Breastfeeding

Stephanie7693

Since our board is now exploding with babies and the pp thread is getting crazy, I thought a breastfeeding only thread would be nice. 

AnnaReid81

I'm a ftm, and I'm really crossing my fingers that breastfeeding is going to go smoothly. A few people mentioned nipple shields on other threads/blogs. Should I purchase some before the baby is born in case I end up needing them or are these items I should wait on because it's likely that I won't end up using them?

Curls919

AnnaReid81 said:

I'm a ftm, and I'm really crossing my fingers that breastfeeding is going to go smoothly. A few people mentioned nipple shields on other threads/blogs. Should I purchase some before the baby is born in case I end up needing them or are these items I should wait on because it's likely that I won't end up using them?

 Wait and see what you need.  With my first he wouldn't latch even with a nipple shield for the first several weeks.  With this one he latched like a champ immediately with no help.

nanner26

I feel like I have been doing so much research at this point on breastfeeding, I am kind of driving myself crazy with the "right way" to do everything. I'll definitely keep up with this thread because I like to read about what actually works for people. 

Mfuller76

Thanks for starting this! Our little guy is 6 days old and so far, he's been eating like a champ. I'm the one that's been struggling. Everyone talks about their milk letting down and making sure baby drains one breast before offering the other. How do you know? Are you supposed to feel these things? J seems to be getting plenty of milk based on his weight check and wet/poopy diapers but otherwise, I can't tell what's going on. 

Sekerambo

@Mfuller76 - I have never been able to feel let down with dd1 and she is almost 28 months olds. She also was a really quick nurser (done in 10 mins) that only ever nursed one side. As long as he has enough messy/wet diapers and is gaining the appropriate weight don't worry.  You are doing great momma!

KJ1416

@Stephanie7693 thanks for starting this thread!

@Mfuller76 Let down for me is ever so slightly painful, but that is a sign of a 'fast letdown' which I think I have. 

How is night time feeding spacing going for everyone?   I asked the pediatrician and he said at the 3-4 week point babies can go 5 hours. We are at the point where I'm trying to go 4-5 hrs, but I've been getting uncomfortably full. I'm not sure how to fix this.  Baby E wakes up earlier all the time, so we are anywhere from 3-5 hrs between. 

Curls919

@Mfuller76 - I go on one side until he seems to not want it anymore (or falls asleep and won't wake no matter how much I tickle him, blow on his face, etc). Then I burp him and if he seems to want more then I'll offer my other breast. The first few days I was doing both breasts each feeding and now that he's a week old and taking a boob for longer I've mostly been alternating. 

@KJ1416 - as the baby sleeps longer more frequently your supply should balance out. I remember when DS1 was a few months old and only taking one (full) boob first thing in the mornin after going most (if not all) the night not nursing I bought a manual pump and I would pump the boob he want nursing on while he took the other one. It not only helped get rid of the unbalanced engorgement but it also built my freezer stash. 

Mfuller76

Thanks for the advice y'all! There is such a learning curve to this, no matter how prepared I thought I was. I'll just continue to follow J's lead as long as he seems content and growing.

Stephanie7693

After long stretches at night I feed on one side until Levi is full. Then I pump both breasts when he's done. I'll get twice as much out of the breast he wasn't on. I've been able to freeze 25 ounces this week from pumping once or twice a night. 

jamiesc58

I am jealous of anyone who doesn't have a painful letdown!

allishally13

I'm a ftm with a 6 day old baby who was in the nicu until today. He is luckily breastfeeding like a champ (he's a big baby and apparent they struggle less with nipple confusion), and my milk came in within two to three days and a lot of it. I swear my boobs doubled again in size, wtf?!

I have been using thd nipple shield as it just helps him latch well and prevents frustration right now. I'll try taking it away in a few days to see how he does. 

runsoncoffee

I'm having a bit of trouble the last couple days... my little guy was breast feeding great (we've been using a nipple shield) the first two weeks. We also had to supplement breast milk in a bottle while he was jaundiced to make sure he was eating enough, which was a week and a half ago. He went back to eating fine from the breast but now the past two days he isn't taking much from the breast and spits maybe half of it up and then guzzles a bottle. He's still gaining weight  (the hospital lent us a scale to keep track) but I don't understand why he's spitting it up when it comes from my breast but then eats the breast milk just fine from a bottle. Any advice/input? Also if this is a totally scatter brained post sorry! I'm sleep deprived with the rest of you!

huskymama725

court5608 said:

I'm having a bit of trouble the last couple days... my little guy was breast feeding great (we've been using a nipple shield) the first two weeks. We also had to supplement breast milk in a bottle while he was jaundiced to make sure he was eating enough, which was a week and a half ago. He went back to eating fine from the breast but now the past two days he isn't taking much from the breast and spits maybe half of it up and then guzzles a bottle. He's still gaining weight  (the hospital lent us a scale to keep track) but I don't understand why he's spitting it up when it comes from my breast but then eats the breast milk just fine from a bottle. Any advice/input? Also if this is a totally scatter brained post sorry! I'm sleep deprived with the rest of you!

Babies are more efficient at the breast than a pump ever is, might be getting more while nursing or maybe letting down quickly while nursing

gadzooks_3

I was getting very drowsy with breast feeding the first week. That has lessened, but I get nausea with the start of breastfeeding now. Anyone else getting a little nausea with let down?

cait5413

@liljabee the sleepiness is getting a bit better for me too. I'm feeding her right now and my stomach is feeling a little rumbly, but I actually think I may be hungry--do you ever get a slightly nauseated feeling when you really need to eat? I'm going to grab a granola bar and see if it helps.

entropicallyfavored

@cait5413 and @liljabee I have to eat every time that I nurse at night between the hours of 3am and 7am, otherwise I feel so hungry that it is almost like nausea.  

lindseyb918

How long is a session lasting for you guys? DS is 10 days old and will sometimes nurse for over an hour and still act hungry at the end. I can't tell if he really needs more or if he just likes sucking. 

runsoncoffee

@labecker55358 mine are sometimes an hour too. We figured out our little guy likes sucking so I offer him a binky when I think he's done eating.

cait5413

labecker55358 said:

How long is a session lasting for you guys? DS is 10 days old and will sometimes nurse for over an hour and still act hungry at the end. I can't tell if he really needs more or if he just likes sucking. 

Dd is only 5 days old. She usually doesn't last over an hour , but it's not unusual for her to cluster feed (finish feeding, wait only a few minutes, and demand more) or act hungry and then only nurse for 5 minutes for comfort / to fall asleep. We haven't introduced a paci  yet because I'm waiting to make sure she gets back to birthweight and bf'in is well-established. I can't wait, though. Right now, I'm her paci, which means I get almost no sleep at night, and I am not great at napping during the day. 

jacmkelley

labecker55358 said:

How long is a session lasting for you guys? DS is 10 days old and will sometimes nurse for over an hour and still act hungry at the end. I can't tell if he really needs more or if he just likes sucking. 

I read a really long article about this the other day and it said to make sure baby is actually awake and eating. Since they close their eyes anyway- sometimes it's hard to tell. Is he really awake and eating?

entropicallyfavored

Baby E is already suckling his thumb pretty hard.  We haven't given him a paci and we are only feeding him breast milk.  Is this okay?  Should we be stopping him from thumb-sucking?  If it's not the thumb, it's me, so I'm selfishly tempted to not stop him.

cait5413

entropicallyfavored said:

Baby E is already suckling his thumb pretty hard.  We haven't given him a paci and we are only feeding him breast milk.  Is this okay?  Should we be stopping him from thumb-sucking?  If it's not the thumb, it's me, so I'm selfishly tempted to not stop him.

I wouldn't stop him. He's just self soothing 

allishally13

DS sessions have been lasting about 30 to 45 minutes. The nicu helped me with breastfeeding and said 10 minutes on the first side, burp, then as long as he wants on the other side, burp. If he still seems hungry again after burping then to give him a bottle of milk until he seems full. But to also pay attention if he seems like he is sleeping or sucking just for comfort. If he's not swallowing, he is just sucking for comfort. I usually give him a few minutes  to figure out what he wants I also have been pumping after he is done.

It is amazing how drowsy I get during breastfeeding! I'm so afraid I'll fall asleep with him in my arms and he will roll and fall. 

Stephanie7693

labecker55358 said:

How long is a session lasting for you guys? DS is 10 days old and will sometimes nurse for over an hour and still act hungry at the end. I can't tell if he really needs more or if he just likes sucking. 

Is he sucking and swallowing the whole time? Got the first few days, my son would nurse for up to 45 minutes, by a week it was 15 to 25. Now he's usually right around 10 or 15 minutes. He shouldn't seem hungry when he's done. If he's not sucking the whole time try to keep him awake and stimulated. I usually rub my son's face, neck and feet to keep him awake and going. Also, now that he's only eating 10 to 15 minutes at a time, he cluster feeds twice a day. But I think he does it because he sleeps 4 to 6 hours at night and is making up for it. But he seems satisfied when he's done

Stephanie7693

@entropicallyfavored ...I introduced the binky the day after baby was born. I know it's not recommended, but I needed to sleep. He hasn't seemed to get confused between the binky and nipple. If he's really hungry he wont take the binky. I'd prefer binky over thumb sucking. You can't take away their thumb when they are older, and it can cause dental problems down the road. But not all thumb suckers continue that long. And he may not want anything to do with a binky anyway. But something to think about

rvamom90

@entropicallyfavored We introduced the pacifier on day 5 because he has such an established sucking reflex and hasn't had any problems going from the pacifier to the boob and back. DS was also ducking his thumb and fingers so we've been using mittens and it has seemed to help. 

kriley602774

little lady is 4 days old now and seems to be doing well nursing. Now that my milk is in, I can clearly hear her swallowing which is reassuring! I really struggled with supply with my DS and only BF for 3 weeks because of frustration with seemingly low supply and pain. This time around I'm more optimistic and keeping fingers crossed that my supply can keep up with her demand!

she seems to average about 10-15 min on one side before falling asleep. Occasionally she'll be wake after a burp and will take the other side for 10-20 min. Other times she is so sleepy I will change her diaper to wake her before offering the other side. Nursing sessions between both breasts seem to be lasting about 30-40 min. She seems satisfied so far. 

Curls919

entropicallyfavored said:

Baby E is already suckling his thumb pretty hard.  We haven't given him a paci and we are only feeding him breast milk.  Is this okay?  Should we be stopping him from thumb-sucking?  If it's not the thumb, it's me, so I'm selfishly tempted to not stop him.

Self soothing is a wonderful thing. I wouldn't stop it. You'll appreciate it soon enough that he has his thumb and you don't have to keep popping a pacifier in his mouth every 5 seconds. 

lindseyb918

Thanks all for the feedback! I can hear him swallowing, so it must be cluster feeding. He's a very lazy feeder so I have to do lots of poking and prodding to keep him awake. That might add to the time and the confusion as well. Glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with these marathon sessions! 

@entropicallyfavored DS started sucking his thumb while we were at the hospital, so I was able to ask his pediatrician about it at discharge. He said totally fine. I also asked about introducing pacifier. He said he used to be very anti-pacifier, but studies show it reduces SIDS risk by 50% so now he supports it. He said wait to introduce until baby is back up to birth weight, about 10 days PP. I did sooner because I thought DS was nursing for comfort rather than hunger at times, and my nipples needed a break! 

bananers

I'm struggling with BFing, which is really hard for me because I BF'd DS1 for 16 months. But because E was so premature and has had so many breathing problems he lacks the stamina to do much. I'm trying so hard, though, and working with LCs almost daily. I really took for granted how easy BFing was with DS1. 

Stephanie7693

bananers said:

I'm struggling with BFing, which is really hard for me because I BF'd DS1 for 16 months. But because E was so premature and has had so many breathing problems he lacks the stamina to do much. I'm trying so hard, though, and working with LCs almost daily. I really took for granted how easy BFing was with DS1. 

The fact that you haven't given up yet is admirable. I can't imagine how hard it's been. My first was in the nicu for a little over 2 weeks, and I gave up on all of it a week in. I was 19 and didn't quite realize what I was giving up on so easily, but still.
Whatever happens is ok. You were dealt a tough hand and you've done great with it. Don't feel bad if you have to give up soon. Baby E has an amazing mama either way!

Curls919

@bananers - this time around is easier for me but DS1 was about a month early and had an awful time latching. It took him until about 6 weeks old to latch semi normally (and by 2 months he was fine). What got me through the early days was my lactation consultant kept repeating to me "he isn't supposed to be here yet". 

Duffgurl

Our DD is one week today and she has been doing really well with BF. I on the other hand have not slept. I'm breastfeeding on demand (I'm assuming we all are) and she will not really sleep in her crib by herself yet. DD wants to be held. 

Has anyone else experienced with their LO if they are flustered they won't latch? Like their mouth will stay open. I've had this happen a few times   But finally when we swaddled her she was good to go. 

I'm a little nervous to pump. I don't want to be upset with the quantity. Also with my milk after freezing it would have a bad taste to it almost as if it spoiled. I know we spoke of this before but how do we fix this issue for freezing?

DDRRT1982

Duffgurl said:

Our DD is one week today and she has been doing really well with BF. I on the other hand have not slept. I'm breastfeeding on demand (I'm assuming we all are) and she will not really sleep in her crib by herself yet. DD wants to be held. 

Has anyone else experienced with their LO if they are flustered they won't latch? Like their mouth will stay open. I've had this happen a few times   But finally when we swaddled her she was good to go. 

I'm a little nervous to pump. I don't want to be upset with the quantity. Also with my milk after freezing it would have a bad taste to it almost as if it spoiled. I know we spoke of this before but how do we fix this issue for freezing?

It's usually a lipase issue.  I have and so does @bananers.  She was successful at scalding.  I was not.  I'll let her share her technique.

Bookhousegirl

Duffgurl said:

Our DD is one week today and she has been doing really well with BF. I on the other hand have not slept. I'm breastfeeding on demand (I'm assuming we all are) and she will not really sleep in her crib by herself yet. DD wants to be held. 

Has anyone else experienced with their LO if they are flustered they won't latch? Like their mouth will stay open. I've had this happen a few times   But finally when we swaddled her she was good to go. 

I'm a little nervous to pump. I don't want to be upset with the quantity. Also with my milk after freezing it would have a bad taste to it almost as if it spoiled. I know we spoke of this before but how do we fix this issue for freezing?

I'm also breastfeeding on demand and getting very little sleep. DS likes to cluster feed from about 11-2:30am. He also does the frantic, nipple in his mouth, thing. The nurse said this is totally normal, and one trick is to take them off your boob, calm them, and then try again. I've been doing this and it works within 30seconds. I had a follow up with the lactation consultant today and she said the cluster feeding at night should start to get better after a week or two as they get more settled in night vs days. FX that will start to happen soon! 

SkiChic626

When you're stuck in the hospital, your 4 day old is getting his tan on in an incubator, and this is your only option for hot packs....onto your boobs they go!  

bananers

DDRRT1982 said:

Duffgurl said:

Our DD is one week today and she has been doing really well with BF. I on the other hand have not slept. I'm breastfeeding on demand (I'm assuming we all are) and she will not really sleep in her crib by herself yet. DD wants to be held. 

Has anyone else experienced with their LO if they are flustered they won't latch? Like their mouth will stay open. I've had this happen a few times   But finally when we swaddled her she was good to go. 

I'm a little nervous to pump. I don't want to be upset with the quantity. Also with my milk after freezing it would have a bad taste to it almost as if it spoiled. I know we spoke of this before but how do we fix this issue for freezing?

It's usually a lipase issue.  I have and so does @bananers.  She was successful at scalding.  I was not.  I'll let her share her technique.

Yep, I have to scald my milk before freezing it. And even fresh milk takes on a soapy flavor after about 24 hours for me (but everyone's milk is different, so you may want to experiment with how long you have). Scalding is a PITA but it's become routine, and I scald all my excess milk in one batch at the end of the day.

To properly scald, you have to heat it to almost but not quite boiling, and then quickly cool it. Here's what I do, step-by-step:

-Dump milk into a pot on the stove, set on high
-While milk is heating, fill up a shallow bowl with ice water and get out a large pyrex measuring bowl
-Watch milk closely, it only takes a few minutes to heat, and you want to remove it just before it boils, or 180 degrees. Sometimes I use a digital thermometer, but now that I've been doing it for a while, I know what it looks like. It will start to bubble ever so slightly (just teeny tiny bubbles) but doesn't come to an actual boil.
-AS SOON as it starts to bubble a little, quickly get it off the stove and dump into the pyrex bowl
-Immediately set the pyrex bowl in the ice bath and let cool for about 20 minutes 
-Measure and pour into freezer bags and put in freezer.
-I mark all my scalded bags with an "S" and the date

huskymama725

Have to share the power of breast milk for sore nipples!! Rubbing expressed milk on the after a feed and letting them get some air has worked wonders for me the last couple days! Finally

WinnieLou82

Just wanted to see if anyone else has been unsuccessful with breastfeeding? In part due to a long and rather traumatic labor, my poor body just cannot produce enough milk or hardly any at all. Resigned to the fact that I gave it a good try and we're moving on... anyone else in the same (dry!) boat? 

cait5413

@Duffgurl we had a night where she wouldn't sleep in the pnp and only wanted to be held. Exhausting. Last night I broke down and gave her a paci to sleep with ( still feeding  every 2-3 hours). The frustrating thing is during  the day she will sleep in the pnp unswaddled, no problem. At night she prefers to be swaddled, have the vibration on, have white noise going, and the paci helps. I have trouble sleeping during the day,  so the fact that her schedule is backwards is frustrating. Hang in there!