The Breast Feeding Support Thread

emer_b

Nead21 wrote: »

Thank you :-) If i can just get through this i will be stocking up for the next growth spurt!! I miss my little baba who used to fall off the boob with a big milky contented look and go asleep. I feel like he ll never do that again, he never seems satisfied.

Giving up doesnt seem like an option. I felt so proud feeding my baby and especially seeing him gain weight and grow in length with the nutrients im providing. Its the best feeling :-)

Nead, I felt like everyone around me wanted me to give my baby a bottle of formula so that it would make life easier for me, and although their intentions were good (if not entirely supportive of bfeeding!) they couldn't have been more wrong. After getting through a few difficult patches, I found it easier than bottle feeding in so many ways, especially as it allowed me to sleep along side her during the feeding frenzies!
Well done for sticking with it.

And HS thanks for sharing your story, don't know how I would have coped with that. I think that because its your second you know you will both reap the benefits if you stick with it, fair play to you!

missis aggie

I just want to say that I had really hard time establishing breastfeeding ( I had extremely cracked nipple that only healed now - 4 months!) Pain through growth spurts and many cluster feeding evenings when I thought that I have no milk... Again with all the support from orher mums that I never met and were so kind sharing their experience I survived:) its so worth it, so easy now and I have to admit I only start enjoying it after the 3 month growth spurt
Thank you

Nead21

Thanks for your replies ladys. Last night was much better. He slept loads and we even managed a lie in this morning. I feel like a new woman! Hopefully this is the end of this growth spurt.

My husband is off on monday but then hes back to work fully and i was really dreading it. But i signed up for baby massage in tues and a LLL meeting on thurs so it will break up the week. I think meeting other mums will help greatly and i wont feel so isolated.

KillerKity

I need help :-( my little girl is 10 weeks and since week 2 has been breastfeeding, and taking expressed milk from a bottle and the odd bit of formula. She also has a dummy. In hindsight all this was a terrible idea as she now won't breastfeed at all now which breaks my heart. If anyone can suggest ways of getting her back on I'd greatly appreciate it :-(

Hobbitfeet

KillerKity wrote: »

I need help :-( my little girl is 10 weeks and since week 2 has been breastfeeding, and taking expressed milk from a bottle and the odd bit of formula. She also has a dummy. In hindsight all this was a terrible idea as she now won't breastfeed at all now which breaks my heart. If anyone can suggest ways of getting her back on I'd greatly appreciate it :-(

Id say its the bottle rather than dodi causing the problem but a combination of everything has maybe made things worse. Try to reduce the bottle, always offer breast first. Is there any particular reason you are giving formula aswell?
Is there any le leche or cuidiu meetings in your area? If there is go along as you'll get the best help there and probably meet mums who have gone through what you are now

Piper101

I agree! Get thee to a lactation consultant or even a bf support group ran by a district nurse. Best of luck!

liliq

KillerKity wrote: »

I need help :-( my little girl is 10 weeks and since week 2 has been breastfeeding, and taking expressed milk from a bottle and the odd bit of formula. She also has a dummy. In hindsight all this was a terrible idea as she now won't breastfeed at all now which breaks my heart. If anyone can suggest ways of getting her back on I'd greatly appreciate it :-(

Hey KillerKity,
Just don't panic is number 1
For any more bottles that you give her, look up 'paced bottle feeding', it's a way of giving a bottle that mimics the pace of Breastfeeding as babies get used to the fast flow from the bottle and that can be why they start fussing on the boob.
Whenever you can, spend time doing skin to skin, which will encourage her to nuzzle into you and latch on herself.
If you can, a support group would be a great idea too. Loads of mums have been in the same position, and will have lots of tips to help you both

Nead21

Hi ladies ive bought a pump to build up a bit of a store so my husband can give me some breaks during the next growth spurt. I have a few questions....

If i express over 2 or 3 days can i combine that milk and then freeze it? Or is there a better way of doing it...i have no idea yet how much i will be able to express.

Also how much milk do you give during a feed? I havent used any formula so dont have a clue how much to give.

Any other tips people have would be very much appreciated :-)

How Strange

Nead21 I used to freeze as I pumped. Also I found it was better to freeze in small amounts of 2-2.5oz so you don't waste any.

I'd say at this stage 2.5oz would be loads per feed but at least of you freeze in small quantities you can take more out of the freezer if you need it. To defrost just stand the bag in a bowl of lukewarm water and it should defrost in a few minutes.

Hobbitfeet

Just wondering...would milk composition be different during a growth spurt?

How Strange

I don't know. What do you mean by different?

missis aggie

Would supplementing with bottles during growth spurt not interfere with building the milk supply?

Hobbitfeet

Would the there be a higher fat content, increase in certain vitamins or minerals?Breastmilk changes depending on time of day and age of child so maybe the composition would be different during a growth spurt when the baby needs the extra nutrients for growth.

How Strange

I always understood it to be that the baby is extra hungry so feeds constantly on the breast to create more milk in which case the milk during the growth spurt stays the same. It only changes after the growth spurt. But that's just my take on it.

Oral Slang

missis aggie wrote: »

Would supplementing with bottles during growth spurt not interfere with building the milk supply?

It would indeed. The baby feeds & feeds to make sure there's more milk there for them as they're growing. If you supplement with a bottle, then your breasts won't know to produce more milk. Even if the bottle is full of pumped milk, pumping normally never wields the same as natural breastfeeding.

That's why so many people say that they weren't producing enough milk & had to supplement. They start giving a bottle during a growth spurt when a baby is feeding constantly & then they don't produce enough milk. Usually easy enough to rectify with a lot of skin to skin & continually putting the baby on the breast to signal to the body to make more milk.

Nead21

Would giving maybe 2 or 3 bottles over a week long growth spurt make a difference to my supply? Dont plan on using them all the time or even often.

Does using the odd bottle of EBM have the same effect during regular times?

iguana

Nead21 wrote: »

Does using the odd bottle of EBM have the same effect during regular times?

If I need to give a bottle of EBM I prefer to express the milk for it as near as possible to when he'll be drinking it. Otherwise at the time he is drinking the bottle my breasts are full of milk as my body knows he should be feeding at that time but he isn't drinking it and it becomes painful and leaky. But I only express once in a blue moon. If the expressing/giving him a bottle of expressed milk becomes a regular, everyday occurrence your body will adapt to that pattern and you'll be fine.

scrgirl

I had to express at the beginning due to tongue tie and I dont think it messed up my supply too much, just have one boob that never produces as much as the other now, i imagine the odd bottle wont be too much of an effect, but you will be sore.

kellymom has all the best evidence based info on BF, heres a link to a feed calculator

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/#calculator

Nead21

Thanks for the advice. Apart from the odd break during a growth spurt i feel better knowing that i have some expressed milk in the freezer in case i had to leave him with a grandparent for some reason. I dont them reaching for the formula (MIL seems to think he needs top ups from formula??)

Anyway i was able to express over 3oz from one side this morning. Boob feels super light now!

How Strange

My son got a bottle of expressed milk every Tuesday night as I started Pilates classes when he was 10 weeks old.

I'd say hold off on the bottles until after the 6 week mark if at all possible. Having said that my husband had to give a bottle during that growth spurt as I was asleep standing up and needed to rest.

I'll have a little on standby this time around too for when I'm totally exhausted and at my wits end.

A couple of bottles over the course of a week are fine but you'll need to pump for the feed you missed.

I also think its great to have a stash in the freezer as a reassurance or do you can have a break some evening.

Nead21

Thanks for all your advice How Strange :-)

How is your little girl getting on with her feeds now? Is the tt still causing some problems?

I have a much happier fella this week. Hes sleeping much more although hes probably exhausted from all his growing :-)

How Strange

We're doing so much better this week. In fact its a complete transformation compared to last week.

She's definitely a lazy latcher so I have to watch her carefully otherwise she'd have the nipple pulled off me but once I get the initial latch right we're fine.

I also find that if we're out and about she'll sleep too long and my boobs are huge and sore so I have to wake her to feed. We've been feeding lying down fir the last couple of nights which means i get more sleep but it means she's feeding less than before. I think we fed 3 times last night instead of 5 previously.

It seems a shame to wake a sleeping baby but I can't risk getting mastitis again.

dublinlady

Ahhhh! She's screaming constantly at me - where is my milk!! Pls let it be tomorrow!!! My nipples are bloody and raw! Latch good apparently - it's just the constant suckling! On the plus size its causing major uterus shrinking contractions!!!!
She is soooo much hungrier than my daughter ever was!!!! And stronger! The extra 3 weeks cooking really helped her I think!!! Drove me mad...!

How Strange

Ah DL! You're doing great. It's quite a stressful time when they're latching on and just getting colostrum.

I rang an LC from cuidiu on the friends of breastfeeding website and she told me that it's all normal and there would be a tough couple of days until the milk came in. She said a certain amount of nipple tenderness and soreness when latching is to be expected at the very beginning but the nipples shouldn't be raw and the pain shouldn't be constant.

Are you sure the latch is good? Has the hospital LC checked it? My nipples were very damn sore because I didn't have a good latch but they didn't bleed.
What do your nipples look like after I latching? Are they flattened on one side or are they coming out fully rounded (if that makes sense). If they're flattened or indented then there's a problem with the latch.

Perhaps try another position or different positions at different times as one position may be better than another.

Are you using multi man compresses? I think they're better than just lanolin but lanolin is fine if its all you have. The compresses can be reused.They were fantastic for keeping the nipples moist. Don't let your nipples dry out because that's when they get extra cracked. Put either the compresses or the lanolin on after each feed and it will help heal the nipples.

Btw all that nursing will be great for bringing your milk in. Don't lose confidence; it's perfectly normal even if it's very stressful for you.

Nead21

DL it took a good few days before my milk came in too and my nipples were sore from the constant sucking but once it came they completely healed overnight almost. I used lanolin after each feed and didnt bother covering up just to let the air at them (hubby was delighted!!) Ive only had to use it once or twice since then.

holding

Hi everyone, I'm exclusively breastfeeding my 6 week old baby boy, and I spent the last 6 weeks reading through all 114 pages of this thread while feeding him. Such a treasure trove of information and support, I don't think I would have lasted this long without all the tips in this thread, thank you so much!

I still find it painful at times, esp on right boob for some reason, but I know that it's a latch issue. He's a barracuda according to the What to Expect book! Hoping to attend a support group next week. In the meantime, am being really picky with him about his latch, which is frustrating him (can totally see why! me waving my nipple around in front of him but not letting him have it til his mouth is just right).

Anyway just saying hi \o

dublinlady

Been using the multimamm compresses today and they've helped!

Tried rugby? Hold today but find it awkward - dont know if its cos of uncomfyness in general after section! Cradle seems easiest!

Think my milk has just come in this evening!!! She fell asleep fir 2 hrs since last feed after 5 hrs of feeding... And now my boobs are hard , there's milk keaking as she's feeding and she's not fussing as much! Not as sore either! Hopefully this will sort her!! Other than that she's either been feeding, screaming or sleeping. Maybe tomorrow she'll actually be happy!!
Yippee!!

And thanks ladies - breast feeding is so much easier with support - there's some very tough times where it all seems too much!

How Strange

Well done DL! That's great news that your milk is in. It'll definitely make it easier on you and her. I'm doing the cradle hold too as I find it the most comfortable.

Holding fair play for sticking with it. I'm the very same with the latch. She has to open her mouth wide or she gets nothing. It's particularly frustrating at night time when we're both tired.

Nead21

Great news DL :-)

Holding my right boob is also sore from time to time and i think i find it harder to get the latch right on it all the time. Support groups are brilliant to attend. Its great to meet other mothers who have gone through or are going through the same experiences. They are definitely a sanity saver!! I started baby massage this week with some other mothers from pregnancy. It was lovely and relaxing and gave me another opportunity to feed baby in a 'safe' environment while i build up my confidence.

holding

Went to my first bfeeding support group this morning, lovely bunch of mums and babies, hope to go again next week