The Breast Feeding Support Thread

Millem

Toots wrote: »

God my fear is it'll turn into mastitis. It's easing slightly with the hot pack and I'm going to do a dangle feed next feed, so hopefully that'll help too. Honestly I had images of the baby bungee-ing off my boob :pac:

I had to use nappies as breast pads the first time the baba slept for 6 hours. I woke up so engorged she couldn't latch on and milk was literally running out of my boobs, so I ended up sticking one nappy on each side while I waited for the parts of the breast pump to finish in the steriliser.

Don’t worry toots just try and rest, fed, rest fed....don’t neglect other side though Take to the bed if you can If baby won’t dangle feed even try a different position to what you usually do e.g. laid back or on your side.

My sister’s baby just refused to feed on blocked side so she just had to pump it which worked but took more than a day.

My first symptoms of mastitis were mad chills and horrific aches and pains not sore boobs! I went to Doc straight away and had a small red patch. Antibiotics worked wonders I was very very stressed at the time so I reckon that played a part

Toots

I hope it clears before I need to head to the doctor, sure they're probably closed in this weather :pac: those heat packs are really helping. Also a nice way of keeping warm in the cold.

We weighed the baby tonight because she was one month old yesterday. We had the lactation consultant out 17 days ago and she was 4.716kg, she's bang on 5.2kg today, so she's gained about 28g per day, on average. Does this sound like enough?

Millem

Toots wrote: »

I hope it clears before I need to head to the doctor, sure they're probably closed in this weather :pac: those heat packs are really helping. Also a nice way of keeping warm in the cold.

We weighed the baby tonight because she was one month old yesterday. We had the lactation consultant out 17 days ago and she was 4.716kg, she's bang on 5.2kg today, so she's gained about 28g per day, on average. Does this sound like enough?

Toots no clue on weight gain my guy was always a pudger haven’t weighed him in yonks.
I remember though a girl at my health centre breastfeeding group used to mention something like 120/150g per week? Her baby was slow to put on weight.....she was on weekly weigh ins.

PhoenixParker

It's bang on assuming everything is generally normal in other areas.
Recommended gain is an oz a day, I.e. 28g
As low as 20g/day can be ok for some babies.

bee06

Toots wrote: »

I hope it clears before I need to head to the doctor, sure they're probably closed in this weather :pac: those heat packs are really helping. Also a nice way of keeping warm in the cold.

We weighed the baby tonight because she was one month old yesterday. We had the lactation consultant out 17 days ago and she was 4.716kg, she's bang on 5.2kg today, so she's gained about 28g per day, on average. Does this sound like enough?

For breastfed babies the average weight gain would be 155g to 241g according to Kellymom so she’s flying by the sounds of it. Well done!

https://kellymom.com/bf/normal/weight-gain-metric/

Toots

Thanks Guys! Weekly weigh ins are my nightmare. I think I'm just paranoid she's not getting enough because I can't actually measure exactly what she's getting.

saggycaggy

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Do you see anything white on the nipple (a bleb)?

I've had a very sore hars right boob for the last week and what felt like a blocked milk duct- googled it and have been applying heat and feeding my little boy as much as possible from that one (and the left 1). It's still very achey but I noticed white on the nipple today (very painful when he latches on too). Any advice for the milk blister?? He's 5weeks tomorrow.

Thanks!

bee06

saggycaggy wrote: »

I've had a very sore hars right boob for the last week and what felt like a blocked milk duct- googled it and have been applying heat and feeding my little boy as much as possible from that one (and the left 1). It's still very achey but I noticed white on the nipple today (very painful when he latches on too). Any advice for the milk blister?? He's 5weeks tomorrow.

Thanks!

From my breastfeeding bible https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/nipplebleb/

Toots

bee06 wrote: »

From my breastfeeding bible https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/nipplebleb/

That site is fantastic!

Happy to report that the warm compress and dangle feeding seems to have done the job for me. Although I've noticed that in recent days my baba won't open her mouth as wide when she's going to latch on and I don't feel like she's getting enough boob in there. She's started making that clicking noise when the milk lets down. The clicking eases off as the feed continues and my breasts get softer. She's a bit stuffed up at the minute and I have a very forceful let down so I don't know would that have anything to do with it.

Millem

Toots would you believe I felt like I was getting a blocked duct yesterday:(
We started solids so he was going maybe 4 hours between 7am-11am......sorted it anyway thank goodness!
Jeekers we have had poo explosions since we started....literally down the legs of the nappy he seems to be tolerating his beaker!!

Toots

Ah poo explosions! My little boy was an expert at those. The baba has only had one so far, although we had a very very close call the day before.

Toots

Has anyone else tried those Haakaa pumps? I got one the other day to catch the let down milk from the boob that's not being fed on. It was really more curiosity than anything else, but I couldn't believe how much milk it gets out!

Neyite

Toots wrote: »

Has anyone else tried those Haakaa pumps? I got one the other day to catch the let down milk from the boob that's not being fed on. It was really more curiosity than anything else, but I couldn't believe how much milk it gets out!

My sister has one. Raves about it. I wish I'd known about it when I was breastfeeding.

scarepanda

Nope, I only heard about them a few months ago, but if we're lucky enough to have baby no.2, I'll certainly be investing in one! I'm lucky enough to be able to pump, but it is one task I avoid at all costs so the haakaa sounds amazing!

bee06

I have one but haven’t had a huge amount of success. I don’t have a huge letdown ... as in I can’t feel it and I wouldn’t get leakage in the other boob. My little boy tends to hit it as well so I have to keep my hand on it which is kind of annoying. I also seem to develop slightly blocked ducts when I have used it but maybe that’s a coincidence.

donkey10

I got one of the Lasinoh double pumps and i find i dont get an awful lot of milk when i pump so i started using them singly but didnt get an awful lot more.
Is that normal?

Just wanted to pump so that hubby can feed him frm a bottle and i can have "free time"

Because im not getting much and hes such a big feeder it takes a few turns to fill a bottle

scarepanda

How old is your baby donkey10? Unfortunately for some women, they can't pump for whatever reason.

Iv only used a manual pump at home, so I can't comment on the pump your using. But from expressing there are a few things that always affected how much I was able to express such as when and for how long. I used to always get a good pump in first thing in the morning. Feed on one side and pump the other (my little one rarely fed from both sides first thing in the morning). But if your trying to up your supply to be able to pump more/build a stash, pumping between the hours of 1-5am are peak milk production times because of hormone levels during this period (sorry I can't remember the exact details as it's been a while since I had to do it).

Kellymom is a fantastic website for all things breastfeeding. Have a look through it and it may help you figure out why exactly your unable to express much.

https://kellymom.com/mother2mother/what-to-expect-when-pumping/

Always remember though that the amount you pump is in no way an indicator of how much you are producing/baby is getting as babies are always far more efficient at feeding.

Toots

First thing in the morning is best for pumping - I'd easily get 150ml in total first thing in the morning but wouldn't get anything close to that at any other time of the day. I got the lansinoh double pump too, and I'd find it more efficient if you're just using the single bit. My lactation consultant told me that often if you use the double pump function the suction isn't as strong and the one time I did try and pump both sides at once, there was a definite difference in the suction strength.

bee06, my little girl keeps kicking it as well, I end up having to kinda wedge it against my leg until she stops (usually about halfway through the feed) although I'm sure at some stage she'll kick it off and we'll end up soaked. I was in a rush to get to an appointment this morning so I stuck the Haakaa on one side and the electric pump on the other. After 15 minutes I'd gotten 70ml from the boob with the electric pump and over 100ml from the side with the Haakaa.

donkey10

Scarepanda - hes almost 8 weeks. He wakes up once or twjce during the night so i wouldnt bother pumpin then



Toots - thats a brill volume . I seem only to get like 30ml on one side after 10 mins. Is there something im doing wrong with the expressing? Like this morning i was really full i went to pumo but i only got like 5ml. I noticed the suction wasnt drawing in the nipple??

scarepanda

If he's only 8 weeks your supply may not have settled out properly yet, it took me 8/9 weeks anyways.
You should give it a go pumping both sides after he's finished his first morning feed. I always got more first thing even when my girl was feeding during the night.

You should also pick a time of day and always try to pump at that time of day. It can take a few days for your body to regulate supply to meet the demand. Think of it as you pump today to put in the order for tomorrow. If you pump immediately after you baby has fed on one side, start with pumping on that side for a few minutes, even if you don't get much. I always found that it stimulated the other side as well as adding extra demand. And then pump the second side. 30ml is pretty good for 8 weeks, especially if your not pumping first thing or during the 1-5am period (I always found , even when she was feeding during the night that I always had more milk in the morning and by bedtime the tank would be fairly empty)

Other things that you can do is to stimulate your breasts before pumping, so you basically massage them to encourage the milk into the milk ducts, have your baby/picture/video of your baby to look at while your pumping, some foods can also help milk production such a oats and there's some herbal supplements (?) That you can take. I was recommended fennel tea and fenugreek tables by the hospital. I always found that porridge and the fenugreek tablets worked for me. And then also make sure that the pump you have fits you properly and is working correctly. So does the flange fit your breasts properly? Is there a full airtight seal between your breast and the flange? Are all the parts inserted correctly?

bee06

Great advice from scarepanda but Fenugreek should only be taken when recommended by a lactation consultant as it can decrease supply in certain cases.

scarepanda

bee06 wrote: »

Great advice from scarypanda but Fenugreek should only be taken when recommended by a lactation consultant as it can decrease supply in certain cases.

It was recommended to me by the lactation consultant in the hospital. It obviously goes without saying that all supplements should be ran by lactation consultant/gp. I'm just giving advice from my experience.

bee06

scarepanda wrote: »

It was recommended to me by the lactation consultant in the hospital. It obviously goes without saying that all supplements should be ran by lactation consultant/gp. I'm just giving advice from my experience.

Yep, I just wanted to confirm that because not everyone would think to run it past an LC and the fenugreek in particular can have a negative impact.

scarepanda

No problems!

Just a note for anyone that may get the go ahead to take fenugreek.. it has a very weird smell that comes out through your skin/sweat. I dunno if it wears off as your body gets used to it or if I just got used to the smell, but it stinks!

Toots

My LC recommended me herbs specifically for women with PCOS and I think they must be working.

If anyone's looking for one, I'd highly recommend Nicola O'Byrne, I found her brilliant.

Donkey you can also try putting a warm face cloth or compress on your breasts before pumping, it helps with let down. Also make sure you're not holding the pump too hard against your breast because it can block the flow.

waterfaerie

scarepanda wrote: »

Just a note for anyone that may get the go ahead to take fenugreek.. it has a very weird smell that comes out through your skin/sweat. I dunno if it wears off as your body gets used to it or if I just got used to the smell, but it stinks!

Yes! I used to find that even the baby ended up stinking of it!

Donkey10, with the pumping, I always found that pumping one side while my baby fed on the other was the only way I got enough milk into the pump. For some women, a pump just doesn't trigger much of a let down. It's all about the hormones between you and the baby.

I found the Haakaa pump excellent but no matter what sort of pump I used it was the only way I got a decent amount. I thought I had no milk but as soon as I did it that way I was amazed with how much I got.

Also, if you say you notice that the nipple isn't getting drawn into the flange it sounds like it might not be fitted properly. You might be able to fiddle with it and find a way that fits or you might need new flanges. The nipple should really be drawn in. I'd really recommend the Haakaa, though. It's so easy to use and I found it very effective.

jlm29

Make sure you’re eating and drinking enough in general- I could get very little when pumping on my first.
In hindsight, I often wonder was my supply just not up to it, I was also following weight watchers at the time, and I suspect now I wasn’t eating enough. I have had a very abundant supply with my other two (but I could do with being more committed to watching what I eat !!

donkey10

Cheers for the advice peeps. will keep all of it in mind ! Must check out the suction to see its working properly

foreverandever

Toots wrote: »

My LC recommended me herbs specifically for women with PCOS and I think they must be working.

If anyone's looking for one, I'd highly recommend Nicola O'Byrne, I found her brilliant.

Donkey you can also try putting a warm face cloth or compress on your breasts before pumping, it helps with let down. Also make sure you're not holding the pump too hard against your breast because it can block the flow.

Do you mind me asking what herbs did she recommend for PCOS??

PhoenixParker

Goats rue if guess.
It's the precursor to metformin.