All Things Breastfeeding

SandNStarsNJ

Thanks @mrsmaryk2016. That makes sense and it looks like this week I have a cuddly, chatty, excessive nurser who is getting a lot of shut eye.

And DH finally gave squirt a bottle. he took down 5oz in 10 minutes and is passed out. Normal for 10 weeks? I have no idea and need to figure out how much to send to daycare eventually. What are some of the average ounces your LO's are taking? I'm trying to figure out what might be the average for this little guy.

rspalding001

@sandnstarsnj I think avg is 1 oz per hour. So 24 ozs in a day, but I know some babies drink as much as 32 oz a day.

kvruns

@SandNStarsNJ moment gets a 5oz overnight and doesn't seem to want more. He usually takes about 15-20 min to eat depending on how sleepy he is. If he has a formula bottle when my parents visit it's either 4 or 5 oz depending on which formula I use 

SandNStarsNJ

kvruns said:

@SandNStarsNJ moment gets a 5oz overnight and doesn't seem to want more. He usually takes about 15-20 min to eat depending on how sleepy he is. If he has a formula bottle when my parents visit it's either 4 or 5 oz depending on which formula I use 

Thanks... so the 5oz bottle held him over for 2 hours and now he's nursing. This kid is insatiable. 

kvruns

@SandNStarsNJ oops lol. Was he truly hungry or just comfort after?

SandNStarsNJ

kvruns said:

@SandNStarsNJ oops lol. Was he truly hungry or just comfort after?

He ate for about 15 minutes. But I'm not really sure. Even when I think it's comfort he swallows on every gulp. This also might be why he's nearing 20lbs. 

kvruns

The last 1-2 weeks he is soooo fidgety while feeding. He moves his head around while still attached which kind of hurts and then his hands are in the way constantly and he's wiggling all around. It is driving me crazy and I feel like he doesn't eat well bc he's moving too much 

dreamcatch-her

@kvruns I've noticed my son is starting that as well. He also scratches the hell out of my breast now. I try to dim the lights in the room so he doesn't get as distracted. Seems to work. 

tigerfish227

We have episodes occasionally of him throwing a tantrum within minutes of starting to nurse. He will latch on fine but something will set him off and he will arch his back and scream bloody murder for like 5 minutes. Sometimes he will poop when he does this but other times I have no explanation whatsoever. 

rspalding001

I think as these babies become more aware they will all get distracted while nursing. I remember this with my daughter too. With her I had to nurse her away from noise or distraction in a dim room once this happened.

kvruns

I did read about distracted babies while nursing. His morning feed is in his room, its pretty dim, no TV or anything going on yet he's still pulling off. It happened again when I just fed him now and I'm sure he'll be hungry way early and have a crap nap because he didn't eat well. Ugh. Think today is just a bad day for me and this kid, I keep failing at everything

lajoliedreamer

@kvruns - you are not failing, some days are just harder. Don't forget you're a great mom and all of us have and will have days like that. E pulls away all the time (both happily and screaming bloody murder), and has been for most feedings the past month. It's frustrating (and can be painful), but I have to keep reminding myself that it's normal behavior and not my fault.

kvruns

@lajoliedreamer thanks I appreciate that. I think it's just one of those days where everything's is going wrong

this too shall pass 

SandNStarsNJ

@kvruns Don't be so hard on yourself. LO is crazy distracted for me today too. They have their days just like we have ours. 

erniebernie1

We've been experiencing this too and it's even worse now that Lo has a really stuffy nose, so nursing is difficult. I'm even becoming engorged during the night bc he isn't feeding well. So I've taken to pumping for some feedings, especially to ensure I don't have a drop in supply.

jsmai

@kvruns I'm sorry you're having a hard day. DD does that sometimes too. It can be more than a little frustrating.  Especially when she decides to take my nipple with her while she whips her head around shortly before popping off. Geez kid,  the thing is attached, ya know?

kvruns

Oh yes @jsmai my boob always goes along wherever his head is moving. Ouch 

kristah2

M was doing this so bad the other night while I was trying to get him to sleep. I was so upset I was almost in tears. DH had to take him and sing to him to get him to calm down a bit and once he did he got back on fine. But man oh man I was ready to lose my mind.

anne11716

Happens to me all the time! I often have the stand and walk for the first little bit 

desoky01

This has been happening for us too! Sometimes it seems to happen more when LO really needs to burp, but sometimes it's just because. So painful! 

SandNStarsNJ

Just hand pumped for the first time this morning and it is WAY more efficient and quicker. I had 5oz from one breast in under 10 minutes! All this time I thought the electric pump was superior. 

jsmai

@SandNStarsNJ 5 ounces?! That's awesome!

kvruns

Wow @SandNStarsNJ I did the hand pump once and it felt like a workout with no better result than the electric. Although I think I just don't respond well to the pump in general 

MrsBigTime

SandNStarsNJ said:

Just hand pumped for the first time this morning and it is WAY more efficient and quicker. I had 5oz from one breast in under 10 minutes! All this time I thought the electric pump was superior. 

I love my hand pump! I didn't think it would be so great but it's so easy to just express a little really quickly. So much less work than setting up the pump!

Megz1902

How much breastmilk are you mamas sending to daycare with your LO? Nora had her first day today and I sent 3 bottles with 3 oz each. She's only going to be there 6 hours today, so I know that is enough, if not more than enough. However, I know at this age (early 3 months) my nephew was drinking 4-6 oz or more at a time, but he was fed formula about half the time as well, due to supply issues. 

I can pump 6-9 oz every 3 hours, which makes me wonder if that is how much Nora has been drinking every 3 hours, or if I have a little extra... 

SandNStarsNJ

@megz1902 I would send what you're pumping in that same time frame at the beginning. After all it's better yo send more than not enough. I'm not at the daycare stage yet but my first started daycare at 11 weeks and I sent 3, 5oz bottles for 8 hours. This LO might require more because he's bigger and feeds quite a bit but I still have time to figure that out. 

kvruns

@Megz1902 when I do give mine a bottle it is 5oz of pumped milk. I know there are feedings in the day where he eats less than that while nursing but if I were sending daycare bottles I'd send 3-4 5oz bottles depending on how long he would be there.  

I've always read that pumping output is not indicative of what your child is actually eating but I would think she is drinking more than 3oz every 3 hours. My pediatrician guidelines say 4-6oz each feeding, with 4-6 feedings per day

lajoliedreamer

We do a combo of pumped and formula for daycare because of supply issues, but I send three 4.5 oz bottles and one 2.5 oz bottle just in case and it has never been too little for my LO. Sometimes we even have one of the 4.5 oz bottles leftover at the end of the day.

tigerfish227

I was told the guidelines are 1-1.5oz for every hour you will be away from baby. I err on the side of caution and send extra every day. For example, yesterday I sent six 3oz bottles for V. I dropped V off at 10:45 got home about 8:45(about 9 hours). So really I sent 2oz/hr. He only actually ate 5 bottles by the time I got home but I like to have that extra buffer in case I'm late or an emergency comes up. Sometimes he will only eat 4 bottles.

SandNStarsNJ

I just started leaking. Anybody else delayed in this? What's the deal?

hoosiermama-2

I still wake up in puddle if we get to sleep through the night and I don't nurse/pump and forget to put on pads. I've leaked at the store when I've heard other babies cry.

Were you thinking about your LO or did you see or hear another baby? I've read that those are common triggers.

kvruns

Has anyone added formula to breastmilk? Was thinking of trying it for the overnight bottle since my kid needs plumped up. He has formula every once in a while for convenience 

lajoliedreamer

@kvruns - I mix formula and breastmilk regularly and have never had an issue.

kvruns

@lajoliedreamer do you do a certain ratio, such as the formula can says 2 scoops for 4oz - do you do the same just substitute BM for water or do you just add a scoop of formula to the BM but not worry about the ratio from the can?  

hoosiermama-2

Sorry if this is in here somewhere.. Who's been sick and what have you taken? Drugs or alternative medicine, show me whatcha got. 

(DH gave me something with aspirin yesterday and I had a minor freak out  )

hoosiermama-2

^Sore, scratchy throat. Runny nose. Headache off and on. 

MrsMaryK2016

hoosiermama said:

^Sore, scratchy throat. Runny nose. Headache off and on. 

I toughed through it with Tylenol, saline nose spray and a humidifier. I'm sure there's drugs you can take but I try not to take anything if not strictly necessary. 

FWIW, I have a friend who swears by oregano essential oils on the soles of your feet. I tried it but saw no results to speak of and my sheets smelled like my spice cabinet. 

SandNStarsNJ

hoosiermama said:

Sorry if this is in here somewhere.. Who's been sick and what have you taken? Drugs or alternative medicine, show me whatcha got. 

(DH gave me something with aspirin yesterday and I had a minor freak out  )

Motrin for the headache and Emergen-C for the sniffles. Otherwise I also just tough it out. 

tigerfish227

I took a couple doses of Robitussin because I was that miserable and desperate last week but mostly I've stuck to Tylenol if I take anything at all. FTR the Robitussin is suspected to cause a drop in supply but otherwise safe so I wouldn't use it regularly. It was just something I already had at home when I was battling a wicked cold last week. 

If you're unsure about a medication download the app LactMed. You can check any medication to see if it's safe for BFing.

mrsmoose5

So, I'm having the strangest, most frustrating problem nursing DD. She will not nurse during the day. Basically between the hours of 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. She will get fussy and act hungry, but if I try to offer her my breast she either turns her head completely in the opposite direction and acts uninterested or she cries and screams like I'm torturing her. Sometimes she will latch on for a second and take a few sucks, but that's it. When it first started a week or two ago, I just figured I must have misread her cues and that she wasn't really hungry. However, on days when she barely nurses during the day, she is up all night nursing making up for it! So, I learned my lesson and started pumping and bottle feeding her breastmilk to make sure she's getting enough to eat during the day. Since I've been doing that, she seems to be hungry about every 2.5 hours throughout the day, but if I offer her the breast, she refuses, but will take a bottle like she's starving. I have a 2-year-old so it's really hard for me to stop everything and pump every few hours; I really don't think I can continue to do that. At night, she nurses fantastically. Usually once right before bed, once or twice in the MOTN, and first thing in the morning. I've tried different nursing positions, taking her in a quiet room away from my toddler, but nothing is working. Yesterday I got so frustrated — she was hungry but wouldn't nurse and I didn't want to drop what I was doing with my toddler to pump, so I fed her a bottle of formula and, wow, I regretted that. She was sooooooo gassy and inconsolable afterwards! Has anyone experienced anything like this? Any ideas?