Speaking for my experience with thrush with DS1, my nipples were cracked and bleeding, unbelievable pain when he would latch and for the first moments of sucking. I had pain DS1 had white patches inside of this lips. It's basically like a yeast infection inside of their of mouth.
DS is 9 days old, and we have had BFing issues from the start -- latching issues and low supply combined with jaundice, which meant we were supplementing him starting with day 3. I had help from nurses and lactation consultants every day at the hospital and had a follow up lactation appointment last week.
Just about every BFing session has ended up with me in tears. But tonight, for the first time, we had a great nursing session on both sides, 5 minutes on one side and 10 on the other. I am so relieved and hope it continues.
@jennp1979 my lactation consultant had me start taking a supplement called Vitanica Lactation Blend 3x a day to boost my low supply. I got it at a health foods store.
@TKT17 I also started pumping in the hospital in order to boost my low supply. Now, my lactation consultant has me pump for 5 minutes after we have a successful nursing session, and 15 minutes if DS doesn't nurse well.
We also have been using a nipple shield, but sometimes it's more hassle than it's worth because it doesn't always stay in place for me. Do you have any tips? Also, today instead of using the shield I pumped for 5 minutes before feeding DS and he latched on fine without the shield.
My baby is 2 weeks old. I started pumping in the hospital because she spent a little time in the NICU. Nursing has been hard but we are getting better at it. I've been pumping several times a day now in between feedings. I have to use a nipple shield because my nipples are flat. She always rips it off so it is a pain to keep in place. Anyways, I feel like nursing and pumping are getting more painful. Today pumping nearly had me in tears. Is this normal? Am I pumping/feeding too much? I am not really keeping track of feedings. I feed her when she cries. She is sleeping 5-6 hours at night. I don't wake her up to feed her.
Random vent: Literally was feeding DD every 30-60 minutes from 3pm-10:30pm. She has NEVER done this (at least not for 7 hours). My boobs are so empty I feel like I'm 13. They feel great now, but I'm sure I'll be a milk making machine all night and morning. I'll probably be so engorged tomorrow.
@NugsMom yay!! That's great! I love those Rockstar mom moments we get!! For me, they're few and far between so I cherish them.
My LO is 18 days and nursing 10-15 min tops. I have mastitis so I (for the last 2 days) have been breaking it up to do 10 on the infected side and 5 on the other. I did ask the Pedi about the short time and after looking at the video I brought in to ensure latch was correct, said he's just a guzzler and that time is fine.
If any of you need latch help, I learned the deep latch technique from Dr. Korky Harvey. https://youtu.be/7FJuBn2bgNk
My baby has really random nursing times. At first it was consistently 10 on each side, now she goes anywhere from 5-35 minutes! If its 15 or less I will offer the other side, if she goes longer I will just call it after one. We're getting lots of dirty diapers though so I figure she knows what she needs. I have noticed that she often spits up and gets the hiccups after an especially long feeding...normal?
Love this thread!! I'll add another tick mark to the My Brest Friend Pillow lovers' club...game changer, all the way.
Also, this video was recommended to me by one of my postpartum nurses, and it was also a huge help when I was learning to latch.
I've been nursing about 20 minutes per session (prior to milk coming in--that seems to be happening right this second), and if she's still awake, I offer the other breast for 5 minutes or so. I'm sore, but it's getting better as my latch has improved (see the video above...it's seriously awesome).
Question for those who have had to supplement with formula through a syringe and tube. How did you ween your LO off of the formula? DD chugs the syringe so fast I can't keep up with my flow and want to slowly ease her off. Just want to be sure she's getting enough because she's just slightly jaundiced.
My baby is 2 weeks old. I started pumping in the hospital because she spent a little time in the NICU. Nursing has been hard but we are getting better at it. I've been pumping several times a day now in between feedings. I have to use a nipple shield because my nipples are flat. She always rips it off so it is a pain to keep in place. Anyways, I feel like nursing and pumping are getting more painful. Today pumping nearly had me in tears. Is this normal? Am I pumping/feeding too much? I am not really keeping track of feedings. I feed her when she cries. She is sleeping 5-6 hours at night. I don't wake her up to feed her.
I'd say give yourself a break from the pump, mama. Nursing plus pumping several times a day is bound to wear you out. I'd focus on nursing to teach your body how much your LO needs...
Question for those who have had to supplement with formula through a syringe and tube. How did you ween your LO off of the formula? DD chugs the syringe so fast I can't keep up with my flow and want to slowly ease her off. Just want to be sure she's getting enough because she's just slightly jaundiced.
We supplemented with a syringe through a nipple shield for a few days after coming home. Once my milk came in I felt comfortable with taking the formula out of the equation. She didn't seem to mind. I just paid attention to how long she was nursing and made sure she was eating every 2 hours during the day and every 4 at night and watched how many diapers she was going through. I was also pumping for 10 mins after each session which increased my supply. G was pretty jaundice too which was motivating for me to get her to eat even if she was too tired - side effect of jaundice. We will see how well this has been going at our dr app this week!
Random vent: Literally was feeding DD every 30-60 minutes from 3pm-10:30pm. She has NEVER done this (at least not for 7 hours). My boobs are so empty I feel like I'm 13. They feel great now, but I'm sure I'll be a milk making machine all night and morning. I'll probably be so engorged tomorrow.
@Ekg688 My DD was doing this for over 24 hours, and I was dying!! My friend explained that it's what they do during growth spurts. This article explained it really well. https://kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurts/
My baby has really random nursing times. At first it was consistently 10 on each side, now she goes anywhere from 5-35 minutes! If its 15 or less I will offer the other side, if she goes longer I will just call it after one. We're getting lots of dirty diapers though so I figure she knows what she needs. I have noticed that she often spits up and gets the hiccups after an especially long feeding...normal?
Try taking her off the breast and burping her mid-feed, then finishing the feeding.
Their nursing patterns often change from day to day and will change even more as they grow and develop. If baby is happy, gaining well and producing enough wet/dirty diapers, I wouldn't worry.
Big sister {September 2008} Sweet boy {April 2011} Fuzzy Bundle {ETA July 2014}
Question for those who have had to supplement with formula through a syringe and tube. How did you ween your LO off of the formula? DD chugs the syringe so fast I can't keep up with my flow and want to slowly ease her off. Just want to be sure she's getting enough because she's just slightly jaundiced.
As soon as we got home I decided the syringe feeding was good for a baby bird, but my baby wanted more, so I started giving her a bottle with a nipple. We did the tube thing at the hospital, but that just stressed me out.
DD is one month and I'm still feeding bottles after breastfeeding and when she stilt seems to want more, but my breast is empty. My doctor said its supply and demand, and if I want to exclusively breastfeed, I need to take a few days and stay in bed feeding on demand. Ive appreciated the breaks a bottle can give, with dh taking a feeding while I rest. I'm not pumping now, it was too demanding.
Not sure if I will ever exclusively nurse, I'm trying to be flexible and see how it goes.
@JKGordon ... this is what we figured. DH was getting super frustrated bc he couldn't do much to calm or comfort her. I'm going to start pumping today so hopefully he can give her a bottle tonight.
Thanks @junipergaze and @abundancenow! I don't think my milk is completely in yet but her jaundice is definitely better. I don't want to use a nipple and bottle to avoid confusion because I would like to EBF. I guess we will give it a bit longer for my supply to increase before we start to ween her off.
If your baby is gasy the doc will have u eliminate the following from your diet....dairy, tomatoes , onions, garlic, beans and anything that could cause gas...broccoli , squash etc. I have this issue and the doc had me eliminate these foods and wanted me to do formula at night...I wanted to make sure the BF would work so I waited a couple days until all the gasy goods were out of my system and baby is fine now and no formula was introduced .
I also did gas drops ...only once a day and gripe water once at night and sunce then he is fine.
Doc said diet would be 6-9 months and that you slowly work the food back in ...after GD this will definitely be a challenge but seeing him in pain broke my heart
I use a Medela pump so that DH can do one middle of the night feeding and to start building a stash. I read on Facebook that the Ameda valves actually work better on the Medela pump. I thought that was weird but the valves were only $7 at BRU so I bought them and gave it a try. I normally pump a combined 4-5 oz per session and with these valves I pumped a combined 7 oz!!! Just had to share the awesomeness! If you have a Medela pump, you must get Ameda valves for it!
BFP #1: 3/23/13, EDD: 11/22/13, MC: 4/2/13
Convinced it was a boy and missing him every day!
BFP #2: 10/25/13, EDD: 7/3/14, Grow baby Grow! Anabelle Rose born 6/6/14
If your baby is gasy the doc will have u eliminate the following from your diet....dairy, tomatoes , onions, garlic, beans and anything that could cause gas...broccoli , squash etc. I have this issue and the doc had me eliminate these foods and wanted me to do formula at night...I wanted to make sure the BF would work so I waited a couple days until all the gasy goods were out of my system and baby is fine now and no formula was introduced .
I also did gas drops ...only once a day and gripe water once at night and sunce then he is fine.
Doc said diet would be 6-9 months and that you slowly work the food back in ...after GD this will definitely be a challenge but seeing him in pain broke my heart
I'm literally going through the same thing with LO he is in so much pain from the gas it breaks my heart every time because I can't calm him down. Doctor said to cut out the same things plus dairy. I just bought some gas drops so hopefully it all helps him. I definitely don't want to stop BF if I don't have to. Glad it helped your LO.
My baby has really random nursing times. At first it was consistently 10 on each side, now she goes anywhere from 5-35 minutes! If its 15 or less I will offer the other side, if she goes longer I will just call it after one. We're getting lots of dirty diapers though so I figure she knows what she needs. I have noticed that she often spits up and gets the hiccups after an especially long feeding...normal?
Try taking her off the breast and burping her mid-feed, then finishing the feeding.
Their nursing patterns often change from day to day and will change even more as they grow and develop. If baby is happy, gaining well and producing enough wet/dirty diapers, I wouldn't worry.
We had our 1 month check up today and I asked the pedi about her spitting up. DD spits up after every nursing session. Amounts very, but there's always something. She's never fussy, just always lets something back up. Dr. said she's just a "happy spitter" and not to worry about it as her weight gain is good (up over 2 lbs in 4 weeks) and her diaper output is good too. He asked how long she nurses for (no more than 10 min a side right now) and he said she just may be getting overfull and if I wanted I could shorten each side by a few minutes. Don't think I'm going to bother because 10 minutes is on the long end as it is, but it's another option.
My baby has really random nursing times. At first it was consistently 10 on each side, now she goes anywhere from 5-35 minutes! If its 15 or less I will offer the other side, if she goes longer I will just call it after one. We're getting lots of dirty diapers though so I figure she knows what she needs. I have noticed that she often spits up and gets the hiccups after an especially long feeding...normal?
Try taking her off the breast and burping her mid-feed, then finishing the feeding.
Their nursing patterns often change from day to day and will change even more as they grow and develop. If baby is happy, gaining well and producing enough wet/dirty diapers, I wouldn't worry.
We had our 1 month check up today and I asked the pedi about her spitting up. DD spits up after every nursing session. Amounts very, but there's always something. She's never fussy, just always lets something back up. Dr. said she's just a "happy spitter" and not to worry about it as her weight gain is good (up over 2 lbs in 4 weeks) and her diaper output is good too. He asked how long she nurses for (no more than 10 min a side right now) and he said she just may be getting overfull and if I wanted I could shorten each side by a few minutes. Don't think I'm going to bother because 10 minutes is on the long end as it is, but it's another option.
Mine is a happy spitter too. This is definitely one part of babyhood I did not miss.
Big sister {September 2008} Sweet boy {April 2011} Fuzzy Bundle {ETA July 2014}
I have recently had to change up my feeding plan with DS, which includes primarily bottle feeding pumped milk and supplementing with formula. He is currently 2w4d old. We also BF 2 times a day. I only pump 2-3 oz at a time and DS has been eating pretty much 4 oz at each feeding. There have been times over the past couple days where after the 4 oz he still seems hungry and will eat another 1-2 oz. I was told the he should be eating 2-4 oz every 3-3.5 hours, but sometimes eats more frequently than that.
I also read on kellymom that a 1week old has a max stomach capacity of 2oz and a 1 month old has a max of 5 oz. So I have no clue where my little guy is putting up to 6 oz at some feedings. He has been spitting up more than when he EBF, but it's not large amounts or with every feeding. I want to feed him enough, since poor weight gain is what caused us to switch up the feeding plan; however, I don't want to over feed him either.
Is there anyone else who is or has primarily bottle fed who can share how much their LO typically eats during a feeding?
For moms who plan on pumping when going back to work... how do you plan on cleaning your pump parts after each session? I'm a sucker for convenience but I'm not sure if I'm willing the shell out the money for the cleaning wipes they make. Also it would be a PITA to clean parts in the bathroom.
For moms who plan on pumping when going back to work... how do you plan on cleaning your pump parts after each session? I'm a sucker for convenience but I'm not sure if I'm willing the shell out the money for the cleaning wipes they make. Also it would be a PITA to clean parts in the bathroom.
When I pumped at work it was every two hours or so. Since freshly expressed milk can be at room temp for about up to 4 hours I wouldn't wash the parts after every single use, only after every other use.
It made it so much better that way. Just that much less work. I never bought the wipes. You just get really fast at cleaning parts and bring your own little towel in your pump bag.
I have recently had to change up my feeding plan with DS, which includes primarily bottle feeding pumped milk and supplementing with formula. He is currently 2w4d old. We also BF 2 times a day. I only pump 2-3 oz at a time and DS has been eating pretty much 4 oz at each feeding. There have been times over the past couple days where after the 4 oz he still seems hungry and will eat another 1-2 oz. I was told the he should be eating 2-4 oz every 3-3.5 hours, but sometimes eats more frequently than that.
I also read on kellymom that a 1week old has a max stomach capacity of 2oz and a 1 month old has a max of 5 oz. So I have no clue where my little guy is putting up to 6 oz at some feedings. He has been spitting up more than when he EBF, but it's not large amounts or with every feeding. I want to feed him enough, since poor weight gain is what caused us to switch up the feeding plan; however, I don't want to over feed him either.
Is there anyone else who is or has primarily bottle fed who can share how much their LO typically eats during a feeding?
I primarily bottle feed expressed breast milk. LO is eating 2 oz most feedings and may take an extra ounce.
But, I wonder if we are comparing "apples to apples." My LO is 5 weeks old, but still smaller than a lot of the brand new babies. She is about 6 pounds at this point, up from 4 pounds 13 oz at birth. I don't know how much size plays into how much they eat at any one time.
For moms who plan on pumping when going back to work... how do you plan on cleaning your pump parts after each session? I'm a sucker for convenience but I'm not sure if I'm willing the shell out the money for the cleaning wipes they make. Also it would be a PITA to clean parts in the bathroom.
I have heard that if you refrigerate the parts, that you can make it through te day without washing, and just do it at home---it makes sense to me!
For moms who plan on pumping when going back to work... how do you plan on cleaning your pump parts after each session? I'm a sucker for convenience but I'm not sure if I'm willing the shell out the money for the cleaning wipes they make. Also it would be a PITA to clean parts in the bathroom.
I have heard that if you refrigerate the parts, that you can make it through te day without washing, and just do it at home---it makes sense to me!
This. When pumping for DS1 I would do a quick wipe with a paper towel & then stored parts in a big Ziploc bag in the fridge. I was lucky in that the mom's room had a small fridge. I washed parts at home every night
I've started using a breast feeding app to record feeding times and durations rather than trying to keep track of things with pen and paper. It's awesome. I wish I'd thought of this a week ago.
This! I use Baby Log. I don't think I would ever know when I had fed my baby if how many dirty or wet diapers she's had without the app. Zombie mom is still in full force from MOTN feedings over here.
I started using the Sprout baby app yesterday and love it. It was $4.99 and DH and I both bought it so we can record feedings, diapers, etc. from both of our phones.
Re: cleaning pump parts... I've always either used the Medela wipes between sessions at work or brought two sets of flanges. I don't have easy access to a fridge at work, though.
Re: baby apps... I tried a couple before I settled on the Similac (yes, the formula brand...gasp!) one to track nursing and changing.
Re: cleaning pump parts... I've always either used the Medela wipes between sessions at work or brought two sets of flanges. I don't have easy access to a fridge at work, though.
Re: baby apps... I tried a couple before I settled on the Similac (yes, the formula brand...gasp!) one to track nursing and changing.
@Soon2BMrsN That similac app was very helpful!' Easy to navigate and free!!!
We went to the pedi today for our 1 week visit. My big guy has gained 3 oz since discharge, which she was happy about. I have been concerned about my supply because he wants to nurse about every 1.5 hours. She suggested I wait 3 hours and pump to see how much milk I'm producing. We supplemented with 2 oz of formula while I waited the 3 hours. After 20 min of pumping, I had about 2 oz. ( 1.5 from the right). We fed it to him and he still was rooting/ sucking on his hand. So we gave him formula, and he took about another oz, and for the first time now just slept for 4 hours. I know that's great, but I feel so defeated that my supply isn't enough. I know at 1 week old 3 oz is a lot, but the pedi said that because he's so big ( born almost 11 lbs) he will be even more hungry. Any suggestions on how to increase supply or when to pump in relation to when he nurses? I was supposed to meet with a LC yesterday but she had an emergency.
FYI, your baby will get more out from nursing than you're getting from pumping. Your supply is probably fine. Read Kellymom.com and it will have a lot more info.
All of this...pumping is not an accurate gauge of how much you are producing or how much baby is getting. The best way to increase supply is to put baby to breast often in the beginning. Having you wait like that was poor advice, IMO...especially if your LO was hungry. Do check the kellymom site out.
I really don't mean to stir shit up, but as someone who really wanted to bf but my supply never came in, and I am having to ff now, why do some of you "feel awful" about giving formula? It's not poison... :x
I use the mobile mom baby tracker app to record feedings and diaper changes. I really like it. Can't remember if it was free or not but if it wasn't, I know it was cheap.
Re:apps...we have BabyConnect, which I think was .99 and lets you time feedings, set an alarm, record diapers, doctor's appointments, etc. DH has it on his phone, and it syncs the two. He wrote her some awfully cute messages before she was born
Re: The Great Breastfeeding Thread
This! I had the Boppy and just bought the My Brest Friend on Friday. What a difference!
DS is 9 days old, and we have had BFing issues from the start -- latching issues and low supply combined with jaundice, which meant we were supplementing him starting with day 3. I had help from nurses and lactation consultants every day at the hospital and had a follow up lactation appointment last week.
Just about every BFing session has ended up with me in tears. But tonight, for the first time, we had a great nursing session on both sides, 5 minutes on one side and 10 on the other. I am so relieved and hope it continues.
We also have been using a nipple shield, but sometimes it's more hassle than it's worth because it doesn't always stay in place for me. Do you have any tips? Also, today instead of using the shield I pumped for 5 minutes before feeding DS and he latched on fine without the shield.
Trial and see. My LO is 5 days old and he easily eats 3-4oz per feeding.
My LO is 18 days and nursing 10-15 min tops. I have mastitis so I (for the last 2 days) have been breaking it up to do 10 on the infected side and 5 on the other. I did ask the Pedi about the short time and after looking at the video I brought in to ensure latch was correct, said he's just a guzzler and that time is fine.
If any of you need latch help, I learned the deep latch technique from Dr. Korky Harvey.
My DD was doing this for over 24 hours, and I was dying!! My friend explained that it's what they do during growth spurts. This article explained it really well.
https://kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurts/
Their nursing patterns often change from day to day and will change even more as they grow and develop. If baby is happy, gaining well and producing enough wet/dirty diapers, I wouldn't worry.
DD is one month and I'm still feeding bottles after breastfeeding and when she stilt seems to want more, but my breast is empty. My doctor said its supply and demand, and if I want to exclusively breastfeed, I need to take a few days and stay in bed feeding on demand. Ive appreciated the breaks a bottle can give, with dh taking a feeding while I rest. I'm not pumping now, it was too demanding. Not sure if I will ever exclusively nurse, I'm trying to be flexible and see how it goes.
I also did gas drops ...only once a day and gripe water once at night and sunce then he is fine.
Doc said diet would be 6-9 months and that you slowly work the food back in ...after GD this will definitely be a challenge but seeing him in pain broke my heart
I'm literally going through the same thing with LO he is in so much pain from the gas it breaks my heart every time because I can't calm him down. Doctor said to cut out the same things plus dairy. I just bought some gas drops so hopefully it all helps him. I definitely don't want to stop BF if I don't have to. Glad it helped your LO.
I also read on kellymom that a 1week old has a max stomach capacity of 2oz and a 1 month old has a max of 5 oz. So I have no clue where my little guy is putting up to 6 oz at some feedings. He has been spitting up more than when he EBF, but it's not large amounts or with every feeding. I want to feed him enough, since poor weight gain is what caused us to switch up the feeding plan; however, I don't want to over feed him either.
Is there anyone else who is or has primarily bottle fed who can share how much their LO typically eats during a feeding?
It made it so much better that way. Just that much less work. I never bought the wipes. You just get really fast at cleaning parts and bring your own little towel in your pump bag.
We have our "Irish Twins"
DD born 8/7/2013
DS born 7/28/14
<
>
But, I wonder if we are comparing "apples to apples." My LO is 5 weeks old, but still smaller than a lot of the brand new babies. She is about 6 pounds at this point, up from 4 pounds 13 oz at birth. I don't know how much size plays into how much they eat at any one time.
Re: baby apps... I tried a couple before I settled on the Similac (yes, the formula brand...gasp!) one to track nursing and changing.
That similac app was very helpful!' Easy to navigate and free!!!
We have our "Irish Twins"
DD born 8/7/2013
DS born 7/28/14
<
>