August 2016 Moms

Breastfeeding

1356714

Re: Breastfeeding

  • We've been doing the weighed feeds too. Our hospital actually lent us a scale to use for as long as we want. 
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  • Had baby girl on Tuesday (late at night). Her latch seems to be ok only on one side. The other one, stinks. When I put her on to nurse she is a super super super lazy eater and I have to constantly stimulate her to get her to suck at all (rub feet, skin to skin, poke, squeeze breast). She basically falls asleep every time I pit her on (doesn't matter which side) and when I take her off even though she isn't really nursing, she screams bloody murder.

    I have used my manual pump and expressed only about 7 mls of colostrum in the last 24 hours and fed it to her by syringe. My breasts don't want to seem to cooperate at all and I feel like a failure even though she is barely over 48 hours old. We have supplemented with my pumped colostrum and some formula because she is so hungry and wasn't having any wet diapers. I did get my electric pump FINALLY last night and tried it out. In a half hour of pumping, I got 1 ml of colostrum total. Sigh. 

    It is currently 1230 AM on Friday, DH is watching her the first part of the night to give formula so I can sleep (haven't slept hardly at all, maybe three hours total this week). We are hoping giving my breasts a little break will help bring some more volume in. 

    I am going to call the lactation specialist in AM ASAP and see if I can get a home visit as I am in so much pain down there and can't walk. 

    Please tell me there is hope? I just so badly want my milk supply to come in and feel like I won't produce anything. Maybe the pain medications I'm on are messing with my supply? (Oxycodone, ibuprofen, Tylenol). 

    I am drinking a TON of water and eating everything in sight.

    Signed,
    A very hormonal, tired, and sad mama. 
    *TW Spoiler*

    DD: Aug '16

    10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks. 
    10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
    11/2/17 Twin A & B born 
    11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
    Benched 6 months 
    BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18  BO
    BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18

  • KJ1416KJ1416 member
    edited August 2016
    @midwestbaby It sounds like you are doing a great job!  I had some of the same concerns the first few days. Baby E would have a hard time latching on one side, but just fine on the other. I realized a few days later this correlated with her favoring one side to turn her head. The direction she wasn't turning her head was the side she didn't like to nurse on. I made an effort to turn her head that direction when she was sleeping to help her sketch it out, and I messagd her neck on the opposite side. As for your milk coming it, it sounds like most ladies are getting there milk 3-4 days after birth. Just hang in there, it will get better!!!
  • Ok question - 
    DS just slept 4 hours and woke up on his own. I forgot to set s timer for 3. I had a Pediatrician tell me newborns should just 8-12 times a day. She said feed him every 2 hours and then at night if he sleeps past 3 and goes to 4 it's ok. 

    Our pediatrician said every 3 during the nights d feed on demand during the day.

    What does everyone do at night? What are your longest stretches? I know one night sleeping for 4 hours isn't a big deal but I feel so bad. I don't want to starve him but I also don't want to wake him if he's sleeping. Just curious what other moms do at night. 
  • @jacmkelley Is he back up to his birthweight? If he is, don't stress about night time eating. Just feed him when he wakes up. During the day, wake him if he is sleeping at the 3 hour mark. This will actually help him learn to distinguish his days and nights, too. 

    If he's not up to his birthweight, then I'd continue waking him every 3 hours. Try not to overthink it!
      


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  • @jacmkelley My milk drops and starts leaking every two hours, so that is when I feed the baby right now (3 weeks pp).  In the beginning he would sleep for 4 hour stretches, but not anymore.  As long as your baby is gaining weight in a healthy way, I wouldn't worry too much about the "rules," just listen to the baby.
  • I feed every 2-3 hours during the day, or more if needed, but at night only when he wakes up. He's only be waking up about once during the night. The LC I had said if he sleeps for a 5+ hour stretch that it's just fine. My little guy is 3 weeks old and is now past his birth weight. 
  • Y'all are all so sweet! I have been so stressed over it and exhausted. He is 3 weeks PP on Monday. He left the hospital at 7.6 (7.14 birth weight) and was 8.8 as of Tuesday! So I know he's getting fed lol. I just felt like the two were so conflicting with their opinions. The pediatrician that told me to feed every 2 and then let him sleep more at night actually breastfed her kids. I'm not sure if my pediatrician did or not. It made perfect sense to me that if you feed diligently during the day the nights should be more lax.

    Seriously thank y'all. I feel much better.
  • @jacmkelley  I haven't been waking levi at night. He sleeps 4 to 6 hours at night, he makes up for it by eating every hour in the morning and at night before bed. If your little man is over his birth weight I wouldn't worry about waking him. That's what our pediatrician said too
  • @court5608 that is pretty much exactly what my routine is .. I won't wake him at night but every 2-3 hours during the day.

    @midwestbaby don't stress mama.  The baby doesn't need a ton of colustrum and my LC said don't even focus or worry about rotating which side until your milk comes in heavy and you need to relieve pressure.  Another thing is sometimes the baby just wants to be close to you and use the boobie like a pacifier and it's perfectly ok to just let them snooze/stay there without suckling in the first few days. If you want her to eat, try lightly blowing on her face or ears- it works best for JR- or slightly begin pulling nip away, it causes them to begin sucking harder because they don't want to lose it.  I started drinking mothers milk tea once I got home from the hospital and it really helped my milk come in.  Hang in there- you got this!!!!!
  • thanks guys, I freaked and called the ped at about 6pm last night. As soon as I left them a message A woke up (and stayed up for over 30min) and nursed like a champ. He's done great with nursing since (though he can be a snacker and want a little 2 min top off after an hour or so) and he's had several awake chunks since. 

    The nurse said if he's not wetting diapers in 8 hours that is the red flag. He was wetting them at least every 3 and he's pooped like 6 times since I freaked out and called. 

    I also feel like a new person because over Wednesday night I got 4 interrupted hours of sleep and last night after cluster feeding a bit around 11pm i put A down and accidentally slept through my alarm so by the time I woke up i got 4 straight hours (6ish in total). I can't wait til he's up to birthweight and I can hopefully get those longer stretches more frequently!
  • Here's a fun question anyone else's little one have swollen lumps underneath the nipple area? DS is swollen and I just noticed it - not sure if it just popped up or what. DH found online this Can be caused from hormones from breastfeeding? Anyone else had this? Kind of freaking out. I'll be calling pediatrician.
  • @midwestbaby your milk will come soon. Mine came several days later and at first only 10-20 ml per boob (so don't get disappointed if it's not a lot in the beginning). 

    Um, can I just say how FENUGREEK worked wonders for me?! I took two this morning & I just pumped 3 oz now (baby A asleep) total! Slowly but surely increasing, I hope. 
  • @midwestbaby I had C late on a Friday night and by Tuesday morning, my milk came in with a vengeance. Don't worry, it takes a few days. 
  • I think my milk is starting to finally come in tonight! 15 minutes of pumping and I got about 7 mls per boob! It's amazing how a volume perspective can change when breastfeeding! Even DH was like holy crap let me cap that right away so we don't lose it! 

    We met with a lactation specialist again today and I LOVED her! We were there for an hour and she helped with an entire feeding and helped us figure out latching. It was Aria's best feed in the last 3 days and boosted my confidence that I wasn't starving her. 

    Thank you ladies for the advice and the hang in there pep talks. These postpartum hormones are all over the place. 

    @AliKay20 My LC mentioned a supplement called shatavari for me to try. Although I'm interested in what this fenugreek is? 
    @AliKay20 Same - are these used to help with milk supply?
  • KJ1416KJ1416 member
    edited August 2016
    I also used fenugreek when I was BFing my son 2 years ago. I would feel a noticeable difference the next morning. I didn't keep track of how many onces it changed my milk supply, but it really helped out when I went back to work and was pumping. 

    I bought mine on amazon. It was the same brand that @AliKay20 showed. 

    Edited to add the Amazon comment. 
  • @jacmkelley yes, DS has those same lumps as well. I just noticed them today (1 week old). I remember DS1 having the same thing and the pediatrician said it was just my hormones leaving his body - or something like that? Either way, it wasn't anything to be concerned about and went away pretty quickly. 



  • I just made lactation cookies today to freeze for when they are needed. Along with Fenugreek another milk making ingredient is Brewer's yeast. Although it has a bitter taste. I hope they work when I start eating them. 
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    Me (32) DH (34) | |
    BFP #1 4/5/12 | Natural m/c on 4/18/12 (6w1d)
    BFP #2 8/23/12 | DS born 5/3/13
    BFP #3 12/6/15 | DD born 8/23/16
    BFP #4 2/22/19 | EDD 10/28/19
  • My nurse told me that if you like beer, one beer a day is completely safe for bfing moms and can help your supply. 
  • This is random...I'm still waiting on my LO to arrive, but have been getting all my pump stuff ready.  I use the Medela steam bags in the microwave to disinfect, and have washed/disinfected all my pump stuff from DS that hasn't been used in about a year.  But, I can't remember how/if you can clean the long thin clear tubes that connect the pump to the bottle contraption (I'm sure there is a name for them but I don't know what it is :)).  Can you steam bag those too?  Clean them another way?
  • These "booby bites" have some good ingredients for increasing supply. I've made them twice already and they're really good! 

    https://www.icanteachmychild.com/booby-bites-energy-snack-for-nursing-moms-everyone-else/
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  • Earth mama, Angel Baby milkmaid tea worked great for increasing my supply.  I would drink a cup at night and my supply the next morning was always better than when I didn't drink it.  
  • I apologize if this is rude in the midst of a discussion about increasing supply, but has anyone dealt with overactive letdown?  Baby gulps, chokes, and really stresses out when my milk floods into his mouth.  He'll only feed for 5-8 minutes and then in a frenzy spit milk out, cry, and pass out into a deep sleep.  Then he'll wake up hungry and beg to eat again within the hour.  I worry that he isn't getting enough milk, and that my nipples are getting destroyed feeding 20+ times per day.

    I've tried laid-back nursing, which helps some, but I don't want to pump because I don't want to send the message to my body to make more milk.  I've liked online for advice.  

    Our pediatrician wasn't too helpful when I asked for advice.  I'm thinking of calling a lactation hotline, but I didn't know if some of you might have experienced this.

    Does milk supply level out soon?  Should I just keep feeding like this and wait it out?  I am almost 4 weeks pp (next Thursday).


  • At the beginning of every feeding my LO usually acts like he is getting too much too quickly. But after the first 5 minutes he will get regulated. I would think if you pumped for a minute or two it would help reduce the pressure of all of the milk being there and help him with your milk not being so intense at the beginning. I don't think this will increase your supply since it's basically the same thing as him eating anyway. 
  • @entropicallyfavored Have you tried hand expressing just a little to relieve the initial pressure?

    Your supply should level out soon but it's hard to predict. Everybody is different. I have a friend who has a major oversupply problem. Even when she weaned her daughter she was still able to pump 12 oz over a month after they stopped nursing. So it's hard to say! You're on the right track by not pumping any more than you have to though.

    kellymom.com has some good tips. Here's one page I found that might help: https://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/
      


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  • My milk came in on day 2, and here I am on day 3 dealing with engorged boobs.  I'm also trying to avoid pumping bc I don't want to just create more milk than LO needs right now.  I vaguely remember this happening with my first as well but can't remember how long it took to resolve.  LO just gulps when she eats, and can't nurse for very long (think she gets enough quickly).  She seems like she's doing ok, but I'm hoping that things adjust quickly before the engorgment becomes an issue.

    I do have a small hand pump that I guess I could get out if needed, but I'd prefer to not actually pump until another week or so.
  • @entropicallyfavored I second the hand expressing for a minute before feeding. It can relieve that initial rush, but not trigger your body to make more. 

    I think the amount of time it takes your body to regulate really depends. I already feel my milk supply slowing down (day 5 since milk came in) so I've actually started pumping to try to keep it up (hx of low supply with DS1). I hope you get some relief soon!



  • @entropicallyfavored totally not rude at all! We all have different concerns and this is the right place to share.
  • @Fremdschamen, I put a table spoon of coconut oil in my coffee 3 times in the last 2 days.  Not sure if it increased my supply,  but it definitely gave the milk a more cream like appearance. 
  • @midwestbaby, glad you feel things are going better now.  It's definitely not easy...
  • AliKay20 said:
    That moment when you wake up from a nap because your boobs feel prickly...but you stall getting up with the hope that if you lay down flat on your back, maybe you won't feel your milk dropping on your sides...

    but you can only hope because 9 times out of 10, you will feel the leak and wake up feeling sad (and gross at the same time) that you wasted some of your supply. 

    I feel like my life revolves around my boobs. #realitycheck #napafteremptying
    100% to the bolded... This is my life right now. 



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