The Breast Feeding Support Thread

hollymartins

Anyone else finding their little one getting heat rash in this weather? My girl had it over the weekend as it's been so warm at night, even though we keep her as cool as we can when she's sleeping it's hard to avoid heating her up when I have to feed her during the night

I've had some success with bottle feeding her, on our third type of bottle (Avent) she's taken a few ounces the last two days...fingers crossed it continues and her Dad may get to do a feed at some point!

rainbow kirby

My 4 month old is getting a bit on his face if he's in the sling and I'm wearing a relatively low cut top. It was particularly bad the day we sail and railed it to Dublin and he was hours in the sling.

Pocos

hollymartins wrote: »

Anyone else finding their little one getting heat rash in this weather? My girl had it over the weekend as it's been so warm at night, even though we keep her as cool as we can when she's sleeping it's hard to avoid heating her up when I have to feed her during the night

I've had some success with bottle feeding her, on our third type of bottle (Avent) she's taken a few ounces the last two days...fingers crossed it continues and her Dad may get to do a feed at some point!

My LO got it while we were abroad but only for a day! We started dressing her in less clothes and put emulsify cream on her and it cleared!

What age is your LO? We have had a day or two success with the bottle here but only an ounce here and there!

hollymartins

She's 8 weeks, I started expressing and freezing milk last week in the hope we can give her a bottle in the evening and I can have some downtime with our son. I was worried she wouldn't take to a bottle as she can be fussy so the fact she's managed a few ounces gives me hope!

I haven't had her in the sling in the last two weeks as I'd worry she'd roast in this heat, it's a pity as it's so handy. But at least the lovely weather has meant I've been able to stay on top of all the extra laundry and everything dries in a few hours

flo09

Hi all, great to find this thread. My baby is 7 weeks and is my first spring/summer baby. All my other children are winter babies which was a lot easier in terms of dressing them. Loving the long nights but it's so worrying about the heat and dressing baby. Not sure what to be putting her in. Do you put vests on under their clothes? Is a summer hat warm enough on their little heads.

Pocos

hollymartins wrote: »

She's 8 weeks, I started expressing and freezing milk last week in the hope we can give her a bottle in the evening and I can have some downtime with our son. I was worried she wouldn't take to a bottle as she can be fussy so the fact she's managed a few ounces gives me hope!

My advice would be to keep at it! We have a 22 week old baby who won’t take a bottle so once she has started keep going! Best of luck with it

kastasia

Been reading this thread for a while but posting for first time!
My baby literally turned one month minutes ago. I've been exclusively breastfeeding and it's going fine (bit sore at the beginning, but got through that). He was weighed yesterday morning and doing great, but hasn't had a dirty nappy since then. Never something I thought I'd miss! The nurse mentioned babies going days without and when I've googled it says it's normal, especially from 2 months on, so I'm not really worried, I guess I'd just got used to regular dirty ones!

hollymartins

crazy cat lady wrote:

Megan is now nearly 12 weeks old and the breastfeeding is going better than ever, but its nice to have the freedom to give her to daddy or nanny for the odd feed.

I wouldn't worry about it, my first used to go 4-5 days without a dirty nappy. I was concerned but PHN said it's just how he's absorbing the milk. Each baby is different as my second could have multiple dirty nappies in a day.

So long as baby is having plenty of wet nappies and doesn't appear to be in discomfort.

scarepanda

For weeks my little lady was like clock work where she'd only have dirty nappies on Tuesday and Fridays. It was brilliant! But then started solids ;-)

hollymartins

Haha my son was the same, usually one midweek and then one at the weekend, once I knew it wasn't anything to worry about I was only too happy at the lack of dirty nappies. Second time around my daughter is making up for it

rainbow kirby

Both of mine are little poop factories! Both were and are 2-3 dirty nappies a day kind of guys. #2 is dinky though compared to big bro - same weight at 18 weeks as big bro was at 9. 50th percentile for length when big bro was 98th.

shesty

Hi all, I am scratching my head over something here and want some opinions, as it's frustrating me and the baby!

I am breastfeeding my third, who is five weeks old this week.He gets a bottle of formula between 7 and 8pm each night (practicalities of having three small kids)He has been feeding very well every 2-2.5 hours and is putting on plenty of weight so far.My supply seems ok, the only thing being that it comes out very fast and seems to give him bad wind.

Anyway, this is my issue.The last few days he has woken between 7-8am, feeds then we have breakfast etc.He wants to sleep by about 9 or so, but he fusses a lot from then....catnaps on and off.He is very unsettled in between and I try to feed him.But he pulls on and off the breast and won't settle to the feeds.So he ends up having three or four bits of feeds, and gets and more and more unsettled.I have ended up giving him a bottle by midday the last few days because he needs sleep but is not settling at all.Like this morning he had three feeds between 8:30 and 11, and didn't settle into any of them.He then drank 3oz of formula (hungrily) at about 11:15 and calmed down hugely...he has been asleep since 11:45 or so.This has happened a few days since mid last week.

I can't figure it out, he was obviously hungry but wouldn't really feed.I have no problem with letting him suck to build up my supply but he's not sucking.He tries, but he pulls on and off the breast, kind of bobbing his head around the nipple a lot.He'll latch and suck for a few minutes then pull off and start bobbing again, getting frustrated.I am getting sore, because it's a bit of a wrestling match and he's pulling and pushing on the breast a lot while he does it,with his hands.I had put it down to wind initially, because he does this if he has a burp or something that he's trying to get up, but really, after this morning I don't know what it is.

Has anyone any insight to offer?He's a big baby and I am fairly sure he is at a point where he is havign a bit of a spurt and may need more milk but not sure what to do when he's at this.It's like his evening cluster feed only he tends to settle and suck more during that.

flo09

Hey Shesty,
This sounds like my little one too. Sometimes it's wind but othertimes the milk just comes out at full flow and it catches her breath so she can't latch on properly. She does be like a woodpecker at times thrashing against my boob lol. Maybe hand express some off or let the flow of milk stop before you latch him on. That works for mine.

scarepanda

the first thing that came to me is that your letdown could be too forceful for him at the moment? have you tried to hand express just before you latch him on to ease your let down? if i remember correctly at certain times of the day my letdown used to be stronger than at other times. the only other thing i can think of is that he might be having a bit of nipple confusion. when your giving him the bottle is the teat used the smallest you can get? you may have to try a different bottle that has a smaller opening in the teat if that is the case.

bee06

There is a growth spurt between 4 and 6 weeks and my little boy used to get so fussy during growth spurts (and cluster fed in the morning).

flo09

scarepanda wrote: »

the first thing that came to me is that your letdown could be too forceful for him at the moment? have you tried to hand express just before you latch him on to ease your let down? if i remember correctly at certain times of the day my letdown used to be stronger than at other times. the only other thing i can think of is that he might be having a bit of nipple confusion. when your giving him the bottle is the teat used the smallest you can get? you may have to try a different bottle that has a smaller opening in the teat if that is the case.

Oh yes that's what it's called, letdown. Thanks. Couldnt think of the term

hollymartins

Sounds similar to my girl too, she was like this so many mornings before I realised it was my let down as my breasts would be quite full in the morning so would fuss and seem to refuse the breast. I now express some milk to relieve the fullness and I also let her just have short feeds switching back and forth between breasts. She's 9 weeks now and it seems to have settled down in recent weeks

shesty

He's exactly like a woodpecker!
Nipple confusion did occur to me, but I am leaning more on the side of it being wind and a forceful letdown.I know my letdown is strong, it spurts out.When he pulls on and off at the start of a feed it literally jets out onto him and me.The thing is I don't feel overfull at this time of day - if anything I was worried about not having enough milk then and how can he then build up the supply if he wants to feed but isn't really sucking? He did pull off at one point this morning though and I realised the milk was literally flowing out in a stream.Not drops but a little jet, so there must have been a good bit in there.His knees go up and down a lot, as he does this and he arches his back and cries a bit, which is another thing that makes me think wind.I just wonder too if I didn't give the bottle would he settle at all.I don't want to BF for a months, but I would like to get a good 10-12 weeks, but if we get into a habit of a bottle in the morning too already, that won't work out I feel.He actually feeds fine when I am overfull, gets a look of delight on his face!

waterfaerie

The laid back breastfeeding position is good for fast let down as the baby has more control over the flow. You can see videos of it on youtube or someone at a breastfeeding group can probably show you if you can get to one.

I know you say it's not nipple confusion but chances are, your baby is learning to prefer the bottle, which is a risk when you introduce it so early. My normal advice would be to persevere and not offer the bottle as, like you say, you want your baby to build up your supply. If you'd really prefer to keep giving the evening bottle and are happy to combine feed instead of exclusive breastfeeding, you could try the paced bottle feeding technique. Again, youtube videos will show you. I'd try to stick to just that feed, though. The more bottles you introduce at this early stage, the more you will compromise your supply. Maybe some mothers who combine feed can advise you better. I know there is a combined feeding facebook group.

shesty

Yes that was my feeling too.I would prefer to stick to just one in a day for now.I kind of just reached the end of my tether this morning and was worried he was hungry.He feeds no problem for the rest of day and night, seems satisfied and will sleep afterwards ok
His night sleep seems to have stretched a bit lately and I was also wondering would he cluster feed in the morning to make up for the longer stretches at night?I do want to combine feed as past experience has taught me it seems to be the best way for things to work for me.

waterfaerie

It's important to do what works for you and it's great that you know what that is.

If you stick to the evening bottle at around the same time every day and just feed on demand the rest of the time then your body will adjust your supply to suit that. I'd definitely recommend looking up the paced bottle feeding if you haven't already seen it. I know some babies have no problems taking both a bottle and breast but some will refuse the breast after a while and the paced technique will really help to prevent that.

Cluster feeding can happen at any time. I know evenings are the most common but every baby is different. They can also fuss for lots of different reasons like developmental leaps and growth spurts. Try not to worry about him being hungry and remember that you have enough milk for his needs. The growth spurts are hard work and it's easy to start doubting your supply but it's normal for babies to behave like they're totally starving to force your body to make more for the next day.

I know the fussing is hard but it should settle in time. Remember you're doing great.

Millem

shesty I had/have fast letdown on one side!
When my baby was younger it was like he was nearly choking then would get massive crazy pukes!
I found starting on slower side first (use a haakka type pump on fast side) then put him on other side helped.
Also the position another poster mentioned laid back helped too.
Other times I found if I got him when he was sleepy and latched him on....that helped!
I remember the hospital telling me he will catch up with it..he has
I am still feeding him at 10 months.

shesty

Well, the monkey had a monster breast feed at 6:30pm (fell asleep), another go at 7:30pm and then a 4oz bottle at 8:15pm.(he rarely drinks more than about 2.5-3oz out of a bottle).I am guessing a little growth spurt.Tomorrow morning I'll stay at home and try letting him feed and nap .I had to go out and do the playschool run this morning and a few errands so his morning sleep was quite disturbed which may not have helped.
Funny to have it only on one breast Millem....the letdown happens in both my breasts at the same time and the one he isn't feeding from gets drenched, I can literally watch it spurting out.I must get a Hakaa actually, because I waste so much milk that way.

Millem

shesty wrote: »

Funny to have it only on one breast Millem....the letdown happens in both my breasts at the same time and the one he isn't feeding from gets drenched, I can literally watch it spurting out.I must get a Hakaa actually, because I waste so much milk that way.

I call it “my bad boob”!! It’s my right side! It will literally squirt across the room!
I think it’s quite common as have met a number of people at breastfeeding groups with the same thing!! He’s grand now in fact my problem now is he only wants to be breastfed!

Starting to freak a bit as am back to work properly in September (he will be 1!) and I haven’t heard anymore on breastfeeding breaks! I supervising the state exams for a week at the mo and am pumping or driving home in between exams to feed.
Today I had to pump and he took basically nothing from Daddy (food or liquids!!)....hopefully we will have more luck with Granny tomorrow and his beaker! Disaster. Praying this new circular is in place for work in September!

waterfaerie

shesty wrote: »

I must get a Hakaa actually, because I waste so much milk that way.

The Haakaa is fantastic. Even if you just use it for a couple of minutes at the start of each feed you could probably collect enough over the day to give him instead of formula for his evening bottle.

I used to get a couple of hundred ml every day and I didn't even use it for every feed. By 6 months I had my whole freezer filled to the brim with just milk from the Haakaa.

kastasia

I'm confused about how I should be using my haakaa. Bought it a while back but only tried it first time a few nights ago, with little success. The morning before last I tried to use on one side when he was feeding on other but he happened to vomit everything up so I abandoned. I tried it again yesterday evening while he was sleeping and only had 1 oz. I've stored it in fridge anyway and will try feed to him tomorrow to see how he takes bottle. He's 5 weeks btw.
Am I just getting so little because I'm starting out? Or do you just get more by using multiple times in the day? Do you use new freezer bags for each time you collect and which do you recommend? Do I need to sterilise before each use or that was just first time and as long as I wash after using I'm ok? Sorry for all the questions. I just feel when I Google that I just find articles / videos about how easy it is to use.

Yoghurt87

My 3 month old has phases of pulling on and off the breast also. We have had loads of feeding issues so it could be down to any number of reasons combined for us, however two things I have found helpful are feeding while baby is sleepy as mentioned above, and secondly putting some white noise on the phone beside him (lots of tracks on YouTube). It seems to distract and settle him enough to feed properly.

waterfaerie

kastasia wrote: »

I'm confused about how I should be using my haakaa. Bought it a while back but only tried it first time a few nights ago, with little success. The morning before last I tried to use on one side when he was feeding on other but he happened to vomit everything up so I abandoned. I tried it again yesterday evening while he was sleeping and only had 1 oz. I've stored it in fridge anyway and will try feed to him tomorrow to see how he takes bottle. He's 5 weeks btw.
Am I just getting so little because I'm starting out? Or do you just get more by using multiple times in the day? Do you use new freezer bags for each time you collect and which do you recommend? Do I need to sterilise before each use or that was just first time and as long as I wash after using I'm ok? Sorry for all the questions. I just feel when I Google that I just find articles / videos about how easy it is to use.

It only works when the baby is feeding on one side. It's best if you can get it in place before the let down happens at the start. It doesn't matter how many times a day you use it but it won't collect much, if anything, if the baby's not feeding at the same time.

For storage, you can mix milk from different collection times once they are brought to the same temperature. As long as you don't mix fresh, warm milk into chilled milk you'll be ok. Apparently, it's ok to add chilled milk to frozen milk but I never did that. I used to keep the milk in bottles in the fridge. I had a system with two bottles. Each time I got some new milk, I'd put that in the fridge in a small bottle. When it was fully cold, I'd add it to a big bottle that had the rest of the chilled milk from previous collections and I'd rinse out the small bottle for the next collection. When the big bottle had enough to fill a freezer bag I'd transfer it into the bag for freezing, wash the bottle and start again. It sounds complicated but it was very straightforward.

You don't need to sterilise any equipment with breastmilk. Just wash it after each use.

I know the internet is full of information and it's hard to know what to read and look at. Kellymom is fantastic and is one website you can totally trust. I would go by their guidelines for everything.

shesty

Great info thanks i had the same questions.
Currently having a bit of a wrestling match of a feed but I can hear and feel the wind rattling in him!!

Edited to say that I have noticed a complication.I have suspected for a week or so that he has silent reflux, and after yesterday evening and this morning, I'm convinced of it.Have spent the last 2.5 hours trying to get him to sleep, he was obviously tired, yawning etc.He dropped off so many times, only to wake within minutes, gulping as if he has indigestion and crying.I think he is finally asleep, but more out of total exhaustion than anything else.Watching him this morning I feel he has been feeding to try and reduce the pain from the acid.

I had this with my first child too, and it was around this time aswell that we started to struggle with sleep etc, in the same way.She was on medication for it for a good year-I am a bit reluctant to go down the same route with him as I think he may not be so bad, (really hoping it might resolve itself by 12 weeks) but I'm not sure I can go through the next few weeks/months with a baby who is distressed and sleep deprived, being unable to do anything for him. His six week check is next week so I will talk to the doctor then, as I find they are reluctant to diagnose anything like that before then, unless it is extremely bad.

kastasia

Thanks for the reply waterfaerie. The pumping is working fine, though not rushing to do much more until I've sorted out how to store it.
I'm just wondering re the not needing to sterilise. This sounds great and I've seen it mentioned on some websites, but the hse and NHS still recommend ongoing sterilisation for expressed milk equipment. Are they just being overly cautious? My mam just mentioned having to sterilise everything today and I said I only needed to wash, but then afterwards I started thinking about it some more.
Also what freezer storage bags do you use?