@Charla1224, I agree with you that formula definitely seems easier, especially due to the ability to hand off to DH. (Although if you read the formula discussion, those ladies are dealing with LO's having explosive diapers so no approach is without its problems.) 6 weeks pp here and EBF and sometimes it is sheer stubbornness that makes me hold on another day, but regardless of the reason, I hold on. Whether it's financial, research on the health benefits, or sheer willpower, find your reason to hold on too and you will. (Heck, sometimes my reason is just to spite my mother who is a formula pusher. Whatever works! )
Sometimes DH will take LO from me right after nursing to burp, check/change diaper, etc. If I need a nap, I'll beeline it to bed and squeeze in a cat nap. Just an idea! It definitely helps me immensely.
Mine wears baby for a bit so I can nap and he can feel free to move about.
So I had to start pumping with occasional formula top-ups about 3 days ago, due to massive damage to my nipples. (I'm 10 days pp.) I'm really hoping that if I can keep LO off the boobs long enough for them to heal, plus fix her latching issues (low palate, neck tightness), I can go back to breastfeeding more or less exclusively. I have 2 questions:
Will she be able to go back to breastfeeding if she hasn't done it in 5 days or so? I suppose it depends on the baby? She didn't have any trouble switching between boob and bottle when I was trying to do both.
When I pump, my right boob is way less productive than the left. I get 3 oz from lefty for every 1 from righty. Is that normal? Will that equalize over time?
I really, really want to be able to breastfeed. It's breaking my heart when I can't, but it's just too painful right now.
I usually get 3-4 ounces from righty and only one from lefty. Anatomical imbalance is normal, you might just have more mammary glands on your "good" side. According to Kelly mom/the research I've done to start adjusting my supply, here's what you can do: 1. Double feed on your smaller side (feed twice on one side, once on the other). 2. Always start with your smaller side first when feeding 3. Pump longer on your smaller side.
Breastfeeding has been going very well until recently. My left side us giving me problems. Lo prefers the right and so do i. But now t h e left side is PAINFUL to feed on. Even with a good latch I get sharp pain the entire time. I'm worried I might have a real problem. I'm thinking of pumping on the left until I can reach my dr or LC
Isla had a great latch from the moment she was born and now suddenly, at 3 weeks old, she doesn't. How do I fix it? My nipples are killing me and I keep trying and trying and making her relatch but its always the same hardly open, lazy, painful latch!
Breastfeeding has been going very well until recently. My left side us giving me problems. Lo prefers the right and so do i. But now t h e left side is PAINFUL to feed on. Even with a good latch I get sharp pain the entire time. I'm worried I might have a real problem. I'm thinking of pumping on the left until I can reach my dr or LC
Definitely call your dr. You might have a clogged duct or mastitis. Is there any redness on your left breast? Is it tender/painful to the touch? The best thing I've found with my mastitis issues is to apply heat and massage the hard/tender area in the shower, I also hand express to comfort of I'm left feeling full after she nurses. I don't have any experience with thrush but it could be that, too. GL!!!
I had mastitis over the weekend and it was hell I had fever and shivers, could only stay in bed and rest. Luckily DH was there to look after LO, he brought her in for feedings and cuddles, otherwise I was too sick to do anything. Heat before feedings and cold after helped, also hand expressing the red areas. It's still not completely gone, but much better now! Is there any way I can make sure that this won't happen again?
I had mastitis over the weekend and it was hell I had fever and shivers, could only stay in bed and rest. Luckily DH was there to look after LO, he brought her in for feedings and cuddles, otherwise I was too sick to do anything. Heat before feedings and cold after helped, also hand expressing the red areas. It's still not completely gone, but much better now! Is there any way I can make sure that this won't happen again?
My SIL had lots of issues and then started taking Lecithin and a Probiotic every day. Hasn't had a clogged duct or mastitis since. I had a clogged duct once, and I've been doing the same regimen with no repeats.
Isla had a great latch from the moment she was born and now suddenly, at 3 weeks old, she doesn't. How do I fix it? My nipples are killing me and I keep trying and trying and making her relatch but its always the same hardly open, lazy, painful latch!
Have you tried doing the c-hold on your breast through the entire feed? When Viv gets lazy/ sleepy her latch is really shallow and her mouth sort of slides back to the point where she's basically just munching my nipple, but if I do the c-hold it seems to help quite a bit.
How are y'all BF while baby wearing? My LO is 5 weeks, but he was 4 weeks early and just now 7.5 lbs... Im wondering if I need to wait longer, but he wouldn't be able to get a good latch on his own.
also- I have the k'tan-- which hold are y'all using to BF?
How are y'all BF while baby wearing? My LO is 5 weeks, but he was 4 weeks early and just now 7.5 lbs... Im wondering if I need to wait longer, but he wouldn't be able to get a good latch on his own.
also- I have the k'tan-- which hold are y'all using to BF?
C/P my response to a similar question from the crunchy thread: I shift him diagonally in the hug-hold and pull the boob up to him. He doesn't feel less secure that way, but I keep whichever arm he is leaning towards around him as a precaution and to support his head better in that position. I also bring his arm out on the side he's leaning towards so that the fabric doesn't cover his head. I do it the same way in a mei tai except that I can usually keep him more upright. I didn't start using the K'tan until LO was closer to 9lbs.
I had a private in-home session with the LC from the hospital where we delivered. I feel so much less dread about BFing now and don't feel as guilty about the prospect of potentially EPing if they don't get it. They are transferring milk well and we tried giving them a little of their formula supplementation before BFing and they were a lot calmer at the breast. We have some things to try, which at least makes me feel a little hope.
I had a private in-home session with the LC from the hospital where we delivered. I feel so much less dread about BFing now and don't feel as guilty about the prospect of potentially EPing if they don't get it. They are transferring milk well and we tried giving them a little of their formula supplementation before BFing and they were a lot calmer at the breast. We have some things to try, which at least makes me feel a little hope.
I'm so glad you feel better. There's nothing like a good visit with an LC in my opinion. I felt so much better after visiting mine a week ago! No matter what road you take, you're definitely giving it your all!!
I had a private in-home session with the LC from the hospital where we delivered. I feel so much less dread about BFing now and don't feel as guilty about the prospect of potentially EPing if they don't get it. They are transferring milk well and we tried giving them a little of their formula supplementation before BFing and they were a lot calmer at the breast. We have some things to try, which at least makes me feel a little hope.
I'm so glad you feel better. There's nothing like a good visit with an LC in my opinion. I felt so much better after visiting mine a week ago! No matter what road you take, you're definitely giving it your all!!
That said, I think the IT guy principle applies to LCs as well. You call because there's something wrong, and when they come to help, everything is hunky dory. Baby, y u no latch when LC isn't looking?
Isla had a great latch from the moment she was born and now suddenly, at 3 weeks old, she doesn't. How do I fix it? My nipples are killing me and I keep trying and trying and making her relatch but its always the same hardly open, lazy, painful latch!
Have you tried doing the c-hold on your breast through the entire feed? When Viv gets lazy/ sleepy her latch is really shallow and her mouth sort of slides back to the point where she's basically just munching my nipple, but if I do the c-hold it seems to help quite a bit.
I guess I usually start off doing that and then give up so I can have a free hand for my phone. Guess I'll give that a better try!
I had a private in-home session with the LC from the hospital where we delivered. I feel so much less dread about BFing now and don't feel as guilty about the prospect of potentially EPing if they don't get it. They are transferring milk well and we tried giving them a little of their formula supplementation before BFing and they were a lot calmer at the breast. We have some things to try, which at least makes me feel a little hope.
I'm so glad you feel better. There's nothing like a good visit with an LC in my opinion. I felt so much better after visiting mine a week ago! No matter what road you take, you're definitely giving it your all!!
That said, I think the IT guy principle applies to LCs as well. You call because there's something wrong, and when they come to help, everything is hunky dory. Baby, y u no latch when LC isn't looking?
Agreed. Baby girl showed the LC her deepest latch to try to impress her, now she's all, shallow latch is where it's at.
So....with all of the dilemmas with DD's birth weight and having to pump and feed her via syringe and bottle to get her weight up, I was sure that her issues with a shallow latch were due to her getting too used to the bottle nipples...but now after researching how to fix a shallow latch, I'm finding that she may have a lip tie. She can't flange her top lip. I breastfeed her about 5-6 times a day along with the bottle because now that her weight is back up and jaundice is no longer a problem I'd like to breastfeed for most of her feedings and leave the bottle for times when mama needs a drink. She has a crease in the middle of her upper lip and my nipple comes out of her mouth squished and flat like a flathead screwdriver and she's been spitting up A LOT now that I've been increasing her feeds at the breast. We feed her sitting up when we feed from the bottle, so she would spit up before, but nothing compared to the amount she spits up after being on the breast. She stays on for 30-45 min but she always acts hungry afterwards so I give her about an ounce from the bottle so she's satisfied...I figured with all our visits to her pediatrician they'd look for a lip tie (I'm sure she doesn't have a tongue tie) but maybe that's not standard? Any help?
@ncm0328 I think you'll find that a lot of doctors won't even acknowledge a lip-tie, let alone admit it may affect breastfeeding! DD1 never latched and we never figured out exactly why, but we did discover that she had a lip-tie around 15 months. I asked her doctor about it and she told me that her personal opinion is that lip-ties very rarely affect breastfeeding or speech, but if I wanted to talk to someone about it I should see a pediatric dentist. So if you think it's even a possibility then I would suggest doing some research on pediatric dentists in your area and find one that releases tongue and lip ties. The one we saw decided that her lip-tie wasn't rigid enough to affect speech but it may have had an effect on her not breastfeeding. We chose to not have it released and she ended up falling and busting it herself a few weeks later!
@JessicaB0627 thank you! Do you or anyone else happen to have any idea as to whether or not the fact that her top lip not being able to flange affects her latch to this degree? We've met with a handful of lactation consultants between the hospital and her pediatricians office and none of them have seemed to be of any help. We really can't afford to have someone come to the house as everyone here wants $200 and up for a home visit and around $125 for us to go to them.
So from everything I've read/heard, BFing is supposed to make me super hungry/thirsty. The opposite is actually true for me. I get slightly hungry at meal times, but don't really want snacks or anything extra. I have to make myself drink water, which is crazy to me because I was SO thirsty and drinking 90-100 oz. a day during the third tri. I guess I'm curious to know if anyone else feels this way?
Married: May 2012 DS1: May 2016 DS2: Jan 2019 Baby #3 EDD: 6/18/24
So from everything I've read/heard, BFing is supposed to make me super hungry/thirsty. The opposite is actually true for me. I get slightly hungry at meal times, but don't really want snacks or anything extra. I have to make myself drink water, which is crazy to me because I was SO thirsty and drinking 90-100 oz. a day during the third tri. I guess I'm curious to know if anyone else feels this way?
I am definitely drinking more water but I have to force myself to eat meals. I pretty much have zero appetite (nothing ever sounds good) so I'm constantly reminding myself to eat.
So from everything I've read/heard, BFing is supposed to make me super hungry/thirsty. The opposite is actually true for me. I get slightly hungry at meal times, but don't really want snacks or anything extra. I have to make myself drink water, which is crazy to me because I was SO thirsty and drinking 90-100 oz. a day during the third tri. I guess I'm curious to know if anyone else feels this way?
I am definitely drinking more water but I have to force myself to eat meals. I pretty much have zero appetite (nothing ever sounds good) so I'm constantly reminding myself to eat.
Same here. I want all the water. But food I have to remind myself to eat. I can definitely tell the difference in my supply when I don't eat though.
@ncm0328 I would say that her not being able to flange her upper lip could affect breastfeeding. Have you looked on kellymom? I read a lot there before DD2 was born just in case she was bit with a lip tie as well. There's a lot of good information on there! And definitely try to see a pediatric dentist. Does your hospital have breastfeeding support groups? Mine has one once a week that's free to go to and ask questions of the lactation consultant and the other moms. I hope you can get something figured out!
So from everything I've read/heard, BFing is supposed to make me super hungry/thirsty. The opposite is actually true for me. I get slightly hungry at meal times, but don't really want snacks or anything extra. I have to make myself drink water, which is crazy to me because I was SO thirsty and drinking 90-100 oz. a day during the third tri. I guess I'm curious to know if anyone else feels this way?
This is totally me and I'm even nursing twins. I was SO thirsty when pg and water tasted soooo good. Now hours will go by w/o using the restroom. My milk supply is struggling. Need more liquids!
4 days PP and breastfeeding is getting tougher. In the hospital, the LCs assured me that everything was hunky dory, but her weight has dropped substantially. Last night she had an epic meltdown and after trying everything I could to soothe her, I finally gave her an ounce of formula. Instant calm! I saw the ped this morning and she wants me to nurse and supplement for the time being (until she's gained weight and I can see an LC again).
She's been SO chill ever since we started supplementing, which makes me feel like I'm aleready a breastfeeding failure. She's having trouble latching, which I fear is being made worse with the bottle use. She also keeps falling asleep about two seconds after she latches. My LC visit can't come soon enough.
Just when you think you and baby girl are finally getting the hang of this whole breastfeeding thing only to go to the doc and find out she has lost weight. So frustrating!
Advice needed my baby was born with low blood sugar, and was immediately given formula after birth and for every feeding after. Once i had recovered enough from the emergency c section i started trying to breastfeed, he only got tiny amounts of colostrum but had a good latch. The more he got used to his formula the more frustrated he became with breastfeeding... He now screams with all his lungs whenever we try today my milk finally came in and i want him to be exclusively breastfed more than anything- but he just refuses. I pump and that has been going ok, just feeling really heartbroken about not being able to actually breastfeed...
@Norway23 I'm sorry that you're in such a frustrating situation. Be sure to keep putting LO to the breast before bottle feeding, even if only for a few minutes at first. Also, use a slow flow nipple and paced feeding to slow down bottle feeding. https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/
@MsIan if you're not pumping 8-12 times per day, the first thing to try is to increase the frequency of your pumps. Once you hit 2mo, you can probably safely drop a few gradually without sacrificing supply. Otherwise, power pumping really helps-- pump 10 min, rest 10 min, repeat for 1hr. You can try certain foods and herbs too like oats, brewers yeast, flax seed, fenugreek, Gatorade in addition to simply eating and drinking more. Too much sage, peppermint, Benedryl, or caffeine can sabotage supply. I hope something helps! Eta skin to skin helps too!
Wanted to share this resource about the laws regarding breastfeeding and pumping at work in the US as well as individual state laws. Most interesting was that in New York, you can take your breastfed baby with you to jail/prison
After a huge struggle with breast feeding after coming home from the hospital two weeks ago and being told by the LC that LO is tongue tied and to supplement with pumped milk and formula, I was beyond excited that the pediatrician does not think this is necessary! Pediatrician said LO is not tongue tied and is going to work with us to get back to breast feeding by having us come in and get her weighed and then EBF for two days and have her come back for a weight check to make sure she didn't lose. Since hearing this we've been trying breast feeding more and she's been doing full feedings again! I'm so happy that the pediatrician is willing to work with us and gave better information than the LC
@That1didntcount DS has a moderate lip tie that was one of the things that impacted his latch initially. We didn't clip it because he had already started improving the latch and was able to flange his lip, just not very much by the time our pediatrician mentioned it. When I worked on his latch with him, I spent a lot of time using a c-hold on the breast and taking a finger to lift his lip and another to drop his jaw more.
@kbrands7 thanks for the response. I'm worried that she isn't nursing as effectively as she could be, and it makes her nurse more frequently and shorter in duration. The LC and I worked on the exact things you mentioned and we had a couple of good feeds. Then tonight she's fussy and latching on and off. I know it's never easy, just hoping it gets easier....
DD was seen by an LC today and she has a tongue tie. We were referred to a pediatric ENT so we can get a more thorough evaluation. It explains why she is having trouble latching, but I am still worried about my supply. The LC suggested pumping 4x/day; I've only done it once so far but was only able to pump .5 oz out of one side and nothing out of the other! I do know that side does make milk, so not sure what happened. Baby had gained some weight, which is encouraging, but from the color of her poo she is still somewhat dehydrated.
It's so frustrating! I knew nursing might be hard, but I had no clue there would be SO MANY things to be concerned about!
@PYLWhammy what color is her poo??? So weird I can ask an Internet stranger that question and not feel weird. My supply is fine, but I feel like her poop is much more dry than my older daughter's was. Ugh! I feel ya on the frustration, my daughter is gaining so they don't think a referral is necessary but I'm definitely worried. The unknown is difficult territory to navigate.
@that1didntcount - it's kind of green-brown. The LC didn't seem too worried, but did say it should be yellowish by now.
i hear you on the every hour thing. The LC said it was fine to supplement every once in awhile to preserve my sanity, in these early days. I definitely had DH give her a bottle while I took a glorious nap.
Re: A Strong Start to Breastfeeding/BFing Q&A
6 weeks pp here and EBF and sometimes it is sheer stubbornness that makes me hold on another day, but regardless of the reason, I hold on. Whether it's financial, research on the health benefits, or sheer willpower, find your reason to hold on too and you will. (Heck, sometimes my reason is just to spite my mother who is a formula pusher. Whatever works! )
1. Double feed on your smaller side (feed twice on one side, once on the other).
2. Always start with your smaller side first when feeding
3. Pump longer on your smaller side.
I'm thinking of pumping on the left until I can reach my dr or LC
also- I have the k'tan-- which hold are y'all using to BF?
I shift him diagonally in the hug-hold and pull the boob up to him. He doesn't feel less secure that way, but I keep whichever arm he is leaning towards around him as a precaution and to support his head better in that position. I also bring his arm out on the side he's leaning towards so that the fabric doesn't cover his head. I do it the same way in a mei tai except that I can usually keep him more upright.
I didn't start using the K'tan until LO was closer to 9lbs.
DS1: May 2016
DS2: Jan 2019
Baby #3 EDD: 6/18/24
She's been SO chill ever since we started supplementing, which makes me feel like I'm aleready a breastfeeding failure. She's having trouble latching, which I fear is being made worse with the bottle use. She also keeps falling asleep about two seconds after she latches. My LC visit can't come soon enough.
https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/
Eta skin to skin helps too!
https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/breastfeeding-state-laws.aspx#Fed
It's so frustrating! I knew nursing might be hard, but I had no clue there would be SO MANY things to be concerned about!
Also, I don't want to nurse every hour. Sorry.
i hear you on the every hour thing. The LC said it was fine to supplement every once in awhile to preserve my sanity, in these early days. I definitely had DH give her a bottle while I took a glorious nap.