cranky and windy and it is effective but your partner should look at techniques for coping with oversupply and fast letdown too.

whitelightrider

How Strange wrote: »

whitelightrider if your little one is exclusively breastfed then wind is usually caused by an oversupply of milk and/or a fast letdown. Your partner could try block feeding from one breast so for 3-4 feeds use one side and then switch over. This ensures that your baby gets the thick, creamy hind milk as well as the watery fore milk as too much fore milk can cause wind and won't satiate hunger.

A fast letdown is when the milk comes out in force and the baby is gulping and pulling off the breast and milk is spraying in her face. Block feeding will help this but also hand expressing just a small amount when the letdown activates and latch the baby on when the force has eased.

Laid back breastfeeding will also help and there are some excellent references to it here.

Wind in a breastfed is something which is best resolved at source. Gripe water etc is great but it won't 'cure' it. We used to give 5ml in a syringe in the evening time if he was particularly cranky and windy and it is effective but your partner should look at techniques for coping with oversupply and fast letdown too.

Hey there How Strange. I was asking my wife about this but her milk doesnt seem to be shooting out so we're not sure if its fast let down. Ill check with her again this evening. We're also going to try and express so that we can try with a bottle and see how we get on. She was up for almost 2 hours last night crying with what seemed to be pains and spent a lot of time wriggling when we put her down.

How Strange

whitelightrider a certain amount of fussiness is normal in any newborn baby. Most babies have a fussy time when they're difficult to settle.the good news is they grow out of it and the bad news is they grow out of it at around 10-12 weeks.

I think the block feeding and laid back breastfeeding should help ease wind although nothing except time and patience will help the fussiness.

Incidentally, I found out (the hard way!) that if i ate hummus, asparagus, broccoli and cabbage my son got very bad wind so perhaps if your partner watches for any connection between her diet and bad wind in your daughter.

whitelightrider

How Strange wrote: »

whitelightrider a certain amount of fussiness is normal in any newborn baby. Most babies have a fussy time when they're difficult to settle.the good news is they grow out of it and the bad news is they grow out of it at around 10-12 weeks.

I think the block feeding and laid back breastfeeding should help ease wind although nothing except time and patience will help the fussiness.

Incidentally, I found out (the hard way!) that if i ate hummus, asparagus, broccoli and cabbage my son got very bad wind so perhaps if your partner watches for any connection between her diet and bad wind in your daughter.

Hey again, yeah my wife has been trying the block feeding, and also expressing a little first so that our little one gets the hind milk. Shes feeding really well and putting on loads of weight. Its just heart breaking seeing her in pain and not being able to get the wind up.

How Strange

Gripe water and the rugby hold worked well for us as did a bit of baby massage but we never found a cure. Literally one evening at 10 weeks he was peaceful and content and that was the end of the wind and fussiness but it was a tough 10 weeks.

red fraggle

whitelightrider wrote: »

She was up for almost 2 hours last night crying with what seemed to be pains and spent a lot of time wriggling when we put her down.

my little one is exactly the same. only ive noticed she will cry bout 10 mins after nearly every feed and might cry on and off til nearly next feed. seems to be in some pain/discomfort. this is usually durin the day. she is puttin on plenty of weight. last night she fussed for hour and a half and i ended up feeding her again and then she fell asleep. think she might have silent reflux aswell. woman is breastfeeding clinic thought so to. ill ask at 6 week check.

5 weeks today. how time has flown!!

caprilicious

liliq thanks a mill again for the lactation consultants details I've mailed her so hope to hear back from her soon. It's brill knowing that worst case scenario things don't work out that I can get the assistance of someone like that to come out and show me where I'm going wrong.

How Strange wrote: »

caprilicious breastfeeding is natural and we're biologically designed to feed our babies with our own milk but sadly the skills and the knowledge that women passed down to the new generation of mothers have almost been wiped out.

There is little or no breastfeeding culture in Ireland in the sense that most of our grannies and mothers used formula. Also it's not valued by our healthcare professionals and they regard formula as good enough. The sligan breast is best is bulls*t. Its normal and natural but I'm not a saint if i choose to breastfeed my baby. Im just using what my body has made for my baby.

Theres a whole industry dedicated to making mothers and pregnant women believe that breastfeeding is tough, it doesn't always work, not every woman can do it etc etc etc. Thats why it's important that breastfeeding mothers help snd support other new mothers so the skills can be relearned and passed on.

Ok that's my rant for the day over Enjoy your breakfast!

Lol rant away girl! So true though, my mum bf my sister and I, but not for the amount of support she received at the time.
My gran was told that formula was much more nutritious than breast milk, so when she had her children that was exactly what she used.
Gas really as she was a trained nurse, and this was the training hospital telling her this! :eek:

liliq

caprilicious wrote: »

liliq thanks a mill again for the lactation consultants details I've mailed her so hope to hear back from her soon. It's brill knowing that worst case scenario things don't work out that I can get the assistance of someone like that to come out and show me where I'm going wrong.

You're more than welcome I wouldn't have kept bfing if I hadn't seen the lactation consultant, so it really is worth it if you're having difficulties more than the usual!
Hope it's getting easier!

wmpdd3

I can't believe I'm at a computer with 2 hands free! I'm still breast feeding but using the nipple shied on the left side. Latching on is still a battle, he can do it much faster with the shield so sometimes he never gets to feed from the right side as he cant latch on. I'm a bit worried about reducing the supply with the shield but I dont have an alternative.

On the other hand its relentless at the moment, he's on every 1.5 hours. Hopefully by 4 weeks he might stretch to every 2 and a half hours so I can shower and see my daughter.

The good news is I have no pain at all, everyone just presumes I do. I seem to be the only person who didnt have pain in the first few weeks...yet.

I'm so glad I did get the lactation consultant to come to my house when I did, it was well worth it.

caprilicious

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I can't believe I'm at a computer with 2 hands free! I'm still breast feeding but using the nipple shied on the left side. Latching on is still a battle, he can do it much faster with the shield so sometimes he never gets to feed from the right side as he cant latch on. I'm a bit worried about reducing the supply with the shield but I dont have an alternative.

On the other hand its relentless at the moment, he's on every 1.5 hours. Hopefully by 4 weeks he might stretch to every 2 and a half hours so I can shower and see my daughter.

The good news is I have no pain at all, everyone just presumes I do. I seem to be the only person who didnt have pain in the first few weeks...yet.

I'm so glad I did get the lactation consultant to come to my house when I did, it was well worth it.

Great to see it's going so well for you and no pain too! Do you mind me asking what lactation consultant you used?
I've been trying to get in contact with one based in the Womans Health Group but can't get through to her at all!
I wouldn't mind trying to line up one now

wmpdd3

PM sent..

whitelightrider

Hey folks,
Our little one has been feeding great for the last few weeks but does tend to go insane at night for about 3 hours. She also seems to suffer from really bad wind and has a lot of trouble getting it up. We've tried infacol and gripe water and while they seem to help a little, she still has trouble.

We're going to start using Aptamil Comfort this weekend as her night feed and continue to breast feed during the day and evening. Is it ok to do this?

Also we've been trying the Medela Swing pump and the bottle with the special teet. But that seems to give her a lot of wind also. Is it ok to use this teet on a Dr Brown bottle that has the wind relief straw in it? Or should we just use the standard Dr Brown bottle with the straw and a normal teet?

How Strange

whitelightrider do you mind me asking why you're going to start using formula at night? Do you think it will help with her wind? Do you think it will give your partner a rest so you can do the night feeding?

A lot of people combine breastfeeding and formula feeding but it can lead to supply issues because the supply is established and maintained through frequent night feeding.

However, you all have to do what suits your family so if it works for you then no-one can tell you it's right or wrong.

whitelightrider

How Strange wrote: »

whitelightrider do you mind me asking why you're going to start using formula at night? Do you think it will help with her wind? Do you think it will give your partner a rest so you can do the night feeding?

A lot of people combine breastfeeding and formula feeding but it can lead to supply issues because the supply is established and maintained through frequent night feeding.

However, you all have to do what suits your family so if it works for you then no-one can tell you it's right or wrong.

Hey How Strange,

We've a few reasons really. The main one is that our little one has serious wind problems and buckles at night. I spoke to one of the girls at work who had a similar issue and tried the Aptamil Comfort and it seemed to really help with the pains.

Oh and the most important reason - to give my wife a small break. If I can give her that feed at night then my wife could get some well deserved sleep.

Another reason is that we're not sure whether out little one is feeding enough as she latches on, latches off, latches on, etc for a lot of the time. Now she seems to be thriving but at night its extremely hard to know why she's so upset. And again it seems to be causing her to take in air which leads to pains.

wmpdd3

my first baby had no relife with aptamil comfort it just came back up, i think it was too thick for her. i'd try expressed milk in the dr browns bottles with the dr brown teat. you might need a larger teat with the comfort as its really thick so make up some and see will it come out of the bottle a few days before in case you have to go looking for teats.

little man is 3 weeks old today, when will he stop feeding every 1.5 hours?

i havent left the house for more than 1 hr in 2 weeks. i cant get to town without pulling in the car and feeding him.

How Strange

I'll say from the start that I'm 100% pro breastfeeding so for me there is always a breastfeeding solution to a breastfeeding problem.

If your daughter has wind I honestly can't see how formula which is generic will be better than breastmilk which is tailor made by your wife for your daughter. If anything formula will exacerbate her wind and fussiness. All babies regardless of how they're fed have wind. Part of it is because their stomachs and digestive systems are still adapting to feeding. In most cases breastfed babies grow out of their windiness around 3 months.

The 3 hours at night and the latching on and off could be cluster feeding which is normal or an oversupply of milk or wind or a combination of all these things. It's quite hard to say but it's not uncommon and again these usually settle down at around 3 months.

Breastmilk is incredibly light and is almost completely digested which is why breastfed babies feed more often. Formula is much heavier so the babies are overfed. The real colic that people talk about is usually colic in a baby fed on formula.

Is your daughter generally content, has lots of wet nappies and is putting on weight? If so she's thriving so the breastmilk is perfect for her.

As regards giving your wife a break, you can make the dinner, take your daughter between feeds, do a little baby massage, clean the house etc etc. There are so many ways you give her a break that don't include feeding your daughter.

Breastfeeding at night means bringing your daughter into bed and feeding her. Your wife and daughter may fall asleep while doing this and wake up an hour or two later. Once you get the hang of breastfeeding you don't have to turn the light on. If you cosleep or have a cosleeper cot attached to the bed you dont even have to get up. You reach out and bring the baby close to you. 9 times out of 10 the baby will fall asleep halfway through feeding and will feed and latch off in her sleep. I never winded my son as he'd just fart it out in his sleep

Giving bottles of formula involves getting up, making or reheating a bottle, checking the temperature, feeding the baby, winding her and getting her back to sleep.

Finally, breast milk is free.

Again, you have to do what suits you as a family. I'm not saying you're wrong to switch but that's my opinion as someone who is pro breastfeeding.

wmpdd3

I never winded my son as he'd just fart it out in his sleep

you know this is true, my little fella has a bit of wind after every feed during the day but never at night. The odd time i sit up and try to wind him but he never has so now i just dont bother, do you think feeding him lying down could be the reason?

might be worth a try.

How Strange

wmpdd3 I think it is and that's why laid back breastfeeding is being promoted now as the ideal way to feed. I know now in hindsight that I had an oversupply and looking back night time feeding was the only time my son didn't fuss and struggle.

whitelightrider

How Strange wrote: »

I'll say from the start that I'm 100% pro breastfeeding so for me there is always a breastfeeding solution to a breastfeeding problem.

If your daughter has wind I honestly can't see how formula which is generic will be better than breastmilk which is tailor made by your wife for your daughter. If anything formula will exacerbate her wind and fussiness. All babies regardless of how they're fed have wind. Part of it is because their stomachs and digestive systems are still adapting to feeding. In most cases breastfed babies grow out of their windiness around 3 months.

The 3 hours at night and the latching on and off could be cluster feeding which is normal or an oversupply of milk or wind or a combination of all these things. It's quite hard to say but it's not uncommon and again these usually settle down at around 3 months.

Breastmilk is incredibly light and is almost completely digested which is why breastfed babies feed more often. Formula is much heavier so the babies are overfed. The real colic that people talk about is usually colic in a baby fed on formula.

Is your daughter generally content, has lots of wet nappies and is putting on weight? If so she's thriving so the breastmilk is perfect for her.

As regards giving your wife a break, you can make the dinner, take your daughter between feeds, do a little baby massage, clean the house etc etc. There are so many ways you give her a break that don't include feeding your daughter.

Breastfeeding at night means bringing your daughter into bed and feeding her. Your wife and daughter may fall asleep while doing this and wake up an hour or two later. Once you get the hang of breastfeeding you don't have to turn the light on. If you cosleep or have a cosleeper cot attached to the bed you dont even have to get up. You reach out and bring the baby close to you. 9 times out of 10 the baby will fall asleep halfway through feeding and will feed and latch off in her sleep. I never winded my son as he'd just fart it out in his sleep

Giving bottles of formula involves getting up, making or reheating a bottle, checking the temperature, feeding the baby, winding her and getting her back to sleep.

Finally, breast milk is free.

Again, you have to do what suits you as a family. I'm not saying you're wrong to switch but that's my opinion as someone who is pro breastfeeding.

Hey How Strange,

Thanks so much for your post. Ill address most of the things you mention. I have to say that I dont think I was pro or con to breast feeding as I really knew nothing about it. Seeing my daughter feed, and thrive is amazing. She has LOTS of wet nappies (looking for a share in Pampers now) and has dirty nappies also. However she does have wind and its really hard to get up. If we dont try and wind her she'll wake and scream. She seems to have a really hard time with it. She'll squirm and mooch a lot and then get upset.

I do cook and clean for her and try my best to make sure my wife gets out of the house. But thats difficult unless she expresses. We did try the Medela bottle and she did take it, but that caused a lot of wind as well so it was a vicious circle. Now I will try giving her the breast milk from the Dr Brownes bottle and see how that goes.

At the minute she sleeps on me in the bed and then my wife tries to get her to sleep in the bed with her. Co sleeping. Works some times, mostly in the morning.

I guess we're just looking for options to make things a little easier on all of us!

lynski

re the wind my little man had terrible wind for a few weeks as a smallie but it did pass, feels like forever when it is happening but after a few weeks no more wind, however, i did use laid-back bf for a week or two at 2/3 weeks old to get latch established and that really helped
On another note, i am still nursing my almost 1 yr old (next wed!!), can't believe i made it to 1 yr. Honestly he only feeds about 2/3 times a day now, usually, so it is no bother at all.
Aside from seeing him thrive, I think this week it has kept him out of hospital. He got a nasty, nasty tummy bug at the start of the week, awful diarrhea, vomiting and not eating, water was just running through him. If he were artificially fed the first thing the docs say is to stop the formula, then give diaralyte, but he has not holding water most of the week, even breastmilk was coming up after 2hrs or so (most was well digested by then) and he was so out of sorts. I dont believe if I had stopped breastfeeding that he would have avoided hospital, as it was it was touch and go for a few days. So thank goodness for breastmilk! and i plan to keep going as long as he wants.

How Strange

whitelightrider it sounds like you're doing a fantastic job. The first few weeks are so tough irrespective of formula or breastfeeding.

With breastfeeding everything gets so much easier around 3 months and if you can stick with it through this difficult stage you'll both be so glad you did. That's what really converted me to breastfeeding. I remember being out and about one lovely sunny day last April and we were about to go home at lunch time but instead we went to the Phoenix park for a walk and waited around until 5pm to meet my husband. It was the freedom to change our plans at the last minute and not worry about having enough bottles etc. all we needed were a few spare nappies and some baby wipes.

lynski my son was breastfed up to one year at which stage he decided he'd had enough but he had an awful high temperature a few weeks back and it was such a reassurance to know I could breastfeed him even if he refused food or other liquids.

dublinlady

Hey ladies!
Just joining as had baby girl last tue she's fab, more than I could have wished for!!!
Breast feeding rxclusively and finding it tiring but rewarding
Had blood in milk earlier - easy to detect as I have to use shields as apparently have short nipples! They are working out well tho - I seem to have plenty milk and baby finds easy to latch on. However just there I was feeding from the left breast again and she pulled away and there was a large ( 2cent coin!) blood clot in the shield!!??
Wasn't too painful and I fed thru afterwards as presumed it would help to clear the breast out!
Any ideas?!

How Strange

Hi dublinlady congrats on your little daughter and well done with breastfeeding do far. For the blood and blood clot I'd ring the hospital just to make sure.

As for small nipples and using shields, babies latch onto the breast tissue not just the nipple so the size of your nipples shouldn't pose a problem really except perhaps at the early stages with learning how to latch etc.

Shields serve a purpose which is helping a woman through a difficult patch but they can lead to supply issues as the baby isn't latched directly onto the breast. I'd suggest you get in touch with your local la Leche league or ciudiu counsellor or a lactation consultant because I'm fairly sure it's a problem that can be overcome by working on the latch. Congrats again