1) Does one of your breasts produce more milk than the other? My left breast never gets engorged, like the right does. It does have milk though, but it is always soft. 2) I feel like we've had a breastfeeding setback… It had been going well, but for the past 48h he has been a hungry hungry hippo. He is literally draining me out. To make matters worse, he has had a regression in his feeding efficiency… He efficiently sucks for about 5 mins then spends a lot of time doing ineffective sucking (no swallowing) and falling asleep. Occasionally he picks up a few effective sucks again. Spending a lot of time on the boob doing this, and seems to remain hungry cause I think he is not taking the amount of milk he could have taken in that timeframe… Sigh.
1. Yes, one side has always produced more for me. Witb DD1 it switched back and forth which side it was a few times, but there has always been a noticeable difference.
2. Draining you out could be a growth spurt on its way. The "inefficient sucking" sounds like he's just comfort sucking. I usually detatch DD when I notice her doing this cause it means she's done eating, but if he seems hungry afterward, maybe try breast compressions to keep the milk flowing and see if he will keep nursing that way.
I do compression all the time... I don't think I ever nurse without compressing...
Well that's not helpful then. I always do compression too. Is it possible he's trying to get another letdown when he's suckling but not swallowing?
Your pump suction is all the way up? What kind of pump do you have and how are your nipples not being ripped off?
It's a Medela PISA. I turn it up gradually throughout the session so my last five-ish minutes are full power and I know I don't have super nipples because latching to BF still hurts for a few seconds. I recently read that sometimes production is actually better on a lower setting, so I'm going to try that this evening. I just really, really freaking hate pumping and I can't believe we haven't found something more efficient. If it didn't take so damn long I'd do it manually but ain't nobody got time for that.
Wow. I used my PISA for a year and a half and I don't ever think I used full suction... definitely not in the first six months.
Thanks ladies for the suggestions. I do strip him down and even tickle him to wake him up. I ended up pumping the worst boob because they are both pretty much bleeding through the shield. I massage my boob during each session to help feed him. The milk will eventually leak out instead of him taking it. Gonna try to push through a bit longer and only pump when really necessary. Pump actually feels so much better.
edited to add that I no longer care about being boobs out in front of MIL. These ladies need to air dry.
Your pump suction is all the way up? What kind of pump do you have and how are your nipples not being ripped off?
It's a Medela PISA. I turn it up gradually throughout the session so my last five-ish minutes are full power and I know I don't have super nipples because latching to BF still hurts for a few seconds. I recently read that sometimes production is actually better on a lower setting, so I'm going to try that this evening. I just really, really freaking hate pumping and I can't believe we haven't found something more efficient. If it didn't take so damn long I'd do it manually but ain't nobody got time for that.
Wow. I used my PISA for a year and a half and I don't ever think I used full suction... definitely not in the first six months.
If that's the case, I feel like mine is defective...
1) Does one of your breasts produce more milk than the other? My left breast never gets engorged, like the right does. It does have milk though, but it is always soft. 2) I feel like we've had a breastfeeding setback… It had been going well, but for the past 48h he has been a hungry hungry hippo. He is literally draining me out. To make matters worse, he has had a regression in his feeding efficiency… He efficiently sucks for about 5 mins then spends a lot of time doing ineffective sucking (no swallowing) and falling asleep. Occasionally he picks up a few effective sucks again. Spending a lot of time on the boob doing this, and seems to remain hungry cause I think he is not taking the amount of milk he could have taken in that timeframe… Sigh.
1. Yes, one side has always produced more for me. Witb DD1 it switched back and forth which side it was a few times, but there has always been a noticeable difference.
2. Draining you out could be a growth spurt on its way. The "inefficient sucking" sounds like he's just comfort sucking. I usually detatch DD when I notice her doing this cause it means she's done eating, but if he seems hungry afterward, maybe try breast compressions to keep the milk flowing and see if he will keep nursing that way.
I do compression all the time... I don't think I ever nurse without compressing...
Well that's not helpful then. I always do compression too. Is it possible he's trying to get another letdown when he's suckling but not swallowing?
He just had a good feed from both breasts this evening. My husband gave him a bottle at 3 pm so my poor nipples could rest, and after a good nap he had a bath and his "dinner" and was much more efficient. Maybe both of us just needed a little break to restart.
Just want to take a minute to bitch - we can send men to the freaking moon but we have yet to make a breast pump that actually mimicked the way a baby suckles? And whyTAF do I have to lean forward uncomfortably or be on all fours for my milk not to just flow back around my areola, so it actually collects in the little bottles? Am I an idiot or do these machines really still suck this badly?
I guess I lean forward a little, but it's not uncomfortable. Are you able to up your suction?
It's all the way up. I still have itty bitty titties, so I may buy angled sheilds to see if that helps because they just aren't big enough for the included shields to work well.
Have you considered using different sized flanges with your pump? It may be a fit issue.
I'm at the verge of calling it quits with BF and switching to only pumping. One of my nipples have bleed from day 1 and now they are both bleeding (4 days old). I have tried a nipple shield and I still bleed and hurt. My breast are so full and sore I can barely hold off to feed every 2 hours. LO loves to fall asleep during each session. I feed, he sleeps, I burp, I changed diaper (dirty every single session), try feeding again (different boob) and often have another dirty diaper. I have a ton of supply but he acts like hes starving because he sleeps and then it hurts way too much. Anyone have suggestions? I've spoken to a consultant yesterday and asked questions during my hospital stay. I feel so emotional and like a failure. I feel like all I do is "try" to feed, suffer with recovering from my section, and exhaust myself to only feel like I fail. I don't feel the same bonding with LO since I got home thanks to these super painful boobs. Everyone keeps saying I should wait for the pump but in the meantime I'm over here crying from the pain. Nothing helps! Any tips? I want to enjoy baby and feel like shit crying all the time.
Sorry things are going so rough. It seems like your milk probably just came in which is a weird adjustment time. BF in the first few weeks can be really stressful and emotional. Dirty diapers mean your LO is being fed so that's a good thing. Can you see a LC in person for some hands on help? Keep using the nipple shield to give yourself a break, use a balm to help them heal (I like Lansinoh), and stay on top of your pain meds. You can also use hot and/or cold packs to help. It's all normal and it gets better so don't feel like a failure!
Just want to take a minute to bitch - we can send men to the freaking moon but we have yet to make a breast pump that actually mimicked the way a baby suckles? And whyTAF do I have to lean forward uncomfortably or be on all fours for my milk not to just flow back around my areola, so it actually collects in the little bottles? Am I an idiot or do these machines really still suck this badly?
I guess I lean forward a little, but it's not uncomfortable. Are you able to up your suction?
It's all the way up. I still have itty bitty titties, so I may buy angled sheilds to see if that helps because they just aren't big enough for the included shields to work well.
Have you considered using different sized flanges with your pump? It may be a fit issue.
The LC helped me fit them. The problem is that, because I have rather small boobs, the milk flows back and gets stuck on the inside edge of the flanges unless I lean forward uncomfortably
@AmadorRose I have the same issue with needing to lean forward, whether I'm holding the stupid pump or wearing my DIY "pumping bra" (a sports bra with cutout parts that I slide the nozzles through). If I'm in any way comfortable, the milk gathers in the cone but doesn't really tip into the gathering cups. So annoying! I also don't mind any of the variances of suction, so I guess we have similar boob issues.
@AmadorRose I have the same issue with needing to lean forward, whether I'm holding the stupid pump or wearing my DIY "pumping bra" (a sports bra with cutout parts that I slide the nozzles through). If I'm in any way comfortable, the milk gathers in the cone but doesn't really tip into the gathering cups. So annoying! I also don't mind any of the variances of suction, so I guess we have similar boob issues.
I found angled flanges on Amazon today that have pretty decent reviews...$35 for all three sizes so you don't have to worry about measuring. Some reviews say they help increase output and others say they're awful, but I figure $35 is a small gamble for my sanity.
I'm at the verge of calling it quits with BF and switching to only pumping. One of my nipples have bleed from day 1 and now they are both bleeding (4 days old). I have tried a nipple shield and I still bleed and hurt. My breast are so full and sore I can barely hold off to feed every 2 hours. LO loves to fall asleep during each session. I feed, he sleeps, I burp, I changed diaper (dirty every single session), try feeding again (different boob) and often have another dirty diaper. I have a ton of supply but he acts like hes starving because he sleeps and then it hurts way too much. Anyone have suggestions? I've spoken to a consultant yesterday and asked questions during my hospital stay. I feel so emotional and like a failure. I feel like all I do is "try" to feed, suffer with recovering from my section, and exhaust myself to only feel like I fail. I don't feel the same bonding with LO since I got home thanks to these super painful boobs. Everyone keeps saying I should wait for the pump but in the meantime I'm over here crying from the pain. Nothing helps! Any tips? I want to enjoy baby and feel like shit crying all the time.
I had this going on for almost two weeks. I went to exclusive pumping for several days and had trouble getting him to take the breast again. He finally did and it hurt worse than labor for several days but without nipple damage. It's finally feeling better! i was told over and over that it is ok to let your body heal. It is never impossible , if you really want to, to get the baby back to the breast. I know all that isn't probably what you wanted to hear. I was so frustrated even a couple days ago that I wanted to punch anyone who told me that and that babies know what they are doing and naturally want to breast feed. What hog wash! i would recommend taking baby to a chiropractor that specializes in infant care. Also, have you had baby checked for a lip or tongue tie? Those were the two better bits of advice I was given.
He's not lip or tongue tied and I saw a consultant in person. I think my supply is leveling out but still have bleeding nipples and now one seems to be infected. Everything else is going well if my nipples would just get in check.
Giving into pumping for a few days for them to heal and see a consultant again when it's time to try again with fresh nipples. My engorement has finally gone away in my left boob.
I think block feeding is going to save BFing for us. My over supply is leveling out, I'm not leaking like crazy in between feeds, and most importantly, my nipples are healing. It takes a little bit longer, but it's worth a try if you're struggling.
@Knottie2891384 that is exactly what I had to do. It took a day to get baby back on the breast... Then it hurt like crazy for a couple days while he figured out the latch... But thanks to that first round, they really did toughen up! They hurt, but they didn't crack and bleed.
@korpatch that's great to hear! I hope I can get the same success. Fingers crossed we'll be back at the boob by Wed. In the meantime I am enjoying the engorement being gone! I woke up with rocks for boobs this morning.
1) Does one of your breasts produce more milk than the other? My left breast never gets engorged, like the right does. It does have milk though, but it is always soft. 2) I feel like we've had a breastfeeding setback… It had been going well, but for the past 48h he has been a hungry hungry hippo. He is literally draining me out. To make matters worse, he has had a regression in his feeding efficiency… He efficiently sucks for about 5 mins then spends a lot of time doing ineffective sucking (no swallowing) and falling asleep. Occasionally he picks up a few effective sucks again. Spending a lot of time on the boob doing this, and seems to remain hungry cause I think he is not taking the amount of milk he could have taken in that timeframe… Sigh.
This is all normal sweet mama! Please don't give up! @thaisac1 .... this is how they tell your body to make more milk in the coming days.
For anyone who is pumping and would like a little more freedom, you can take an old bra and cut holes where the nipples go and stick the flanges in there. I tried this last night and it is so much better!
Sorry if this has already been suggested and sorry for the giant pic.
Just want to take a minute to bitch - we can send men to the freaking moon but we have yet to make a breast pump that actually mimicked the way a baby suckles? And whyTAF do I have to lean forward uncomfortably or be on all fours for my milk not to just flow back around my areola, so it actually collects in the little bottles? Am I an idiot or do these machines really still suck this badly?
Dude... I agree 100%
ive got a crazy forceful letdown so I try to pump before every feed if possible and I dread it
1) Does one of your breasts produce more milk than the other? My left breast never gets engorged, like the right does. It does have milk though, but it is always soft. 2) I feel like we've had a breastfeeding setback… It had been going well, but for the past 48h he has been a hungry hungry hippo. He is literally draining me out. To make matters worse, he has had a regression in his feeding efficiency… He efficiently sucks for about 5 mins then spends a lot of time doing ineffective sucking (no swallowing) and falling asleep. Occasionally he picks up a few effective sucks again. Spending a lot of time on the boob doing this, and seems to remain hungry cause I think he is not taking the amount of milk he could have taken in that timeframe… Sigh.
This is all normal sweet mama! Please don't give up! @thaisac1 .... this is how they tell your body to make more milk in the coming days.
Well my nipples hurt so bad that I started mainly just pumping and we went from cup feeding to bottle feeding.
Now it seems every time I attempt to breastfeed, she's not really latching and falls asleep quick or gets too frustrated. Around that same time we switched from feeding every 3 or so hours to being more strict at every 2, bc LO isn't back to her birth weight yet.
So not sure which started the problem, but it always gets me sad that she's not really latching now (we only hsd a few days of good latching before l, but we were making progress).
Anybody else have a LO with a lip tie? shes gassy and I have a forceful letdown( on top of her latch being just ok due to the lip issue) and she's spitting up 3-4 times a day as well now Im super discouraged and mylicon and gripe water doesn't help much. my pediatrician said to "give it time" hard to do with a baby writhing in pain to pass gas.
im thinking about trying to pump and feed with a dr Browns bottle. I head it helps with gas and at this point I just want her to be comfortable
Anybody else have a LO with a lip tie? shes gassy and I have a forceful letdown( on top of her latch being just ok due to the lip issue) and she's spitting up 3-4 times a day as well now Im super discouraged and mylicon and gripe water doesn't help much. my pediatrician said to "give it time" hard to do with a baby writhing in pain to pass gas.
im thinking about trying to pump and feed with a dr Browns bottle. I head it helps with gas and at this point I just want her to be comfortable
I have the dr brown's bottles at the recommendation of a mom friend who says that her LO had next to no issues with being gassy while she used them. From your posts, I'd say it would be worth a try, especially if you're ok with EPing. If you want to get back into BFing once her belly calms, I'd continue offering the breast, but only for short periods so she's getting the majority of her milk from the bottle (especially if the bottle helps). Also, I think someone may have already asked, but is it possible that she's sensitive to something in your diet, causing her to be extra gassy?
Anybody else have a LO with a lip tie? shes gassy and I have a forceful letdown( on top of her latch being just ok due to the lip issue) and she's spitting up 3-4 times a day as well now Im super discouraged and mylicon and gripe water doesn't help much. my pediatrician said to "give it time" hard to do with a baby writhing in pain to pass gas.
im thinking about trying to pump and feed with a dr Browns bottle. I head it helps with gas and at this point I just want her to be comfortable
I have the dr brown's bottles at the recommendation of a mom friend who says that her LO had next to no issues with being gassy while she used them. From your posts, I'd say it would be worth a try, especially if you're ok with EPing. If you want to get back into BFing once her belly calms, I'd continue offering the breast, but only for short periods so she's getting the majority of her milk from the bottle (especially if the bottle helps). Also, I think someone may have already asked, but is it possible that she's sensitive to something in your diet, causing her to be extra gassy?
Gassy food makes for gassy babies? I see a lot of these diet charts of foods to eat and avoid. Maybe it's worth a try?
@jonesl12 We used the Dr Browns bottle with DD. She was a huge spit upper and they definitely helped. There's a couple extra parts to clean, but it's nothing compared to a chronically gassy baby. So sorry you're dealing with it. It's so rough, but it does get better.
Anything tomato based was a no no for me with DS (spaghetti, lasagna, chili, etc.)... Eventually I worked it back into my diet. Made me quite sad but it was worth it! @jonesl12
Anybody else have a LO with a lip tie? shes gassy and I have a forceful letdown( on top of her latch being just ok due to the lip issue) and she's spitting up 3-4 times a day as well now Im super discouraged and mylicon and gripe water doesn't help much. my pediatrician said to "give it time" hard to do with a baby writhing in pain to pass gas.
im thinking about trying to pump and feed with a dr Browns bottle. I head it helps with gas and at this point I just want her to be comfortable
After observing several of L's "colic" episodes, I am not convinced all colic is gas/belly pain. He did have some of those when he only relaxed after farting or pooping, and even had foamy poop once, but other episodes did not seem to be related to gas, to the point that we could comfort him immediately with the "5 S" or with nursing ...
Anybody else have a LO with a lip tie? shes gassy and I have a forceful letdown( on top of her latch being just ok due to the lip issue) and she's spitting up 3-4 times a day as well now Im super discouraged and mylicon and gripe water doesn't help much. my pediatrician said to "give it time" hard to do with a baby writhing in pain to pass gas.
im thinking about trying to pump and feed with a dr Browns bottle. I head it helps with gas and at this point I just want her to be comfortable
I have the dr brown's bottles at the recommendation of a mom friend who says that her LO had next to no issues with being gassy while she used them. From your posts, I'd say it would be worth a try, especially if you're ok with EPing. If you want to get back into BFing once her belly calms, I'd continue offering the breast, but only for short periods so she's getting the majority of her milk from the bottle (especially if the bottle helps). Also, I think someone may have already asked, but is it possible that she's sensitive to something in your diet, causing her to be extra gassy?
I think babies swallow even less air on the breast than any bottle... After breastfeeding we can hardly, hardly ever get L to burp... But when he bottle feeds we can burp him easily and promptly throughout the feed and at the end.... And his belly always looks distended at the end of a bottle feed (and he doesn't act uncomfortable).... However, it may be that we are using q bottle that allows more air swallowing... Using Philips Avent right now. Maybe should try Dr. Brown's to seethe difference...
Anybody else have a LO with a lip tie? shes gassy and I have a forceful letdown( on top of her latch being just ok due to the lip issue) and she's spitting up 3-4 times a day as well now Im super discouraged and mylicon and gripe water doesn't help much. my pediatrician said to "give it time" hard to do with a baby writhing in pain to pass gas.
im thinking about trying to pump and feed with a dr Browns bottle. I head it helps with gas and at this point I just want her to be comfortable
I have the dr brown's bottles at the recommendation of a mom friend who says that her LO had next to no issues with being gassy while she used them. From your posts, I'd say it would be worth a try, especially if you're ok with EPing. If you want to get back into BFing once her belly calms, I'd continue offering the breast, but only for short periods so she's getting the majority of her milk from the bottle (especially if the bottle helps). Also, I think someone may have already asked, but is it possible that she's sensitive to something in your diet, causing her to be extra gassy?
I think babies swallow even less air on the breast than any bottle... After breastfeeding we can hardly, hardly ever get L to burp... But when he bottle feeds we can burp him easily and promptly throughout the feed and at the end.... And his belly always looks distended at the end of a bottle feed (and he doesn't act uncomfortable).... However, it may be that we are using q bottle that allows more air swallowing... Using Philips Avent right now. Maybe should try Dr. Brown's to seethe difference...
E is the same way, rarely gassy after nursing, but I have no experience with lip tie so that may affect the amount of air being swallowed. Can't hurt to try, I figure!
My understanding is that is is fairly rare for a baby to have a food sensitivity or intolerance but very common to have a baby that is fussy for basically no reason (just their nervous and digestive systems maturing). Just a counterpoint to support the ped's "do nothing and wait" suggestion. I know it's hard when baby seems in pain, but elimination diets and pumping are also hard! With LO1 I tried multiple things and the only thing that helped was time (for us, weeks 5-14 were pretty hard). Only you know your LO and of course some babies really do have gas issues and intolerance, so ymmv.
I started pumping yesterday morning after BF so we can introduce a bottle once a day. Today I noticed I'm getting about twice as much milk from one side than I am from the other even though LO just fed on the side producing more. Has anyone else experienced this?
I started pumping yesterday morning after BF so we can introduce a bottle once a day. Today I noticed I'm getting about twice as much milk from one side than I am from the other even though LO just fed on the side producing more. Has anyone else experienced this?
Yup I always get 2 oz from the right and 1oz from the left... My right is bigger.
I started pumping yesterday morning after BF so we can introduce a bottle once a day. Today I noticed I'm getting about twice as much milk from one side than I am from the other even though LO just fed on the side producing more. Has anyone else experienced this?
Yup I always get 2 oz from the right and 1oz from the left... My right is bigger.
I usually get 2 oz from each every 2-3 hrs or so. My left always feels full (almost engorged) and expected to get more, but nope. One usually squirts out while the other is a slower letdown.
Re: Breastfeeding Thread
Wow. I used my PISA for a year and a half and I don't ever think I used full suction... definitely not in the first six months.
edited to add that I no longer care about being boobs out in front of MIL. These ladies need to air dry.
He just had a good feed from both breasts this evening. My husband gave him a bottle at 3 pm so my poor nipples could rest, and after a good nap he had a bath and his "dinner" and was much more efficient. Maybe both of us just needed a little break to restart.
i was told over and over that it is ok to let your body heal. It is never impossible , if you really want to, to get the baby back to the breast. I know all that isn't probably what you wanted to hear. I was so frustrated even a couple days ago that I wanted to punch anyone who told me that and that babies know what they are doing and naturally want to breast feed. What hog wash!
i would recommend taking baby to a chiropractor that specializes in infant care. Also, have you had baby checked for a lip or tongue tie? Those were the two better bits of advice I was given.
Sorry if this has already been suggested and sorry for the giant pic.
ive got a crazy forceful letdown so I try to pump before every feed if possible and I dread it
Now it seems every time I attempt to breastfeed, she's not really latching and falls asleep quick or gets too frustrated. Around that same time we switched from feeding every 3 or so hours to being more strict at every 2, bc LO isn't back to her birth weight yet.
So not sure which started the problem, but it always gets me sad that she's not really latching now (we only hsd a few days of good latching before l, but we were making progress).
shes gassy and I have a forceful letdown( on top of her latch being just ok due to the lip issue) and she's spitting up 3-4 times a day as well now
Im super discouraged and mylicon and gripe water doesn't help much.
my pediatrician said to "give it time"
hard to do with a baby writhing in pain to pass gas.
im thinking about trying to pump and feed with a dr Browns bottle. I head it helps with gas and at this point I just want her to be comfortable
However, it may be that we are using q bottle that allows more air swallowing... Using Philips Avent right now. Maybe should try Dr. Brown's to seethe difference...