January 2016 Moms

Breast/formula feeding Q&A and support

2

Re: Breast/formula feeding Q&A and support

  • tyidin1 said:
    tyidin1 said:
    When I was in the hospital I asked the LC about a nipple shield and they basically said there's no guarantee it'll work. But she has her first appointment on Monday and I'm going to ask my pediatrician to recommend another LC so we can really get some help. I always feel like I'm not giving her enough 
    So I went ahead and got the nipple shield anyway and she's finally nursing. It hurt so good.....I had tears in my eyes I was so happy
    Nipple shields worked for me too. At 11 days yesterday she finally latched onto the shield. Not to up my lousy milk supply and I'll be happy! 
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  • So, I have good milk supply, sometimes too much and LO is a really efficient nurser. I also have super nipples that spray him in the face if he unlatches during a feeding. DH and I want to start splitting up feedings at night by letting DH give him a bottle at one of his feedings. The problem seems to be that if I let him do that my boobs are so full and engorged that I can't function and end up having to pump in the middle of the night anyway. Has anyone else had this problem and how did you deal with it? I don't mind having to get up to feed LO every time, but DH really likes the bonding time of feeding him, not just being the bad guy who changes his diaper.
  • @Cricket99 when LO is older you can skip a feeding and not pump but when they're this young and you're establishing supply you should be pumping anytime LO would take a feeding anyway. Engorgement definitely is no fun, especially once they Sttn!
  • @Achae thanks! I have a bit of an oversupply, so I guess DH is just going to have to deal for now... Problem is that I'm engorged in the middle of the night anyway as LO sleeps for 4 hours at a stretch. Hopefully my supply regulates and goes down a little. 
  • livinslivins member
    edited February 2016
    @Cricket99 I have an oversupply and actually have to pump after LO is done on the boob and actually DH will give her that if she'll take it. She seems to be an efficient nurser as well. For one side I actually pump at night only before she gets up and will either give her the bottle or hand it over to DH since she seems to get extremely frustrated with latching (flat nipple side). 

    ETA: I go back to sleep if DH is bottle feeding. Gives me an extra 30 minutes or so!
  • Hey guys. I gave birth on Saturday and have been exclusively breastfeeding. However, at my baby's first Dr visit today, we found out my milk has not completely come in yet so he has not been gaining weight. He actually has lost more than normal. So I have to supplement with formula and go back to the Dr to check his progress on Friday. I am especially sad because the past couple nights he has been screaming and I've been barely able to calm him..  I thought it was just due to severe gas pains.. But turns out that he is just super hungry :'( I was about to cry in the Dr office when I heard this. The Dr told me to have him latch and then give him a bottle of formula after. I really hope this is temporary and I can go back to exclusively breastfeeding. Has this happened to anyone? She said by now my breasts should feel more enlarged and heavy but mine haven't got to that point yet. 
  • This happened to me too. Gave birth on Thursday and Monday when we went to the pediatrician she had lost a pound. Dr told me to give breastfeeding some more time. When we went back Wednesday and she was still losing doc said it was time to supplement with formula. It is going well with formula and breastfeeding. I am doing everything I can think of to try and boost my milk supply!it has actually made things easier to supplement since my husband can help feed in the middle of the night 
  • My baby is 4 weeks as of yesterday and is EBF. My pediatrician recommended introducing a bottle with pumped milk around this time that way in the future we will have that option if I need to go somewhere or husband wants to feed the baby in the middle of the night and things like that. Anyone have any advice for how to go about this? I am TERRIFIED to do so and sooo worried it will mess up breastfeeding. I have had mastitis and am still healing pretty badly cracked nipples (finally healing! Yay). It's taken me a long time to get to a decent place with breastfeeding and a ton of work so I am really scared to mess it up! I most likely am over thinking this and it is something I want to do I know I don't have to! But I'm so scared!! Lol 
  • @littleduck730 that happened to me. DD lost 14% of her body weight in 2 days. My milk came in on day 5 and she immediately started gaining weight! Even without supplementing with formula. 

    @kaym6 I just introduced a bottle at 5 week and everything was just fine. I didn't have enough in the bottle for a whole feeding and she went from bottle to latching with no issues!  
  • @hailees thank you!!! I think that's all I needed to hear because I've already read ten million tips articles about introducing a bottle! Lol 
  • I attended a BF class offered at the hospital I delivered at and the nurse/LC that conducts the class also does daily videos on periscope. They range from q&a to demos etc. wanted to pass along her Twitter/periscope handle for anyone that is interested in following her. 
    @salonmaire

  • @kaym6 I pumped and bottle fed one bottle a day with my first starting at 4 weeks and I have done the same with this one. Supply is still great as I pump each time she eats. No nipple confuson either 
  • @littleduck730 this is what I'm dealing with as well. My little one lost a lb in the first week. met with a LC and got a lot of tips and tricks to help increase my supply. When I went back in after a few days he was maintains weight but still not gaining. My pedi said that means he is getting 80% of what he needs. So he is also having me give 1oz of formula after two feeds a day and then supplementing out the 11:00pm fed with straight formula. To make sure he has a full belly for bed time and where it will be a feeding that will go away in a couple months anyways it won't drastically effect my supply long term. Just hoping my milk will come in higher supply soon because it's heartbreaking knowing that I can't provide everything he needs right now. 
  • @ainverso oh awesome, thank you! That's exactly what I was thinking of doing :smile: 
  • EbiejayEbiejay member
    edited February 2016
    @littleduck730  Same thing here, my son lost 10% the first couple days and the first night home was so rough because he was so hungry. The pediatrician had us start supplementing, and the lactation consultant said to pump after each feed too. Feeding time is a long process right now between nursing, bottle feeding (pumped and formula) and pumping, but he put his weight back on fast so at least it's working. I'm hoping to be able to drop either the formula or pumping soon but we'll see. A week later and I'm still only getting 1-1.5oz in a pump session.
  • Anyone having trouble with their nipple shields? The first day she latched perfectly....now we're moving backwards. She won't take it....I just really want to nurse my baby
  • tyidin1 said:
    Anyone having trouble with their nipple shields? The first day she latched perfectly....now we're moving backwards. She won't take it....I just really want to nurse my baby
    My LO decided she didn't like the shield so I tried taking it away and she nursed great ever since. Have you tried nursing her without it? 
  • tyidin1 said:
    Anyone having trouble with their nipple shields? The first day she latched perfectly....now we're moving backwards. She won't take it....I just really want to nurse my baby
    Try expressing some milk into the shield before latching. 
  • My little one will ise the shield perfectly at the breastfeeding clinic but not when I'm at home with her. I bave inverted nipples so she doesnt latch without it either 
  • had to use the nipple shield for awhile with my baby who is now 6 weeks old. She latched pretty good anyways but didn't seem happy unless I used the shield. I finally weaned her off of the shield. And now she latches great! Put your babies mouth up to your nipple and make sure her whole mouth is around it (you can pull down on her bottom lip or wait until she crying and put your nipple in her mouth) and then squeeze your boob to get some milk out. If she can get a taste she may start sucking more. Babies don't want to work for it because they've been taken care of inside you for so long. They don't know any better. So if they have to work for something they aren't gonna do it. So you really have to help them. Once they start doing it they will continue to do it. Good luck! 
  • SDaniels19SDaniels19 member
    edited February 2016
    I feel like we are backtracking with BFing which is so frustrating. LO is 18 days old- we used a shield since birth to help him latch since I am a little flat. Things were going fine up until I pumped last week with I think too much suction which caused some bleeding/cracking. That was finally healing, but a few days ago LO began to get frustrated with the shield and wouldn't open his mouth wide enough to properly latch, which led to some pain while nursing. Yesterday I decided to ditch the shield and thankfully was able to get him latched without it (yay!). However, now I am having more bleeding and cracking- everything about his latch looks right to me so now I don't know if it's caused by the incorrect latch when he was frustrated by the shield OR his latch now without it :neutral: . I'm seeing an LC Monday, but I'm so afraid I'm doing more damage to myself every time he nurses now since I'm not sure where the problem lies. It doesn't hurt now once he gets going, only when he initially latches and then afterwards. He wanted to nurse every hour from about 10-2:30 today, I'm afraid i wont be able to keep this up if the pain continues :(. Hoping for some good help from the LC Monday!

    ETA: post wasn't done yet
  • @SDaniels19 if it doesn't hurt whole nursing, it should be just from the cracked /bleeding from pumping. It should get better in a week or less. Babies initial latch and attempt to get letdown is painful if nipple a are sore. I experienced that with my first and lc encouraged me to keep nursing through the pain and give it a week to heal with a good latch. I nursed for 15 months after that 
  • @ainverso That is encouraging, thank you! I am hoping that is the case :smile: 
  • @SDaniels19 I had the same problem the first couple weeks. It was so bad I would almost cry from pain. It was a burning/stinging pain. It went away for me and now it doesn't hurt when she nurses 
  • Try expressing milk and rubbing it into your nipple when you finish. I don't use any nipple cream and that helped heal mine. Also, and this sounds horrifying, try to remove the scab as much as possible. @SDaniels19
  • I feel like we are backtracking with BFing which is so frustrating. LO is 18 days old- we used a shield since birth to help him latch since I am a little flat. Things were going fine up until I pumped last week with I think too much suction which caused some bleeding/cracking. That was finally healing, but a few days ago LO began to get frustrated with the shield and wouldn't open his mouth wide enough to properly latch, which led to some pain while nursing. Yesterday I decided to ditch the shield and thankfully was able to get him latched without it (yay!). However, now I am having more bleeding and cracking- everything about his latch looks right to me so now I don't know if it's caused by the incorrect latch when he was frustrated by the shield OR his latch now without it :neutral: . I'm seeing an LC Monday, but I'm so afraid I'm doing more damage to myself every time he nurses now since I'm not sure where the problem lies. It doesn't hurt now once he gets going, only when he initially latches and then afterwards. He wanted to nurse every hour from about 10-2:30 today, I'm afraid i wont be able to keep this up if the pain continues :(. Hoping for some good help from the LC Monday!

    ETA: post wasn't done yet
    Pain with initial latch is normal! Let some breast milk dry on your nipples and use lanolin between feedings.
  • kwentelakwentela member
    edited February 2016
    Anyone have a breastfed baby that tries to overeat? Tonight as I was doing bedtime routine with DS he spit up mid feeding after about 10 mins and immediately started rooting around so I burped and fed him again and 10 more mins he did the same thing, spit up prolly half an ounce and then immediately started rooting around and getting cranky. So I switched sides and 5 mins he spit a little more so I vetoed him eating more and rocked him to sleep. I didn't think breastfed babies really over fed, usually he feeds until he falls asleep but not tonight I guess  
  • @kwentela, my guy does this, also. I think he wants to comfort nurse and gets milk. Then burps, spits up, then wants to nurse again. Sometimes I can slip him a paci and he's okay with that. Other times he acts like it's the worst thing in the world and I just put him back on the boob. Now that he's a little older, he's figured out how to gently suck on just the nipple, which prevents him from getting much milk, if at all.
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
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  • I posted a few days ago about having to supplement with formula as my milk didn't come in in a timely manner and baby lost too much weight. Well, he has gained a good amount of weight so far and I've been trying to get him to breastfeed more. I have been bfing as long as he will bf and then offer him a bottle of formula to gain weight. The thing is, I want to go back to exclusively bfing. This morning, we seemed to have a good bfing session of 45 mins. I could hear him swallow. After the 45 mins I was thinking "he couldn't possibly need formula after this!" But... He was still hungry and drank 1.5oz of formula. Anyone have any ideas on what the problem could be? He latches very well. He just doesn't get enough milk from me? I know he is getting at least some because I hear swallowing noises. :( I just don't understand why he doesn't get filled up by my breast milk. Anyone else have this problem? 
  • @littleduck730 I haven't experienced that, but have you considered doing a weighted feed at your hospital, pediatricians office, or with an LC? That way you can see how many ounces he's getting in a feeding. 
  • just because he's drinking the formula doesn't mean he actually needs it- that's one of the "under supply" myths- that because baby downs a bottle means I'm not making enough. It is their instinct to suck and the milk they are getting forces them to swallow which leads to more sucking. Since you were having weight gain problems I think the suggestion of a weighed feed is great! Or you could try to slowly stop supplementing and see what that does to baby's weight gain and diaper output. Diaper output is by far the best signal of supply because even weight gain can vary, but weight gain would be the second set signal. Or you could not offer the bottle unless baby is rooting around for more- but even if baby is rooting around it still could just be for comfort and not necessarily hunger. If you choose to slow or stop the supplementation just keep good track of diapers! It sounds like you really are on the right track with good nursing sessions and hearing swallows 
  • MommyduclosMommyduclos member
    edited February 2016
    Also if he's rooting you can just keep on nursing instead of offering the bottle- you will be telling your body to make more and will likely signal another let down. As long as your body is making milk you just need to tell your body to make more milk and supplementing, while can be necessary actually goes against the nursing relationship because your feeding the baby milk that your body isn't being told to make. In my breastfeeding groups we usually recommend a "nursing vacation" for these things. Just hang out all day with baby skin to skin and nurse all day- seriously all day, even for a couple days. Have baby nurse absolutely as much as they will. This really tells your body to make more milk and I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised to see your body is more than capable of making what your baby needs!
  • just because he's drinking the formula doesn't mean he actually needs it- that's one of the "under supply" myths- that because baby downs a bottle means I'm not making enough. It is their instinct to suck and the milk they are getting forces them to swallow which leads to more sucking. Since you were having weight gain problems I think the suggestion of a weighed feed is great! Or you could try to slowly stop supplementing and see what that does to baby's weight gain and diaper output. Diaper output is by far the best signal of supply because even weight gain can vary, but weight gain would be the second set signal. Or you could not offer the bottle unless baby is rooting around for more- but even if baby is rooting around it still could just be for comfort and not necessarily hunger. If you choose to slow or stop the supplementation just keep good track of diapers! It sounds like you really are on the right track with good nursing sessions and hearing swallows 
    This! Many babies will actually overeat with a bottle because it's much more passive than BF so they don't really have to work for it. I would try weighing before and after a feeding to get a better idea of how much he's getting but it sounds like you are on the right track!
  • Anyone have experience with an overactive letdown and oversupply? I'm guessing that's my issue and I almost didn't want to ask this as I know so many struggle with low supply however this past week he has been choking coughing and coming off the nipple because it's just coming out way too fast. I've read every single article and tried everything (reclined nursing, every position imaginable, taking him off during letdown, taking breaks) starting to get desperate because he gets so frustrated and can't even last 2 minutes without it overwhelming him and I'm starting to feel awful water boarding my baby with my breast milk at every feeding! Any secrets to dealing with this? 
  • My son is exactly 4 weeks today and I left my son with my husband for several hours and his first feeding while I was gone he ate 4oz like nothing. I EBF so never have any idea how much he eats but know he is getting enough based on him chunking up and diapers. For those who are bottle feeding does this seem crazy excessive? He didn't spit it up either.
  • @hailees @WineBaby122 @Mommyduclos thanks ladies for your answers! Great advice!! The weighted feed and the nursing vacation that was mentioned are brilliant ideas! Will try these out! <3 
  • @bbrownlee1 my little one is 6 weeks old and eats 4 oz bottles . She only eats 6-7 times a day nursing and one of those is a breastmilk in a bottle. 
  • @SDaniels19 I had the same issue of sore cracked nipples from previous injury to them (Tongue tie in our case) that took awhile to heal because of constant nursing despite good latch. The irritated skin and sores just took a long time to heal because baby boy was constantly on there!!
    My LC recommended being topless or in a loose tshirt as much as possible (all day all night no bra!) and slathering on the nipple cream (prescription or lanolin or both) as often as possible. Like as OFTEN AS POSSIBLE. This REALLY helped! I never realized that a tight-ish nursing bra would inhibit healing as much as it was. Just wear some old tank tops that you don't mind getting super grease stains on from all the nipple creaming! 
    I also use the Bamboobies nursing pads instead of disposable as they are less irritating. 
  • I read a small excerp on kellymom about this, but can't find any advice on how to handle. I seem to have no letdown sensation, and I can't tell if LO is getting enough. I know he's getting something because of wet and dirty diapers, but he gets so cranky and fussy after nursing, I just don't know what to do. I burp him after each side, tried gripe water and gas drops, even the binky yet he still roots around like he's hungry. I'll do hand expression to see if I'm empty, because again no sensation of being full or empty, and if anything comes out I'll let him nurse more, but most of the time I don't get anything. We have our 1 month appointment on Friday, and I plan to ask about seeing an LC since the hospital we were at didn't have one, but has anyone else experienced this? I feel like I can't make a good decision about continuing to EBF or to supplement. 

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