@entropicallyfavored I am also pretty modest when it comes to nursing in public. I do the tank under my shirt thing, and this time I got a good nursing cover (udder cover is the brand). It's one of the ones that hangs around your neck and has some wire at the top so you can see down to them (and it's not so hot for them!). The cover makes it 100x's easier, I highly recommend one. I actually had one of those coupons from babies r us or somewhere that made it so I just paid for the shipping.
@midwestbaby I think we'll be in the same boat too. Good luck tonight! I hope we both have a better night!
@entropicallyfavored I'm also a bit nervous about this. I only BF my first for a few weeks and never had to BF in public with him. This go around seems to be going more smoothly so nursing in public will be a must if I want to get out and have a life!! Lol.
I have a cover that I plan to use but I'm super terrible at using it without exposing my boob anyways! Until I get good at it, I think I'll feel uncomfortable and nervous.
TTC 9/2013
BFP#1: 9/28/2013, EDD 5/28/13, MC confirmed 10/15/13, D&C 10/17/13
@entropicallyfavored I know that it seems like rude comments happen a lot because they get a lot of media attention, but honestly I BF DS1 for a year and never once had anyone say something rude to me. I'd suggest to try it in a safe environment first, like at a friend's house, moms group, or a "nursing mothers" room at church (if you attend church).
As for the other stuff, have you found a brand of breast pads that you like? The whole time I was nursing, my opposite boob always leaked when the one DS was feeding on letdown, so I always had to wear pads. I used disposable Lansinoh ones at the beginning but ended up investing in washable Bamboobies when it became apparent that the leaking issue wasn't going away. The other thing you can do is use a burp cloth as your "towel" to take the edge off when you're out with LO. You can even just shove a burpcloth in your bra (temporarily) while LO is nursing.
Also, this might seem obvious, but make sure your nursing cover has one of those rigid curved rods at the top so you can see LO hands free. The one I bought for DS1 didn't because I didn't think it would matter. It totally matters.
I know it feels a little scary at first. When DS1 was really young (like under 3 months) I used to just bring a pumped bottle with me to feed him in public because I was too nervous to do it too! You'll find a groove. Trial and error.
When we were at the hospital, peanut fed about 45 min each session. Granted that was colostrum, but now it's dropped down to 20 min on average. Last night was even 10! He usually falls asleep, despite my efforts of changing his diaper. He also latches and relatches as he gets tired, so we switch sides [Usually 3 times total]. Trying not to succumb to pressuring myself but its nerve-wracking seeing only 4 or 5 min per side. He eats often from every 1.5-2.5 hrs. I know the milk is there.....thanks to the leaking. Just not sure how to encourage him to "complete" a side so he can get a balance of fore& hindmilk.
@lblu43 C does something similar where he'll feed anywhere from 5-20 minutes then pass out and as a result usually only feeds on one boob. We do modified block feeding where he stays on one boob until he empties it and if he's still hungry, offering the second boob. As long as your LO is gaining weight and has wet and dirty diapers, I wouldn't worry too much.
To keep him interested, we'll change his diaper, blow on him, burp him, etc.
Have you guys experienced that certain foods that you eat upset your baby's stomach through your milk?
I am about to have indian food but nervous that I'll have a fussy baby tonight or tomorrow once A feeds after my meal. I heard a mom say once that she stays away from Thai food or anything really oily as the baby has really bad gas after.
I wonder how fast it kicks in (to my milk) after consumption.
@entropicallyfavored I definitely eased into nursing in public. First, when some of my closest gfs came over to meet baby. Second, at the breastfeeding group I attended with DH - yeah, he was basically the only dude there with one other dad and all these moms were whipping out their goods like nbd. DH later told me he didn't know where to look but down on the floor, lol. Third, at Nordstrom's mother's room.
@AliKay20 I have cut dairy out of my diet because Levi is so gassy and his farts smell like rotten eggs. And when he gets gassy he's in pain and it's so sad. And lots of crying. It can take a while for it to leave my system so I'm going to try it for a week or two. I've heard food can affect milk within a couple hours though. I've been on Google a lot about it lately lol.
@entropicallyfavored I've nursed baby in public a lot already. At first I just used a muslin swaddle to sorta cover us, not completely covering his head, mostly my chest. I invested in some nursing tops and they are awesome, but if there's people around I still use the blanket until he's latched. Once he's on there's not much to see. Try practicing at home, it took a few tries to figure out how to do everything as quickly and discreetly as possible. I still fumble sometimes, but it's not a big deal. Most people avoid looking when they realize what you're doing
How do you know when one boob is empty and to switch to the other? Can you just feel it? Does the baby just stop eating so you offer the other one and if they don't latch then they are done?
Is it terrible I give no ducks about nursing in public? As a FTM I expected to care more, but it seems to be other people who are having the twitches over it. In VT I am legally protected as a nursing mother to nurse in public, so those people can go screw. I make cursory attempts towards modesty, but if little guy is refusing to latch under a cover, I'm not wearing it. My son's health is more important than a stranger being comfortable.
How do you know when one boob is empty and to switch to the other? Can you just feel it? Does the baby just stop eating so you offer the other one and if they don't latch then they are done?
From my experience, you can feel that your boob is lighter (boobs with full milk feel dense). Baby also unlatches and gets fussy; she tries again and latches but doesn't get much so she unlatches, fusses, etc. Fusses because she is not full from that one boob (again, this is just my experience). As soon as I switch to my other boob, baby latches quickly and you can see and hear her gulping away. Another sign I know baby is done is when she is in deep sleep even after she unlatches. When she's not done though, she wakes up as soon as I put her down and starts fussing and rooting (she puts her hand in her mouth and tries to suck on it or if I hold her vertically, she sucks on my shoulder).
LO was cluster feeding from 5-6:30 and then proceeded to spit up, what I have to assume is, all of the milk he drank I feel bad for him because he must have been overly full, but I also feel bad for my boobs! All that milk wasted! I just finished washing both of us down, and now he's acting hungry again... I don't think my boobs can take any more!
Our girl loves to do this. She eats like she is starving and then takes in too much and spits up. Lately she has also started to pop herself off of the nipple like she needs to catch her breath and then try to relatch herself which doesn't always work
Married May 2014 DD born August 2016 Baby #2 due December 2017
@bookhousegirl this was happening to us while we were in the hospital. The nurse reccomended a pacifier, and honestly it has made a huge difference. I think some of the cluster feeding is sucking for soothing, but then like you said he both gets overfull, and spits (which he never does)
I've always felt more that the babies crying probably bothers more people than the babies eating...and it will be one or the other if the babies are hungry
I just finished pumping, I have almost 2 ounces from each breast. After I was done I realized my nipples had swelled at bit, they don't hurt they just doubled in size immediately. Did I pump too long?? I honestly don't know when I should stop, I usually listen to music 2 or 3 songs on each breast. Is that too long to be 4 days pp??
@MrsEWilson mine swell a little but too when I pump, I get about 1 to 2 ounces from each. I think as long as it isn't painful and goes away quickly it's not anything to be concerned about.
@MrsEWilson mine also swell after pumping and I'm 3 days PP. since yesterday When my milk came in I've been pumping about 30 minutes each session.. Not getting 2 oz though so sorta jealous of that right now haha. The boob pain is real though. Hoping this breast feeding and pumping thing gets a little easier.
Baby is almost 3 weeks old now, and I've developed chronic neck/ upper back pain, which I suspect is from my breastfeeding posture. I remember this now from DD. Anyone else experiencing this? I haven't been using my nursing pillows, which probably would help/ prevent this. This is a great excuse for a massage!
@lblu43 my LO only nurses for about 5-15 mins total each session usually averages around 10. That will either be one side only, or if she takes a break and is still awake, I'll offer the other side. She's gaining weight, must just be an efficient eater. It was a little odd to me at first bc my first kiddo would nurse for closer to 30 mins. But she seems to gulp down milk a lot faster: I also used a shield at the beginning with my fist, so that may have decreased the flow too.
@PeachGal23 my neck, shoulders and upper back have been so sore, for the same reason. I started going back to my chiropractor and that has helped a lot. I'm also getting better about using my boppy pillow, or finding some way to support baby better. Sometimes I sit on the couch sorta reclined with one leg up kinda supporting baby. It's weird, but comfy. Found a new position for bed nursing tonight too. I lay back on propped pillows, with a blanket bundled in my lap under baby, and I'm sorta laying on my side, with baby's head on the opposite side so he's tilted properly. Sorry, not sure if my tired rambling is making sense
I just finished pumping, I have almost 2 ounces from each breast. After I was done I realized my nipples had swelled at bit, they don't hurt they just doubled in size immediately. Did I pump too long?? I honestly don't know when I should stop, I usually listen to music 2 or 3 songs on each breast. Is that too long to be 4 days pp??
Mine always swell a bit from pumping. As long as you were still getting milk easily then you weren't pumping too long.
@Stephanie7693 alright, glad this is normal. My first thought when I seen them was "great, I've ruined them" lol
@ShawnaLynn83 my milk came in super fast!! Yesterday I hardly got an ounce from both but today I ruined 2 tee shirts and still was able to pump 4 ounces. I'm so happy, because I'm seeing other moms haven't been so lucky...but yours will be here soon enough too
@MrsEWilson I would just caution against pumping too much this early for you. It caused an oversupply issue for us that is now causing us some problems (4 weeks pp). I've since hears from my pediatrician that she doesn't recommend pumping more than 5-10 minutes per breast until after the first three weeks when the milk supply is a little more stable.
My LO also ranges from feeding 5-15 minutes on each side. I was feeding one one side for 6-10 minutes then switching to the other breast. But I realized she was never fully draining either breast. So I'm doing block feeding and it's working out great. When my breasts are full it feeling like there is an implant in there and when it's fully drained it is soft again.
The past 2 days I've been having trouble with LO throwing up after feedings. Not everyone, but it still makes me sad to see her throw up and fuss. I think I'm just making a ton of milk and have a forceful letdown that she gorges and then her stomach is over full. I've been feeding her for 5 minutes, stopping and ordering her rest for like 5 minutes then finish feeding. That seems to help.
@jkershaw2013 We also tried block feeding starting yesterday. The girls have since filled fast! They were also pretty sore though tonight as well. Guess i have to pick my battles. Peanut initially fought me on sticking to one side. He actually growled a few times, delatching, until i coaxed him back on. After a couple tries in a row he feed on one side for 20 min, took a break, then another 10. I stare at him like a hawk though feeding.... he eats to quickly, then yanks off choking. Poor little guy coughs then wheezes to catch his breath! Not fun for a sleep deprived mom.
I'm gonna start pumping in a few days. I really wanted to wait to 4 wks, but the idea that DH could be helping me more at night.....I currently sleep no more than 2 hrs at a time, with a cumulative average of about 3-maybe 4.5 hrs of sleep a night.
@lblu43 This is my situation exactly. So glad to hear that I'm not the only one.
I'll just add this: I'm trying to not pump so as to avoid extra milk production. I use a Milkies Milk Saver to catch the leaking milk on the breast that he is not feeding on, and right now I am catching at least 100mL per day of milk that would otherwise just leak out at every 2 hour feeding. Then my husband uses that milk to give bottles, so I am avoiding pumping but DH can still help out. If LO doesn't need the bottle, we just freeze that milk (I assume that none of it is hind milk, but it's still something).
I really recommend the Milk Savers for people on our situation. I bought mine on Amazon. Good luck!
I just finished pumping, I have almost 2 ounces from each breast. After I was done I realized my nipples had swelled at bit, they don't hurt they just doubled in size immediately. Did I pump too long?? I honestly don't know when I should stop, I usually listen to music 2 or 3 songs on each breast. Is that too long to be 4 days pp??
You might need a different flange size, some people need to change sizes for each session or even during the session.
@entropicallyfavored That's a good idea. I'll have to look into those. As it is DH got up this morning to change peanut's diaper when he woke. I passed out and woke during I guess. I didn't even hear DHs normal meds alarm that always blares. Looks like a lazy Sunday is in order.
I am currently sitting in the ER waiting for a D&C procedure this afternoon--turns out that at 2.5 weeks post c-section, my uterus is still full of blood and there's some tissue there. I breastfed this morning around 7 before heading to the ER, and it'll be 4-5 or so before I am out of recovery and can think of pumping. My breasts are super full right now. Any advice on how to handle the breasts today?
I am currently sitting in the ER waiting for a D&C procedure this afternoon--turns out that at 2.5 weeks post c-section, my uterus is still full of blood and there's some tissue there. I breastfed this morning around 7 before heading to the ER, and it'll be 4-5 or so before I am out of recovery and can think of pumping. My breasts are super full right now. Any advice on how to handle the breasts today?
Yikes! Hope everything turns out ok. Does the hospital have a pump you can use?? Otherwise all I can think of is have someone bring you a manual pump or try hand expressing in the bathroom.
The hospital has a pump that I should be able to use once in recovery but the ER isn't too helpful in that area. My left breast is huge now!!! And just started leaking. So I hand expressed into a cup. Gotta find some humor in today...
I am currently sitting in the ER waiting for a D&C procedure this afternoon--turns out that at 2.5 weeks post c-section, my uterus is still full of blood and there's some tissue there. I breastfed this morning around 7 before heading to the ER, and it'll be 4-5 or so before I am out of recovery and can think of pumping. My breasts are super full right now. Any advice on how to handle the breasts today?
Hope things work out! Can somebody grab you a Medela Harmony hand pump? (About $30 I think) IMO it is better than the Symphony or the Ameda Platinum...
@kwilliams3402 ask the e r to get a pump! Last Tuesday they sent someone up to labor and delivery to nab me one. I ended up not needing it, the hospital was great about letting little guy stay with with me the whole time, except when I was in surgery. Also if you want to keep bf going, make sure you ask every doctor if they are giving you anything you shouldn't bf with. I had a second surgery without anesthesia because it was safer for him, and would allow us to keep b f. I'm sorry you are going through this, but glad you caught it. Healing thoughts your way.
@kwilliams3402 ask the e r to get a pump! Last Tuesday they sent someone up to labor and delivery to nab me one. I ended up not needing it, the hospital was great about letting little guy stay with with me the whole time, except when I was in surgery. Also if you want to keep bf going, make sure you ask every doctor if they are giving you anything you shouldn't bf with. I had a second surgery without anesthesia because it was safer for him, and would allow us to keep b f. I'm sorry you are going through this, but glad you caught it. Healing thoughts your way.
Thanks! They said to just pump and dump today. I should be going home here shortly. Thank goodness Grandma was in town to watch after baby all day. I've been pumping and having to supplement with formula since baby was born, so at least bottles and formula weren't foreign.
Yes! I need snack ideas too... dairy free ones. It's hard, I usually have cheese and crackers, and I can't anymore I don't even know what to make for lunch or dinner!
Re: Breastfeeding
@midwestbaby I think we'll be in the same boat too. Good luck tonight! I hope we both have a better night!
I have a cover that I plan to use but I'm super terrible at using it without exposing my boob anyways! Until I get good at it, I think I'll feel uncomfortable and nervous.
TTC 9/2013
BFP#1: 9/28/2013, EDD 5/28/13, MC confirmed 10/15/13, D&C 10/17/13
BFP#2: 1/10/2014, EDD 9/19/2014
As for the other stuff, have you found a brand of breast pads that you like? The whole time I was nursing, my opposite boob always leaked when the one DS was feeding on letdown, so I always had to wear pads. I used disposable Lansinoh ones at the beginning but ended up investing in washable Bamboobies when it became apparent that the leaking issue wasn't going away. The other thing you can do is use a burp cloth as your "towel" to take the edge off when you're out with LO. You can even just shove a burpcloth in your bra (temporarily) while LO is nursing.
Also, this might seem obvious, but make sure your nursing cover has one of those rigid curved rods at the top so you can see LO hands free. The one I bought for DS1 didn't because I didn't think it would matter. It totally matters.
I know it feels a little scary at first. When DS1 was really young (like under 3 months) I used to just bring a pumped bottle with me to feed him in public because I was too nervous to do it too! You'll find a groove. Trial and error.
To keep him interested, we'll change his diaper, blow on him, burp him, etc.
I am about to have indian food but nervous that I'll have a fussy baby tonight or tomorrow once A feeds after my meal. I heard a mom say once that she stays away from Thai food or anything really oily as the baby has really bad gas after.
I wonder how fast it kicks in (to my milk) after consumption.
@entropicallyfavored I definitely eased into nursing in public. First, when some of my closest gfs came over to meet baby. Second, at the breastfeeding group I attended with DH - yeah, he was basically the only dude there with one other dad and all these moms were whipping out their goods like nbd. DH later told me he didn't know where to look but down on the floor, lol. Third, at Nordstrom's mother's room.
@entropicallyfavored I've nursed baby in public a lot already. At first I just used a muslin swaddle to sorta cover us, not completely covering his head, mostly my chest. I invested in some nursing tops and they are awesome, but if there's people around I still use the blanket until he's latched. Once he's on there's not much to see. Try practicing at home, it took a few tries to figure out how to do everything as quickly and discreetly as possible. I still fumble sometimes, but it's not a big deal. Most people avoid looking when they realize what you're doing
How do you know when one boob is empty and to switch to the other? Can you just feel it? Does the baby just stop eating so you offer the other one and if they don't latch then they are done?
Married May 2014
DD born August 2016
Baby #2 due December 2017
Sorry, not sure if my tired rambling is making sense
@ShawnaLynn83 my milk came in super fast!! Yesterday I hardly got an ounce from both but today I ruined 2 tee shirts and still was able to pump 4 ounces. I'm so happy, because I'm seeing other moms haven't been so lucky...but yours will be here soon enough too
The past 2 days I've been having trouble with LO throwing up after feedings. Not everyone, but it still makes me sad to see her throw up and fuss. I think I'm just making a ton of milk and have a forceful letdown that she gorges and then her stomach is over full. I've been feeding her for 5 minutes, stopping and ordering her rest for like 5 minutes then finish feeding. That seems to help.
I'm gonna start pumping in a few days. I really wanted to wait to 4 wks, but the idea that DH could be helping me more at night.....I currently sleep no more than 2 hrs at a time, with a cumulative average of about 3-maybe 4.5 hrs of sleep a night.
Edited. Tired. Typing is hard. End of story.
I'll just add this: I'm trying to not pump so as to avoid extra milk production. I use a Milkies Milk Saver to catch the leaking milk on the breast that he is not feeding on, and right now I am catching at least 100mL per day of milk that would otherwise just leak out at every 2 hour feeding. Then my husband uses that milk to give bottles, so I am avoiding pumping but DH can still help out. If LO doesn't need the bottle, we just freeze that milk (I assume that none of it is hind milk, but it's still something).
I really recommend the Milk Savers for people on our situation. I bought mine on Amazon. Good luck!
I'm sorry you are going through this, but glad you caught it. Healing thoughts your way.
Other than that before baby came I made some blueberry muffins and oatmeal PB cookies.