Breastfeeding Tips, Questions and Advice!!

jessa1228

So we (meaning H, I hid upstairs) just gave DS (5 weeks) a bottle for the first time. It had been about 3 hours since he had last eaten. There was 3oz in the bottle. DS ate 1.5oz, fussed a little but wouldn't eat any more, took a 20ish minute nap, woke up crying in hunger, then took the rest of the bottle and was STILL hungry so I put him on the breast. Is that normal? While he was napping I pumped 1.5oz to simulate what he ate. I easily could have kept pumping and still felt pretty full afterwards (which I guess explains why he woke up hungry 20 minutes later). He was on the breast for about 10 minutes (which is pretty normal for him), and when I pumped afterwards to get the other 1.5oz he took from the bottle, I barely got anything.

Kcvilla

What do you mean when the milk production switches over to supply & demand rather than hormone based?

I noticed a huge drop in my supply and note sure why. I've been hydrating, drinking Mother's Milk Tea, eating plenty of Oatmeal. I even bought MotherLove Drops and have made Lactation Cookies. While this has all helped a bit, I still am not producing as much as before. I'm talking a drop of several ounces per pumping.

I went from pumping above 4 oz. per boob to 2 oz. combined. Has anyone else experienced this? The problem I'm encountering is sometimes when I pump I end up with such a low supply, that if LO wakes up there's nothing really in there. So I end up giving her the little bit I just pumped which defeats the purpose of pumping as I could've just breastfed her.

staugustinewedding

Hi @AmyG*‌ . I hope you're feeling better and you've had some coffee

I have a question. I am EBF and have not started pumping. Baby is 4 weeks old tomorrow. Supply is good. I read somewhere that you don't really need a "stash" when you go back to work. You simply just need enough milk for the first day back to work and maybe a little extra to be on the safe side, but then each day you pump at work will be the milk needed for the next day.

Is this good advice? I would like to BF for 6 months but the thought of having to build a huge freezer stash seems exhausting. I also don't want to risk messing up my supply.

What are your thoughts?

Lilwatz

This is not a tip or a question, but I have to share:

After 9 weeks, my little one has finally gotten the latch down.  PRAISE THE LORD!  I can put her to my breast with no shield and no nursing pillow and she (most of the time) latches no problem.  She gets on and off during her feed and relatches.  Also, the pain is now quite minimal.  I feel like we have finally arrived.  I am currently feeding 4 times per day, but might increase!

For those feeling frustrated, I made a post awhile back so won't go into it again but we dealt with A LOT of hurdles (late preterm baby, low milk supply, posterior tongue tie, severe nipple pain from clamping).  I honestly lost hope this day would come and expected to just try until I couldn't try anymore and then give up.  I am so happy!  I hope everyone else who is having trouble makes it to this point soon.  

hjenni

Lilwatz said:

This is not a tip or a question, but I have to share:

After 9 weeks, my little one has finally gotten the latch down.  PRAISE THE LORD!  I can put her to my breast with no shield and no nursing pillow and she (most of the time) latches no problem.  She gets on and off during her feed and relatches.  Also, the pain is now quite minimal.  I feel like we have finally arrived.  I am currently feeding 4 times per day, but might increase!

For those feeling frustrated, I made a post awhile back so won't go into it again but we dealt with A LOT of hurdles (late preterm baby, low milk supply, posterior tongue tie, severe nipple pain from clamping).  I honestly lost hope this day would come and expected to just try until I couldn't try anymore and then give up.  I am so happy!  I hope everyone else who is having trouble makes it to this point soon.  

Yay! Great news! I'm so happy for you

mockingjay1

So we are mostly getting the hang of breastfeeding the last 4-5 days... The only thing is DS takes 30-40 min to eat pretty much every time. What can I do to make him more efficient? I already massage and do breast compressions. Any input would be great!

AnnieRoo13

In the last few days my breasts have become super engorged at night. I feed LO his last feeding around 10 and then he wakes up between 1-2 and I'm already feeling very full and sore. The worst part is he often only takes one side in the MOTN so only one side gets relief.

Will this resolve itself? I feel like pumping will only exacerbate the issue as it would stimulate more milk.

mockingjay1

This may have already been mentioned, but it's hard to search for stuff on mobile. If baby almost always nurses from both sides do you pump both sides after (the one time a day I pump)? It seems like sometimes after I do that he had to work much harder for a feeding or two to get any milk. Is this normal?

Eta: do I pump for 15 min?

FishyMom

Thanks @kegcrc for the video! I will be showing my husband the same one very soon.

jessa1228

AnnieRoo13 said:

In the last few days my breasts have become super engorged at night. I feed LO his last feeding around 10 and then he wakes up between 1-2 and I'm already feeling very full and sore. The worst part is he often only takes one side in the MOTN so only one side gets relief.

Will this resolve itself? I feel like pumping will only exacerbate the issue as it would stimulate more milk.

I was just coming here to ask basically the same thing. DS has been sleeping for one 6 hour stretch and 1 3 hour stretch at night for the last week. I've been getting more and more engorged, and last night was the worst. I've also been pumping once a day after the first morning feed for a week now, so I didn't know if it was related. But after DS's FMF today, I pumped NINE ounces. I usually get 5-7 ounces. How long will it take my body to get the memo that it doesn't need all that milk at night?

akatiegrl

is it possible to have a forceful letdown but not an oversupply of milk? i definitely have a forceful letdown and have to catch a ton of milk in a cloth when my milk comes in (during which my baby always screams because she wants to eat). but i don't feel like i have an oversupply...

i do alternate sides each feeding, sometimes offering both, but when i have tried sticking with one side for 3 hrs, then the other for 3 hrs, i feel like after a day i don't have enough milk.

i just would love to make it so my baby can just nurse without having to pull her off everytime and catch the excess milk, but i'm worried about ending up with not enough milk...

Singingmama10

So what do I do if he wants to snack constantly? Let him snack? or try and get him on more of a schedule? It's exhausting! 

carafern

Ah! My BFing trials and tribulations continue. Every time I think its all going smoothly a new challenge occurs. I have a plugged duct (the same one that I had a week prior, that I was able to clear) that just wont clear. I had mastitis over a week ago, but thought I'd gotten rid of it without antibiotics because my fever went down and I started to feel better, but this weekend it came back with a vengeance. So I started to take the antibiotics grudgingly prescribed by my MW. The fever is gone but I can't get this darn plug to budge. 

Because of this, my entire left boob hurts all the time. More when I'm really full, but even after a feeding. So much so that its hard to hold LO on my chest, which is the only way she'll nap during the day. I think this is all related to her eating more from the three week growth spurt, which maybe has messed with my supply? I don't know what to do at this point. Do you all have any remedies I haven't tried? I've tried warm compress, then massaging the plug towards the nipple, with baby's chin pointed towards it. I've started pumping just a little bit to relieve the pressure and to try to work out the plug. I've tried cold compress between feedings to reduce inflammation. I take Ibuprofen religiously. I'm wondering if I should by some lecithin because it was mentioned on kellymom? 

tigerpawie

carafern said:

Ah! My BFing trials and tribulations continue. Every time I think its all going smoothly a new challenge occurs. I have a plugged duct (the same one that I had a week prior, that I was able to clear) that just wont clear. I had mastitis over a week ago, but thought I'd gotten rid of it without antibiotics because my fever went down and I started to feel better, but this weekend it came back with a vengeance. So I started to take the antibiotics grudgingly prescribed by my MW. The fever is gone but I can't get this darn plug to budge. 

Because of this, my entire left boob hurts all the time. More when I'm really full, but even after a feeding. So much so that its hard to hold LO on my chest, which is the only way she'll nap during the day. I think this is all related to her eating more from the three week growth spurt, which maybe has messed with my supply? I don't know what to do at this point. Do you all have any remedies I haven't tried? I've tried warm compress, then massaging the plug towards the nipple, with baby's chin pointed towards it. I've started pumping just a little bit to relieve the pressure and to try to work out the plug. I've tried cold compress between feedings to reduce inflammation. I take Ibuprofen religiously. I'm wondering if I should by some lecithin because it was mentioned on kellymom? 

Perhaps go back on antibiotics? You really don't want it to become more serious.

Other things I've done to reduce the clogged duct was use a vibrator. I read that some moms used a sonicare toothbrush bottom end on the clog. I don't have that but have a personal massager that we use on sore muscles and it seemed to help a lot. I just plug it in and go to town on the clog for a while after using heat packs. This personal massager, I originally bought it from a sex toy party but I knew it would help FI's sore arms from his job. It's called the rabbit I think. So if you don't have a sonic care toothbrush and have a vibrating sex toy, it just might help.
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I've read elsewhere - lavender essential oil with coconut oil, massage on the area where the duct is.

I've also heard that letheicn helps a lot so definitely look into that. U could taper off later when you feel better or just stay on it for the duration of breastfeeding. I avoid that because I feel LO doesn't get enough hind milk. This lethein can cause your milk to thin out; however, if I have a recurring clogged duct and/or matistis then I will start taking the capsules.

carafern

thanks @tigerpawie, yeah, I am still taking the antibiotics…you have to take them for something like 10 days. And I do have a toothbrush, but no sex toys! So I'll try that and get the lecithin. LO has never had a green poop so I'm not too worried about hind milk, especially since before this happened I would feed on one side only.

carafern

thanks @amyg! And yes my doula had mentioned the thrush risk so I'm taking a probiotic.

this may be a silly question but how do I feed her with her nose towards the clog? The clog is on the underside of my boob…do I feed her upside down? I remember hearing that LO's head should always be highest…or do I lay down? I

carafern

Ok, so is it possible that all the things I'm doing are making the plug worse? I just looked at it and the spot is redder and spreading…there are splotchy red marks all up the side now. I'm at my wits end. I guess I just need to call the midwives tomorrow. I'm just so frustrated and sick of being in pain. Its funny, I survived a 50+ hour labor with no meds but BFing has turned out to be more challenging.

tigerpawie

carafern said:

Ok, so is it possible that all the things I'm doing are making the plug worse? I just looked at it and the spot is redder and spreading…there are splotchy red marks all up the side now. I'm at my wits end. I guess I just need to call the midwives tomorrow. I'm just so frustrated and sick of being in pain. Its funny, I survived a 50+ hour labor with no meds but BFing has turned out to be more challenging.

Aw. Hugs!!! Yes. Call your midwives.

I did have a large red blotch where my clog was. It got worse after I did all the things then went away as the duct cleared up. As the duct clears, your breast can feel pretty bruised. Mine did for several days. In fact when I did the football hold (DS's chin w the football hold, was pointed towards most of the clog) I felt a lot different compared to other positions. It's like I could feel the duct trying to move with his sucking, it felt like painful relief. I don't feel that anymore now and my clog is pretty much gone. Maybe that will help u figure out if the different positions would help.

Hope u feel better soon and hang in there!! Have you tried the letheicn capsules yet?

AnnieRoo13

DH really wants to help me out and give LO a bottle in the MOTN a couple times a week. Is there a way to do this without me having to get up and pump at the same time? Would not pumping at the exact time he's giving the bottle really mess with my supply? Can I pump earlier/later?

LO will be 6 weeks on Tuesday and I have had no problems with supply thus far.

mockingjay1

So we are still doing weighted feedings and sometimes DS gets 130-165ml at the breast (in 40 min). He's been a little more spitty the last couple days. Is he eating too much? Not burping enough? Sometimes he still acts hungry after 150-160ml at the breast... If I didn't have the scale how do I know not to keep feeding him? For future reference, do you pump during growth spurts (I just pump once a day)?

eta: Now that I have a good milk supply do I need to keep taking the fenugreek and eating oatmeal and a couple lactation cookies every day? Should I keep taking them through the 6 week growth spurt? I never thought to ask my LC about that (though I could give them a call and ask...)

jessa1228

AnnieRoo13 said:

DH really wants to help me out and give LO a bottle in the MOTN a couple times a week. Is there a way to do this without me having to get up and pump at the same time? Would not pumping at the exact time he's giving the bottle really mess with my supply? Can I pump earlier/later?

LO will be 6 weeks on Tuesday and I have had no problems with supply thus far.

I've been wondering this too. I have my 6w PP checkup on Tuesday and am leaving DS home with H while I go. If he ends up taking a bottle while i'm gone then I was just going to pump when I got home, but that could conceivably be an hour or more later.

ajs16350

After having a rough couple days in the beginning of me not realizing my LO wasn't getting any milk due to the fact that my nipples were too flat for him we now use a nipple shield and it works great.

My question is... Does anyone else have a problem with having too much milk at night time? I'm nursing throughout the night and I'm still waking up engorged and needed to pump to relieve. I don't pump much. Sometime once a day. My LO is 5 weeks onld now and it's just become a problem within the last week. Is there anything I could do to stop me from having to pump in the middle of the night????

staugustinewedding

AnnieRoo13 said:

DH really wants to help me out and give LO a bottle in the MOTN a couple times a week. Is there a way to do this without me having to get up and pump at the same time? Would not pumping at the exact time he's giving the bottle really mess with my supply? Can I pump earlier/later?

LO will be 6 weeks on Tuesday and I have had no problems with supply thus far.

I've been pumping at 9am right after LO feeds at 7:30-8. I still feel full after she feeds bc my supply is the highest at this time of day. I am at day 3 with this and so far so good! My DH wants to help with feedings so that's why I started ..and I need a break! So to answer your question, I don't think you HAVE to only pump when he gives the bottle, unless you feel really full and need to pump out what you wouldn't be giving to LO. I think my body has gotten the memo because I am pumping 3.5oz every morning AFTER I feed her and then she eats again around 11:30 from the breast and there's no problem with there being enough milk for her. Good luck!!

PineApple85

I don't think that anyone else has posted about this, but I apologize if I overlooked it. DS2 is very gassy. I don't remember DS1 having this much trouble with it. DS2 has a fine latch as far as I can tell - it isn't shallow and I have no pain but he doesn't stay on my breast completely. He's a very messy eater - milk is constantly leaking from around his mouth - and I can hear him swallowing a lot of air for most of the time that he's eating. It takes a long time to burp him and then he still passes a lot of gas (seriously, he'll toot, one after another for 5 minutes or more at times).

Is this still considered normal at this age (he's 4 weeks and 1 day)? It's it something he'll grow out of? Is there anything that I can do to better "seal" his latch to prevent him from getting so much air? Thanks!

PineApple85

AmyG* said:

PineApple85 said:

I don't think that anyone else has posted about this, but I apologize if I overlooked it. DS2 is very gassy. I don't remember DS1 having this much trouble with it. DS2 has a fine latch as far as I can tell - it isn't shallow and I have no pain but he doesn't stay on my breast completely. He's a very messy eater - milk is constantly leaking from around his mouth - and I can hear him swallowing a lot of air for most of the time that he's eating. It takes a long time to burp him and then he still passes a lot of gas (seriously, he'll toot, one after another for 5 minutes or more at times).

Is this still considered normal at this age (he's 4 weeks and 1 day)? It's it something he'll grow out of? Is there anything that I can do to better "seal" his latch to prevent him from getting so much air? Thanks!

Is your milk supply really really high?  Sometimes they are very messy eaters because you are spraying milk out like a water hose. 

Otherwise it can be a sign of a tongue tie--baby can't keep the seal in place cause they stretch out their tongue, get latched on and then the tongue tie pulls the tongue back like a rubber band and they lose their suction/seal.

I looked up tongue tie and I don't think that's it. He has none of the other signs. With DS1, I would spray pretty far if he unlatched early but I haven't noticed that yet with this one but I guess it's possible. He does gag on the milk sometimes. Frequently, I guess. Is there anything that I can do to help with him swallowing so much air?

k8isgreat

Having trouble with ds satisfaction. He is a latching champ. He has been feeding every hour or so and never seems to be satisfied. I was getting him down for about 3 hours in the morning when we brought him home, but now he has been getting really frustrated during feedings. Through most of the day it is ok, and I seem to be making a sufficient amount of milk. However towards the end of the night he starts getting really fussy. He's latched on feeding then all of a sudden he's unlatched, arched back and screaming. Then he does this baby bird thing pecking at me re-latches just to repeat the frustration flailing again. I feel like I'm not making enough to make him happy. Thoughts?

AnnieRoo13

@k8isgreat‌ I agree with @flutterbuggie‌, LO does this when he has a burp stuck. I can sometimes even hear it in his stomach. I unlatch him and make sure he burps putting him back on. It seems to do the trick.

LorilyKate

Please help!!!!

My DS is 5w2d and we have been EBF. I have had problems with cracked/painful nipples since pretty much day one and have been to see a LC several times. She had helped me with latch so I do not believe that's the issue. He gets on nice and wide. So now being this far into in my right nipple has fully healed and looks back to normal. My left nipple, however, looks and feels like it's been through a chopper! It started bleeding yesterday. I feel awful because when he spit up it was pink. I know they say a little blood won't hurt baby but it's definitely hurting me! I've decided to pump that side for a day or two to let it heal. But I need to know how to fix it. Why just one side?

Any ideas?

Npetrous

LorilyKate said:

Please help!!!!

My DS is 5w2d and we have been EBF. I have had problems with cracked/painful nipples since pretty much day one and have been to see a LC several times. She had helped me with latch so I do not believe that's the issue. He gets on nice and wide. So now being this far into in my right nipple has fully healed and looks back to normal. My left nipple, however, looks and feels like it's been through a chopper! It started bleeding yesterday. I feel awful because when he spit up it was pink. I know they say a little blood won't hurt baby but it's definitely hurting me! I've decided to pump that side for a day or two to let it heal. But I need to know how to fix it. Why just one side?

Any ideas?

I was having a lot of pain even though the latch was good. I started using a nipple shield. At first I felt a little guilty about it, but my lactation consultant eased my mind. They are still getting breastmilk and you have to survive! Now my nipples are good and u don't dread feelings!

lizzielu82

I have a pumping question for you ladies - what level do you normally pump at? I generally do one of the lower levels (mostly out of fear) but only get around 2oz. Seeing that a lot of you get much more makes me think maybe I need to increase the level.

jessa1228

lizzielu82 said:

I have a pumping question for you ladies - what level do you normally pump at? I generally do one of the lower levels (mostly out of fear) but only get around 2oz. Seeing that a lot of you get much more makes me think maybe I need to increase the level.

I only do the next step up from min. I haven't even tried the other levels.

NunyaBennis

lizzielu82 said:

I have a pumping question for you ladies - what level do you normally pump at? I generally do one of the lower levels (mostly out of fear) but only get around 2oz. Seeing that a lot of you get much more makes me think maybe I need to increase the level.

I keep it pretty low, too. Some days I'm lucky to get 2oz & others I may get 7! ...but most often it's finally evened out to around 3oz.

Dial it up to the point it borders discomfort, then knock it back a notch.

CarrieAnne09

My LO has been eating every hour today. I feel like this is our new normal and I don't know if something is wrong... I can hand express milk all the time so it doesn't seem like I'm low on milk. I just don't know what it is.

mockingjay1

NunyaBennis said:

lizzielu82 said:

I have a pumping question for you ladies - what level do you normally pump at? I generally do one of the lower levels (mostly out of fear) but only get around 2oz. Seeing that a lot of you get much more makes me think maybe I need to increase the level.

I keep it pretty low, too. Some days I'm lucky to get 2oz & others I may get 7! ...but most often it's finally evened out to around 3oz.

Dial it up to the point it borders discomfort, then knock it back a notch.

I agree with the above. Turn it up until it's uncomfortable then back down a notch. I only use the second suction setting, but I'm super sensitive.

AnnieRoo13

lizzielu82 said:

I have a pumping question for you ladies - what level do you normally pump at? I generally do one of the lower levels (mostly out of fear) but only get around 2oz. Seeing that a lot of you get much more makes me think maybe I need to increase the level.

I get a lot while pumping and I also dial up until I feel slightly uncomfortable as then dial it back one. Some days I seem to be able to handle a higher setting than others so it varies day by day.

staugustinewedding

flutterbuggie said:

k8isgreat said:

Having trouble with ds satisfaction. He is a latching champ. He has been feeding every hour or so and never seems to be satisfied. I was getting him down for about 3 hours in the morning when we brought him home, but now he has been getting really frustrated during feedings. Through most of the day it is ok, and I seem to be making a sufficient amount of milk. However towards the end of the night he starts getting really fussy. He's latched on feeding then all of a sudden he's unlatched, arched back and screaming. Then he does this baby bird thing pecking at me re-latches just to repeat the frustration flailing again. I feel like I'm not making enough to make him happy. Thoughts?

Emily will do that when she has a burp. Once I get that out of her she usually continues on with the feed as normal. Or sometimes she will do that if she's done eating but doesn't seem to know what she wants. If I take her off and she seems content after (and she has had a lot of good swallows before that) then I assume she is done.

ETA- also in the evening you naturally have less milk and a slower letdown so sometimes they will get frustrated it's not coming fast enough. When that happens I'll just keep switching sides so she doesn't get frustrated.

Exactly this! I could have written it word for word.

rox825

I've read through these since the thread started but didn't look back through all 12 pages to see whether this has been mentioned, sorry if it's repetitive.  I've started to get some weird breast pain in between feedings, it's like a sharp stabbing, almost electric shock like pain and I get it in both breasts at the same time here and there, never while breastfeeding but at random times in between.  Has anyone else had this or know what it might be?  TIA!

jessa1228

rox825 said:

I've read through these since the thread started but didn't look back through all 12 pages to see whether this has been mentioned, sorry if it's repetitive.  I've started to get some weird breast pain in between feedings, it's like a sharp stabbing, almost electric shock like pain and I get it in both breasts at the same time here and there, never while breastfeeding but at random times in between.  Has anyone else had this or know what it might be?  TIA!

It could be your let down. I randomly let down (usually if it's been a while since DS has fed) and it feels like an electric shock.

ETA: I rarely feel my let down in the breast that DS is feeding from, but I definitely feel it on the other side he's not on and when they randomly decide to let down.

kfo22

jessa1228 said:

rox825 said:

I've read through these since the thread started but didn't look back through all 12 pages to see whether this has been mentioned, sorry if it's repetitive.  I've started to get some weird breast pain in between feedings, it's like a sharp stabbing, almost electric shock like pain and I get it in both breasts at the same time here and there, never while breastfeeding but at random times in between.  Has anyone else had this or know what it might be?  TIA!

It could be your let down. I randomly let down (usually if it's been a while since DS has fed) and it feels like an electric shock.

ETA: I rarely feel my let down in the breast that DS is feeding from, but I definitely feel it on the other side he's not on and when they randomly decide to let down.

I feel that too! Right now, actually. I never feel stinging when nursing, just in between. When she's nursing, it feels more like a warm tingling sensation.

rox825

Thanks for the replies, hopefully if it's let down it'll get less painful eventually! I'll mention it at my PP appointment too.