The Breast Feeding Support Thread

holding

Oh I figured Lucuma was avoiding dairy, but missing chocolate, hence my recs

IvyTheTerrible

holding wrote: »

Oh I figured Lucuma was avoiding dairy, but missing chocolate, hence my recs

Oh I understood that! Just might be worth thinking about avoiding chocolate too

LegacyUser

I think my breastfeeding journey is coming to an end. Baby is not putting on weight. She's not losing weight, but it's not increasing either.
I find this confusing because (and the doctor said it, not me) she's not dehydrated, not distressed, is alert and happy and is doing wet and dirty nappies. I feel my milk supply is quite good.Well, it was until I got sick this week.I started giving her some bottles after the weigh in on Monday and the supply has dropped quite drastically in 2 days, which is a surprise to me - I expected it to take much longer, so maybe I'm more run down than I realised. However it was 2 weeks ago when the weight issue was first highlighted.
Has anyone experienced this before? Is it worth my while working to increase my supply again? I wouldn't mind even doing combined feeding for a while, better than nothing.

Jen44

once you drop one feed you can drastically drop your supply. If you going to give bottles you really need to pump at that time. You can start working on your supply by trying to pump a little after every feed when the baby is full.

ja1986

I'm finding my baby hungry aswell.She was latched on earlier and when I went to check her there was no milk coming out?

bovril

Your baby may not be feeding constantly while they are latched on. They will however be drinking milk when there is milk available. They can also be instructing your body to produce more milk the next day. They might be doing both. If your baby is latched on trust them and your body. They know what they're doing.

LegacyUser

Yes I did try pumping alright but I'm getting practically nothing out even though my breasts were sore from the amount of milk in them.I just don't understand how the baby didn't put on any weight over a fortnight, even though she was feeding well and for long feeds, and not hungry.I did breast feed my first for a while and it took a good week or so for the supply to go down whem I stopped, which is why I'm so surprised.I went from missing one or two feeds on Monday and being painfully in need of her to feed, to nothing on Wednesday.Oh well,I guess that's it so.

Happydippy

BusyIzzy wrote: »

I think my breastfeeding journey is coming to an end. Baby is not putting on weight. She's not losing weight, but it's not increasing either.
I find this confusing because (and the doctor said it, not me) she's not dehydrated, not distressed, is alert and happy and is doing wet and dirty nappies. I feel my milk supply is quite good.Well, it was until I got sick this week.I started giving her some bottles after the weigh in on Monday and the supply has dropped quite drastically in 2 days, which is a surprise to me - I expected it to take much longer, so maybe I'm more run down than I realised. However it was 2 weeks ago when the weight issue was first highlighted.
Has anyone experienced this before? Is it worth my while working to increase my supply again? I wouldn't mind even doing combined feeding for a while, better than nothing.

Has the doc said the weight is a problem? If she is otherwise healthy and happy it might not be a problem at all. How old is your baby? They don't always put on weight at a constant rate. There can be spurts and plateaus in weight gains.
It sounds like you don't want to end your breastfeeding journey yet, so my advice would be don't stop unless there is some serious health concern. Try contacting a LLL or Cuidu in your area for advice.
To keep your supply up, keep feeding and/or pumping, even if you supplement with formula. But remember that a change in the amount you can get when pumping doesn't always mean the amount you're producing has changed. Try eating porridge, it always boosted my supply, and drink plenty of fluids.

Jen44

Fennel tea is great for supply too it doesn't taste nice but funnily enough I did kind of developed a taste for it!! I used to make porridge bread too and toast it

tinkerbell

BusyIzzy wrote: »

I think my breastfeeding journey is coming to an end. Baby is not putting on weight. She's not losing weight, but it's not increasing either.
I find this confusing because (and the doctor said it, not me) she's not dehydrated, not distressed, is alert and happy and is doing wet and dirty nappies. I feel my milk supply is quite good.Well, it was until I got sick this week.I started giving her some bottles after the weigh in on Monday and the supply has dropped quite drastically in 2 days, which is a surprise to me - I expected it to take much longer, so maybe I'm more run down than I realised. However it was 2 weeks ago when the weight issue was first highlighted.
Has anyone experienced this before? Is it worth my while working to increase my supply again? I wouldn't mind even doing combined feeding for a while, better than nothing.

Your best bet is to go back to the basics. Bring your baby to bed wearing just a nappy. You take your top off so you can be skin-to-skin and just let baby feed. Do it for a few days and your supply will come back up again.

Plenty of water and lots of oats for you.

LegacyUser

Well she was weighed at 6 weeks and her weight gain was a bit low, but they weren't hugely concerned. She was weighed again a fortnight later and had put no weight on at all, which was a worry for them, although she looked fine. She's quite a long baby.

She was weighed again today (4 days later) and has put on 1lb!

I'e been giving her a lot of bottles this week, and she's feeding like crazy at the moment. She still feeds from me once at night, and first thing in the morning, and sometimes during the day. I have fennel tea and have been drinking it all along, and have taken more water yesterday and today, which I hadn't been doing as much of. Also the antibiotics have kicked in and I'm feeling much better myself. I feel my milk supply has gone back up today, which is good, it feels like I need to feed her again to relieve the pressure a bit.

If I'm honest I'm very conflicted about breast feeding. I like being able to do it for her, but many aspects of it I don't really enjoy. And my OH really enjoys being able to bottle feed her and spend some time with her, because otherwise he's with our (crazy) two year old and not really getting a chance to bond properly with the baby. But that's something I need to figure out for myself. I think I just wanted to end the breastfeeding on my terms, rather than out of some necessity like lack of weight gain, I suppose, which is why I'm feeling confused about it. But thanks to everyone for their advice, which I will take

spottybananas

I always handed baby over straight after feeds for dad to do winding, nappy change and cuddles, could you do that? And bathtime, great way for them to spend time together

ja1986

BusyIzzy wrote: »

Well she was weighed at 6 weeks and her weight gain was a bit low, but they weren't hugely concerned. She was weighed again a fortnight later and had put no weight on at all, which was a worry for them, although she looked fine. She's quite a long baby.

She was weighed again today (4 days later) and has put on 1lb!

I'e been giving her a lot of bottles this week, and she's feeding like crazy at the moment. She still feeds from me once at night, and first thing in the morning, and sometimes during the day. I have fennel tea and have been drinking it all along, and have taken more water yesterday and today, which I hadn't been doing as much of. Also the antibiotics have kicked in and I'm feeling much better myself. I feel my milk supply has gone back up today, which is good, it feels like I need to feed her again to relieve the pressure a bit.

If I'm honest I'm very conflicted about breast feeding. I like being able to do it for her, but many aspects of it I don't really enjoy. And my OH really enjoys being able to bottle feed her and spend some time with her, because otherwise he's with our (crazy) two year old and not really getting a chance to bond properly with the baby. But that's something I need to figure out for myself. I think I just wanted to end the breastfeeding on my terms, rather than out of some necessity like lack of weight gain, I suppose, which is why I'm feeling confused about it. But thanks to everyone for their advice, which I will take

I feel like we are the same person!

LegacyUser

ja1986 wrote: »

I feel like we are the same person!

Oh good, because sometimes I feel like I am the only person anywhere that feels like this!!It's all very hard, I'm trying to keep everyone (me included) happy, which isnt possible!

holding

It gets so much easier it's like a different experience. I absolutely hated the first 6-8 weeks of feeding my little boy. I used to cry when I was doing it because it hurt so much, or he wanted it so often etc. But after that it became really grand, and part of the norm, and I went on to feed him for ages and ages. They can get more efficient, feed faster, feed without you even noticing. But often it isn't like that for a little while.

jlm29

holding wrote: »

It gets so much easier it's like a different experience. I absolutely hated the first 6-8 weeks of feeding my little boy. I used to cry when I was doing it because it hurt so much, or he wanted it so often etc. But after that it became really grand, and part of the norm, and I went on to feed him for ages and ages. They can get more efficient, feed faster, feed without you even noticing. But often it isn't like that for a little while.

This. My aunt asked me this morning how many times my boy wakes overnight. I honestly (truly) have no idea. I barely even wake up. I occasionally move him from one side to the other. It's the bomb!

Lucuma

jlm29 wrote: »

This. My aunt asked me this morning how many times my boy wakes overnight. I honestly (truly) have no idea. I barely even wake up. I occasionally move him from one side to the other. It's the bomb!

What age are they? It's funny how we all differ- my idea of 'the bomb' is baby sleeping in their own basket/crib/cot & not waking up at all! That's my holy grail and what I'll be aiming for

LegacyUser

Lucuma wrote: »

What age are they? It's funny how we all differ- my idea of 'the bomb' is baby sleeping in their own basket/crib/cot & not waking up at all! That's my holy grail and what I'll be aiming for

with breastfeeding they'll never go long periods without feeding - its a natural way of them preventing SIDS, and the fact that breastmilk digests quicker means they will wake up but i think once they start solids its less

jlm29

Lucuma wrote: »

What age are they? It's funny how we all differ- my idea of 'the bomb' is baby sleeping in their own basket/crib/cot & not waking up at all! That's my holy grail and what I'll be aiming for

He's 6 months. Oh don't get me wrong- I'd rather he slept in his cot and didn't disturb me until 7 am, and my last boy was a great little sleeper, but this one just isn't. The reality is, even if he wasn't breastfed, he could still be a bad sleeper, and I wouldn't fancy getting up to make bottles in the middle of the night!

LegacyUser

holding wrote: »

It gets so much easier it's like a different experience. I absolutely hated the first 6-8 weeks of feeding my little boy. I used to cry when I was doing it because it hurt so much, or he wanted it so often etc. But after that it became really grand, and part of the norm, and I went on to feed him for ages and ages. They can get more efficient, feed faster, feed without you even noticing. But often it isn't like that for a little while.

Yeah I keep getting told that, and actually the feeding is relatively easy.
It never really hurt or anything.But for some reason her weight gain just slowed and stopped, and I genuinely don't know why.Since I'm getting very little from pumping, I'm going to have to keep going with formula.At the moment she's feeding from me and topping up a bit with formula, which is working for now and helping to slowly build my own supply back up

wuffly

Hi ladies, does any one have experience getting a baby back on the boob after 4days on express and formula? Had to take the little man off at 12days after getting an infection in both nipples. I put him back on yesterday as they were much better. He has no trouble latching sucking but I don't think he is getting enough/as much as he was getting from the bottles (we did tube and syringe feeds as well to make sure he wouldn't get lazy) I had to top him up with expressed milk during the night and im wondering if this is the right thing to do? My nipples are getting sore again as he fed almost constantly when he went back on. Midwife is coming today but would be grateful to hear if how people manage this and get back baby back on full time. TIA

Happydippy

Wuffly, baby's latch might not be right. Breastfeeding shouldn't be painful or cause damage to nipples. If it's sore for more than first few seconds try taking baby off and latching again. Ask midwife to check for tongue tie.
I've no experience of getting baby back on boob as my lo never took a bottle, but maybe try lots of skin to skin.

wuffly

Thanks happy, no tongue tie and his latch is good. Checked out by midwife and Lactation consultant. I'm a little sore as I'm still recovering from the infection. They were a bit sore to begin with and got infected somehow. He's on non stop at the moment my supply is probably a bit low for him. Trying to feed him as much as I can without getting very sore again. Really don't want to be topping him up for long.

holding

BusyIzzy wrote: »

Yeah I keep getting told that, and actually the feeding is relatively easy.
It never really hurt or anything.But for some reason her weight gain just slowed and stopped, and I genuinely don't know why.Since I'm getting very little from pumping, I'm going to have to keep going with formula.At the moment she's feeding from me and topping up a bit with formula, which is working for now and helping to slowly build my own supply back up

If it were me I wouldn't worry at all about the weight numbers, and just see how her form is, whether she has wet and dirty nappies, and whether she seems dehydrated. If all of those things are fine, I wouldn't worry.
http://drjaygordon.com/newborns/scales.html

The pump is no indication at all of how much milk she is able to remove herself from the boob at each feed. Some people are never able to pump an oz, but feed their baby grand.
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/pumping.htm

If you're earnest about building the supply back up, I'd decrease the top-ups until they have gone altogether.
https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/blog/simonecasey/help-%E2%80%93-i-can%E2%80%99t-stop-top-ups

yellow hen

I need some advice. For a couple of reasons, I want to introduce one bottle of formula a day to my exclusively breastfed baby. I plan on doing it as last feed before bedtime. My problem is though, I can't know how to manage my supply and prevent engorgement. She is currently stretching out her night feeds and I sometimes wake up bursting with an ache in my boobs. I think I have an oversupply at the best of times. How do I manage skipping a feed?

jlm29

yellow hen wrote: »

I need some advice. For a couple of reasons, I want to introduce one bottle of formula a day to my exclusively breastfed baby. I plan on doing it as last feed before bedtime. My problem is though, I can't know how to manage my supply and prevent engorgement. She is currently stretching out her night feeds and I sometimes wake up bursting with an ache in my boobs. I think I have an oversupply at the best of times. How do I manage skipping a feed?

I don't know... What age is baby? And what time does she she go down, and how long after do you go down? If you feel uncomfortably full before you go to bed, you could hand express a small amount for comfort. I doubt it would take too long for your supply to regulate?

yellow hen

jlm29 wrote: »

I don't know... What age is baby? And what time does she she go down, and how long after do you go down? If you feel uncomfortably full before you go to bed, you could hand express a small amount for comfort. I doubt it would take too long for your supply to regulate?

She's 9 weeks and, to be honest, is feeding around the clock. In the evening, she feeds on and off (mostly on) from around 6:30 to 8:30/9. I might try hand expressing tomorrow evening and see how it goes.

jlm29

yellow hen wrote: »

She's 9 weeks and, to be honest, is feeding around the clock. In the evening, she feeds on and off (mostly on) from around 6:30 to 8:30/9. I might try hand expressing tomorrow evening and see how it goes.

I'm just surmising that if there's a gap between when you feed her last, and when you go to bed, you'll be a bit uncomfortable, so could hand express just enough to give you comfort.
It'll probably take a few nights for things to settle down though!

Lucuma

holding wrote: »

http://drjaygordon.com/newborns/scales.html


http://www.mother-2-mother.com/pumping.htm

]

Very helpful articles!

IvyTheTerrible

Hi all, I have a question about transporting expressed milk. In just over two weeks, I have to travel to the other side of the country for a weekend of exams. I'll be bringing my then 3 month old and my husband with me. The exams are 4 hours long (1 each day) with about an hour getting to the exam centre and back to the hotel, so she will want at least one feed during my absence. I've been expressing milk with no problems and freezing it anyway "just in case" since she was 3 weeks old. I'm just wondering how to manage the feeding. I don't think I can bring expressed milk with me because the train journey will be six hours long, and even with an ice box, wouldn't it thaw? I'd bring the pump but it's very heavy, and I don't know if I could pump enough before the exam when I'm there. I have a manual pump too, but I find it difficult to use (so far I only used it during a five hour exam to relieve engorgement but I have problems getting any decent quantity with it).
Would my husband be able to give formula just during the exams? Are there premade bottles you can buy?(I was thinking that might be the handiest given the hotel etc)