@lalala2004 If baby likes it, and you feel like nursing is well established, I say roll with it. If you and little one are still learning about latching OR if you think you might fall asleep while nursing, leave him unswaddled. Babies use their hands to help find the breast. And if you bedshare with him in any capacity, having him swaddled isn't safe for him.
@araecasey yikes, we have totally had him swaddled while bed sharing (sleeping on our chest) because he was getting cold otherwise. Given, it's the swaddlers made for sleep, not loose blankets. I guess we should get him some footed pajamas or something? (He doesn't have any in newborn size)
Tonight my LO are every hour! I'm so exhausted! The LC said he had a good latch so I'm wondering if he's just going through a growth spurt or something.
@JoMunson it's likely a growth spurt. Babies tend to go through them the first few days, then around 1w, 2w, 1 month and every few months from then on. Hang in there-- sometimes the clusterfeeding only lasts a day, sometimes longer.
Can anyone recommend a good hands-free pumping bra?
I've now bought 2 of them. The Medela one isn't worth a fraction of what I paid for it. The Lanisoh one is amazing and easy to adjust size. They're both about $35
So . . . When you pump does that affect only the production of the breast that you pump or does it affect your total supply? My right side was a bit engorged ( and by a bit I mean it felt like a rock) so I pumped for comfort . . . now it is always much fuller than the left side. I'm not really sure how to fix this or if there is a way to make the left catch up or get the right side to slow down!
Also a question about pumping. . .I really want to get a stash going so that DH can feed Lucy to give me a break sometimes (plus he is just really keen to feed her and feel more of a connection with her) I want to pump without risking constant engorgement. I should also add that pumping is slow going for me and takes ages and is a slight bit painful. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong . . . who knows. Either way, how can I get some stashes without making my breasts go overtime? Is this do-able?
Question about those with an inverted nipple: on day three I finally got my baby to latch on my inverted nipple. For awhile it was okay, a big relief for my other nipple, but now it's very painful when he latches (we're on day 4 right now) . I'm wondering if the pain is him breaking the fibrous tissue. I usually nurse through it but I remember the LC's saying breast feeding is not supposed to hurt (uncomfortable yes, painful no) but I never asked about pain with my kind of anatomy.
@kurrant each breast regulates supply separately. If one side is engorged and you pump for comfort only give it 30sec or whatever very the minimum is for you to feel not rock hard. Too long and your body gets the signal to make more.
When I was weaning DS, because he had a favorite side (and I indulged the favoritism) I wound up weaning one side entirely for months before the other-- he ate from my right 3-6 times per day at the end , while the left side dried up. When pumped at that point, my right produced a full bottle and the left gave 10-20oz. Now, I'm back to an even supply.
Regarding a stash, you could elect one feeding to pump a breast while LO drinks from the other to have a steady stash on hand. If you just want an emergency stash, waiting until LO is coming off of a growth spurt will allow you to pump the excess that your body already got used to producing. Pump around the time that LO was clusterfeeding until you have what you want, then wean down off of the pump again. There are lots of ways to do it, but those worked best for me in the past.
So I had a clogged duct earlier this morning. Absolutely some of the worst pain of my life. Yes, worse than labor. Fortunately caught it early, I guess because it was so near my nipple and his latch felt like torture.
I wanted to share what we did in case it happens to anyone else. We put a heating pad on the boob and massaged it until it was time for him to feed from that side again. I changed nursing positions to a football hold so he wouldn't be sucking where the clogged duct was. Turns out, that also fixed the problem I had on that side with bad latch (probably caused the clog in the first place). Then I rested, drank tons of water and OJ to avoid mastitis. Then I left my bra off for as long as possible to prevent it from happening again. So far so good.
Oh, and the football hold solved my problem of the IV arm weakness and his tendency to turn his head.
So I had a clogged duct earlier this morning. Absolutely some of the worst pain of my life. Yes, worse than labor. Fortunately caught it early, I guess because it was so near my nipple and his latch felt like torture.
I wanted to share what we did in case it happens to anyone else. We put a heating pad on the boob and massaged it until it was time for him to feed from that side again. I changed nursing positions to a football hold so he wouldn't be sucking where the clogged duct was. Turns out, that also fixed the problem I had on that side with bad latch (probably caused the clog in the first place). Then I rested, drank tons of water and OJ to avoid mastitis. Then I left my bra off for as long as possible to prevent it from happening again. So far so good.
Oh, and the football hold solved my problem of the IV arm weakness and his tendency to turn his head.
How did people parent before the Internet?
I had horrible clogged ducts with my son for months, it would feel like someone had taken a triangle shaped piece of concrete and shoved it under my skin, even though the rest of my breast could be totally empty and soft. If you keep getting them, it may be worth it to buy the boob-specific heating pads. They're made by Lansinoh I think, and they're sort of donut shaped gel packs that you can heat up in the microwave then shove in your bra. It made the whole softening up the breast prior to feeding process way more convenient.
@araecasey or @kbrands7 come in please I used a hospital grade pump (Hygeia) for 9 months with DD and it was great. I needed it bc of low supply issues, and basically it was way more effective than my Medela PIS. Now that my second LO will be here soon, I'm wondering if I'm prone to the same issues as before? In other words, bc of low supply last time, will it be the same this time around? If so, I want to be proactive and rent the stronger pump from my LC who I'm still in touch with.
Hey @Jenly17, did your LC ever identify the root of your low supply? What was the beginning of your nursing journey like last time? Immediate skin to skin and latch on within the first hour? Nursing 12ish times a day during the newborn era? Give us the deets.
I agree-- it's likely that the devil's in the details here, which means it may not be a problem this time around. Identifying anything that was less than optimal for whatever reason can make all the difference. I had a big uphill battle last time for a variety of reasons that I haven't had this time around because the things that were in my control, I knew to look for and fix immediately.
Also, if you do need the pump, how much notice does the LC need? Would it be possible to use one in the hospital and secure the rental if necessary before you're discharged?
Thanks Ladies! We did immediate skin to skin and latch right away. It took a couple of tries but she did latch. However, it was poor and painful d/t tongue tie which was discovered after discharge from the hospital.
Then after her second pedi appt, the doctor told me I needed to supplement to get her back to birth weight. Even though I used slow flow nipples and paced feedings, I think the combination of events made it an uphill battle for us in the beginning.
I eventually hired an LC to come to my home to Eval me and do weighted feeds. She found that I have low glandular tissue. Yet, after seeing a different LC, this was not found so I have no idea.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think (?) I can take Malunggay capsules safely before baby arrives to boost my supply.
I'm willing to do what I have to do to nurse this LO except lose my sanity which almost happened last time around!
@jenly17 I've heard that it's safe; I've never tried it to be able to give a personal recommendation either way though. DS2 had a tongue tie that we clipped before discharge; it made an immediate difference in his latch and efficiency. Did your pediatrician clip the tongue tie or just identify it? If it was never clipped, that's your source of the issue I'd say. It would have prevented LO from getting a strong suction and removing enough milk, in turn impacting supply. With supplementation, were you able to pump to supplement or did you supplement with formula? Even with pumping, if the intention is to be at the breast, baby still needs lots of practice at the breast which can be very time consuming. There are also pumping practices that can help supply and ones that can hinder it. I'm sure that @araecasey has more insight, but I'll help along the way as much as I can. You definitely don't want to sacrifice your sanity!
@Jenly17 When was the tie released? What class was it? What all was done to treat the tie and associated feeding issues? Were you working alongside a LC at that time when LO's tie was released? Did you go on to exclusively nurse/pump, or did you supplement with formula long-term?
My initial thoughts after reading your story is it's unlikely you have true low glandular tissue and more likely that your little one's tie and subsequent poor latch negatively affected your supply long-term. If you'd like to know the ins and outs of why that might be, I'd do some reading on the Prolactin Receptor Theory, which basically says if there's not frequent and effective milk removal in the first several days of breastfeeding, then your body can't lay the hormonal groundwork for an abundant, long-term supply.
@araecasey@kbrands7We had her tongue tie released about 3-4 days after birth by a pediatrician. I honestly didn't even know there was a class for tongue tie?! This is good to know for the future though if it happens again. I connected with the LC a week to 10 days post partum.
By that time, I already had to supplement formula, but I always, always put her to the breast first, and then I would pump directly after. She was a really sleepy/lazy eater to make things worse. I always had to wake her to feed. She would probably have slept through the night if I allowed her to. I tried so hard to keep her weight up through nursing, but she wasn't gaining, and I was pumping only 3-4 oz per day, so eventually she was doing mostly formula and the little bit of milk I was able to give her.
I think you are completely on point with your suspicions about her poor latch/tongue tie issues. I recall becoming completely engorged, but was not able to get her to eat, and the pump wasn't able to get the milk out completely for some reason. My supply probably adjusted itself from that point on. Either way, I trudged along for 9 months nursing her whatever I had, and giving her a 4 oz bottle of breast milk every day. I was only a little bit stubborn about it
Thanks for the info on the Prolactin Receptor Theory, I'm going to read up once I'm finished writing here!
@Jenly17 I've never successfully BF (I EP'd DD), but I talked to a LC about what things I can do to be proactive this time around to establish a good BF relationship. DD had a lip tie that no one even mentioned to me that may or may not have affected her latch, so the LC told me to request a pediatrician to check this DD for a tongue/lip tie ASAP after birth, even if she latches at first. I'm not sure if it's this way everywhere, but at my hospital the LCs are not allowed to mention tongue or lip ties so they would have to tell a pediatrician and the Dr would have to bring it up to the mom. She also said that tongue/lip ties tend to be genetic, so this DD is much more likely to have one since DD1 did.
This may not be helpful to your situation, but part of my plan for successful BF this time is immediately requesting her to be checked by the pediatrician!
@jenly17 I've had a similar experience and the LC I met with this time around was amazed that none of the other ones I've met with identified that I have low glandular activity. She was able to provide me with a ton of reading about it to help me understand and also work through the emotional component of it. I hope it works out for you this time! I totally understand how upsetting it can be though.
How are y'all tracking your nursing, if you are? I'm using the WebMD app, and I like it, but I'm curious how long I should track. Until he is back to birth weight or longer since he is a preemie?
I have a LC coming by our house tomorrow. It will be a huge relief to have someone to work with me. The baby seems like a great nurser whenever we've gone to classes at the hospital or had LC visit during our hospital stay. He is not gaining weight from exclusively breast feeding so we are back to supplementing after nursing. He is a very sleepy lazy newborn. He was born just before 37 weeks. This has all been very emotional for me. I didn't have the birth I hoped for (ended up with a c-section) and I really wanted to nurse my son but it is not coming easily for us.
Hi I'm Hannah, a first time mom, and I have had my heart SET on EBF. I had a c section baby came out 7.2 oz. Left hospital 6.9, we had a 5 day appointment he weighed in at 6.6. Ever since I have had crippling anxiety he isn't getting enough milk. I have myself a crying mess day and night and I feed him every two hours. I pumped twice to see my production, I was at just over an ounce between both after 10 mins when it stopped coming out. I have to use nipple shields due to my boob and nipple shape. His latch on those is great though. I hadn't prepared because I had this wrong impression it would come squirting out. I never feel "engorged" and I am so scared he's still losing weight. My burning question is what do you suggest to bump weight up?
Note: he is a happy and sleepy baby. He has NEVER cried to eat and I wake him religiously to feed even if much doesn't come out . He has a messy diaper after each feed as well.
My milk also did not come in completely until Saturday and I'm pretty convinced it's still not flowing as it should (1 oz for both boobs AHH)
@araecasey@kbrands7We had her tongue tie released about 3-4 days after birth by a pediatrician. I honestly didn't even know there was a class for tongue tie?! This is good to know for the future though if it happens again. I connected with the LC a week to 10 days post partum.
By that time, I already had to supplement formula, but I always, always put her to the breast first, and then I would pump directly after. She was a really sleepy/lazy eater to make things worse. I always had to wake her to feed. She would probably have slept through the night if I allowed her to. I tried so hard to keep her weight up through nursing, but she wasn't gaining, and I was pumping only 3-4 oz per day, so eventually she was doing mostly formula and the little bit of milk I was able to give her.
I think you are completely on point with your suspicions about her poor latch/tongue tie issues. I recall becoming completely engorged, but was not able to get her to eat, and the pump wasn't able to get the milk out completely for some reason. My supply probably adjusted itself from that point on. Either way, I trudged along for 9 months nursing her whatever I had, and giving her a 4 oz bottle of breast milk every day. I was only a little bit stubborn about it
Thanks for the info on the Prolactin Receptor Theory, I'm going to read up once I'm finished writing here!
Yep, I'm not there with you to check out your breast tissue, nor am I qualified to diagnose low glandular tissue, but from your description, I'd be willing to bet it's a tie versus a breast issue. Tie babies are typically also sleepy and lazy babies Here's what I'd do in your shoes.
1) Find an ENT or pediatric dentist in your area whose expertise is in releasing said ties, preferably with a laser (quicker, easier recovery and more accurate release with less scar tissue). Get in touch with this person ASAP to make a plan for an immediate evaluation following baby's birth. It's great that your pediatrician even took the time to look at DD's tie! But peds aren't experts in breastfeeding, let alone ties. You'll get more complete care partnering with an ENT or ped dentist who's well-known for treating ties in infants.
2) Practice hand expressing. Pumping works primarily through suction, and is pretty finicky depending on the woman; however babies remove milk through suction AND through the jaws compressing and tongue rolling along the milk ducts. If this baby has a tie and needs a release and you need to remove colostrum and milk, pump and then hand express afterwards. This will help you more fully empty your breasts because it better emulates how a baby removes milk and has the added benefit of skin-to-skin expression versus just the plastic flanges from a pump.
3) Find an IBCLC to work alongside you while you and baby work through potential tie issues. Babies who have ties need to relearn how to latch and how to nurse effectively. They might also need to do stretches and exercises to strengthen muscles that weaken (AKA lazy baby!) due to nursing with an ineffective latch for however long. If your very knowledgeable pediatric dentist doesn't offer this information to you, an IBCLC will. Said IBCLC should also help you learn how to get the best expression with your pump and the best fit with your flanges. Not sure what settings you used on your Hygeia (I had a Hygeia Enjoye with DD, so very familiar with Hygeia controls), but it gets some serious suction. However milk ducts work a lot like straws, and if you think about how a straw collapses fairly easily under strong suction, so too do milk ducts! I had an oversupply, and I found that with my Enjoye I got the best expression (3-4 ounces per session) starting with highest speed, lowest suction, and then moving to medium speed, medium-low suction during letdowns. When I was a noob, I used the highest suction I could tolerate, and would sometimes only express 1 ounce from both breasts.
Was this too much information? I really hem and haw over how much info to give because I remember how overwhelming it can be to tackle alllll the info that goes along with breastfeeding troubleshooting. Please let me know if I need to clarify!
@AliciaD39 The general rule of thumb is you can move to feeding on-demand once little one gets back to birth weight. Until then, it's important to nurse every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night. Some folks stretch it to every 4 at night, but given he's a preemie, I'd err on the more frequent end. I also advise moms ditch pacifiers and let baby comfort nurse to heart's content until he's up to birth weight because comfort nursing is so good for supply, but pacifier use is a personal decision.
Hey @mcb2016 I'm glad you're here. Sad to hear you're feeling down about your baby's birth and needing to supplement. Nursing a preemie, even a late-term preemie, often has its own special challenges, including super sleepy babies who struggle to remove milk just from being so young and small. I'm glad to hear you're having an LC visit tomorrow, I think you would really benefit from expert, in-person support. Is this person an IBCLC? They're the most knowledgeable and the most qualified to give you the help you need. If not an IBCLC, be prepared to do a little bit of homework to check up on the info you're given to make sure it's solid. I'm glad to hear that you've had some successful nursing sessions! That bodes well. Good for you for nursing FIRST before offering a supplement. If you're using bottles to supplement, are you familiar with paced bottle feeds? Are you hanging out skin to skin with baby as much as possible? Hang in there, mama, sounds like you're doing a great job given the circumstances you and babe are in! Be sure to update us after your LC visit tomorrow.
Hi I'm Hannah, a first time mom, and I have had my heart SET on EBF. I had a c section baby came out 7.2 oz. Left hospital 6.9, we had a 5 day appointment he weighed in at 6.6. Ever since I have had crippling anxiety he isn't getting enough milk. I have myself a crying mess day and night and I feed him every two hours. I pumped twice to see my production, I was at just over an ounce between both after 10 mins when it stopped coming out. I have to use nipple shields due to my boob and nipple shape. His latch on those is great though. I hadn't prepared because I had this wrong impression it would come squirting out. I never feel "engorged" and I am so scared he's still losing weight. My burning question is what do you suggest to bump weight up?
Note: he is a happy and sleepy baby. He has NEVER cried to eat and I wake him religiously to feed even if much doesn't come out . He has a messy diaper after each feed as well.
My milk also did not come in completely until Saturday and I'm pretty convinced it's still not flowing as it should (1 oz for both boobs AHH)
please help I feel like I'm losing my mind
Hey, Hannah! Nice to meet you. I'm Amanda, and I'm glad you're here. I have several thoughts reading your post, but I'd like you to tell me more about your sweet baby boy and your situation before I launch into explanations: How old is he now? How often are you pumping and why? Are you using that pumped milk to supplement? When is his next weight check? What exactly is your boob and nipple shape that necessitates using a shield? Has he ever latched without a shield? If yes, what happened? Are you working with an IBCLC?
Hang in there! Let's get to the bottom of this and put your worries to rest.
Hey @JennyS86, am I remembering correctly that you nursed preemie twins? Share your secrets with our preemie mommas! I can share the little info that I know about breastfeeding preemies, but your experience and knowledge is more valuable.
Hi I'm Hannah, a first time mom, and I have had my heart SET on EBF. I had a c section baby came out 7.2 oz. Left hospital 6.9, we had a 5 day appointment he weighed in at 6.6. Ever since I have had crippling anxiety he isn't getting enough milk. I have myself a crying mess day and night and I feed him every two hours. I pumped twice to see my production, I was at just over an ounce between both after 10 mins when it stopped coming out. I have to use nipple shields due to my boob and nipple shape. His latch on those is great though. I hadn't prepared because I had this wrong impression it would come squirting out. I never feel "engorged" and I am so scared he's still losing weight. My burning question is what do you suggest to bump weight up?
Note: he is a happy and sleepy baby. He has NEVER cried to eat and I wake him religiously to feed even if much doesn't come out . He has a messy diaper after each feed as well.
My milk also did not come in completely until Saturday and I'm pretty convinced it's still not flowing as it should (1 oz for both boobs AHH)
please help I feel like I'm losing my mind
Hey, Hannah! Nice to meet you. I'm Amanda, and I'm glad you're here. I have several thoughts reading your post, but I'd like you to tell me more about your sweet baby boy and your situation before I launch into explanations: How old is he now? How often are you pumping and why? Are you using that pumped milk to supplement? When is his next weight check? What exactly is your boob and nipple shape that necessitates using a shield? Has he ever latched without a shield? If yes, what happened? Are you working with an IBCLC?
Hang in there! Let's get to the bottom of this and put your worries to rest.
He's one week old today. I only pumped that once to see how much came out, out of curiosity. I did give it to him. His weight check is at two weeks and the doctor was so laid back about it saying it was fine. I have very small boobs and completely inverted nipples that are still inverted to this day. I plan to meet with a LLLI once they aren't inverted. I am not because the consultant I worked with at the hospital threw a shield at me and that was it for training.
Hi I'm Hannah, a first time mom, and I have had my heart SET on EBF. I had a c section baby came out 7.2 oz. Left hospital 6.9, we had a 5 day appointment he weighed in at 6.6. Ever since I have had crippling anxiety he isn't getting enough milk. I have myself a crying mess day and night and I feed him every two hours. I pumped twice to see my production, I was at just over an ounce between both after 10 mins when it stopped coming out. I have to use nipple shields due to my boob and nipple shape. His latch on those is great though. I hadn't prepared because I had this wrong impression it would come squirting out. I never feel "engorged" and I am so scared he's still losing weight. My burning question is what do you suggest to bump weight up?
Note: he is a happy and sleepy baby. He has NEVER cried to eat and I wake him religiously to feed even if much doesn't come out . He has a messy diaper after each feed as well.
My milk also did not come in completely until Saturday and I'm pretty convinced it's still not flowing as it should (1 oz for both boobs AHH)
please help I feel like I'm losing my mind
Hey, Hannah! Nice to meet you. I'm Amanda, and I'm glad you're here. I have several thoughts reading your post, but I'd like you to tell me more about your sweet baby boy and your situation before I launch into explanations: How old is he now? How often are you pumping and why? Are you using that pumped milk to supplement? When is his next weight check? What exactly is your boob and nipple shape that necessitates using a shield? Has he ever latched without a shield? If yes, what happened? Are you working with an IBCLC?
Hang in there! Let's get to the bottom of this and put your worries to rest.
He's one week old today. I only pumped that once to see how much came out, out of curiosity. I did give it to him. His weight check is at two weeks and the doctor was so laid back about it saying it was fine. I have very small boobs and completely inverted nipples that are still inverted to this day. I plan to meet with a LLLI once they aren't inverted. I am not because the consultant I worked with at the hospital threw a shield at me and that was it for training.
I'm impressed you're BF'ing with two inverted nipples! I've got one and it hurt too much/shield didn't really work so now I've got an uneven supply
@JoMunson I am DETERMINED. The poor kid just wants to sleep but I constantly wake to feed. The pain from the shields has subsided thank god. Day one they were bleeding but I pushed through
Hi I'm Hannah, a first time mom, and I have had my heart SET on EBF. I had a c section baby came out 7.2 oz. Left hospital 6.9, we had a 5 day appointment he weighed in at 6.6. Ever since I have had crippling anxiety he isn't getting enough milk. I have myself a crying mess day and night and I feed him every two hours. I pumped twice to see my production, I was at just over an ounce between both after 10 mins when it stopped coming out. I have to use nipple shields due to my boob and nipple shape. His latch on those is great though. I hadn't prepared because I had this wrong impression it would come squirting out. I never feel "engorged" and I am so scared he's still losing weight. My burning question is what do you suggest to bump weight up?
Note: he is a happy and sleepy baby. He has NEVER cried to eat and I wake him religiously to feed even if much doesn't come out . He has a messy diaper after each feed as well.
My milk also did not come in completely until Saturday and I'm pretty convinced it's still not flowing as it should (1 oz for both boobs AHH)
please help I feel like I'm losing my mind
Hey, Hannah! Nice to meet you. I'm Amanda, and I'm glad you're here. I have several thoughts reading your post, but I'd like you to tell me more about your sweet baby boy and your situation before I launch into explanations: How old is he now? How often are you pumping and why? Are you using that pumped milk to supplement? When is his next weight check? What exactly is your boob and nipple shape that necessitates using a shield? Has he ever latched without a shield? If yes, what happened? Are you working with an IBCLC?
Hang in there! Let's get to the bottom of this and put your worries to rest.
He's one week old today. I only pumped that once to see how much came out, out of curiosity. I did give it to him. His weight check is at two weeks and the doctor was so laid back about it saying it was fine. I have very small boobs and completely inverted nipples that are still inverted to this day. I plan to meet with a LLLI once they aren't inverted. I am not because the consultant I worked with at the hospital threw a shield at me and that was it for training.
Good gawd. *face palm* @mcb2016 ^^This is exactly why finding an IBCLC versus any ol' LC can be so important! Hannah, I'm so sorry that's the level of care you and your baby received from this LC. If you're interested in ditching the shield, let me know and we can work through that too. I had flat/inverted nipples my whole life before nursing DD, and successfully breastfed her without using a shield. It's very possible to exclusively nurse a baby with inverted nipples and small breasts.
Okay, let's get down to the business of answering your burning question.
One week old today, and you think your milk came in on Saturday, which would have been 5/6 days postpartum, which sounds about right following a c section. C section mommas tend to see their milk come in a little later, nothing wrong there. Milk came in on day 5/6, which means he would have primarily been receiving colostrum (your pre-milk, which your body makes in very small amounts in comparison with your "mature" milk) leading up to his first weight check with his pediatrician, so it would also be expected that his weight gain would be limited or not at all because of receiving primarily only colostrum. Additionally, when moms deliver via c section, they receive lots of IV fluids which inflate baby's birth weight. Instead of comparing his weight loss against his birth weight, you (and his pediatrician) should be comparing his weight loss against his discharge weight. If we do that, then he's only experienced a 3 percent weight loss while eating only colostrum, which is teeny!
I agree with your ped that that very small weight loss is nothing to sweat at the moment. Sounds like you picked a knowledgeable pediatrician! Are you near a major metro area? IBCLCs often hold free weekly support group meetings with a hospital grade baby scale. You might look into attending a meeting just to weigh your son to put your mind at ease instead of wondering and hoping that he's okay. Otherwise, how do you feel about visiting the pediatrician earlier to check on his weight sooner rather than later?
As for your lack of feeling engorged, pumping small amounts, having small breasts, milk not squirting out... please know that none of these things indicate low milk supply! Here's what you need to see to be assured he's getting enough milk as a newborn: 5-6+ wet/dirty diapers per day, growing in some capacity (he may very well have gained height or head circumference in the last week!). Well fed babies are also generally content and hit their milestones. But diapers and growth will tell you what you need to know, and it sounds like his diaper output is great!
RE lip/tongue tie: They are hereditary, and I was nervous since both of my son's cousins had them ( lip ties) and we had no idea whose side of the family they came from. Turns out, it's my DH's side and we're pretty sure he had/has a lip tie! The thing with lip ties, though, is apparently they aren't necessarily always a problem, and doctors/dentists don't want to correct it unless there is. As soon as my son was born, just by looking I could tell he might have one. I was asking EVERYONE'S opinion because I wanted to be sure it wasn't an issue, I asked nurses, doctors, 2 different lactation consultants and 2 pediatricians and 1 pediatric nurse practitioner (no, I'm not obsessed!)
Ultimately the certified lactation consultant said the reason it wasn't an issue (even though we had latch issues due to other problems) is because DS's lip was flexible enough to flip up and touch his nose. As long as you can do that, nursing shouldn't be a problem. The only thing likely to happen is LO will have a gap between his teeth. Hey, everyone gets braces these days anyway, so whatever!
With my nephew, my SIL never had it resolved although she still pressed on and nursed him for about 18 months, she was plagued by mastitis and pretty much any issue you can have. She is just that stubborn! Of course now she wishes she had known (she didn't realize that was the source of her problems!) My niece, on the other hand, has one like my son, and it did not need correction, even though they had a dentist check it out. In case anyone wonders, my nephew does have a gap in his teeth, smaller than when his first teeth came in and actually barely noticeable.
Anyways, that was obviously my anecdotal story, but maybe it will help someone.
I also want to reiterate what others have said about making sure you consult with a CERTIFIED lactation consultant. To those of you who have yet to give birth: Your hospital likely offers it: Demand it, now matter what, even if you don't think you have problems. My hospital tried to blow me off a little saying "All of our nurses are trained in BFing" that's all well and good, and I'm sure they can provide some help, but they are not professional in this way. Their profession is nursing, not lactation. I had wonderful nurses at my hospital, but one nurse in particular rubbed me the wrong way. She was bossy and telling me how to sit that in no way considered my comfort level. She grabbed my boob and put it in my son's mouth. Yeah, he got a good latch that time, but it didn't teach ME how to do it! One time she came in and saw me breastfeeding in a reclined position (which is totally fine, if not recommended!) and she said "I told you to sit up!" I'm actually more mad now that I was at the time because of how not helpful I realize she was, now. The LC was much more helpful in guiding me to do it myself.
Ultimately my biggest problem has been one that is difficult to control. My IV made my arm so weak that I was having difficulty guiding him and holding him in a proper position. This was resolved by doing the football hold, which the LC has suggested, but I was too afraid to try something I considered "ambitious" in the hospital. I wish I had done it sooner!
What has helped me my first week with baby is 1. This thread. 2. The La Leche League Facebook page I am a part of. 3. Kellymom. It's so important to be able to have support and ask questions when BFing . Very thankful to @araecasey for starting this thread!
Sorry that was a novel.... TLDR: Certified lactation consultants are important and support from fellow nursing moms is also important!
@JoMunson I am DETERMINED. The poor kid just wants to sleep but I constantly wake to feed. The pain from the shields has subsided thank god. Day one they were bleeding but I pushed through
@youngmama514 I have no advice to add that @araecasey didn't cover, but I did want to send big creepy internet hugs!!!!! Your situation describes my situation with my first child almost exactly (inverted nipples, small baby with tons of pressure to feed well, I was bound and determined not to give up but it was making me crazy and depressed). After 3 weeks of exclusively pumping and worrying about her eating enough, I hired a LC with great reviews on Yelp and from that point on everything improved. By 7 weeks, we were even able to ditch the nipple shield because DD was bigger and better at nursing. It was a long, hard process, but with a lot of perseverance (and crying, and worrying), we sorted out the issues and successfully BF for 14 months. I hope you know it really is okay to throw in the towel if you need to, but I wanted to share a success story since I read your post and was like oh my God, that was me two years ago .
Re: A Strong Start to Breastfeeding/BFing Q&A
Also a question about pumping. . .I really want to get a stash going so that DH can feed Lucy to give me a break sometimes (plus he is just really keen to feed her and feel more of a connection with her) I want to pump without risking constant engorgement. I should also add that pumping is slow going for me and takes ages and is a slight bit painful. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong . . . who knows. Either way, how can I get some stashes without making my breasts go overtime? Is this do-able?
When I was weaning DS, because he had a favorite side (and I indulged the favoritism) I wound up weaning one side entirely for months before the other-- he ate from my right 3-6 times per day at the end , while the left side dried up. When pumped at that point, my right produced a full bottle and the left gave 10-20oz. Now, I'm back to an even supply.
Regarding a stash, you could elect one feeding to pump a breast while LO drinks from the other to have a steady stash on hand. If you just want an emergency stash, waiting until LO is coming off of a growth spurt will allow you to pump the excess that your body already got used to producing. Pump around the time that LO was clusterfeeding until you have what you want, then wean down off of the pump again. There are lots of ways to do it, but those worked best for me in the past.
I wanted to share what we did in case it happens to anyone else. We put a heating pad on the boob and massaged it until it was time for him to feed from that side again. I changed nursing positions to a football hold so he wouldn't be sucking where the clogged duct was. Turns out, that also fixed the problem I had on that side with bad latch (probably caused the clog in the first place). Then I rested,
drank tons of water and OJ to avoid mastitis. Then I left my bra off for
as long as possible to prevent it from happening again. So far so good.
Oh, and the football hold solved my problem of the IV arm weakness and his tendency to turn his head.
How did people parent before the Internet?
Also, if you do need the pump, how much notice does the LC need? Would it be possible to use one in the hospital and secure the rental if necessary before you're discharged?
Then after her second pedi appt, the doctor told me I needed to supplement to get her back to birth weight. Even though I used slow flow nipples and paced feedings, I think the combination of events made it an uphill battle for us in the beginning.
I eventually hired an LC to come to my home to Eval me and do weighted feeds. She found that I have low glandular tissue. Yet, after seeing a different LC, this was not found so I have no idea.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think (?) I can take Malunggay capsules safely before baby arrives to boost my supply.
I'm willing to do what I have to do to nurse this LO except lose my sanity which almost happened last time around!
I'm sure that @araecasey has more insight, but I'll help along the way as much as I can. You definitely don't want to sacrifice your sanity!
My initial thoughts after reading your story is it's unlikely you have true low glandular tissue and more likely that your little one's tie and subsequent poor latch negatively affected your supply long-term. If you'd like to know the ins and outs of why that might be, I'd do some reading on the Prolactin Receptor Theory, which basically says if there's not frequent and effective milk removal in the first several days of breastfeeding, then your body can't lay the hormonal groundwork for an abundant, long-term supply.
By that time, I already had to supplement formula, but I always, always put her to the breast first, and then I would pump directly after. She was a really sleepy/lazy eater to make things worse. I always had to wake her to feed. She would probably have slept through the night if I allowed her to. I tried so hard to keep her weight up through nursing, but she wasn't gaining, and I was pumping only 3-4 oz per day, so eventually she was doing mostly formula and the little bit of milk I was able to give her.
I think you are completely on point with your suspicions about her poor latch/tongue tie issues. I recall becoming completely engorged, but was not able to get her to eat, and the pump wasn't able to get the milk out completely for some reason. My supply probably adjusted itself from that point on. Either way, I trudged along for 9 months nursing her whatever I had, and giving her a 4 oz bottle of breast milk every day. I was only a little bit stubborn about it
Thanks for the info on the Prolactin Receptor Theory, I'm going to read up once I'm finished writing here!
This may not be helpful to your situation, but part of my plan for successful BF this time is immediately requesting her to be checked by the pediatrician!
Note: he is a happy and sleepy baby. He has NEVER cried to eat and I wake him religiously to feed even if much doesn't come out . He has a messy diaper after each feed as well.
My milk also did not come in completely until Saturday and I'm pretty convinced it's still not flowing as it should (1 oz for both boobs AHH)
please help I feel like I'm losing my mind
1) Find an ENT or pediatric dentist in your area whose expertise is in releasing said ties, preferably with a laser (quicker, easier recovery and more accurate release with less scar tissue). Get in touch with this person ASAP to make a plan for an immediate evaluation following baby's birth. It's great that your pediatrician even took the time to look at DD's tie! But peds aren't experts in breastfeeding, let alone ties. You'll get more complete care partnering with an ENT or ped dentist who's well-known for treating ties in infants.
2) Practice hand expressing. Pumping works primarily through suction, and is pretty finicky depending on the woman; however babies remove milk through suction AND through the jaws compressing and tongue rolling along the milk ducts. If this baby has a tie and needs a release and you need to remove colostrum and milk, pump and then hand express afterwards. This will help you more fully empty your breasts because it better emulates how a baby removes milk and has the added benefit of skin-to-skin expression versus just the plastic flanges from a pump.
3) Find an IBCLC to work alongside you while you and baby work through potential tie issues. Babies who have ties need to relearn how to latch and how to nurse effectively. They might also need to do stretches and exercises to strengthen muscles that weaken (AKA lazy baby!) due to nursing with an ineffective latch for however long. If your very knowledgeable pediatric dentist doesn't offer this information to you, an IBCLC will. Said IBCLC should also help you learn how to get the best expression with your pump and the best fit with your flanges. Not sure what settings you used on your Hygeia (I had a Hygeia Enjoye with DD, so very familiar with Hygeia controls), but it gets some serious suction. However milk ducts work a lot like straws, and if you think about how a straw collapses fairly easily under strong suction, so too do milk ducts! I had an oversupply, and I found that with my Enjoye I got the best expression (3-4 ounces per session) starting with highest speed, lowest suction, and then moving to medium speed, medium-low suction during letdowns. When I was a noob, I used the highest suction I could tolerate, and would sometimes only express 1 ounce from both breasts.
Was this too much information? I really hem and haw over how much info to give because I remember how overwhelming it can be to tackle alllll the info that goes along with breastfeeding troubleshooting. Please let me know if I need to clarify!
Hey, Hannah! Nice to meet you. I'm Amanda, and I'm glad you're here. I have several thoughts reading your post, but I'd like you to tell me more about your sweet baby boy and your situation before I launch into explanations: How old is he now? How often are you pumping and why? Are you using that pumped milk to supplement? When is his next weight check? What exactly is your boob and nipple shape that necessitates using a shield? Has he ever latched without a shield? If yes, what happened? Are you working with an IBCLC?
Hang in there! Let's get to the bottom of this and put your worries to rest.
Okay, let's get down to the business of answering your burning question.
One week old today, and you think your milk came in on Saturday, which would have been 5/6 days postpartum, which sounds about right following a c section. C section mommas tend to see their milk come in a little later, nothing wrong there. Milk came in on day 5/6, which means he would have primarily been receiving colostrum (your pre-milk, which your body makes in very small amounts in comparison with your "mature" milk) leading up to his first weight check with his pediatrician, so it would also be expected that his weight gain would be limited or not at all because of receiving primarily only colostrum. Additionally, when moms deliver via c section, they receive lots of IV fluids which inflate baby's birth weight. Instead of comparing his weight loss against his birth weight, you (and his pediatrician) should be comparing his weight loss against his discharge weight. If we do that, then he's only experienced a 3 percent weight loss while eating only colostrum, which is teeny!
I agree with your ped that that very small weight loss is nothing to sweat at the moment. Sounds like you picked a knowledgeable pediatrician! Are you near a major metro area? IBCLCs often hold free weekly support group meetings with a hospital grade baby scale. You might look into attending a meeting just to weigh your son to put your mind at ease instead of wondering and hoping that he's okay. Otherwise, how do you feel about visiting the pediatrician earlier to check on his weight sooner rather than later?
As for your lack of feeling engorged, pumping small amounts, having small breasts, milk not squirting out... please know that none of these things indicate low milk supply! Here's what you need to see to be assured he's getting enough milk as a newborn: 5-6+ wet/dirty diapers per day, growing in some capacity (he may very well have gained height or head circumference in the last week!). Well fed babies are also generally content and hit their milestones. But diapers and growth will tell you what you need to know, and it sounds like his diaper output is great!
Ultimately the certified lactation consultant said the reason it wasn't an issue (even though we had latch issues due to other problems) is because DS's lip was flexible enough to flip up and touch his nose. As long as you can do that, nursing shouldn't be a problem. The only thing likely to happen is LO will have a gap between his teeth. Hey, everyone gets braces these days anyway, so whatever!
With my nephew, my SIL never had it resolved although she still pressed on and nursed him for about 18 months, she was plagued by mastitis and pretty much any issue you can have. She is just that stubborn! Of course now she wishes she had known (she didn't realize that was the source of her problems!) My niece, on the other hand, has one like my son, and it did not need correction, even though they had a dentist check it out. In case anyone wonders, my nephew does have a gap in his teeth, smaller than when his first teeth came in and actually barely noticeable.
Anyways, that was obviously my anecdotal story, but maybe it will help someone.
I also want to reiterate what others have said about making sure you consult with a CERTIFIED lactation consultant. To those of you who have yet to give birth: Your hospital likely offers it: Demand it, now matter what, even if you don't think you have problems. My hospital tried to blow me off a little saying "All of our nurses are trained in BFing" that's all well and good, and I'm sure they can provide some help, but they are not professional in this way. Their profession is nursing, not lactation. I had wonderful nurses at my hospital, but one nurse in particular rubbed me the wrong way. She was bossy and telling me how to sit that in no way considered my comfort level. She grabbed my boob and put it in my son's mouth. Yeah, he got a good latch that time, but it didn't teach ME how to do it! One time she came in and saw me breastfeeding in a reclined position (which is totally fine, if not recommended!) and she said "I told you to sit up!" I'm actually more mad now that I was at the time because of how not helpful I realize she was, now. The LC was much more helpful in guiding me to do it myself.
Ultimately my biggest problem has been one that is difficult to control. My IV made my arm so weak that I was having difficulty guiding him and holding him in a proper position. This was resolved by doing the football hold, which the LC has suggested, but I was too afraid to try something I considered "ambitious" in the hospital. I wish I had done it sooner!
What has helped me my first week with baby is 1. This thread. 2. The La Leche League Facebook page I am a part of. 3. Kellymom. It's so important to be able to have support and ask questions when BFing . Very thankful to @araecasey for starting this thread!
Sorry that was a novel....
TLDR: Certified lactation consultants are important and support from fellow nursing moms is also important!