@symphony4586 : it took my milk about four days to come in after DS1 was born and we had to supplement in the hospital. We used a special cup given to us by the LC to give small amounts (1 oz maybe? It's hard to remember) of formula after trying to nurse and then pumping/feeding colostrum. It was exhausting but luckily once my milk did come in, we were able to hit the ground running and went on to nurse for 16 months. Good luck!
The cup looked like this...not sure if you can buy them, but a syringe is probably fine, too.
@symphony4586 You're doing better than I was with 10 minutes! I would get 5-7 if I was lucky. My nipples didn't stick out far so it was super hard for her to latch at first. I had to be really particular with the way I held her, etc, when my milk came in and then she would be on for 10-13 per side. It got a lot better after about 2 weeks, though, and now much longer.
DS only spit up the first couple weeks if he had formula, and only if DH didn't take breaks to burp him. We only supplemented with formula the first week when my milk was still coming in. Now, he spits up multiple times after eating only breast milk, and seems uncomfortable a lot. Would this point to something in my diet?
Any suggestions for getting baby to take a bottle? Dd is 6 weeks old and I've been pumping most days for 3 weeks so I have a good stash. I've tried about 5 times to get her to take a bottle (preparing for when I go back to working 2 12hour nights a week) but she fights it and then starts gaging on the nipple! She refuses a paci too, so unless it's my nipple she's not having it. I'm stating to have a lot of anxiety! I want her to start taking a bottle so that I know DH can feed her when im gone and also so I can start getting an idea of how much milk she needs per feeding. Any help welcomed!
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@bluejeanbaby1217 try having DH feed her with the bottle, im bottle feeding once in a while for the same reason, but i cant be the one to feed Ds with a bottle he wont even try to take it and most of the time ill go in another room and he finally takes it and does fine, i remembered a nurse told me to try that when he was born and it worked so hophopefully it will work for you too.
First I have to say the fine people at MyBreastfriend should pay you guys....you're better than an infomercial. After more struggles with getting Elias positioned on my right boob tonight while reading this, I hit up amazon and bought one immediately.
Most of my troubles are getting him comfy...the Gia pillow I have is ok but makes it hard. Left side we seem to do fine on, but right side not do much. I've tried football hold but that doesn't work for us...he's a stretcher so we can't do that and gut in the chair!
My boobs are killing me between feedings! She only eats 5-10 on one side at a time, her choice. Happy and content between feedings, lots of diapers and weight gain. But she's only hungry every 2 hours making one boob wait 4 hours to drain. I'm lopsided all day!
I usually pump the other side and have been building up my stash!
DS only spit up the first couple weeks if he had formula, and only if DH didn't take breaks to burp him. We only supplemented with formula the first week when my milk was still coming in. Now, he spits up multiple times after eating only breast milk, and seems uncomfortable a lot. Would this point to something in my diet?
It could be an oversupply or rapid letdown issue instead of a diet issue.
My boobs are killing me between feedings! She only eats 5-10 on one side at a time, her choice. Happy and content between feedings, lots of diapers and weight gain. But she's only hungry every 2 hours making one boob wait 4 hours to drain. I'm lopsided all day!
I usually pump the other side and have been building up my stash!
I was trying pumping but then I just felt both sides were huge and uncomfortable all the time! Hoping I will just regulate soon or something.
What is everyone using to store their freezer stash? Right now I have all of my bags just stacked on top of each other on a shelf, but I can tell that's not the most space saving way for me to go about it.
What is everyone using to store their freezer stash? Right now I have all of my bags just stacked on top of each other on a shelf, but I can tell that's not the most space saving way for me to go about it.
I use a gift bag with an opening cut at the bottom. I freeze the bags flat so they dispense out of the bag, with the oldest milk being dispensed first.
@Lhalliburton Nice! Do you freeze all the same size bags? I have different sizes based on how hungry she may be so I'm trying to figure out how I would make that part work....maybe I need two different bags for different size categories? I obviously didn't think this through when I started freezing!
@honeybee434 no, they're all different sizes. I haven't had to tap into it yet, but I can see a couple bags at a time, so I figure I'll just pull out what I need.
What is everyone using to store their freezer stash? Right now I have all of my bags just stacked on top of each other on a shelf, but I can tell that's not the most space saving way for me to go about it.
The first years milk storage container. I don't have enough stash to test it out yet, but I have one waiting for me when I do! It was recommended to me by a friend.
I think I'm having a FTM freak out moment...LO has white spots on her tongue. I've half-convinced myself it's thrush. Any insight on how to tell the difference between thrush and just milk residue? She nurses without any pain or discomfort, but Dr. Google has me worried.
I think I'm having a FTM freak out moment...LO has white spots on her tongue. I've half-convinced myself it's thrush. Any insight on how to tell the difference between thrush and just milk residue? She nurses without any pain or discomfort, but Dr. Google has me worried.
I don't have personal experience with this but I remember reading that if you can't wipe the spots off then it may be thrush. Have either you or your LO been on antibiotics recently? Thrush usually follows a dose of antibiotics I believe.
TTC History
Me: 35 DH: 34 Married 07/2012 DD born 07/2014 DD2 born 10/2018 DS born 10/2022
IF history: TTC #2 since January 2016 June-Aug 2017: 3 IUIs w/Clomid = BFN Sept 2017: Dx w/Endometriosis Oct 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN Nov 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN Dec 2017: pre-IVF testing Jan-Feb 2018: IVF--17 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized, 9 frozen and 1 transferred on 2/10 = BFP on 2/19!!! EDD 10/29/2018 FET Oct 2021: BFP on 10/31! MC at 5 weeks FET Feb 2022: BFP on 2/15! EDD 10/29/22
@quinncat I used this one last year, I really like it. Also though I'm pretty small up top. With holding LO it is little challenging, but I just held her up. I looked into an inflatable nursing pillow, but I never got one. Anyways, here's the site where I ordered my cover. https://m.uddercovers.com/cart
I think I'm having a FTM freak out moment...LO has white spots on her tongue. I've half-convinced myself it's thrush. Any insight on how to tell the difference between thrush and just milk residue? She nurses without any pain or discomfort, but Dr. Google has me worried.
DS 1 and I both had thrush. He had white spots on his tongue and inside his lips. I experienced the worst pain in my breast and when he would latch!
LO is 4 weeks old and I'm thinking it's probably safe to introduce a bottle now that BF is well established. I go back to work in 8 weeks so she will need to take a bottle by then. Any advice on how to start?
@honeybee434 no, they're all different sizes. I haven't had to tap into it yet, but I can see a couple bags at a time, so I figure I'll just pull out what I need.
We bought what looks like an ice cube tray with a lid. Once we have a full tray I will transfer the "ice cubes" to a zip bag. They are about 1 oz a piece so we thaw as needed. Best advice from the LC!
Eta: can't spell... And pics. Ice cube thingy was from amazon and the blue one is from Zulily but I haven't gotten it yet. The one from amazon I had to run hot water over the back to loose the "ice cubes" so I'm going to try the one from Zulily because it's silicon. Might be easier...
I think I'm having a FTM freak out moment...LO has white spots on her tongue. I've half-convinced myself it's thrush. Any insight on how to tell the difference between thrush and just milk residue? She nurses without any pain or discomfort, but Dr. Google has me worried.
Check this out - it will better answer anything than google alone
These were great! And thanks to everyone who chimed in--I'm still not sure, but I know it's not the end of the world. I don't have any breast pain beyond the normal latch discomfort, and she does not have anything other than the film and tiny spots of white on her tongue, so I think I really am just an overreacting FTM...but now I know what to look for thanks, ladies!
Talk to me about nip. I tried it yesterday and it was kinda painful and she kept popping off. I think she felt uncomfortable too. I am used to using nursing pillows. What hold do you use? I am so worried about people seeing my nipple. Can anyone recommend a good cover?
I ordered one from the udder covers website. They were free for breastfeeding week (you pay about $12 S&H) if you use the code UCFREEFB. I don't know if the promo is still running, but it's worth a shot!
What bottles/nipples are people using if they give a bottle? The slowest nipple we have right now is a Tommee Tippee bottle and she will down 4oz in a feeding and still want more after and if I let her will take up to 5 1/2 oz which I know is just huge for only being 6 1/2 weeks. I'll try to spread it out as slow as I can and burp in between, but it still goes so fast and she cries after. Right now we are trying a pacifier but she still cries with it wanting more food. Should I get a smaller nipple for the bottle? We have just what it came with from the sample bottle. Or is there a bottle with a slower nipple? I want to get this fixed before I go back to work and she ends up wanting huge bottle every time.
@2lacyblue I have a Lansinoh bottle that I like as well as far as the airflow, but she downs that faster than the TT bottle we have, so I stopped using it. I'm debating getting a slower TT nipple or wondering if I should get a bottle that has a premie nipple that I've seen people talk about on here? I *think* the TT bottles have a size 2 nipple and that they sell a smaller size 1 from what I can see. I just don't want to end up with her wanting a 6 or 7 oz bottle when I go back to work just because she downs it so fast! The pacifier doesn't seem to pacify her very well when feeding after a bottle but she likes it any other time.
I've been using the madela calma. We were having nipple confusion issues so I went out and spent the money on the calma bottle. So far it has resolved the latching problems I was having and she can't down it as fast as a regular bottle.
Blockquote class="Quote" rel="Jdubb13">We've been dealing with green mucus stools for over 2 weeks now and I'm so frustrated. DD sleeps great, but anytime she's awake she's fussy and I think it's because her stomach hurts. She's also gaining weight like a champ so I know she's getting fed. I've done hours of research and I'm almost positive we're dealing with a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance and an overactive let down. She's a quick nurser and only eats for 5-10 minutes so I'm only nursing on one side per feeding. Her pediatrician recommended removing all dairy from my diet so I'm also on day 3 of that with no improvement, but I know it can take up to 2 weeks. I really don't think it's an allergy, but I'm willing to try anything before moving on. Did anyone experience the same issues or have any advice?
I do deal with green stool on occasion. They are typically the same consistency as her yellow ones though. What I do is she eats from one side and then I switch her to the other. Next feeding we start from the side we ended on before that way she can get hind milk. My LO is only two weeks and is not nearly as efficient as your LO so it's easy to interrupt her if need be to make the switch. Maybe try switching her at the 5 minute mark?
Also we did have mucus in her stool and I had to cut out tomatoes. Once I did that it cleared right up. She wasn't fussy either.
Good luck!
I have had similar over supply issues with both kids. Block feeding makes the biggest difference for me. I only nurse one side per session and for any additional sessions during a set time period - currently 2 hours. This helps keep my supply in check so LO isn't trying to latch onto a fire hose spewing skim milk.
Blockquote class="Quote" rel="Jdubb13">We've been dealing with green mucus stools for over 2 weeks now and I'm so frustrated. DD sleeps great, but anytime she's awake she's fussy and I think it's because her stomach hurts. She's also gaining weight like a champ so I know she's getting fed. I've done hours of research and I'm almost positive we're dealing with a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance and an overactive let down. She's a quick nurser and only eats for 5-10 minutes so I'm only nursing on one side per feeding. Her pediatrician recommended removing all dairy from my diet so I'm also on day 3 of that with no improvement, but I know it can take up to 2 weeks. I really don't think it's an allergy, but I'm willing to try anything before moving on. Did anyone experience the same issues or have any advice?
I do deal with green stool on occasion. They are typically the same consistency as her yellow ones though. What I do is she eats from one side and then I switch her to the other. Next feeding we start from the side we ended on before that way she can get hind milk. My LO is only two weeks and is not nearly as efficient as your LO so it's easy to interrupt her if need be to make the switch. Maybe try switching her at the 5 minute mark?
Also we did have mucus in her stool and I had to cut out tomatoes. Once I did that it cleared right up. She wasn't fussy either.
Good luck!
I have had similar over supply issues with both kids. Block feeding makes the biggest difference for me. I only nurse one side per session and for any additional sessions during a set time period - currently 2 hours. This helps keep my supply in check so LO isn't trying to latch onto a fire hose spewing skim milk.
This. Only one side per feeding in a limited time frame making sure to empty that side,stopping when LO lets you know they are done. The worst thing to do (according the a few LC and LLL) is time LO on a side and switch them because there's a higher chance that they may not have gotten all the hind milk and switching means more fore milk which causes that green stool. I too have a very active let down and will even pull DD off when I first let down and let my water hose-like flow stop before I let her latch again to make sure the excess fore milk drains and my flow is more comfortable for her to handle.
LLL also mentions the no dairy suggestion that some docs recommend does not actually help with the extra lactose as your body doesn't add more lactose to your milk based on your own lactose ingestion. I just read an article on it on LLL's site that I wish I could find again so i could link it but I'm mobile right now.
Talk to me about nip. I tried it yesterday and it was kinda painful and she kept popping off. I think she felt uncomfortable too. I am used to using nursing pillows. What hold do you use? I am so worried about people seeing my nipple. Can anyone recommend a good cover?
I use cradle hold and the cover below. I have to make sure I have him turned to me (belly to belly) and am sitting up straight otherwise my back hurts since I don't have my pillow support out in public.
@Steph0126 do you feel like the medela calma nipple made a big difference? My dd has refused every nipple and bottle we've tried so far and I was thinking about buying the calma. She seems to gag a lot I think because of the amount of milk in her Mouth and then spit most of it out. So frustrating!
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Just have to AW: successfully NIP today for the first time!!
TTC History
Me: 35 DH: 34 Married 07/2012 DD born 07/2014 DD2 born 10/2018 DS born 10/2022
IF history: TTC #2 since January 2016 June-Aug 2017: 3 IUIs w/Clomid = BFN Sept 2017: Dx w/Endometriosis Oct 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN Nov 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN Dec 2017: pre-IVF testing Jan-Feb 2018: IVF--17 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized, 9 frozen and 1 transferred on 2/10 = BFP on 2/19!!! EDD 10/29/2018 FET Oct 2021: BFP on 10/31! MC at 5 weeks FET Feb 2022: BFP on 2/15! EDD 10/29/22
Not sure what to do about overnight engorgement - LO sleeps like a champ for 5-7 hour stretches, but I wake up super full, and don't feel like I get drained completely, so we repeat the cycle. I pump in the early morning when H gets up for work, so that helps, but I'm worried about clogged ducts, etc. Any advice other than to pump in the middle of the night?
I kind of hate people like you. #whydontmybabieseversleep
But seriously, if your LO is sleeping that long consistently most nights, your supply should adjust soon. You could try pumping/hand expressing a little bit to take the edge off, or even waking your baby to nurse if you're really engorged and uncomfortable. But otherwise, you probably just need to wait it out.
Big sister {September 2008} Sweet boy {April 2011} Fuzzy Bundle {ETA July 2014}
Just have to AW: successfully NIP today for the first time!!
Such a good feeling! I had mine today, at the Rangers game none the less! Between my nursing tank with no straps and my nursing cover, I managed not to feel too exposed and LO ate great! I was so excited and relieved.
Not sure what to do about overnight engorgement - LO sleeps like a champ for 5-7 hour stretches, but I wake up super full, and don't feel like I get drained completely, so we repeat the cycle. I pump in the early morning when H gets up for work, so that helps, but I'm worried about clogged ducts, etc. Any advice other than to pump in the middle of the night?
I too am a lucky one who has a LO that goes about 7 hours most nights. This has been happening for about 1.5 weeks now and the engorgement has definitely improved. It was painful at first but I'm feeling better most nights. I also bought a hand pump. It was recommended to me to keep that by your bed and use it to quickly help relieve engorgemebt just a little if you need to.
Also, we tried the calma. DD gets one bottle a day usually. I think the calma has a big learning curve for them. She didn't love it after trying it for a couple of weeks so we're back to the slow flow medela nipples that came with the bottles. If you do try the calma be prepared to give it some time.
Hey ladies! So I've EBF since DD was born (she's now 4 weeks). Long story short, I'm going to have to supplement with formula for my first few weeks back to work. I was on the formula feeding thread and a lot of moms are using Enfamil Gentlease. However, I found samples of Enfamil Supplementing. Has anyone supplemented with either? Thoughts, opinions?
@symphony4586 how's it going over there? Has latching improved?
Not really, if I offer the breast first every time he might take it once a day.. there's times I've just gone straight to the bottle without even offering though because more often than not he and I both just end up in tears.
The good news is I'm producing enough pumping though we haven't had to supplement at all in over 2 days.
This is us, too, except DS is 4 weeks old and the LC said today he has figured out that if he doesn't latch and cries, he will get the bottle, which is easier.
This whole time I have tried to nurse, supplement because I'm not producing enough, and pump to increase my supply. It's exhausting and it seems like nursing is getting worse. The LC said she has no other tips to give me other than what we've tried already. I'm devastated.
@symphony4586 you sound like your experience is similar to mine! Don't give up, we have had great success with a shield to latch! I still pump because I feel like it's the only way he gets enough because the shield reduces the efficiency of nursing. I have a low supply, but I'm sure others can use shields and baby gets plenty of milk! It's definitely worth trying to keep the bond! Medela and Nuk are great, the tommy tippie was funky and LO wouldn't latch with that brand.
Re: The Great Breastfeeding Thread
The cup looked like this...not sure if you can buy them, but a syringe is probably fine, too.
https://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee159/lintpicker/338946216_17d7f1be02.jpg
I don't have enough stash to test it out yet, but I have one waiting for me when I do! It was recommended to me by a friend.
Married 07/2012
DD born 07/2014
DD2 born 10/2018
DS born 10/2022
IF history:
TTC #2 since January 2016
June-Aug 2017: 3 IUIs w/Clomid = BFN
Sept 2017: Dx w/Endometriosis
Oct 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
Nov 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
Dec 2017: pre-IVF testing
Jan-Feb 2018: IVF--17 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized, 9 frozen and 1 transferred on 2/10 = BFP on 2/19!!! EDD 10/29/2018
FET Oct 2021: BFP on 10/31! MC at 5 weeks
FET Feb 2022: BFP on 2/15! EDD 10/29/22
I used this one last year, I really like it. Also though I'm pretty small up top. With holding LO it is little challenging, but I just held her up. I looked into an inflatable nursing pillow, but I never got one. Anyways, here's the site where I ordered my cover.
https://m.uddercovers.com/cart
We have our "Irish Twins"
DD born 8/7/2013
DS born 7/28/14
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>
Eta: can't spell... And pics. Ice cube thingy was from amazon and the blue one is from Zulily but I haven't gotten it yet. The one from amazon I had to run hot water over the back to loose the "ice cubes" so I'm going to try the one from Zulily because it's silicon. Might be easier...
https://www.zulily.com/invite/blprigge178?tid=social_sms_iphone_sharelink_sidebar_modal_52956a46348e1eb9aab3969b53478964
Also we did have mucus in her stool and I had to cut out tomatoes. Once I did that it cleared right up. She wasn't fussy either.
Good luck!
I have had similar over supply issues with both kids. Block feeding makes the biggest difference for me. I only nurse one side per session and for any additional sessions during a set time period - currently 2 hours. This helps keep my supply in check so LO isn't trying to latch onto a fire hose spewing skim milk.
This. Only one side per feeding in a limited time frame making sure to empty that side,stopping when LO lets you know they are done. The worst thing to do (according the a few LC and LLL) is time LO on a side and switch them because there's a higher chance that they may not have gotten all the hind milk and switching means more fore milk which causes that green stool. I too have a very active let down and will even pull DD off when I first let down and let my water hose-like flow stop before I let her latch again to make sure the excess fore milk drains and my flow is more comfortable for her to handle.
LLL also mentions the no dairy suggestion that some docs recommend does not actually help with the extra lactose as your body doesn't add more lactose to your milk based on your own lactose ingestion. I just read an article on it on LLL's site that I wish I could find again so i could link it but I'm mobile right now.
https://smile.amazon.com/Lovedbaby-Nursing-Shawl-Think-Pink/dp/B000HC0AM4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407758272&sr=8-1&keywords=l'ovedbaby+nursing+shawl
Married 07/2012
DD born 07/2014
DD2 born 10/2018
DS born 10/2022
IF history:
TTC #2 since January 2016
June-Aug 2017: 3 IUIs w/Clomid = BFN
Sept 2017: Dx w/Endometriosis
Oct 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
Nov 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
Dec 2017: pre-IVF testing
Jan-Feb 2018: IVF--17 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized, 9 frozen and 1 transferred on 2/10 = BFP on 2/19!!! EDD 10/29/2018
FET Oct 2021: BFP on 10/31! MC at 5 weeks
FET Feb 2022: BFP on 2/15! EDD 10/29/22
Also, we tried the calma. DD gets one bottle a day usually. I think the calma has a big learning curve for them. She didn't love it after trying it for a couple of weeks so we're back to the slow flow medela nipples that came with the bottles. If you do try the calma be prepared to give it some time.
So I've EBF since DD was born (she's now 4 weeks). Long story short, I'm going to have to supplement with formula for my first few weeks back to work. I was on the formula feeding thread and a lot of moms are using Enfamil Gentlease. However, I found samples of Enfamil Supplementing. Has anyone supplemented with either? Thoughts, opinions?
This is us, too, except DS is 4 weeks old and the LC said today he has figured out that if he doesn't latch and cries, he will get the bottle, which is easier.
This whole time I have tried to nurse, supplement because I'm not producing enough, and pump to increase my supply. It's exhausting and it seems like nursing is getting worse. The LC said she has no other tips to give me other than what we've tried already. I'm devastated.
Sorry to thread jack, @symphony4586.