breastfeeding/pumping check in

tbmadeamistake

Nursing and pumping can be really difficult, so I figured I'd start a check in thread for support, questions, what have you.

I bf C for six ish months, but almost five of those were ep (exclusively pumping). She had horrible latch issues that even the wonderful lc we saw couldn't figure out. Pumping and bottle feeding made a huge difference up until I couldn't emotionally deal with being tied to the pump anymore. This time I hope to nurse with no pumping.

We are four days out, my milk is in, and so far things are going well. I may call the lc becuase on one side its a dream, he latches and there is zero pain. The other side hurts like a bitch when he latches and for most of the feed. I've tried different positions. Nothing seems to help so maybe my nipple just needs time. I'm using lanolin as much as possible.

Where are you ladies in your boob journeys?

JujuB22

Parker and I are trying to nurse more and so far so good. He doesn't seem to care what he's given as long as he gets milk lol. Still working on the next hurdle, bf in public.

Cherylwang

I nursed my last 2 babes for about 4 months. This is my last baby and I hope to nurse much longer. My last DD was colicky and she screamed for hours every night. She wouldn't put the effort in to nurse and I only had a single pump at the time. I ended up giving up. I hope things are smoother. At the Hospital miss Ruby wouldn't stay latched. The LC at the hospital squirted a little similac glucose water in her mouth and she started right away. The LC nurse told me that sometimes they just need proof that something is there for them to put the effort in to nursing. I thought it was good advise. She sent me home with a little syringe and the glucose water and a couple drops did the trick for the first few days until my milk came in.... Oh and I agree one of my nipples is sore and the other isn't. Pumping seems much more painful than nursing. With my last DD it never hurt at all!

otter1103

Trying to nurse but MJ continues to show the characteristics of preemie feeding according to my LC, ie falling asleep at the boob, not as much active sucking. So I now must put a time limit on nursing sessions and let her fill up on pumped BM.
I really hope she will come around in the next few weeks because I do feel like cow hooked to a machine sometimes.

laramt

My milk came in yesterday and since then my areolas have become hard and engorged. When the LC's were checking in on me at the hospital they would squeeze my areolas and shove them in his mouth. Now I find that I can't do that because they're so hard! Milk leaks everywhere when I feed him. It's a giant mess! When my nipple is all the way out he latches no big deal. I think I'm going to have to pump for a few minutes beforehand and then BF. But what a hassle!

hjl050308

Thanks for starting this thread! I think it's a great idea.

I BF my first for 10 months, my second I couldn't BF because I had a retained placenta and ended up with e-coli and sepsis after I delivered. I'm BFing my new LO but it's not going as well as it did with my first. He's gotten better with falling asleep on the boob over the past few days. I still think my supply isn't that great. I don't feel engorged between feedings and have minimum leaking (I've read that these aren't reliable indicators for low supply earlier this week). He gets on and gulps and is then done around 10 minutes. I've always thought they're supposed to nurse for at least 15 minutes. He's still a bit jaundice and hasn't gotten back to birth weight (as of Tuesday hopefully he is by now) so the pedi is having me add a 2 ounce bottle of formula after two nursing sessions. I have a call into an LC for an appointment. Hoping I can keep up with it.

MNOpea

I don't know if I really count in this check in but I'm still nursing my 2 year old. We had a really rough couple of months where his latch was awful and nursing was painful. For 3 days he dropped down to just one nursing session a day (from 2) but then went back to 2. 4 days ago he seemed to have corrected his latch and nursing is no longer painful. I am thinking during the painful period he may have been dry nursing and now my colostrum is in so he's nursing better? Not sure. I am anxious that when baby arrives my 2 year old will want to nurse a lot more but other than that have no real fears about tandem nursing

Ashes92813

Thank you for starting this thread. I've had two meltdowns today because of this issue. She's struggling to latch consistently and can't latch without a nipple shield. My supply dropped off 5 days ago and I've tried almost every option to increase the supply: oatmeal, flax, massage, pump after feeding, pumping 10-12 times a day, ginger, beer and I even rented a hospital pump.

I don't give up easily but I feel like my body has really told me fuck you again. Gestational diabetes, severe Preclampsia, 50 hour induction and labor only to have a c-section. I don't know how much more I can take. Does anyone else feel this way? It's been 3 weeks and it's been a struggle the whole time. Le sigh .

brennan2721

I haven't been there.. But I'm sorry your going through this! Keep at it, drink tons of water and hopefully your supply will increase shortly! Stick with it!!

MNOpea

Ashes92813 said:

Thank you for starting this thread. I've had two meltdowns today because of this issue. She's struggling to latch consistently and can't latch without a nipple shield. My supply dropped off 5 days ago and I've tried almost every option to increase the supply: oatmeal, flax, massage, pump after feeding, pumping 10-12 times a day, ginger, beer and I even rented a hospital pump.

I don't give up easily but I feel like my body has really told me fuck you again. Gestational diabetes, severe Preclampsia, 50 hour induction and labor only to have a c-section. I don't know how much more I can take. Does anyone else feel this way? It's been 3 weeks and it's been a struggle the whole time. Le sigh .

Can I ask why you think your supply has dipped? I'm not an LC but there is typically a growth spurt around 3-4 weeks is it possible she is just extra hungry?

Savvy122

Definitely has been going much more smoothly than with C.  I've been using Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter and besides a little soreness, we haven't had any major issues.  Fatty has gained over 2 pounds already, so clearly we're doing something right!

One frustration I do have is that it takes for-freaking-ever to actually latch.  He'll latch, suck once or twice, and then pull away.  This triggers let-down, and then I leak all over the place, which makes everything even more difficult.  I'm not overly engorged and once he decides to latch, it's smooth sailing, but it probably takes anywhere from 2-10 minutes to actually get him on the boob.  Any ideas as to how to get him to latch more quickly/efficiently?

Ashes92813

@MNOpea‌, that's a good question. I have no idea. She is 3 weeks and is eating more and is up more. But, she's not exclusively breast feeding because she won't latch every time. My nipples are a real issue because they are small and flat and they can't pop out when they aren't stimulated. The nipple shield barely helps. I have to supplement two feedings a day, per doctor's orders.

MNOpea

@Savvy122‌ do you think you have a forceful let down? Maybe try hand expressing just a little and then try to have him latch?

Savvy122

MNOpea said:

@Savvy122‌ do you think you have a forceful let down? Maybe try hand expressing just a little and then try to have him latch?

I think I definitely do - he chokes/sputters pretty frequently while nursing (I've been nursing in a reclined position to try to fix this) and he's usually finished eating completely after about 10 minutes.  I've also noticed that when I pump, there's a ton of milk initially and then it stops coming out after about 5 minutes or so.  But the latching problems occur before my milk even lets down and when I try to hand express, nothing even comes out...?

tbmadeamistake

@Ashes92183, try stimulating your nipple by hand before offering it, get to perk up first.  Might help?  I'm sorry it's so hard, but you are doing awesome to give her any breast milk! 

chickpea912

Still struggling here. Same issues as with M. We have to supplement due to low supply, and all the extra stuff I'm doing doesn't seem to be helping. I'm going back to the support group next Wednesday to do a weighed feeding, but last week she only got an ounce and a half. Also, my left boob sucks and only produces 1/4 of what my right does.

kks4471

The first 3 days were complete agony for me.  I was crying while feeding, and thought that there was no way I could do this.  The LC said his latch was great, so we tried different positions.  Now that my milk has come in, there's a huge difference!  I'm no longer in agony, just a little tender from the engorgement.  I'm still trying to figure out his pattern though, it's very sporadic.  He'll go anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours in between feedings.  He feeds anywhere from 7 to 20 minutes.  Pediatrician thinks he has reflux do to his screaming pains while laying flat, maybe that has to do with the random feeding times?

ETA:  I'm using a nipple shield, which makes a good difference for me.

chickpea912

LoHerrim said:

I had zero issues BFing Evan. August? Totally different kid. He wants to play with my nipples, use them as pacifiers! When he is actually hungry, he latches great now and eats for 10-20 mins (when I pump for 7 mins I get 2oz from each side so I know it's enough). But I think sometimes he over indulges because he will spit up quite a bit. My left produces more than my right, but it did that last time, too. I did have to pump for an entire day because he wrecked my nipples. He likes to nurse for a few mins & fall asleep, then wake up a few minutes later & finish. Such a different experience this time around!

I'm having supply envy -- I wish I could get 2 oz total, let alone from each. ::sigh::

ELC252011

Thanks for starting this thread.
My dd has no problem latching on but will feed for 30-45 min. She falls asleep on the boob and nothing I do will wake her up. I've talked to a LC but I have a feeling I might not be producing enough. She makes enough dirty diapers so my LC isn't concerned about my supply, but I can't help to shake the feeling I'm not producing enough. Any one else have babies that will feed for longer periods of time?

roadspeckle

I have no previous experience, but LO has been nursing like a champ. I have a lot of milk, which is a blessing. My baby has reflux and unfortunately this makes him want to nurse more frequently than normal. I am exhausted as we have no real schedule. He will eat sometimes every 20 minutes to every 2 hours. My nipples are sore and I am tired but I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. I am also pumping once a day to build a supply when I go back to work. Breastfeeding is a lot of work. All you ladies are doing great.

LindsayDesigner

I nursed DD until she self-weaned at 14 months. I was glad I didn't have to actively wean her. It was hard getting the hang of BFing the first few months but I'm glad we stuck with it.

DS has been sooooo different. He latched on right away and seems more focused on eating. It was like pulling teeth to get DD to eat for longer than five minutes. I'm curious to see how long DS will want to nurse.

MNOpea

@ELC252011‌ my 2 year old was an epic nurser as a newborn. I often joke that we spent the newborn phase nursing 23/24 hours of the day. I bet your supply is fine and I'm sure your nursing sessions will get shorter with time!

otter1103

@ELC252011‌, my 2 week old does this. She can be wailing to eat and within 30 seconds of nursing she falls asleep. She'll still nurse but eventually I have to unlatch her to toward her up and she goes back to active nursing. I am working with my LC on this because an hour long nursing session just isn't the best answer. I hope she will eventually come around and nurse well for a solid shorter time frame. She was 3 weeks early to and LC said they can be lazy at nursing because of that.