The Breast Feeding Support Thread

How Strange · 03-03-2013 9:56pm

Then put the boob away as soon as she latches off. I rarely fed my son in public after 8 months for this reason.

cyning · 04-03-2013 12:08am

I think I'm always afraid she wants more! She feeds really well at night still so I'm going to try relax.... Try

liliq · 04-03-2013 2:10am

Was anyone else at the la leche league conference this weekend?
Such a great weekend, really enjoyed all the talks I managed to get to.

Piper101 · 08-03-2013 10:32am

Hi all!!

First time mum of a 9 week old EBF baby. Expressed a couple of bottles a few weeks ago but haven't been bothered since.

However, having our first night out tmrw for my birthday (we're only going locally out to dinner for a couple of hours) and leaving her with my parents. Problem is she uses me like a soother, when she's even a bit upset its my go to fixer (I know I'm not helping myself) and won't take a normal soother. I've tried and tried but she gags and/or gets sick. I'm thinking maybe if I could find one with a smaller nipple?

She's a great baby and I thoroughly enjoy her but I don't want her getting upset with my parents and they're only way of soothing her is by over feeding her. This happened when she was a couple of weeks old and I was exhausted so went to bed and my partner was minding her. He gave her ten ounces in a couple of hours and the milk came out the poor mites nose!

Anyway, sorry for the essay. Any advice appreciated.

NextSteps · 08-03-2013 1:12pm

Piper, she might be fine if you're not there. Your parents will think of other ways of soothing her - looking at things, walking around, chatting and so on.

lynski · 08-03-2013 7:15pm

So you have a sling? they could wear her if she is upset?

Piper101 · 08-03-2013 7:31pm

lynski wrote: »

So you have a sling? they could wear her if she is upset?

Have a sling and a baby carrier, will give them that option, thanks!

CrowWoman · 11-03-2013 12:03pm

Piper, I've also had this issue with my little man. What I've found is that other people have other ways of soothing him, especially women who have had babies of their own. For example, when I left him with my brother-in-law (just for twenty minutes while I nipped to the shop) he was distraught, but if I leave him with my mom or sister they can settle him quickly by walking/chatting/distracting him. I'd say that if your mom's confident then your LO will be fine.

Cyning, LittleMan will be 8 months on Wednesday and I'm dealing with the biting too. Not to mention pinching! He likes to wait until he's near the end of a feed then sneak his fingers into my mouth and pinch the nipple hard. And if I tell him No firmly he gets very upset. What I've been doing is putting the breast away each time he does it, but nothing's working yet.

Anybody got any ideas on building my supply back up? My older daughter was rushed into hospital last week and I stayed with her -- LittleMan was on expressed bottles for about 48 hours. The hospital wouldn't lend me a pump (they offered to rent me one for €40 a day! :eek:) and we were too far from home to get mine. I spent those days in agony and my supply hasn't recovered since. I don't want to supplement because that would do even more harm, but his wet nappies are much fewer and I can tell he isn't getting enough to satisfy him.

scrgirl · 11-03-2013 1:03pm

Hi Piper!
My little man is ebf too, tried to give him a soother as he has stopped nursing to sleep since 10 weeks old, just gets fussy and bobs off the boob, we have to walk him to sleep. I tried him on a tommie teppie soother but he wouldnt take it but got the cherry one at the weekend and he seems to like it, only used it once. I dont want him to get dependent on it, but if he is very fussy and wont take the boob Ill offer it.
Good luck on your night out and have fun!
BTW we have been out for dinner 4 times since baba was born and brought him each time he slept right through, so thats always an option.
Hows everything going btw? I Miss the december thread!

scrgirl · 11-03-2013 1:05pm

CrowWoman wrote: »

Piper, I've also had this issue with my little man. What I've found is that other people have other ways of soothing him, especially women who have had babies of their own. For example, when I left him with my brother-in-law (just for twenty minutes while I nipped to the shop) he was distraught, but if I leave him with my mom or sister they can settle him quickly by walking/chatting/distracting him. I'd say that if your mom's confident then your LO will be fine.

Cyning, LittleMan will be 8 months on Wednesday and I'm dealing with the biting too. Not to mention pinching! He likes to wait until he's near the end of a feed then sneak his fingers into my mouth and pinch the nipple hard. And if I tell him No firmly he gets very upset. What I've been doing is putting the breast away each time he does it, but nothing's working yet.

Anybody got any ideas on building my supply back up? My older daughter was rushed into hospital last week and I stayed with her -- LittleMan was on expressed bottles for about 48 hours. The hospital wouldn't lend me a pump (they offered to rent me one for €40 a day! :eek:) and we were too far from home to get mine. I spent those days in agony and my supply hasn't recovered since. I don't want to supplement because that would do even more harm, but his wet nappies are much fewer and I can tell he isn't getting enough to satisfy him.

Are you eating oats? Porridge and flapjacks, fennel tea and fenugreek, capsules or seeds in your fennel tea. Boobs were bursting when I took all 3!!

Piper101 · 11-03-2013 1:14pm

Thanks scrgirl!

Poor lil mite wasn't feeling 100% which made it a thousand times harder to leave her but in fairness my mum is brilliant with babies and I was only 5 minutes away, I knew she'd ring if there was a problem. Not a bother on her with my parents, wouldnt look at either of us when we got home though lol!!! Miss the Dec thread too

I know I'm a novice first timer but going to pass on some advice I got a few weeks which has worked wonders for me, she had awful wind and would moan while she was feeding and scream with pain. Got advised to take fennel and mint tea together or separately (I put a teabag of each in the cup) and its helped her no end. Feel free to disregard

scrgirl · 11-03-2013 1:20pm

Piper101 wrote: »

Thanks scrgirl!

Poor lil mite wasn't feeling 100% which made it a thousand times harder to leave her but in fairness my mum is brilliant with babies and I was only 5 minutes away, I knew she'd ring if there was a problem. Not a bother on her with my parents, wouldnt look at either of us when we got home though lol!!! Miss the Dec thread too

I know I'm a novice first timer but going to pass on some advice I got a few weeks which has worked wonders for me, she had awful wind and would moan while she was feeding and scream with pain. Got advised to take fennel and mint tea together or separately (I put a teabag of each in the cup) and its helped her no end. Feel free to disregard

is the tea drank by you? or do u give it to baby? i heard a teaspoon of fennel tea given to baby is good for reflux

Piper101 · 11-03-2013 5:26pm

I was told to drink it myself and it seems to be working however I did see fennell tea specifically for babies (gimmick?) in Fallon and Byrne in Dublin. From what I saw you gave them it on a spoon. I think it was for older babies than mine as well because she was only a few weeks old when I started taking it, I didnt like giving her the sticky Infacol and she didnt like taking it!!!

CrowWoman · 11-03-2013 9:50pm

Thanks scrgirl, I do eat porridge every day but I'll add the fennel tea at least. My boobs are usually noticeably full when it's time for a feed -- it's the 'flat' feeling that made me realise there was a problem.

Thanks for the tip on the fennel/mint tea, Piper. Could have done with it when LittleMan was smaller!

How Strange · 11-03-2013 10:31pm

I used to drink fennel tea when breastfeeding and restrict ordinary tea to one cup in the morning. When my son had bad colic I drank a combination of fennel and chamomile.

I read somewhere that mint tea can reduce your supply. Not sure if its true or not.

iguana · 12-03-2013 3:57am

Another thing that can help build supply is drinking Ovaltine/Horlicks. Both of those drinks are technically gruels as they are loaded with barley/wheat and can help increase supply. I stumbled upon that as I started craving Ovaltine like a crazy person when my son was a week old, so I looked it up to double check it was safe and found out that it's highly recommended for breastfeeding.

CrowWoman · 12-03-2013 8:05am

Great tips, thanks to both of you.

Oral Slang · 12-03-2013 2:07pm

When my monthlies are due, my supply dips & my little one goes mad (she's 17months). I started taking Domperidone (motilium or a a generic version) and fennel tea & for the first time since September I'd say, I found myself getting engorged in work - they work great for supply. Have a look at Jack Newman's website for info on it. I have porridge every morning anyway, oats are great for supply.

yellow hen · 12-03-2013 9:16pm

Hi all, my first time to post here so I hope I've got the forum right. I have a 9 day old son and have been great feeding since day 1. I'm not sure about his weight gain/loss yet as the phn is only due tomorrow.

The thing is that whilst he sleeps well during the dsy, he doesnt at all at night. My questions are:

1. He generally feeds every 3 hours. It used to be for about 45 mins but now it's for about 15/20.. I'm not sure if that's due o the change from colostrum to milk. I introduced one expressed bottle a day to give me a break and we also introduced a soother to pacify him at night. Now he seems to be more fidgety with all the teets and I wonder if we've confused him? We used an avent newborn teet and avent soother if that helps.

2. Secondly we were thinking of giving him about 3oZ of aptimil first milk each night to try fill him up more. Is this a good idea?

Hobbitfeet · 12-03-2013 10:51pm

Congrats yellow hen sounds like everything is going good. Is it your first baby?
The orange book you got has charts for weight height etc, these should all be based on the averages for a breastfed baby but ask your phn if your one is as the averages are different. Weight gain is of course important but its also important to look at nappies, fontanelle, eyes and skin to get a good picture of how your babies doing.
Don't worry too much about times and duration of feeds in the early days, if your baby is having lots of wet and dirty nappies its a good sign all is well.
As long as you feel your milk supply is well established and has settled down then pumping and soother is fine in my opinon, but it can in some women cause some problems especially if your milk hasnt settled. It still early days for you so I would keep an eye on it and if you think its starting to cause problems then stop the bottle for a little while.
This post is really great at explaining the development of a newborn bf baby http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html
I would say hold off on the formula, give it a week or two and see how things go. A new babies gut development is very important and the introduction of formula will change the flora and bacteria in it. Healthy gut function is really important for the immune system.
You can check if there is any le leche leauge or cuidiu meetings near you, just google and you will find local groups, they are great for a chat and advice

How Strange · 12-03-2013 11:43pm

yellow hen I completely understand your desire to give a bottle of formula to help him sleep more at night but it's very much normal that they cluster feed at night time. Your body creates extra hormones that are transferred via your milk in the evening and at night. He's also working on establishing your supply. Introducing formula can negatively affect your milk supply especially at such an early stage.

It's so tough going at start because the feeding, particularly in the evening and at night, is so intense but it does pass within a few weeks.

I know my son started to stretch out his night feeds around 4 weeks and sleep maybe 4-5 hours straight which made me feel like I'd won the lottery!

scrgirl · 13-03-2013 10:23am

I'm no expert as ftm too but when my LO was 4 weeks we had to express and top up due to tongue tie and low weight for 3 weeks. It totally messed up my milk getting established. Now I have oversupply in one boob, boobs are lob sided baby's nappies are constantly green due to os. I'd recommend leaving all the topping up and expressing until after 6 weeks. My LO was terrible night sleeper for first 2 weeks too so we just kept him in the bed, poor little thing just wanted to be close to me not all alone in his crib, as soon as we did that we all got sleep. We still co sleep snd its do lovely and snugly!
I know it's been said probably a million times but the first 5-6 weeks are so exhausting but then it suddenly gets easier and you will miss the newborn stage!
I basically had lots of feeding problems due to tongue tie so I accepted I would be not moving for a while and just fed the baby all day on the couch or in bed. When I look back it flew by but during that period I thought it would never end! Now it's a doddle and we are out and about everyday.
Best of luck and congratulations!

dublinlady · 14-03-2013 10:07pm

Little qn on soothers!
Beastfed daughter for 14 weeks and she had a soother a lot of the time until 5 months when I very cruelly hid it... But I can't remember when I gave it to her first?! I think it was after 2 weeks, but my husband says it was in the hospital! I gave it to her as she wanted to be fed as comfort continuously and it was that or give up for me an it worked a treat - but surely giving it a day or 2 after birth would cause nipple confusion? I'm due my second in 7 weeks an just not sure whether to pack them in hosp bag or not! They certainly helped my breastfeeding cause and didn't hinder it at all but how soon is too soon?
I gave her one expressed bottle a day from 2 weeks also which worked fab for us as she happily took from either breast or bottle then and didn't mind weaning at all - in fact she's so weirdly independent I don't think she ever craved the closeness or affection from it that it did!!!! Now she's one I do get some hugs back but it a push...!! She's v funny and strong willed! I've a feeling she'll be a lot more interested in cuddles when number 2 arrives....!:rolleyes:

How Strange · 14-03-2013 11:17pm

I gave my son a soother in the first week and we breastfed for a year so it was fine for us too. I suppose the problems emerge if you've got a sleepy baby or one that doesn't wake frequently for feeding. The same with using bottles early.

My son was a guzzler so he'd take whatever was on offer.

I think it's down to the individual baby but soothers and bottles can interfere with breastfeeding.

I'm wondering whether to hold off on a soother altogether as its the bane of your life once they get used to it but can't keep it in their mouth especially at nighttime. I remember having to hold it in his mouth for hours at night so I got very little sleep. Perhaps having him latched on to me constantly would've been better!

cyning · 15-03-2013 12:51am

The midwife took my little girl and all the other babies in the ward to the nursery the second night in (would not do the nursery bit again btw) and gave her a soother. No idea where it came from either come to think if it... i always planned on her having one anyway. I used to use it to latch her off after an hour plus feeding when I was convinced I had become a human dummy! I still use it to break her latch at night but she drops it and doesn't look for it after a few minutes so its not too bad. She's not allowed it during the day when playing etc especially now she's saying mama and dada

although she does use it as a teether too at times.

I gave expressed bottles at start too because she wouldn't latch on one side properly so I had to pump that side for ages to keep supply up.

I wish I knew all I know now about feeding etc then!

dublinlady · 15-03-2013 9:52am

Yeah I took it off her at 5 months - the same time we put her into a proper routine.. Poor child! But - we did it for that reason - she couldn't find it at night and I'd be up every 30 mins to give it back to her! I plan to do the same this time cos I found she wasn't too bothered at that age - was like she didn't understand - whereas if she was older I think it would have been a nightmare to get off he!! I tried to give her one about a month ago as she was having a melt down in a restaurant and she looked at it, chewed the handle, didn't get it and chucked it!!!!

Thanks fir the advise / its bad I can't remember this from only a yr ago!!!!
I'm hoping breast feeding goes much smoother this time from experience and a more relaxed & understanding attitude! This time I'm mentally prepared to give myself over to it whereas last time I struggled with my lack of independence! I know what's ways work best for me this time too - just hope this baby agrees!
Last time I had horrendous passing if clots etc for first 2 weeks, this time I know that passes & becomes so easy!
Although my challenge will be to get a latch without nipple shields - ill be really happy if I do that as didn't manage last time! I think that was cos I let the midwife panic me in first few days in the hosp - this time ill have more faith in my bodies abilities!!!

How Strange · 15-03-2013 4:34pm

Dublinlady I was the same the last time around. At the start I was hung up on feeding times, being freaked out by cluster feeding etc. This time around I know much more and I hope I'll be a bit more relaxed and just go with the cluster feeding, growth spurt days etc instead of resenting being 'tied' to a baby. Everything is a phase which will pass.

littlemissfixit · 15-03-2013 11:03pm

Just regarding the soother, I think it really depends on the baby, my daughter was a very bad feeder from the start and was given a bottle on day two by the nurse in hospital and I am convinced this only made the problem worst (subsequently had to express for over 6 weeks before she fed properly at breast)
On the other hand, my son was a very good feeder, and although I didn't chance giving him bottle or soother before a few weeks in, it might not have cause any problem.
My opinion, from a bad experience, is I wouldn't risk it until you have established the baby is feeding well.

About forgetting how it was only a year on, I couldn't believe it myself, and its not the last of the things you will be trying to remember, I've spent the first 4 months of my son asking myself "did she do this at this time? Was she this bad at going to sleep? Did she feed so often?..." I wished I had noted everything down, not because there is much point in knowing since they are so different, but for pure curiosity!

scaryfairy · 16-03-2013 9:26am

hi Ladies,

It's probably a silly question that I have but here it goes... My ds is just over 5 months now, and he is ebf. Will only start solids once he turns 6 months. I know there are all sorts of things that you cannot eat while breastfeeding, but wondering, whether it changes as the baby gets older, ie are they a bit less sensitive? To make sure that he doesn't get an upset tummy, I have been eating very few types of veggies and fruit (not into spicy stuff anyhow), but would love to eat a better variety! so: is it OK for me to start eating say berries etc?

thanks a mill!
sf

How Strange · 16-03-2013 9:33am

scaryfairy I found that after the first 3 months I could eat pretty much anything. I think by that stage their tummies are fairy mature so can better handle foods that cause wind etc.

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