Breastfeeding
Karenpreggo
member
FTM questions
Karenpreggo
member
LO is 10 days old today and is a VERY good feeder- strong latch, big swallows, etc. My questions are:
1. We are on demand feeding - works out to every 90 min to 2 hrs. Sometimes he nurses for 20 min, sometimes more like 11. After he's done with the first breast, he's pretty well done. My doctor's go-home sheets say he should nurse on both. In order to do this, I think Id have to pull him off the first early. Which is a bigger concern - not getting the hind milk or not nursing both breasts each time?
2. It seems like he's still getting plenty of milk - lots of urine and stool - but my breasts arent hard anymore... is that ok?
3. Hes a terrible burper... any tips?
1. We are on demand feeding - works out to every 90 min to 2 hrs. Sometimes he nurses for 20 min, sometimes more like 11. After he's done with the first breast, he's pretty well done. My doctor's go-home sheets say he should nurse on both. In order to do this, I think Id have to pull him off the first early. Which is a bigger concern - not getting the hind milk or not nursing both breasts each time?
2. It seems like he's still getting plenty of milk - lots of urine and stool - but my breasts arent hard anymore... is that ok?
3. Hes a terrible burper... any tips?
Re: FTM questions
As for burping tips, sit him on your knee with a leg on either side facing away from you. Lean him slightly forward and support his head with your hand under his chin. Use your other hand to pat/rub in an upward direction. YouTube also have a plethora of techniques!
im not sure what you mean exactly about your breasts not being hard anymore but Im going to guess and say your milk evened out and you're just no longer engorged. Just wait- when baby starts sleeping long stretches at night you'll wake up with them rock hard
2. Your breast will get less swollen and engored when the milk production starts to get more regulated and evened out. When LO starts to go longer between feedings or after cluster-feedings you'll notice they'll be a little hard again since you either aren't feeding when your body thinks it time or producing you're more milk.
3. You may need to insert a burp break during feeding. Signs of that can be that LO is fuzzy and f.ex let's go of the breast to cry/scream/showing discomfort before trying to relatch again (since LO is still hungry). I usually put LO on my chest or over my shoulder, a few pats on the bum, then a couple strokes starting at her bum and all the way up to the top of her shoulder blades and after that I'll lightly tap her between her shoulder blades with my finger tips (I start the tapping just a little below the shoulder blades, follow her spine and taps up to her neck). I repeat this a few times.
Hardness or engorgment doesn't mean much.
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2. They softened for me once my supply regulated. It was glorious.
3. None of my breastfeeders ever burped much, wasn't an issue. If you're concerned about too little burping, as long as baby seems happy I wouldn't be.
2) that just means that your boobs are figuring out when they need milk and how much. Hard boobs mean you have too much. I usually only have hard boobs in the morning because she sleeps for so long
3) mine is not a big burper and never has been. If she's not acting fussy while/after eating, I don't even bother
ETA: burper, not burger lol
I gave both boobs the first two weeks, or I at least tried to...if LO was still awake when she unlatched from one boob, I'd stick her on the other. But she rarely wanted it. About two weeks into it, I just started giving her one side at a time. I had oversupply, so I just think she didn't NEED to switch mid-feed, since she was still getting as much as she wanted. I would switch sides each feed. or, if LO for some reason went 3+ hours between feeds, I'd pump one side to build my freezer stash. I liked feeding from only one side at a time...it allowed me to get a freezer stash together without worrying about LO wanting to eat right after I had pumped and me not having anything for her...I would only pump one side and know that the other side would be ready when she was.
I will warn that at the 6 month mark I decided I had enough of a stash and regulated back down to a smaller 5-ish ounce daily surplus. I maybe wish I had waited longer to do that? I didn't take into account that as the months went on, I would make less milk. I operated at a daily deficit starting around 8-9 months. I had mastitis a few times in there as well which probably contributed to the deficit. But my frozen supply got me through. I was just hoping to be able to give her frozen milk well past a year even when I won't be pumping anymore, and that will probably not be able to happen at this point. I may be able to give her her first morning bottle of BM until 13 months and then i'll be all out.
LO was always a bad burper after nursing too. She was better after a bottle. they don't take in as much air when nursing, so I would try for a few minutes and then figure she was fine.