Oh yeah! I would let down randomly all the time, especially when I heard a baby cry. When DS was 6 weeks I went to a party for a friend with a 3mo and she was doing CIO (smdh). The baby was miserable, I was horribly and painfully engorged, and DS slept through everything.
I just got confirmation from my insurance company that they will cover a breast pump up at no cost to me. they give me like a list of 10 or so I can choose from and I have no idea which one to pick. Talk about overwhelming.
@NoraAurora you're like a god damn oracle... with your thorough yet simplistic input and conveniently linked back-up information.
Lol!! I'm happy to feel helpful but were you here in the old days when AmyG was around? She was truly amazing.
@emmaaa- that's nice they cover so many. Google around and check reviews- Amazon is a great resource for pump reviews (obvi). Medela is always an easy go-to.
@NoraAurora Thanks! DH thinks I'm crazy because I've made a spreadsheet, lol. I'm just sitting here thinking, if thing is (hopefully) going to be on my boobs multiple times a day for a year, I want a good one.
Medela is an option they offer so that's good to hear.
She got banned with the bump exodus. For absolutely no reason. I think she may still be around at TCF, though last time I checked she's nowhere near as active. It's seriously a shame.
@emmaaa... I like you even more now that I know you're a spreadsheet maker too lol... DH makes fun of me for it, but I pretty much make a spreadsheet for anything aplicable.... budgeting, daycare evaluations, anything with lots of options to choose between really. lol
@bnsmith85 and @emmaaa I'm with you ladies on the spreadsheet love! I made one for my hospital bag checklist, and our daycare options. LOL.
Question for all you BTDT moms. How does drinking + bfeeding work? I started thinking about it when the topic turned to wine on Monday Bitchfest. My friend breastfed and drank, but I remember the baby being older then (like 8 mos?) and I have a vague recollection of her saying something like "if you are legally sober to drive, you are okay to breastfeed". Is this correct?
@annabenanna... not a BTDT mom but remember this from when my bestie had her son. Two things I remember her MD telling her: 1- if you can legally drive, you can BF. Take that how you'd like... I definitely wouldnt want to get close to the limit just in case... but that's personal preference. 2- Best time to drink is when you're currently BFing. Like, sip wine while baby sips milk. Gives your body the most time to process the alcohol before the next feeding.
@annabenanna... not a BTDT mom but remember this from when my bestie had her son. Two things I remember her MD telling her: 1- if you can legally drive, you can BF. Take that how you'd like... I definitely wouldnt want to get close to the limit just in case... but that's personal preference. 2- Best time to drink is when you're currently BFing. Like, sip wine while baby sips milk. Gives your body the most time to process the alcohol before the next feeding.
I just had a mental picture of myself on my recliner/glider sipping wine (ala Claire in House of Cards) as my baby is bfeeding.... My MIL and mother would have a heart attack. Hahahaha. But I can totally see the logic though! Also, I now see my typo.... that's what I meant to say on my post "legally sober to *drive" gonna edit now!
@annabenanna I didn't drink for quite awhile with my first because I was worried about getting him drunk with my breast milk. Yesterday I asked my husband if he thought sparkling wine was allowed in the hospital. My attitude has changed a bit.
I'd say that if you're going to have one drink (or maybe two), it's true that your best bet is to drink as soon after breastfeeding as you can so the alcohol has a chance to dissipate. Alcohol leaves the milk at the same rate as it leaves your bloodstream. If you want to go out and get a little tipsy, you probably want to pump before you drink and just bottle-feed the next feeding or two. And, according to Kellymom, you don't need to pump and dump because the alcohol won't stay in your milk. Just don't breastfeed again until you feel sober.
The drinking/ BFing thing is a (sometimes hotly) debated topic, and a rather personal decision. I defer to kellymom or Dr Sears on this one.
Personally I did drink with DS but tried to follow the rule about drinking while feeding/pumping. There were a few times where I knew I had too much though and had to pump & dump. Another good reason to supplement with formula or your freezer stash (if you have one).
You're right - the drive/feed rule is pretty solid advice. For DD, I would have a drink while nursing or just after nursing so the alcohol was gone before the next feeding. As she got older and would sleep almost through the night, I felt comfortable having two drinks because the next feeding wouldn't be until morning.
When you know you're going to drink more, e.g., best friend's bachelorette party, you can use those handy test strips to be confident your pumped milk is safe ... The party I went to started at a college football tailgate at noon and lasted all night, so I had to pump every four hours and dump most of it. But as the night went on and I switched to water, I could see the test strips getting lighter and lighter ... And I felt confident when they were clear in the morning.
@bnsmith85 and @emmaaa I'm with you ladies on the spreadsheet love! I made one for my hospital bag checklist, and our daycare options. LOL.
Question for all your BTDT moms. How does drinking + bfeeding work? I started thinking about it when the topic turned to wine on Monday Bitchfest. My friend breastfed and drank, but I remember the baby being older then (like 8 mos?) and I have a vague recollection of her saying something like "if you are legally sober to drive, you are okay to breastfeed". Is this correct?
ETA: spelling
I followed the whole drinking while breastfeeding thing. I never wanted more than one drink. If I was out and had to pump, I tested my milk with the alcohol strips you can get at BRU, because I refused to pump and dump. That ish is liquid gold.
Let me add to the drinking/bfing convo that some kinds of beer (usually darker beers) are actually even helpful to milk production. I would feel fuller on nights that I drank a beer. If beer's not your thing, Brewer's yeast is one of the top dietary supplements to boost milk production.
While I'm thinking of it, other super easy dietary additions for milk production include flax seed and oats, so big batches of baked oatmeal, lactation cookies, or those no-bake energy bites are all awesome things to have on hand.
Let me add to the drinking/bfing convo that some kinds of beer (usually darker beers) are actually even helpful to milk production. I would feel fuller on nights that I drank a beer. If beer's not your thing, Brewer's yeast is one of the top dietary supplements to boost milk production.
While I'm thinking of it, other super easy dietary additions for milk production include flax seed and oats, so big batches of baked oatmeal, lactation cookies, or those no-bake energy bites are all awesome things to have on hand.
Actually alcohol (beer) inhibits let down with decreases the effectiveness of emptying the breast. Yes, brewers yeast can be known with some parents to increase production, but the alcohol itself can be detrimental.
@NoraAurora Was she an 016 gal? I've been on here pretty much the whole time, but went on hiatus mostly from Aug15 until BFP again and did zero lurking in that time frame so I don't recall. Anyway, keep that shit up.
I advocate Oatmeal for breast milk above anything else, I ate it in some form every single day. Even if I just had handfuls of dry oatmeal while passing the container. I honestly believe it worked wonders! But in retrospect, wonder if it contributed to my engorgement or if that was just from sloppy BF/pumping distribution...
Question.... if the baby starts sleeping through the night (only waking to feed once or so) do I need to set an alarm to wake up and pump in the middle of the night? Assuming I don't have supply issues I guess.... I would assume with supply issues, you'd definitely need to continue pumping a lot throughout the night to avoid losing your supply all together. But, of course, correct me if I'm wrong in that assumption.
@bnsmith85 I didn't bother on the nights LO didn't wake, but I also woke up with my chest and blankets soaking wet from my milk letting down while I slept. It didn't interfere with my milk supply, but it did with my laundry soap supply so that's your call!
@bnsmith85 You definitely won't need to pump in the middle of the night to keep supply up, but you might need to pump first thing in the morning. My son slept through the night for a glorious three weeks when he was four months old (then not again until he was 18 months old), and I'd wake up early because my boobs were so full they'd hurt. I never had the problem @allythekid had - my milk mostly stayed in my breasts. I'd pump, throw that milk in the freezer, and go back to sleep for an hour before my son woke up again.
I'm not sure if this has been covered previously but feel like it's worth noting... Babies born as early term (ie those of us who might be induced at 37w) tend to be sleepier even if they are considered "full term." I had a difficult time at first because of this.
I also had to pump early on after nursing sessions to supplement because DS was jaundiced. I really didn't think we'd make it to a year... I wanted to try nursing but I honestly wasn't committed either way. I was fine with the idea of giving formula. I think setting small goals helped me. My first goal was 6w because the first 6w are considered the hardest. I'm still nursing and he's 14mos old now and am planning to tandem nurse if DS is still interested.
Some other tips that I found helpful: 1. Ask to see a nurse or LC for every feeding in the hospital. The postpartum nurses have experience helping women too so if the LC isn't available then they should be able to help too. I took a BFing class but still felt lost once I was doing it. Having a nurse help made it somewhat easier. 2. Don't "give up" on a bad day if you think you'll regret it in a couple days/weeks.
@bnsmith85 - if baby is gaining weight properly, is free of jaundice, and if you aren't having issues with undersupply or mastitis/clogged ducts or painful engorgement, then no you won't need to wake up in the motn to pump or to feed. Just be aware that any variation in these factors can affect your nights differently (of course as with anything, defer to your Ped when the time comes).
@AllyTheKid - AmyG was just some awesome lady who had been around TB for years and years, and she would make rounds of each BMB around the time (or just before) babies were born to answer BFing and pumping questions, and to give advice. She was brilliant and enormously helpful.
One thing to keep in mind, too, is that if babe STTN then they may nurse more frequently during the day to make up the calories. Ultimately, you pumping at night depends on your comfort level. If you don't, you may wake up engorged or leak all over the bed (for a ling time I slept with pre-folds in my sports bras); or you may not, every woman's supply is different.
With proper breastfeeding management practices, it is very usual for a mom to just "lose [her] supply".
My hospital offers a breastfeeding class, does the hubby really need to go??
They're my boobs, not sure what there is for him to do, but this is my first so, who knows.
It's really not a bad idea to have him come. He'll be your front-line support person and he may remember something you don't in the heat of the moment if you have a problem. It's also helpful for him to understand more of what is involved so he can be more helpful.
My hospital offers a breastfeeding class, does the hubby really need to go??
They're my boobs, not sure what there is for him to do, but this is my first so, who knows.
It's really not a bad idea to have him come. He'll be your front-line support person and he may remember something you don't in the heat of the moment if you have a problem. It's also helpful for him to understand more of what is involved so he can be more helpful.
And at the very LEAST he'll have a better understanding of the effort you have to put into it. It's not just like "Here kid, have this boob. All done."
I was so glad my husband came to the breastfeeding class. My first was a very difficult baby to feed. She was born early, had blood sugar issues and jaundice that almost kept her in the hospital. So she was a really sleepy baby and had a terrible latch. I remember sitting there bawling cause I couldn't feed her and her blood sugar would be too low again so she needed formula. If it wasn't for my husband telling me that it was normal for it to be hard for awhile I would've quit then and there and never tried again. His support was exactly what I needed for a few weeks until she got rid of her jaundice and became healthy again.
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
My hospital offers a breastfeeding class, does the hubby really need to go??
They're my boobs, not sure what there is for him to do, but this is my first so, who knows.
It's really not a bad idea to have him come. He'll be your front-line support person and he may remember something you don't in the heat of the moment if you have a problem. It's also helpful for him to understand more of what is involved so he can be more helpful.
Agreed! My husband was blown away by what he learned with our BFing class before DD. It cleared up a lot of misconceptions he had, so he was much more supportive and less inclined to switch to formula at the first sign of trouble. (Which isn't a bad thing, it's just not what I wanted.)
A symptom of jaundice is sleepiness... so that could also contribute to your LO falling asleep before they're truly finished feeding.
Yea I should clarify that he wasn't jaundiced to the point that he had to go under bili lights. He was higher than what the ped wanted to see at 5 days and still losing weight which probably contributed to his sleepiness. The BFing class I went to mentioned early term babies tend to be sleepier because they're not quite ready to be "born."
My hospital offers a breastfeeding class, does the hubby really need to go??
They're my boobs, not sure what there is for him to do, but this is my first so, who knows.
It's really not a bad idea to have him come. He'll be your front-line support person and he may remember something you don't in the heat of the moment if you have a problem. It's also helpful for him to understand more of what is involved so he can be more helpful.
I agree with @TurtleMomma. The BFing class that I went to was just as much for the husbands because it pointed out ways that the husband can support the BFing mom. Not just through being hands on with helping the baby latch (which my husband had to help a lot with early on) but also encouraging him to change the diaper before nursing so mom can go to the bathroom, making sure mom has enough water, etc. because mom is so focused on baby early on/tired that she doesn't always think of herself. I think that talk helped my husband be more involved.
Can we talk Boppy vs MyBrestFriend? I've always had a Boppy but I've never been in love with it. That's all that was available when I had my first and I still had it with my second, so that's what I used. I wasn't even aware of this MyBrestFriend contraption until I saw it somewhere. After looking into it, it had great reviews and everyone says it's worlds better than the Boppy. If you've used both, is it worth it to ditch the Boppy and buy?
I never tried the BreastFriend, so I can't answer your question. HOWEVER, it reminded me of a tip that might be useful for first time moms: If you have an upstairs bedroom where you'll nurse at night, get TWO nursing pillows - one for upstairs and one for downstairs. I cannot tell you how many times I would have to run up or down the stairs to get the damn Boppy because I forgot to bring it with me. I finally had an epiphany and bought a second pillow - LIFE SAVER!
@kelliott09 My friends most recently have all loved the Brest Friend pillow over the boppy. I have registered for both. And I've also thought about having 2 because of the upstairs/downstairs thing @mommathoner!
Me:33 DH: 34 Married: May 2011 TTC #1: May 2015 DS: 10/20/2016 TTC #2: June 2019 #2 EDD: 2/20/2020
@kelliott09, I loved the My Brest Friend but can't give a comparison to the Boppy since I don't have one. I liked that it was foam instead of filling because DS didn't sink into the pillow. Also the back support was really nice. I had registered for the Boppy originally and a couple moms encouraged me to do the My Brest Friend instead. My SIL has both and said the My Brest Friend saved her nursing relationship. She didn't like the Boppy.
Re: All Things Breastfeeding
Oh yeah! I would let down randomly all the time, especially when I heard a baby cry. When DS was 6 weeks I went to a party for a friend with a 3mo and she was doing CIO (smdh). The baby was miserable, I was horribly and painfully engorged, and DS slept through everything.
Dating: 10/3/08 | Married: 12/27/14
TTC #1: August 2015 | BFP: 2/3/16 | EDD: 10/7/16
DD: 10/5/16
TTC #2: September 2017 | BFP: 4/28/18 | EDD: 1/7/19
DS: 1/9/19
@emmaaa- that's nice they cover so many. Google around and check reviews- Amazon is a great resource for pump reviews (obvi). Medela is always an easy go-to.
Medela is an option they offer so that's good to hear.
Dating: 10/3/08 | Married: 12/27/14
TTC #1: August 2015 | BFP: 2/3/16 | EDD: 10/7/16
DD: 10/5/16
TTC #2: September 2017 | BFP: 4/28/18 | EDD: 1/7/19
DS: 1/9/19
I didn't know AmyG wasn't around anymore!
Question for all you BTDT moms. How does drinking + bfeeding work? I started thinking about it when the topic turned to wine on Monday Bitchfest.
ETA: spelling
1- if you can legally drive, you can BF. Take that how you'd like... I definitely wouldnt want to get close to the limit just in case... but that's personal preference.
2- Best time to drink is when you're currently BFing. Like, sip wine while baby sips milk. Gives your body the most time to process the alcohol before the next feeding.
I'd say that if you're going to have one drink (or maybe two), it's true that your best bet is to drink as soon after breastfeeding as you can so the alcohol has a chance to dissipate. Alcohol leaves the milk at the same rate as it leaves your bloodstream. If you want to go out and get a little tipsy, you probably want to pump before you drink and just bottle-feed the next feeding or two. And, according to Kellymom, you don't need to pump and dump because the alcohol won't stay in your milk. Just don't breastfeed again until you feel sober.
Personally I did drink with DS but tried to follow the rule about drinking while feeding/pumping. There were a few times where I knew I had too much though and had to pump & dump. Another good reason to supplement with formula or your freezer stash (if you have one).
When you know you're going to drink more, e.g., best friend's bachelorette party, you can use those handy test strips to be confident your pumped milk is safe ... The party I went to started at a college football tailgate at noon and lasted all night, so I had to pump every four hours and dump most of it. But as the night went on and I switched to water, I could see the test strips getting lighter and lighter ... And I felt confident when they were clear in the morning.
If I was out and had to pump, I tested my milk with the alcohol strips you can get at BRU, because I refused to pump and dump. That ish is liquid gold.
Fell in love: Dec 2005 // Married: Feb 9, 2013
Little Miss Rosalie Harper--Born Jan 9th, 2014
While I'm thinking of it, other super easy dietary additions for milk production include flax seed and oats, so big batches of baked oatmeal, lactation cookies, or those no-bake energy bites are all awesome things to have on hand.
https://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/
Anyway, keep that shit up.
I advocate Oatmeal for breast milk above anything else, I ate it in some form every single day. Even if I just had handfuls of dry oatmeal while passing the container. I honestly believe it worked wonders! But in retrospect, wonder if it contributed to my engorgement or if that was just from sloppy BF/pumping distribution...
I also had to pump early on after nursing sessions to supplement because DS was jaundiced. I really didn't think we'd make it to a year... I wanted to try nursing but I honestly wasn't committed either way. I was fine with the idea of giving formula. I think setting small goals helped me. My first goal was 6w because the first 6w are considered the hardest. I'm still nursing and he's 14mos old now and am planning to tandem nurse if DS is still interested.
Some other tips that I found helpful:
1. Ask to see a nurse or LC for every feeding in the hospital. The postpartum nurses have experience helping women too so if the LC isn't available then they should be able to help too. I took a BFing class but still felt lost once I was doing it. Having a nurse help made it somewhat easier.
2. Don't "give up" on a bad day if you think you'll regret it in a couple days/weeks.
@AllyTheKid - AmyG was just some awesome lady who had been around TB for years and years, and she would make rounds of each BMB around the time (or just before) babies were born to answer BFing and pumping questions, and to give advice. She was brilliant and enormously helpful.
One thing to keep in mind, too, is that if babe STTN then they may nurse more frequently during the day to make up the calories. Ultimately, you pumping at night depends on your comfort level. If you don't, you may wake up engorged or leak all over the bed (for a ling time I slept with pre-folds in my sports bras); or you may not, every woman's supply is different.
With proper breastfeeding management practices, it is very usual for a mom to just "lose [her] supply".
They're my boobs, not sure what there is for him to do, but this is my first so, who knows.
DH: 34
Married: May 2011
TTC #1: May 2015
DS: 10/20/2016
TTC #2: June 2019
#2 EDD: 2/20/2020