@sarahgn you'd need to look at the alcohol units of the liquor (I think its something like 12oz of beer = 4-6oz of wine = 1-2oz liquor, all of course dependent on actual percent alcohol or proof). The blood alcohol charts generally define how long it takes a person of your gender and weight to metabolise the alcohol. From the reviews of the BM test trip I think you just have to make sure you follow the directions as far as timing the test strip. Most complaints seemed to be people that read the test to early or to late (or seemed upset they easily passed). Alternating drinks with water or soft drinks is a good strategy to slow down too.
Since the holidays are imminent, even started, many of you may want to have a couple of alcoholic drinks. You do not have to "pump and dump" (a terrible expression) afterwards and you don't have to wait a certain time after your more recent drink in order to restart breastfeeding. The amount of alcohol that gets into the milk is tiny and will not hurt the baby.
Think of it this way, in most jurisdictions, you are too impaired to drive if you have 0.05% alcohol in your blood. Alcohol appears in the milk in the same concentration as in the blood. Thus if you have 0.05% alcohol in your blood you will have 0.05% alcohol in your milk and as it decreases in your blood, it will decrease in your milk. Even de-alcoholized beer sold in my local store has 0.6% alcohol, more than 10x more than the breastmilk will contain if it contains 0.05% alcohol.
I am not saying it's fine to get falling down drunk because if you are breastfeeding, you must not drop the baby, but the problem is your coordination not the amount of alcohol in the milk.
Also from last year:
The following is from a blog by a mother who tested her milk for alcohol. Not one of those useless kits that you can buy at various stores, but tested at a toxicology laboratory. I will copy from her blog the method she used and the results. I think this puts the lie to the notion that women should not drink while breastfeeding or need to "pump and dump" (an appalling term) after having even one drink. The following is an exact quote from her blog:
Method: First I took a sample of my milk (about 1 mL) prior to drinking any alcoholic beverage. I expressed the milk mid-nursing session to ensure I had a goodly portion of fore & hind milk. After completing the nursing session, I mixed myself an alcoholic beverage consisting of 2 oz of 80 proof (40%) vodka in 10 oz of soda (Sprite). I proceeded to drink the entire 12 oz in about 30 minutes. About 30 minutes after finishing (1 hour after beginning to drink), I expressed some milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it 'immediate'. I then waited 1 hour and expressed more milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it '2 hours'. In the 2 hours (from the beginning), I did not drink any more alcoholic beverages, drink other beverages, or eat any other foods. Another day, 1/2 of a beer (4.3% alcohol) and 2-6 oz glasses of wine were consumed within 1.5 hours. About an hour from the beginning of the last drink, a milk sample (about 1 mL) was taken. This sample was labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks'. Another sample was taken about an hour after that (2 hours after the beginning of the last drink). This sample was labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks'.
The samples were stored in the refrigerator until processing. An Agilent headspace instrument was used to run the tests. Propanol and ethanol standards were also tested to ensure the instrument was within limits. The instrument is maintained by the KSP Lab Toxicology Section and used in forensic determinations of blood and urine alcohol content.
Results: The sample labeled as 'immediate' registered as 0.1370 mg/mL which correlates to 0.01370% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours' registered as 0.0000 mg/ml which correlates to 0.0000%. The sample labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks' registered as 0.3749 mg/mL which correlates to 0.03749% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks' registered as 0.0629 mg/mL which correlates to 0.00629% alcohol in the sample.
Conclusion: The alcohol content in breast milk immediately after drinking is equivalent to a 0.0274 proof beverage. That's like mixing 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) with 2919 oz of mixer . By the way, 2919 oz is over 70 liters. Two hours after drinking one (strong) drink the alcohol has disappeared from the sample. Completely harmless to the nursing infant. Drinking about 3 drinks in 1.5 hours resulted in higher numbers, but still negligible amounts of alcohol would be transferred to the child. One hour after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was the equivalent of 0.07498 proof beverage. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) to 1066 oz of mixer (1066 oz is over 26 liters). Two hours after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was 0.01258 proof. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka to 3179 oz of mixer (over almost 80 liters). So, even though an infant has much less body weight, any of these percentage of alcohol in breast milk is unlikely to adversely affect the baby.
Okay baby was pooping after almost every feed...then i added supplement formula (similac brand) and now she hasnt pooped in two days. I get like half an oz from both combined when i pump. She does pee at least 6-8 times a day...good full wet diapers...light colored urine. I strted reglan yesterday in hopes to up my milk supply so i can stop the 1-1.5 oz of supplement formula. Anyone else having this issue???
Okay baby was pooping after almost every feed...then i added supplement formula (similac brand) and now she hasnt pooped in two days. I get like half an oz from both combined when i pump. She does pee at least 6-8 times a day...good full wet diapers...light colored urine. I strted reglan yesterday in hopes to up my milk supply so i can stop the 1-1.5 oz of supplement formula. Anyone else having this issue???
If the issue is with decreased dirty diapers after switching to formula, I've always been told it was expected. We did find with DS that Gerber formula (they have one for supplementing but we used gentle) is a little better at keeping their stool closer to what it is with breastfeeding.
So i finally broke down and called a lactation consultant to come visit my home because a week and a half of sore and cracked nipples had me at my wits end. I just wasn't making enough progress on my own. I have to say it was the best decision! She watched me as I nursed as usual and immediately noticed the latch was too shallow, and I was shocked at how forcefully I need to shove her mouth onto my boob. I NEVER would have tried pushing it in that hard, but wow... Made a HUGE difference! And LO doesn't seem to mind. We also worked on angling the nipple towards the roof of her mouth and aiming for the back of the pallet. All my nursing sessions since have been pain free.
The LC said I must have a high pain tolerance to last this long since my nipples are in such bad shape, and my LO is gaining weight despite my pain levels. I'm now using cortisone on them to try to speed up healing. If you're struggling I highly recommend a LC.
Okay baby was pooping after almost every feed...then i added supplement formula (similac brand) and now she hasnt pooped in two days. I get like half an oz from both combined when i pump. She does pee at least 6-8 times a day...good full wet diapers...light colored urine. I strted reglan yesterday in hopes to up my milk supply so i can stop the 1-1.5 oz of supplement formula. Anyone else having this issue???
Okay baby was pooping after almost every feed...then i added supplement formula (similac brand) and now she hasnt pooped in two days. I get like half an oz from both combined when i pump. She does pee at least 6-8 times a day...good full wet diapers...light colored urine. I strted reglan yesterday in hopes to up my milk supply so i can stop the 1-1.5 oz of supplement formula. Anyone else having this issue???
We have this same issues and it stresses me out/still does. She really struggles to poo but she isn't getting enough breast milk so we have to supplement. My doc and ped said it's fairly normal when you add in formula but try to switch your formula until you find one that works.
For those of you who are NOT using a milk saver contraption, what are you doing for the leakage? I ordered a milkies milk saver but it's not in yet. Now I'm up feeding my LO and my unused boob is leaking like crazy - my shirt is soaking wet. Are you all just wearing disposable pads 24/7, even to bed?
@esscapelle Yes, I wear disposable pads 24/7. I like the Lansinoh brand ones. There are several reusable options such as lilypadz (sp?) and bamboobies and more.
Another option my mom has said she did is hold a collection bottle under your off side to catch the letdown while your baby feeds.
For those of you who are NOT using a milk saver contraption, what are you doing for the leakage? I ordered a milkies milk saver but it's not in yet. Now I'm up feeding my LO and my unused boob is leaking like crazy - my shirt is soaking wet. Are you all just wearing disposable pads 24/7, even to bed?
You can try using the arm on the side that is leaking to apply a little counter pressure to that breast.... Helped a ton with my first.
I'd recommend getting a nipple sheild for the first week of bf. That first week is probably the hardest, your nipples are getting used to it all and that's when you tend to get really sore. You can get it at target... A clear plastic/latex-y thing. It will help when your nips are raw. Breast pads will come in handy too. After a few months of bf-ing mine stopped leaking.
Like everyone is saying, just relax, stay hydrated. Once you get into the swing of things, it really becomes a nice, relaxing, bonding time for you both!
I bf my son for 2 1/2 years, and yes it's a fantastic way to loose all of your pregnancy chub + some. good luck!
How do you know what size shield to get. I got a medium but I'm afraid she's swallowing too much air with it. I ordered a small yesterday for DH to pick up in store. Will try that one too. Not sure how I should know the size and how I can make sure DD does not end up with stomach issues from all the air. My left nipple is very sore and it helps a lot with that but it seemed she had a lot more very loud burps after than without the shield and she cried during the burps.
Thanks everyone. The only reason I would consider pumping and dumping is to maintain my supply, as I will be 6 weeks PP at the time and don't want it to decrease if I had to withhold breastfeeding more than a few hours. I won't be having more than a couple because I'm sure I'm lightweight after not consuming for over a year, hopefully I'll only have to skip one feeding.
Also, I just worked through a really horrible clogged duct and thought I would share incase it would be helpful to someone else. Two days ago my left breast was slightly tender but didn't think much of it. Woke up yesterday and it was swollen with a hard lump and felt bruised. I tried letting LO nurse on that side first after hot compresses and massages, it didn't budge. I tried pumping that side after all the heat I could stand and massaging even more, but nothing. I stopped nursing him on that side because it was too painful and he wasn't able to draw anything out even with his crazy strong suck, however I did keep pumping to keep up supply. Pumping was more comfortable because I could easily stop when it became unbearable. I thought I got it unclogged last night because there was a big gush of milk that flowed fast and furious. I pumped until I could get anymore, then tried hand expressing to make sure it was empty. I expected it to be sore and slightly swollen this morning but it was so much worse. I considered going to the urgent care incase it was mastitis. I wanted to avoid that. I took a hot shower, massaged the area with soap for as long as I could stand, hand expressed in the shower attempting to get it flowing then kept heat on it after getting out. I got on all fours hoping gravity would work with me and pumped that way while alternating massages and heat. It was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. A minute or two after let down the milk started shooting out so fast that I could feel my duct draining. It took 20 minutes to totally empty that breast and deplete the duct. It's been a couple of hours now and the tenderness is subsiding and the duct still feels empty.
Hey here is a question... So if your baby can drink x units from a bottle in 10 minutes, is it reasonable to assume she can breastfeed the same amount or similar in 10 minutes? I know nipples on bottles don't totally mimic the breast and every bottle and breast is different. But is it a fair comparison? For those of us getting a bit better and more regular at nursing (Olive has been mostly bottle fed breastmilk since day 1)
Also, I just worked through a really horrible clogged duct and thought I would share incase it would be helpful to someone else. Two days ago my left breast was slightly tender but didn't think much of it. Woke up yesterday and it was swollen with a hard lump and felt bruised. I tried letting LO nurse on that side first after hot compresses and massages, it didn't budge. I tried pumping that side after all the heat I could stand and massaging even more, but nothing. I stopped nursing him on that side because it was too painful and he wasn't able to draw anything out even with his crazy strong suck, however I did keep pumping to keep up supply. Pumping was more comfortable because I could easily stop when it became unbearable. I thought I got it unclogged last night because there was a big gush of milk that flowed fast and furious. I pumped until I could get anymore, then tried hand expressing to make sure it was empty. I expected it to be sore and slightly swollen this morning but it was so much worse. I considered going to the urgent care incase it was mastitis. I wanted to avoid that. I took a hot shower, massaged the area with soap for as long as I could stand, hand expressed in the shower attempting to get it flowing then kept heat on it after getting out. I got on all fours hoping gravity would work with me and pumped that way while alternating massages and heat. It was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. A minute or two after let down the milk started shooting out so fast that I could feel my duct draining. It took 20 minutes to totally empty that breast and deplete the duct. It's been a couple of hours now and the tenderness is subsiding and the duct still feels empty.
Something similar is happening on my right side today. Very painful hard lump and am not expressing any real amount with the pump I did earlier..
Babies drink faster from bottle than the breast. With the breast they have wait for the let down and work for it harder, but with a bottle it easier to get it flowing and faster. When Henry gets a bottle we offer 2 oz at first, the burp him. If he still acts hungry we offer one more ounce and so on until he is satisfied. We use preemie nipples for the slow flow and they help quite a bit because he moves between pumped milk and breast. He will be 4 weeks tomorrow and is starting to consistently drink 3 oz so we are starting to offer that amount now. Sometimes he will pass out after only 1 ounce. As long as baby is having adequate wet and dirty diapers it's best to follow their lead.
If you have a painful lump start working to free it now and don't wait too long. It gets so horribly painful. It crossed my mind a few times to be a one-sides nurser for the remaining time I was breastfeeding.
So my son is 5 days old now and I've never felt more confused about anything as I am with breastfeeding. So many mixed messages from my pediatrician to the lactation consultants we saw in the hospital. I've had several people tell me I need to be feeding 20 minutes each side per feeding, every 2-3 hours. I literally cannot force this on my son. He easily goes 4 hours without feeding and I TRY many times to get him to eat during that time but he's just not having it. Not to mention, latching has become such a struggle I could not imagine taking him off one breast after 20 min to try to get him to do the other when I could barely get him on the first. He is having the normal amount of wet and poopy diapers so seems to be getting what he needs but after reading thru this thread I'm worried his schedule will affect my supply. Anyone else have experience when it comes to this? I just don't know what to do. I don't know how people don't do this baby led and on a schedule this early because how the heck can I force him to eat?!
My LO will be 2 weeks tomorrow and sleeps 4-5 hours at a time. Then she will BF for two hours. I haven't tried to wake her up to eat. I remember asking my pedi this with my first and he said I would be crazy to wake a sleeping baby! If its during the day I'll pump while she's sleeping. If she sleeps that long at night I just sleep when she does and pump after bfing her. I have 4-5 bottles rotating in the fridge and no supply issues yet. Sorry to hear about your latching issues. My first LO never latched once so I EP.
After working with two LC they think my son has a tounge tie. I'm not happy about this but it makes perfect sense with all the issues we have been having. Anyone else have this? Has anyone gotten it clipped or lasered? How did you deal until you could get the procedure?
Breastfeeding has been such an emotional journey. My milk finally came in and it is such a relief. I was pumping what little amount of colostrum I had and supplementing with similac. So proud to say my LO has had nothing but breast milk today! I have extremely large nipples for her small mouth so we are just pumping for now. Hopefully I'll be able to breastfeed soon.
I know a lot of people say otherwise but my LC told me that air has no negative affect on babies. She actually recommended a method of bottle feeding where you let the nipple fill half milk half air if it isn't slow enough.
Does anyone else's milk vary greatly throughout the day? My daughter is 13 days old today, and my milk took a while to come in. At 12:30am I pumped 100 mL, at 3:00am I got 90 mL, and then after feeding her throughout the morning I got 70 mL at 11:30 am and only 20 mL at 2:30 pm (with no breast feeding from 11:30am - 2:30pm since my husband gave her a bottle while I ran errands). Just wondering if anyone else has such a big variance between morning and afternoon/evening pumping sessions.
Does anyone else's milk vary greatly throughout the day? My daughter is 13 days old today, and my milk took a while to come in. At 12:30am I pumped 100 mL, at 3:00am I got 90 mL, and then after feeding her throughout the morning I got 70 mL at 11:30 am and only 20 mL at 2:30 pm (with no breast feeding from 11:30am - 2:30pm since my husband gave her a bottle while I ran errands). Just wondering if anyone else has such a big variance between morning and afternoon/evening pumping sessions.
It's actually normal to produce more at night. It has to do with oxytocin production but I'm not 100% sure on the explanation.
My DD is almost 4 weeks old. I've been waking her up at night to eat every 3 hours because she only eats from one side at a time and I don't want to go too long without nursing. Should I be letting her sleep for however long she's able to at night? I don't want my supply to go down.
@JulieK79 That is a question that I think the doctor could give you the best answer to. They'll look at things like how baby is putting on weight to tell you how long baby can maybe go between feedings.
@JulieK79 That is a question that I think the doctor could give you the best answer to. They'll look at things like how baby is putting on weight to tell you how long baby can maybe go between feedings.
We have her one month appointment Monday so I'll be sure to ask him.
My DD is almost 4 weeks old. I've been waking her up at night to eat every 3 hours because she only eats from one side at a time and I don't want to go too long without nursing. Should I be letting her sleep for however long she's able to at night? I don't want my supply to go down.
@JulieK79 if it helps we had our 1 week pediatrician appt yesterday and I asked my dr the same thing because the night before my son slept almost 5 hours without waking up and I panicked. I asked my dr what I should be doing and he said NEVER wake a sleeping baby at night. If baby is starving he/she will obviously wake on there own (which my son was exact opposite last night and woke every hour haha). But he did say during the day we should be trying to wake him every 2-3 hours to eat
Edited to add that I also feed my baby from one side at a time right now because I have a really sleepy baby
So I have to start pumping soon due to having surgery at the end of January. I have been EBF and am just wondering when to pump. Do I do it right after LO gets done feeding or do I wait? I don't want him to not get enough because I'm pumping it all out. Any advice is welcome.
BFP #1 April 14th, 2014 MMC at 17weeks with a baby boy D&E
BFP # 2 March 23rd, Rainbow Baby Boy Jayce Michael born 12/9/15
BFP#3 January 26th EDD October 9th! Hoping for my girl!
The way I was explained is to add a session in the am. I pump a few times a day to get enough for a bottle 2-3oz and then again while he is being fed that and I freeze what I get then. But I have only done this twice so far so I can establish a supply for when I go back to work
i am a ftm and I've been trying to breastfeed my newborn. I get my lo to latch and he will feed for ten minutes then unlatch. Then he will want to latch again a couple minutes later. Does this mean that he isn't latched properly and not getting my milk or is he just getting used to working for his food? I feel like his latch is good but I'm not too sure. Has anyone else experienced this or have any advice on how to get him to be satisfied after feedings?
@brittbee0715 Have you tried burping him when he pulls back like that after the ten minutes? It may not be that he isn't still getting milk but babies tend to pull back when there's air they need to get out.
Any advice as to get DD off the nipple shield? I don't have inverted nipples but she hasn't been able to latch well with out the shield. I have started going to a BFing support group so I hope I can get help there. I was just wondering if anyone else has had experience with this?
Engorgement and pumping? Any experience or recommendations, when did your supply normalize?
My milk came in yesterday and it seems like it has made it harder for LO to BF...I'm sure after colostrum it feels like drinking from a fire hose. I just bought a second nipple shield and the avent shape worked better for us than the medela one did so I got LO to eat/latch for 15 minutes (it's been hard to get him to eat 7 minutes since my milk came in). FYI--LO was born at almost 9lbs and had his 5 day check up today and his weight is good, so my question is just about how dealing with the discomfort of engorgement and how to pump without making it worse?!
Anyway, I have been so full that I have needed to pump even after feeding the baby, I keep the setting low and try not to pump more than 10 minutes per side, I'm getting about 1-1.5oz on the side I fed LO on and 2-3oz on the other side, (which is typically about what it takes to work out what feels like may be the beginning of plugged ducts--which I'd really like to avoid (obviously)). I try to feed every 2-3 hours but it ends up closer to 3 just because LO is sleepy and not interested much sooner, I've pumped around every 3-4 hours on both sides, and I only pump until I'm no longer uncomfortable.
@TomekiaB after having major oversupply with my first I wanted to avoid the same this time. If you're pumping just to relieve engorgement rather than improve supply or to store expressed milk, I'd suggest focusing on feel rather than amount of time you pump or volume you get out. You don't want to empty the breast as it will increase supply and just make engorgement worse. I also found hot baths/showers and heated rice bags to help the pain of engorgement and helped with clogged ducts as well if I used heat just before nursing and massaged the area during. I hope you can get some relief. It took me about a week after my milk came in this time to regulate and pumping as little as possible really helped.
I'm having the same issues with engorgement. DD gets crazy frustrated, especially at night when she'll sleep 3-4 hours and then try to latch on while milk is dribbling/spraying out. She'll do about 10 min on one side. The LC I talked to said just pump for comfort and never empty. Right now I pump once at night and once in the morning. For some reason I'm the most full at those times. But I'm starting to get a sharp pain in my right breast, so I'm worried that I'm getting clogged.
My ped suggested pumping a couple of minutes before having DD latch, because she's starting to spit up and get gassy. My struggle with this is, do I just let her sit there and scream while I'm pumping? She doesn't have a consistent schedule, so I can't time it that way.
@mhuber223 When I've had to express before DD could latch, I hold her against me and snuggle for skin to skin while I hand express. The other side usually leaks enough with let down while she eats that I wouldn't need to express on it but would a little while she ate to make it easier.
@Mizuiro007 Thanks! I'm starting to think you're some kind of BFing sherpa.
Here's a dumb question. I'm not sure if I have a clogged duct/milk blisters or thrush or just nothing. What doctor do I call about that? My OB? Or like a family doctor? I know the ped is involved if it's thrush.
If anyone wants to take a stab at diagnosing in the meantime, I have a sharp pain on the outside of my right breast. It comes randomly, not worsening or getting better after I feed her. I have a sore nipple and what might be a milk blister, but I've also felt what could be described as a burn. I frequently have engorgement issues with this side. It does not hurt to nurse if DD is latched well. I can't find any hard spots to go with the pain. No white spots on my nipple. DD has no white, although get lips have seemef chapped. I also have anxiety, so I might be making a big deal out of nothing.
I found the family doctor was the best help with breastfeeding issues. Definitely have it checked out. What you're describing sounds a little like I've felt when I'm starting to get a clogged duct but it isn't blocked yet. I just treat it the same as if it was blocked with heat and will massage while nursing or pumping. It seems like it'll be more tender for a while after it feels like it cleared but then gets better.
For some reason I've always struggled with clogged ducts in the same area you said, the outside of my right breast. Anymore I've gotten in the habit of massaging there any time I nurse or pump to help keep it from building up.
^ive found that if my bras are too tight I get clogged duct right where you are describing. I use to wear sports bras and pull them down to nurse my LO but if my bra is tight I'll get a clogged duct.
@helen76d What type of bra did you switch to? I found the same after my first and most wear the seamless nursing bras now but it's actually been worse this time.
Re: Breastfeeding advice, questions, ect
From the reviews of the BM test trip I think you just have to make sure you follow the directions as far as timing the test strip. Most complaints seemed to be people that read the test to early or to late (or seemed upset they easily passed).
Alternating drinks with water or soft drinks is a good strategy to slow down too.
Since the holidays are imminent, even started, many of you may want to have a couple of alcoholic drinks. You do not have to "pump and dump" (a terrible expression) afterwards and you don't have to wait a certain time after your more recent drink in order to restart breastfeeding. The amount of alcohol that gets into the milk is tiny and will not hurt the baby.
Think of it this way, in most jurisdictions, you are too impaired to drive if you have 0.05% alcohol in your blood. Alcohol appears in the milk in the same concentration as in the blood. Thus if you have 0.05% alcohol in your blood you will have 0.05% alcohol in your milk and as it decreases in your blood, it will decrease in your milk. Even de-alcoholized beer sold in my local store has 0.6% alcohol, more than 10x more than the breastmilk will contain if it contains 0.05% alcohol.
I am not saying it's fine to get falling down drunk because if you are breastfeeding, you must not drop the baby, but the problem is your coordination not the amount of alcohol in the milk.
Also from last year:
The following is from a blog by a mother who tested her milk for alcohol. Not one of those useless kits that you can buy at various stores, but tested at a toxicology laboratory. I will copy from her blog the method she used and the results. I think this puts the lie to the notion that women should not drink while breastfeeding or need to "pump and dump" (an appalling term) after having even one drink. The following is an exact quote from her blog:
Method:
First I took a sample of my milk (about 1 mL) prior to drinking any alcoholic beverage. I expressed the milk mid-nursing session to ensure I had a goodly portion of fore & hind milk. After completing the nursing session, I mixed myself an alcoholic beverage consisting of 2 oz of 80 proof (40%) vodka in 10 oz of soda (Sprite). I proceeded to drink the entire 12 oz in about 30 minutes. About 30 minutes after finishing (1 hour after beginning to drink), I expressed some milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it 'immediate'. I then waited 1 hour and expressed more milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it '2 hours'. In the 2 hours (from the beginning), I did not drink any more alcoholic beverages, drink other beverages, or eat any other foods. Another day, 1/2 of a beer (4.3% alcohol) and 2-6 oz glasses of wine were consumed within 1.5 hours. About an hour from the beginning of the last drink, a milk sample (about 1 mL) was taken. This sample was labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks'. Another sample was taken about an hour after that (2 hours after the beginning of the last drink). This sample was labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks'.
The samples were stored in the refrigerator until processing. An Agilent headspace instrument was used to run the tests. Propanol and ethanol standards were also tested to ensure the instrument was within limits. The instrument is maintained by the KSP Lab Toxicology Section and used in forensic determinations of blood and urine alcohol content.
Results:
The sample labeled as 'immediate' registered as 0.1370 mg/mL which correlates to 0.01370% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours' registered as 0.0000 mg/ml which correlates to 0.0000%. The sample labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks' registered as 0.3749 mg/mL which correlates to 0.03749% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks' registered as 0.0629 mg/mL which correlates to 0.00629% alcohol in the sample.
Conclusion:
The alcohol content in breast milk immediately after drinking is equivalent to a 0.0274 proof beverage. That's like mixing 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) with 2919 oz of mixer . By the way, 2919 oz is over 70 liters. Two hours after drinking one (strong) drink the alcohol has disappeared from the sample. Completely harmless to the nursing infant. Drinking about 3 drinks in 1.5 hours resulted in higher numbers, but still negligible amounts of alcohol would be transferred to the child. One hour after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was the equivalent of 0.07498 proof beverage. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) to 1066 oz of mixer (1066 oz is over 26 liters). Two hours after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was 0.01258 proof. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka to 3179 oz of mixer (over almost 80 liters). So, even though an infant has much less body weight, any of these percentage of alcohol in breast milk is unlikely to adversely affect the baby.
The LC said I must have a high pain tolerance to last this long since my nipples are in such bad shape, and my LO is gaining weight despite my pain levels. I'm now using cortisone on them to try to speed up healing. If you're struggling I highly recommend a LC.
*edited because I pressed reply too early.
Another option my mom has said she did is hold a collection bottle under your off side to catch the letdown while your baby feeds.
Two days ago my left breast was slightly tender but didn't think much of it. Woke up yesterday and it was swollen with a hard lump and felt bruised. I tried letting LO nurse on that side first after hot compresses and massages, it didn't budge. I tried pumping that side after all the heat I could stand and massaging even more, but nothing. I stopped nursing him on that side because it was too painful and he wasn't able to draw anything out even with his crazy strong suck, however I did keep pumping to keep up supply. Pumping was more comfortable because I could easily stop when it became unbearable. I thought I got it unclogged last night because there was a big gush of milk that flowed fast and furious. I pumped until I could get anymore, then tried hand expressing to make sure it was empty. I expected it to be sore and slightly swollen this morning but it was so much worse. I considered going to the urgent care incase it was mastitis. I wanted to avoid that. I took a hot shower, massaged the area with soap for as long as I could stand, hand expressed in the shower attempting to get it flowing then kept heat on it after getting out. I got on all fours hoping gravity would work with me and pumped that way while alternating massages and heat. It was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. A minute or two after let down the milk started shooting out so fast that I could feel my duct draining. It took 20 minutes to totally empty that breast and deplete the duct. It's been a couple of hours now and the tenderness is subsiding and the duct still feels empty.
If you have a painful lump start working to free it now and don't wait too long. It gets so horribly painful. It crossed my mind a few times to be a one-sides nurser for the remaining time I was breastfeeding.
He is having the normal amount of wet and poopy diapers so seems to be getting what he needs but after reading thru this thread I'm worried his schedule will affect my supply.
Anyone else have experience when it comes to this? I just don't know what to do. I don't know how people don't do this baby led and on a schedule this early because how the heck can I force him to eat?!
Edited to add that I also feed my baby from one side at a time right now because I have a really sleepy baby
BFP #1 April 14th, 2014 MMC at 17weeks with a baby boy D&E
BFP # 2 March 23rd, Rainbow Baby Boy Jayce Michael born 12/9/15
BFP#3 January 26th EDD October 9th! Hoping for my girl!
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My milk came in yesterday and it seems like it has made it harder for LO to BF...I'm sure after colostrum it feels like drinking from a fire hose. I just bought a second nipple shield and the avent shape worked better for us than the medela one did so I got LO to eat/latch for 15 minutes (it's been hard to get him to eat 7 minutes since my milk came in). FYI--LO was born at almost 9lbs and had his 5 day check up today and his weight is good, so my question is just about how dealing with the discomfort of engorgement and how to pump without making it worse?!
Anyway, I have been so full that I have needed to pump even after feeding the baby, I keep the setting low and try not to pump more than 10 minutes per side, I'm getting about 1-1.5oz on the side I fed LO on and 2-3oz on the other side, (which is typically about what it takes to work out what feels like may be the beginning of plugged ducts--which I'd really like to avoid (obviously)). I try to feed every 2-3 hours but it ends up closer to 3 just because LO is sleepy and not interested much sooner, I've pumped around every 3-4 hours on both sides, and I only pump until I'm no longer uncomfortable.
Any ideas?
My ped suggested pumping a couple of minutes before having DD latch, because she's starting to spit up and get gassy. My struggle with this is, do I just let her sit there and scream while I'm pumping? She doesn't have a consistent schedule, so I can't time it that way.
Here's a dumb question. I'm not sure if I have a clogged duct/milk blisters or thrush or just nothing. What doctor do I call about that? My OB? Or like a family doctor? I know the ped is involved if it's thrush.
If anyone wants to take a stab at diagnosing in the meantime, I have a sharp pain on the outside of my right breast. It comes randomly, not worsening or getting better after I feed her. I have a sore nipple and what might be a milk blister, but I've also felt what could be described as a burn. I frequently have engorgement issues with this side. It does not hurt to nurse if DD is latched well. I can't find any hard spots to go with the pain. No white spots on my nipple. DD has no white, although get lips have seemef chapped. I also have anxiety, so I might be making a big deal out of nothing.
I found the family doctor was the best help with breastfeeding issues. Definitely have it checked out. What you're describing sounds a little like I've felt when I'm starting to get a clogged duct but it isn't blocked yet. I just treat it the same as if it was blocked with heat and will massage while nursing or pumping. It seems like it'll be more tender for a while after it feels like it cleared but then gets better.
For some reason I've always struggled with clogged ducts in the same area you said, the outside of my right breast. Anymore I've gotten in the habit of massaging there any time I nurse or pump to help keep it from building up.