The Breast Feeding Support Thread

holding

Ah you've a couple of months yet before that road. Time flies though doesn't it!!

Happydippy

Hollymartins, there's no need to stop breastfeeding or introduce formula during the day when you return to work if you don't want to. Once babies have started on solids they can go all day on their food and water without milk.

My little one was 11 months when I went back to work and she never took a bottle so I was worried about this as well, I left a beaker of expressed milk for her but she wouldn't drink it. She was happy with solids and water from a beaker until i got home. She did want boob as soon as she saw me though and went back to waking at night for feeds. But that settled after a few weeks, I think it was for comfort too. It was a big change in her life.

lazygal

I was back at work when they were 11 months. My first weaned herself at 14 months and I'm still going strong with my second who'll be three in September. They do adjust very quickly and my second never had a bottle at all.

jlm29

I know I said the other day that babies are fine on solids and water during the day, but I'm a small bit worried myself- I'm back to work in 6wks. I've no intention of introducing formula at this stage, and my boy will be 9mo when I go back. He drinks water from a cup no bother,but he's not eating much. He won't eat from a spoon, so we're doing blw. He won't drink expressed milk from a bottle.
My childminder is great, but I don't expect her to walk the floors with him.
How much does he need to be eating to be OK on by day?

tinkerbell

Have you tried EBM in a cup? No need for a bottle at that age.

lazygal

jlm29 wrote: »

I know I said the other day that babies are fine on solids and water during the day, but I'm a small bit worried myself- I'm back to work in 6wks. I've no intention of introducing formula at this stage, and my boy will be 9mo when I go back. He drinks water from a cup no bother,but he's not eating much. He won't eat from a spoon, so we're doing blw. He won't drink expressed milk from a bottle.
My childminder is great, but I don't expect her to walk the floors with him.
How much does he need to be eating to be OK on by day?

My lad had no interest in bottles. He was a 11 months, but coped fine with water from a lidded cup, food and whatever feeds I could manage when I was at home. I think they will adjust, even though we stress about it.

jlm29

lazygal wrote: »

My lad had no interest in bottles. He was a 11 months, but coped fine with water from a lidded cup, food and whatever feeds I could manage when I was at home. I think they will adjust, even though we stress about it.

I can't multi quote- I tried a cup a while back, and he looked outraged! I might try again- but this weird part of me hates the trying, because it usually ends up with milk being thrown down the drain!!!

I think he will probably be fine too, and it's a while away yet- to be fair, he's getting better with solids every day- if he would eat off a spoon, i wouldn't mind, but there isn't a hope.
It's more nap times I worry a small bit about- he used to falling asleep on the boob. My first boy was a great sleeper, and be was always put to bed awake, which was great. I don't know did I ease off a bit this time, or was he just a better sleeper!
I'm not desperately worried really- my minder is a superhero, she will manage. Also, work is really close to her house, so the very worst thing I will have to do is go to her house at lunch time and feed him- I really don't want to entertain this though- I am looking forward to lunch breaks! For that reason, I'd also rather not pump, but again, I will if I have to!

holding

This might be a silly question, I don't know! When people are feeding lying down at night, and want to switch to the other boob, does everybody else wake the husband and make him switch places in the bed?! I don't want baby to be close to the edge of the bed, and I don't want to just squash one boob under me either. Am I missing something!

spottybananas

I just lean over slightly so that the "top" boob is accessible, was not at all possible when he was tiny, was awkward then when I started being able to do it and now it's grand because he's big. Have never made husband move, I'm sick and foggy but I don't see how that would help, does baby end up in middle then? That's not ideal, should only be on mum's side. Have you a guard on the edge of the bed? I never really squish the lower boob under me.

jlm29

I have a co sleeper at one side, so that gives us a bit of an extension! If I'm feeling on the other side, where baby is in the middle I try and stay awake to move him back to the outside, or to his co sleeper.

holding

Much easier when they are bigger yup!

Yes we try to keep baby between us. If he was only on my side, I would be afraid of him falling over the edge, although I guess I could place a pillow behind him. Didn't realise it was recommended to not be in the middle of us!

spottybananas

Yeah mum is supposed to be between baby and dad/other sibling, as only a bf mum has the subconscious knowledge of baby being there, others can possibly roll onto baby. We have his cotbed up against our bed on my side, he sleeps in the bed mostly but it adds extra space and there's a chest of drawers pushed against the outer edge of it. We only slept with him between us recently at 15 months old because we were away for a wedding and the bed set up meant it was the only option.

holding

Thanks jlm and spottybananas, I'll keep him on my side from now on, and figure out a barrier.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Looking for some weaning advice girls. My little girl is 17 months and still feeds at least 3 times a day (at least one of these is a night feed) and for a number of reasons now, I want to start weaning her off the breast.

Problem is, she doesn't drink milk. She had a milk allergy that has now gotten better using the milk ladder, and will eat yoghurt and cheese (when cooked in food), but she still point blank refuses anything that has cows milk in it.

We tried a number of non dairy milks and the only one she tolerates is oat milk. She'll eat it with cereal and we're trying to build up to her drinking it but it's a slow process. She drinks plenty of water.

So, how should I approach the weaning? Cut out feeds one by one? Try and distract her when she looks for it? Also, should I worry that she doesn't drink much milk or will she get enough nutrients elsewhere?

lazygal

Cows milk is unnecessary. A balanced diet will give a child the right nutrients. I never liked cows milk as a child and one of mine is the same. He doesn't like cheese either but eats yoghurt and plenty of fruit and vegetables so I'm not concerned.
As for the weaning, I took the approach of not offering and distraction with my first. She dropped quite quickly to one morning feed and had plenty of cows milk and water as liquid replacements.

dori_dormer

We did switch my boys last two bottles to cows milk, but now I think of it, since he dropped those bottles at just before 2 yrs old, he doesn't actually drink any milk at all.

He'll eat the odd yogurt, cheese. Likes his dairy lee Dunkers, but that's its.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Thanks! We skipped her afternoon feed today and she hardly even noticed. And she even asked for a glass of oat milk at dinner, though she only drank a tiny bit. She does eat a fairly good diet so hopefully won't miss out on calcium and iron.

I never gave dairy a second thought before my daughter's allergy but now I definitely think that it is overused in our diets. Although I am partial to a bit of cheese myself

rainbow kirby

Dodgy boob being temperamental again. It's literally only been a week and a half since it stopped hurting the last time. This is getting ridiculous.

Lucuma

Yeah my right boob hurts on and off as well rainbowkirby. I currently have it out in the air with daktarin on. Previously 5 days of that helped. I think from sitting in a damp breastpad for hours (now that baby is doing 4/5 hour stretches some nights) could cause a little infection to build up , total self diagnosis tho!

Teeley

Hi everyone..can I ask everyone how often your breastfed babies are feeding? My lo is almost 4 weeks but the last few days has become very sleepy again and is having lazy feeds every 3-3.5hrs..I'm worried about the quality/volume of her feeds.
I was quite confident with her to begin with but seem to be losing my nerve as time goes on!

rainbow kirby

My son is 18 weeks now and feeds every 2-3 hours during the day and longer stretches at night. When he was 4 weeks it would have been roughly hourly during the day, cluster feed from 7-10pm and then every 2-3 hours through the night.

Teeley

rainbow kirby wrote: »

My son is 18 weeks now and feeds every 2-3 hours during the day and longer stretches at night. When he was 4 weeks it would have been roughly hourly during the day, cluster feed from 7-10pm and then every 2-3 hours through the night.

Thanks for the reply.
Were the hourly feeds very active feeds? My lo tends to fall asleep on the boob alot.

How Strange

If she falls asleep take her off the breast. You can strip her down to a vest and nappy or just a nappy so she's not too cosy. If she's having plenty of wet nappies, her fontenelle is ok and she's generally content then she's fine and getting plenty.

rainbow kirby

He has always been a fast enough feeder, rarely more than 10 minutes at a time. He fell asleep on the boob when he was jaundiced in the few days after birth but not often after that unless I was feeding to sleep.

I got very burnt out on it, and he abruptly changed his feeding habits at 12 weeks giving me mastitis and then a run of blocked ducts and milk blisters which has me about ready to stop.

spottybananas

I'm plagued with a milk bleb and recurring blocked duct here too rainbow kirby, not cool at all.

dori_dormer

Ladies with mastitis/ blocked ducts etc, have you tried breast Angels silver cups? The midwife told me about them in coombe and I'm finding them brilliant! Had loads of issues last time and none this time at all. No creams or anything need to be used with them but they are expensive at the outset.

dorito92

Hi all just wondering because my baby had it too, did your baby have jaundice soon after birth?

rainbow kirby

Mine did and was re-hospitalised at 3 days old.

Digs

dorito92 wrote: »

Hi all just wondering because my baby had it too, did your baby have jaundice soon after birth?

Both my daughters did. Not bad enough to warrant a stay in hospital, their levels were never too bad, they had beautiful "tans" though the pair of them. I just had to feed and feed and feed it out of them. Took the guts of a week to get rid of it this time.

My LC also said to leave her Moses basket close to the window when she sleeps, expose to her as much light as possible.

spottybananas

Yes my son had jaundice days 3-5, it was at a very low level but as he was already in scbu they treated it with uv lights and formula top ups to get more into him/flush it out. (I went with top ups to get him out of scbu faster)