the only thing I have found which increased my supply was pumping for 20 to 30 min after each feeding which I did for 3 weeks with my first at about a month old. it was very hard (I think I've said previously BF him was the hardest thing I've done).
When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.
I'm not sure this is the case for you ladies having supply issues, but with my first, we had purchased a pump we thought sounded nice. But in the hospital I got way more than I did using the pump we bought, so my husband went out and bought a medela pump since that's what the hospital had. It made such a big difference. I'm not sure what brand pump you got, since most everyone probably got one through their insurance, but it might be worth a try to use a different one for a couple weeks and see if it makes any difference.
@Spicyweiner no it is definitely nice to know that I'm not alone because I thought there was something wrong with me kinda. I'm just showing really no signs of increasing supply which I think is very strange. I'm probably going to drop the pump after our doctor appointment tomorrow and end up dropping breast feeding all together when I go back to work. And that's okay really, formula is just so damn expensive.
@leslie1331 I'm getting the same exact thing! Maybe an ounce or 2 if I pump and then less each time after the first one of the day. We are supplementing with 2 oz of formula after each feed too. I had flu ever feel engorged, maybe like twice since birth. And I've never leaked! LO is gaining but slowly so I'm probably going to continue to BF and supplement but drop the pump.
For those of you who have used nipple shields in the past, how long did you have to use it?
I used one (on advice of LC) with my first son and I think it hurt BF for us. I recommend using it as little or as short as period as possible.
I can't get him to latch without one and I'm thinking it's what is making him fall asleep so quickly and making feeding times so long bc I've read they restrict flow. Hopefully the LC can help me get him off it!
they should have some ideas. I would offer the nipple without the shield first and then if he didn't take it, with. I did this for a couple weeks. i would express milk onto it to try to get him to take it. when he finally took it, I did have a lot of nipple pain for a couple weeks.
my son did have a tongue tie, which was clipped, but I think it was still pretty tight.
When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.
Has anyone ever had mastitis? I've had a blocked duct before and this is way worse. With the blocked duct it was just tender, red and I felt a little off. When I nursed her off it a couple times in different positions it was fine the next morning.
This one it started last night with all the blocked duct symptoms, but I also had a small fever of 100.5, chills, lightheadedness, then vomiting. I took some ibuprofen, drank lots of water and went to bed. Now I woke up this morning and my fever is now 102.7. No vomiting so far though.
I already left a message for my doctor, just wanted to see if anyone has experience with anything I can do to help in the meanwhile.
@SawyerRichardson I actually have it right now and it suuuuuucks! I had most of the symptoms you're describing. After 24 hours on antibiotics I felt much better but my supply is dipping and it's freaking me out. They told me to take ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Stay on top of them until the antibiotics kick in. I didn't and things got ugly really quickly. Hope yours resolves soon!
@lemieuxk thanks for your response. But I'm sorry that you have it too! Ugh, hopefully they can get me in today. I'll die if I have to go through the weekend like this.
@SawyerRichardson, if your regular doctor can't see you or call you in a prescription, go to urgent care. I wouldn't wait any longer, it only gets worse untreated with antibiotics.
Married - 7/29/06 Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09 Mia - 6/16/11 Surprise! due 2/23/17
@SawyerRichardson I had mastitis when LO was two weeks old and it was the worst. My doctor didn't make me come in though - she just called in the prescription. Hopefully yours can too!! Like @lemieuxksais, the antibiotics kick in really quickly so once you get them you'll feel much better
Agreed with @Partyof6? Get thee to an urgent care if your doc hasn't already gotten back. You're already doing everything you can without a prescription, and it's the kind of thing that can get much worse much more quickly.
i had it almost two weeks ago, I've got 4 days left in my antibiotics. And my supply took a dip, too @lemieuxk but it's started to bounce back with lots of rest, water, and oatmeal. I read to not try to increase your supply again until any and all signs of infection are cleared for a few days, to prevent a recurrence, but after that you'll be good to go
Thanks @poetryandoceans. I had to dip into my freezer stash and I was nervous but I think it's already started to rebound with lots of skin to skin and cluster feeding.
@lemieuxk I did too; I figured that's what the stash is there for, right? When I am on my computer I will post a recipe for a great no bake lactation cookie recipe... I may have got it on here in the first place... but they're way less work than most of the recipes I've seen, so perfect for moms of newborns...
They're super easy. My husband is not very kitchen minded, and he whipped up a batch when I took my last nursing vacation (I prefer the term 'lactation vacation' because, you know, rhymes)
But even though they look good, I hate oats, I don't like oatmeal, or no bake cookies. I'm super bummed that oats are what is supposed to help with lactation. The closest things I've seen that I might possibly try to choke down are the ones with the chocolates in them lol. ( Like ^^ )
Does anyone have a burning sensation in their boobs?? My boobs are really bothering me these last few days. I had a couple days where my pumping sessions were spread out further than I like, so I'm trying to do variations of power pumping to get my supply back up... not sure if that's related or not, but my boobs have been feeling like they are burning. Not tangibly hot, but just the sensation. It's worse right after I pump, but they will feel like that other times too, and the feeling lasts a while. It's quite uncomfortable.
@poetryandoceans I thought this was interesting info, but I'm not sure how accurate it is. While searching why my boobs are burning, I read something about the milk we produce. It said we all produce different amounts of fat. Some of us have fatty milk and some of us produce skim milk type. I thought maybe you might want to try to test your milk by taking a session of milk and let it sit so it separates. That way you can see how much fat your baby is getting. Maybe you produce less fatty milk, and your baby is getting hungry quicker, resulting in the 90 minute feeds still. It might be worth it to check
@kswiger06 it's interesting that you mention that; I do pump regularly so my husband can take some feeds, and I noticed this morning that the milk I pumped last night before bed had way less fat separating out than what I pump in the morning. I'm going to do more research to see if variations in diet can cause different fat content throughout the day and what I can do to boost my nighttime fat content....
thanks for thinking to pass the info along. I stand by what I've said before: nicest lady on the board.
@marriedhamstermom today (almost 6 weeks) was the first day I went without my robotic nipple... Er, shield I don't think it affected BF'ing , but it was annoying. I've seen the LC, tried to get him to latch maybe once every three days (all complete failures), and then yesterday he just got it. I had given up, so maybe your random day where it works will come!
Today's really the first good day I've had. I've had supply issues (lots of fenugreek for me and formula for him). Our routine now is an hour of breastfeeding (while he sleeps near constantly), then a bottle of formula while I pump and typically get 25 - 50 ml per pump (.75- 1.5 oz). It's been demoralizing, but the amount of formula required is finally starting to go down, which has been amazing. Only 4 oz today!
@poetryandoceans@kswiger06 my understanding is that far content varies throughout the day and tends to be higher in the morning. There's nothing you can do to increase fat content in your milk but it is often responding to baby's needs, which is why more mature milk tends to be less fatty.
Also, re: not liking oats, quaker makes an oatmeal squares cereal that doesn't taste like or have the texture of oats but is made with past flour. Maybe try that?
@kswiger06 I love oats but I get not liking them! Have you tried fenugreek? Also, it is an extra step, but my mom puts her oats in the blender and makes them a flour. would that help?
@Gretchypoo I'm going to the store today and am planning on buying fengugreek to try. And I've never blended oats into flour, but I might try that too. I've never had a supply issue before, but these last 3 days I've had a sudden drastic decrease. I'm trying to pump every 1.5 - 2 hours but I need to try other things now. Thanks for the tip!
@kswiger06 fenugreek really works for me when I need to nudge up supply. I also have a friend of a friend who makes killer lactation cookies that use brewers yeast, not oats. I'll see if I can get her to track down the recipe. I am running low on the cookies she made me so I need it for myself too.
I am planning to make lactation cookies today and will share the recipe if they turn out. Using oatmeal AND brewers yeast, the brewers yeast is supposed to really help.
I have been taking a motherlove product called Malunggay since I can't take Fenugreek with my thyroid meds. I haven't been able to pump a session that would compare to what I did before, but I feel fuller and was leaking last night, so I hope it is helping.
My lactation consultant mentioned that the fattier milk was made in the evening. . . I think it all just varies!
Married - 7/29/06 Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09 Mia - 6/16/11 Surprise! due 2/23/17
A friend of mine IRL had twins in Feb too so we made these and they are amazing! My H had one when he came home and before I told him what they were he said he really liked them. Once I told him they were lactation cookies he stopped eating them because he said he didn't want to start lactating. Men are dumb.
@SawyerRichardson I wish that stopped my husband! I had to give him shit for eating all my lactation cookies. I mean come on dude, you can snack on anything in the house.
Anyone who took fengugreek, I keep reading suggested dosage to be 2- 3 capsules, 3 times a day. I was wondering from someone whose actually taken it how you did it. Did you start with 1 capsule, 3 times a day and gaually increase up to 3 capsules over several days? Or do you use go straight to 2 or 3 capsules, 3 times a day?
@lemieuxk I found that cereal and bought a box, thanks
GRANOLA BARS: do you think granola bars would still work? They have the oats, but I didn't see any with the flax seed... I like the idea of a quick already made granola bar lol
@kswiger06 I went straight to the 2-3, 3x a day. I wanted my supply back fast, and I trust kellymom when they say lower doses haven't been found effective. You'll know you have the right dose when your sweat starts to smell faintly of maple syrup
I'd like you guys' opinion/advice on "waking the baby to eat". So typically Wyatt eats every 2 hours during the day. I'll nurse him for about 20 mins (10 on each side) then supplement with 2 oz of formula. Then burp him and either put him back down to nap or have some awake time. At night he eats every 3 hours with just formula/some pumped milk and I'll breast feed him in between if he's fussy. Sometimes he just won't go back down. And by the time I get him back to sleep, I have to wake him in 30 mins to eat again. It's so exhausting. For those cases, should I wake him again at the 2 hour (or 3) mark or let him sleep for a bit since he just went down?
@kswiger06 I eat a clif bar every night; they're really convenient nursing snacks, and I just checked, and rolled oats is one of the first ingredients, so I've been boosting my supply every night without realizing it... Might be worth a try? Plus, they're yummy. My favourite is the chocolate almond fudge.
Re: The Boob Thread
When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.
Baby Boy M - 08/01/2013
Expecting Baby Bean February 2017
@leslie1331 I'm getting the same exact thing! Maybe an ounce or 2 if I pump and then less each time after the first one of the day. We are supplementing with 2 oz of formula after each feed too. I had flu ever feel engorged, maybe like twice since birth. And I've never leaked! LO is gaining but slowly so I'm probably going to continue to BF and supplement but drop the pump.
my son did have a tongue tie, which was clipped, but I think it was still pretty tight.
When you've been married this long, you need a ticker to remind you.
Baby Boy M - 08/01/2013
Expecting Baby Bean February 2017
This one it started last night with all the blocked duct symptoms, but I also had a small fever of 100.5, chills, lightheadedness, then vomiting. I took some ibuprofen, drank lots of water and went to bed. Now I woke up this morning and my fever is now 102.7. No vomiting so far though.
I already left a message for my doctor, just wanted to see if anyone has experience with anything I can do to help in the meanwhile.
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17
i had it almost two weeks ago, I've got 4 days left in my antibiotics. And my supply took a dip, too @lemieuxk but it's started to bounce back with lots of rest, water, and oatmeal. I read to not try to increase your supply again until any and all signs of infection are cleared for a few days, to prevent a recurrence, but after that you'll be good to go
ETA: recipe link
https://thebakermama.com/recipes/no-bake-lactation-bites/
https://steel-cut-oats.com/2015/06/15/mm-lactation-cookies/
But even though they look good, I hate oats, I don't like oatmeal, or no bake cookies. I'm super bummed that oats are what is supposed to help with lactation. The closest things I've seen that I might possibly try to choke down are the ones with the chocolates in them lol. ( Like ^^ )
thanks for thinking to pass the info along. I stand by what I've said before: nicest lady on the board.
Today's really the first good day I've had. I've had supply issues (lots of fenugreek for me and formula for him). Our routine now is an hour of breastfeeding (while he sleeps near constantly), then a bottle of formula while I pump and typically get 25 - 50 ml per pump (.75- 1.5 oz). It's been demoralizing, but the amount of formula required is finally starting to go down, which has been amazing. Only 4 oz today!
Married: 10/10
EDD: 8/27/16 MMC 1/16
Rainbow Boy: 2/04/17
TTC: 4/18 BFP: 1/2/19
EDD: 9/6/19
Also, re: not liking oats, quaker makes an oatmeal squares cereal that doesn't taste like or have the texture of oats but is made with past flour. Maybe try that?
I have been taking a motherlove product called Malunggay since I can't take Fenugreek with my thyroid meds. I haven't been able to pump a session that would compare to what I did before, but I feel fuller and was leaking last night, so I hope it is helping.
My lactation consultant mentioned that the fattier milk was made in the evening. . . I think it all just varies!
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17
https://www.simplisticallyliving.com/homemade-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-lactation-cookies/
@lemieuxk I found that cereal and bought a box, thanks
GRANOLA BARS: do you think granola bars would still work? They have the oats, but I didn't see any with the flax seed... I like the idea of a quick already made granola bar lol
Married: 10/10
EDD: 8/27/16 MMC 1/16
Rainbow Boy: 2/04/17
TTC: 4/18 BFP: 1/2/19
EDD: 9/6/19
Unless there are issues with weight gain, get some sleep!