The Breast Feeding Support Thread

wmpdd3

I agree with above, I have less milk in the breast I use the shield with all the time, but the other breast is even bigger in size!

In the evening when I have time I spend a few hours getting him to try latch on to the left breast, every day he get closer, I compress the breast using one hand and bring his head to the nipple, hopefully it wont be long before I can go out without the shields.

So can I expect to feed every hour during the day for the first 6 weeks or could this last 3 months?

How Strange

wmpdd3 every baby is different but I think my son fed every 2-2.5 hours up to 5 months although the night feeds settled down at around 10 weeks so at night we'd feed at 7, 1, 4, 6.

I think you'll notice changes in feeding at 6 weeks and 12 weeks after those growth spurts and your little one will stretch out the feeds a bit more.

whitelightrider

Hey How Strange,

We've had a good weekend with regards to breast feeding. We expressed and used the Dr Browns bottles and it seems to have made the world of difference. Our little one is a completely different girl today.

My wife has a question though. She's hoping to continue breast feeding, and express so that at least I can give a bottle and she can rest, get her hair done, etc. How often should we express though during the day?

galah

congrats dublinlady! ;-)

one tip - try and get rid of the nipple shields as soon as you can if you can - I missed the 'cut-off' point, and now I can't get our little one off those blasted things, he just won't take the nipple at all. No issues with milk supply thankfully, so I am not worried, but it's so much more faffy, especially when you try to feed in public ;-(
they did save my (breastfeeding) life in the beginning though, without them I would not have stuck it out at all!

wpmdd3 - for us, it got better after the 6 weeks growth spurt - we're now, at 12 weeks, feeding every 3 to 4 hours, which gives me a bit of a break. the hourly feeding sessions are thankfully a distant memory now (I have probably jinxed it since we are due the 3 month growth spurt, arent we?! ;-))

How Strange

whitelightrider I used to express once a day and freeze it so I'd build up a stash quite quickly. It was very handy if I wanted to go off for a couple of hours. I was prone to blocked ducts and mastitis so I preferred to feed my son myself but it's great to have some in the freezer for when your wife wants to do something or even just go to bed for a nap and a break.

whitelightrider

How Strange wrote: »

whitelightrider I used to express once a day and freeze it so I'd build up a stash quite quickly. It was very handy if I wanted to go off for a couple of hours. I was prone to blocked ducts and mastitis so I preferred to feed my son myself but it's great to have some in the freezer for when your wife wants to do something or even just go to bed for a nap and a break.

Thats kind of the main reason for us to try expressing and it does make like that bit easier.
Are there any guidelines as to when you should express or how often?

red fraggle

congrats dublinlady and welcome!!

my little one has been sleeping from between 4 and a half to 6 hours at night for the last while is this ok? im delighted with it. hope it lasts!! she is just over 6 weeks now. check up tomorrow.:D

How Strange

Well done red fraggle enjoy the sleep while it lasts.

whitelightrider I think the only 'rule' or rule of thumb as regards expressing is not to overdo it as it can lead to an oversupply. Once a day should be enough unless you've something coming up which you need a stash for. I think in general there is a greater milk supply in the morning. I found I wanted to sleep if my son was sleeping in the mornings so I used to express in the afternoon but I had loads of milk so supply wasn't an issue.

dublinlady

Just woke with a heart attack - up until now my little girl has woken me every 3-3&1:2 hrs for a feed duri g night - she cries and wakes me so I never set an alarm or anything, She just went 5 hrs between feeds and I didn't wake her as was asleep! Is this ok??? It's great if it is but just wanna make sure! She's feeding happily now without being too upset when she woke! It's just cos she was breech and a section she was born at 39 weeks so was only due yest! She's only 6lb 8oz now - but this is up from 6lb 5oz!

How Strange

Isn't it a great yet terrifying feeling all at once! My son did that for the first time at 4 weeks. I wouldn't be worried about it at all although i was scared witless at the time. She'll probably make up for it this morning! We used to have feeding frenzies lasting hours after a long sleep the night before. We definitely watched a lot of morning tv!

Cat Melodeon

We've just had the 3-month growth spurt here. It lasted a week, she was back to feeding every 2 hours but thanks be to cheeses she's now going 3 hrs between feeds during the day, with a monster feeding session from 9-11pm and then sleep until 7am. Bliss!

White Lightning, I'm just starting to express now. I'll be doing what I did last time round. I would give the first morning feed from one breast only and then immediately afterwards I'd express from the other one. Supply tends to be best in the morning. Because my girl is sleeping well at night now I am very full in the mornings and actually need to express from the side she doesn't feed from just for comfort's sake.

Don't stress at first if you only get an ounce or two - until your wife is comfortable with pumping she may not get the same let-down as she does when feeding baby directly. As you get more practised the milk flows more easily. Other things can affect it as well - stress, tiredness, diet, even the weather! If I was ever in a hurry in the mornings I might as well not have bothered for all the milk I'd get out. On good mornings, I'd get about 6oz. Bad mornings, 2oz. Personal record, 9oz! :eek:. Average: 4oz from the left breast, 5-6oz from the right (it's normal to have a difference).

Also keep in mind that what is expressed is not a good reflection of what baby is getting - pumps can be good but they are not as good as babies for getting milk out, and I don't know anyone who gets the same hormonal response from staring lovingly at a pump as they do when staring at their baby! So if first efforts are poor, don't start stressing about how much baby is getting, the two are only very loosely related.

Another point: On the next feed after she has expressed, she should first offer the breast that she pumped from and then switch and offer the other one, just to make sure all the hindmilk is out.

Also, if she expresses so that you can give a bottle later, she should also express at the time of that bottle feed of expressed milk so as not to compromise her supply. This is how I built up a stock for the freezer, by having one main expressing session in the morning and then a shorter one at night. The morning session was effectively an extra feed, the later one just standing in for the scheduled feed. Having that extra supply in the morning also makes growth spurts much easier to deal with as you have a bit extra before baby needs it and can more gradually build up extra again for expressing once the spurt is over (I always stop expressing during a growth spurt).

Finally, when storing expressed milk in the freezer, split it into 3oz batches. That way you only need to defrost what you need as you need it and if baby is hungry it only takes a few mins to defrost a second lot. Much less waste! I remember being REALLY annoyed if I ever spilt breast milk as so much effort went into making it!

Good luck with it. Expressing can be really handy but do try to treat it as a convenient extra rather than as an out and out alternative to actual breastfeeding. If it causes stress after a trial of say, two weeks, it's probably not worth it.

caprilicious

Ladies is there anything you would recommend I pack in my hospital bag to assist with breastfeeding in the hospital?

I have Lansinoh, nursing bra's & breastpads for in between feeds. Should I get nipple shields? would they be classed an essential part of kit or not?
Or is there anything else you would suggest?

liliq

Don't pack anything else except you boobs!
Nursing pads might be handy, but prob wont be needed til your milk comes in. Nursing bras are always handy, but your bra size might change once your milk comes in as well so if you haven't already, don't spend a fortune on nursing bras!

And just have confidence in your ability to feed your baby! Once you know what to expect- basically lots of feeds, it makes it easier as well

Good luck!!!

wmpdd3

Cap, get pj's with a good few buttons at the neck, my boobs were so big they wouldnt fit out with all bottons open so i spend the whole time in hospital topless. the other people's partners thought I had a screw loose.

I had the pj's from pennys.

I got a present of these with longer sleeves from mother care, they are so comfy and they are €10 for 2 pack in the sale. (waterford store.)

http://www.mothercare.com/M2b-Plain-Stripe-T-Shirt-Nightdress/dp/B006ZINHJC?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_1&nodeId=42797041&sr=1-1&qid=1330045923

Cat Melodeon

caprilicious wrote: »

Ladies is there anything you would recommend I pack in my hospital bag to assist with breastfeeding in the hospital?

I have Lansinoh, nursing bra's & breastpads for in between feeds. Should I get nipple shields? would they be classed an essential part of kit or not?
Or is there anything else you would suggest?

Something I find brilliant are muslin cloths. You can get them cheap in Tesco or more expensive ones in Mothercare (I actually prefer the texture of the Tesco ones). They are good as burp cloths, for covering your breast as you feed, for wiping up leaks, for rolling up and placing between your breasts on those days when your milk comes in and your boobs are like rocks and all you want to do is lie on your side but can't because the top boob is too heavy and uncomfortable and the cloth is just the right size to support it and light enough not to get sweaty (tmi yet? ), etc etc. I bought ten of them when my son was born in 2009 and they've been used continuously since then, both with him and now with the baby. You just don't see the end of them.

Other than that, I love Lansinoh (but only used it for the first 2 weeks or so). I brought two non-wired nursing bras, didn't need nursing pads as my milk didn't come in until day 3-4 and I was well home at that stage. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the shields unless you get a crack or something and are advised to use them. I bought shells at one point on my first when I was dealing with stingy nipples and a small crack and wanted to keep my clothes away from them, but this time I found that just leaving them open to the air is more effective - go topless as much as you can! I also *really* recommend learning how to feed lying down. It does away with the need for breastfeeding cushions etc and if you are sore down below, it makes for much easier positioning for you and your bits. If you have any pregnancy books, check up on it and then get your midwife to help you with it on the postnatal ward. It is a life/sleep/girlbits-saver.

lynski

re the muslins i find the ikea ones really great.they are thick and large and even used them as blankets on out and about in summer.

caprilicious

Thanks a mill for the advice ladies

Last time I treated myself to my most expensive pair of pj's ever, they're 'hot milk' brand of nursing one's, they have the pop out boob bits, so they're packed in ready to go.
I was lot less flush on this pregnancy so was only able to treat myself to one really nice bra from the same company & that has the pop out boob's too, so the girls will be readily accessible when the time comes

Those nightdresses look the right job too wmpdd3, I like that they're so long. plenty to cover my ample tum after

lol cat melodeon, I think I'll need all the life/sleep/girlbits-saving bits I can after
Good idea on the muslin cloths, I used them a bit last time mainly for spills/mopping up peuk, but could see their definite benefit when breastfeeding.
Unfortunately I washed my tescoes/guineys one's at too high a heat and toasted them so must invest in new one's!

I'm going to invest in a lactation consultant in the next few weeks & will chat with her about laid back feeding. It makes a lot of sense from how you've described it.
I remember those first few day's home from hospital when getting up off the couch/bed was such an effort so laying down to feed sounds like a much better idea

NextSteps

'Pop out boobs' sounds funny!

liliq

it's worth checking the mamas and papas website for nursing bras. they still have some of the 3 for €15 left... AMAZING offer! Sizes etc are quite limited at this stage, but you might get lucky! I find them really comfy

dublinlady

11 days in my boobs are still bleeding away... Seems to be no healing them! I tried expressing for just a minute today to see what it was like and the pump just had strawberry milk! it's gross.
Plus I ate sweet peppers last night and gave herself such bad wind I didn't get a wink of sleep all night
Grrrr... It's hard!

wmpdd3

oh, you poor love, hoe do you manage. i met so many people who suffered in the hospital last time, i feel so luck, ive had no pain or wounds at all. did you find out why you are bleeding? are you still feeding her? .... strawberry milk!

dublinlady

wmpdd3 wrote: »

oh, you poor love, hoe do you manage. i met so many people who suffered in the hospital last time, i feel so luck, ive had no pain or wounds at all. did you find out why you are bleeding? are you still feeding her? .... strawberry milk!

Thanks - sympathy is just what I need!! Hehe! I've asked the gp, hospital staff and public health nurse and none of them have anything to say about it really only tough luck! For 5 days I was passing clots - now its just blood
Determined to keep going... It's just hard work at the mo - so sore at the start and sometimes she pulls off just as there is too mUch blood and it must taste awful!
Her wind is just makin it all harder to take at the mo as its so difficult to settle her which means I'm exhausted and irrational!

wmpdd3

I'm 4 weeks in (today) and I'm pretty pooped, cant imagine how bad you feel.... on your first. I feel bad now for complaining that the baby wont get off my boobs, atleast I'm not in the slightest bit of pain.

Someone here must know why that is happening. Did you try calling the breastfeeding help lines they gave you in the hospital? these guys seem to know way more than the PHN etc.

I know, I know, like you have time to be making calls!

Quins5

dublinlady wrote: »

wmpdd3 wrote: »

oh, you poor love, hoe do you manage. i met so many people who suffered in the hospital last time, i feel so luck, ive had no pain or wounds at all. did you find out why you are bleeding? are you still feeding her? .... strawberry milk!

Thanks - sympathy is just what I need!! Hehe! I've asked the gp, hospital staff and public health nurse and none of them have anything to say about it really only tough luck! For 5 days I was passing clots - now its just blood
Determined to keep going... It's just hard work at the mo - so sore at the start and sometimes she pulls off just as there is too mUch blood and it must taste awful!
Her wind is just makin it all harder to take at the mo as its so difficult to settle her which means I'm exhausted and irrational!

You poor thing dublinlady, u need to b applauded n supported for ur determination to continue under such tough circumstances, well done.
Thinking if u n here's hoping it gets easier for u very soon x

How Strange

dublinlady would you contact your local la Leche league or ciudiu counsellor? They are the best free breastfeeding resource.

It's most definitely not normal or 'just a part of breastfeeding'. You just need to speak to people with the right knowledge.

caprilicious

How Strange wrote: »

It's most definitely not normal or 'just a part of breastfeeding'. You just need to speak to people with the right knowledge.

I know feck all about breastfeeding but I do think that How Strange is right, that it is not normal.
When I tried to breastfeed last time I was in terrible pain & was so frustrated at being met with 'oh it's normal' when evidently it wasn't!

I hope it eases off for you soon & fair play to you for feeding through it, there's many might have given up at this stage.

jingler

dublinlady- I second howstrange's advice. Call cuidiu or La leche- whoever is in your area. A breastfeeding counsellor can come to you if you can't get out. My nipples 'suffered extensive trauma' according to my GP- I laughed when he put it that way but the pain was unreal. I used nipple shields for around a week to let them heal. That was a great help but the best help was from an amazing Cuidiu breastfeeding counsellor who came to my home and sorted out my positioning of the baby- tried many different holds and found one that suited me and my baby. I owe that lady big time because breastfeeding has been one of the most amazing experiences for me. You've done so well by nursing through what I guess has been 11 very sore days!

Best of luck & congrats on your new baby! Try and get yourself seen to- it's so important to look after yourself too!

bobobear

Dublinlady - +1 that that isn't normal. It sounds like severe pain! Definitely get a LLL or cuidiu lady to come help you! Possibly get babs checked for tongue tie as well, can be a major source of a bad latch.

And fair play to you, you're some strong woman for keeping at it! Some day you'll be sitting in front of the tv feeding and realise that it's become easy, no pain, no hassle. I promise!

bobobear

Oh, and the baby being so windy is another real sign of tongue tie or a bad latch. My baby had terrible terrible wind until we got the tongue tie sorted.

Can you hear a kind of clicking noise when baby sucks? Can you almost hear the milk/air hitting the tummy?

If you call an LLL or cuidiu person and explain they'll probably either come see you that day or find someone who will. Alternatively if baby is under six weeks your hospital lactation consultant will see you for free. (Some hospitals will see you after that).

linute555

I started expressing milk at week 2. Coz my nipples were in terrible pain and i was very sick in the hospital after delivering over 10 pound baby who has the biggest appetite. I couldn't keep up with him. He was hanging on my boobs all the time so started expressing and topping with formula as well.
He's 6 w now and doesn't want to take my breasts anymore. Oh, he knows how to latch on, but just few days ago refused to breast feed point blank.
Anywho, i'm expressing every 3 hours day and night. It's exhausting and if i don't express as often as 3h my breasts get engorged. Is there a way out of it? Do i have to express this often to keep the supply? I express about 3/4 oz every time.