July 2018 Moms
stillcozy
member
Breastfeeding/pumping support 7/6
stillcozy
member
1. How are things going?
2. What has been hard?
3. What's been going well?
4. Any questions/concerns?
5. Any tips/advice/resources you found helpful this week?
2. What has been hard?
3. What's been going well?
4. Any questions/concerns?
5. Any tips/advice/resources you found helpful this week?
April Siggy Challenge Social Distancing
Re: Breastfeeding/pumping support 7/6
1. How are things going? They are okay. I have major anxiety around breastfeeding/supply from my experience with my daughter. I am pumping once a day when I feel she isn't fully emptying and I'm scared of leaking kr scared my supply will drop. Also so I can start storing.
2. What has been hard? Cluster feeding is such a mind f*ck for me. I know in my head it's normal and a good thing to help increase supply. But tonight it was about 3-4 hours of almost constant feeding. It was making me feel panicky that I wasn't making enough and that she was starving. Ugh also my boobs and nipples just ache now.
3. What's been going well? Latching has been better and I have felt really good that I have been able to get 5oz during my pumping session to store and this is right after I feed he during the morning.
4. Any questions/concerns? see above
5. Any tips/advice/resources you found helpful this week? what do you use to help painful abd sore boobs? I am using Lansinoh nipple cream right now. I thought motherlove was too oily. and I have the boob heat/cold packs but those are only moderately helpful. Oh also definitely apply nipple cream before you shower if they are sore! i almost cried when the warm water hit them this morning.
1. How are things going?
Overall, good. BF has been crap though.
2. What has been hard?
Since DS was in the NICU and not even allowed to eat for 12 hours and then only had bottles for the first few days, his latch is pretty terrible. It's super shallow which means so much pain. So much time is spent just trying to latch that I'd say maybe 1 feeding of the whole day is even partially by BF, the rest are bottle fed BM.
I'm also pumping every time he feeds so I don't loose my supply which equates to about 3 hours tied to this damn pump every day. And that doesn't include his feeding time or attempts to BF, which can easily turn into over an hour. (Back story: I didn't pump more than 2 or 3 times a day with DD and never produced more than 40-50% of her intake needs once she finally figured out BF so I'm afraid to have the same experience this time too.)
3. What's been going well?
He's actually latching sometimes and it's getting deeper. I've also been able to attend a local BF support group once or twice a week even though I didn't think I'd be able to bc of needing to find someone to watch DD during that time.
4. Any questions/concerns?
No questions and all my concerns are above.
5. Any tips/advice/resources you found helpful this week?
Rent a hospital grade pump if you can!! I had a Medela PISA with DD and just got the Spectra S2 Plus. The Medela is basically crap for me, I just don't respond to it. The S2 is better but I still get a lot more with the hospital pump. Also, hand expression at the end of a pumping sessions, as well as message during pumping help get more milk.
If you're pumping and bottle feeding, check out pace feeding. It can help eliminate gas, spit up, and overfeeding.
How are things going? With ds1 bfing was easy. I had mastitis twice but it wasn’t awful and he was a great nurser. I didn’t know I’d love bfing but we went for 17 months and it was sad to stop. This time is so difficult and I’m exhausted!
2. What has been hard? The babies were born early so they were tube fed and too small to have sucking down. They went to bottles which are easier than nursing which is a barrier for us. They came home with instructions to nurse twice a day and add a session per week. Meanwhile I’m pumping and fortifying with 25% formula at every bottle feeding.
3. What's been going well?. I’m SO OVER pumping so I’ve been bfing as much as possible (giving a small bottle after to make sure they get enough) and I’ve been able to tandem feed them at least once a day now! My pedi is happy with their growth so I’m not concerned about them needing the formula as much
4. Any questions/concerns? I just hope I’m making the right choice. We go back to the dr in two weeks and I want their weight to be good still. I’ve been pumping every 3.5- 4 hours and I don’t know if that’s enough to keep up supply but I’m worried about over doing it between pumping and nursing too. Do pacifiers affect bfing negatively? My boys have them and need them but ds1 never had one.
5. Any tips/advice/resources you found helpful this week? I’m using my twin nursing pillow and it is so needed. My boppy was the best with ds1
So I think it's one of those things that you weigh the pros and cons for your child/children and do what works best.
@crabcake18 my DS never took a pacifier, but DD likes it. Personally it hasn't affected my BF journey at all. DD likes to literally chew and in the beginning I offered the breast to the pacifier thinking she was ready to cluster feed but she turned away at the breast. I can tell her hunger cues vs just wanting to pacify or chew and ill offer the breast when she is showing hunger cues. I would say just read your babies cues as far as the pacifier goes and if it becomes an interference then just take it away and offer the breast as a replacement.
My main question is when to start pumping in order to build up a stash. Right now I don’t pump unless I feel really full and she’s not emptying me. I get nervous to pump because then I worry I won’t have enough when she wants to nurse! My last went on a nursing strike I think due to getting used to bottles so I’m trying to avoid bottle feeding as much as possible.
BFing is going pretty okay right now. Baby is only 4 days old so she’s still learning what to do lol but she’s great at latching once she figures out what’s going on.
ive been using lanolin cream to help with the healing and the pain. Does anyone else cringe once the LO latches? Ugh so painful right now!
Anyone else have to change poo diapers in the middle of feeding? We get at least two each time! I also think that he might have some sort of allergy. He’s had very loose poos and very frequently. I’m thinking maybe dairy but my mom also say watermelon (old wives tale?).
@crabcake18 I can't imagine nursing with twins it sounds so exhausting. you are doing an incredible job!!
@kbernal2021 I will look into that!
@wildtot have you tried a nipple shield? That helped me a ton with dd1. I had one side she did not want to latch too initially
And +1 on the insane amounts of poop DD creates while nursing. The loose stools are normal for BF babies though, they should look yellow/green and seedy. Very runny and loose like dirrhea is great for BF babies.
@julianne0 +1 to those first days being super painful at the latch. I had thrush on day 3 and seriously latching on the left hurt so bad I wanted to cry. Thankfully it gets better!
ETA: hang in there all the BF/pumping mamas. Your all doing amazing!
Just wanted to pass this info along because to me it was super helpful!
BF is HARD, yo! Such a natural yet super challenging thing. It's going well so far but definitely took a couple of days to understand even the basics.
2. What has been hard?
LO weighs 6 lbs now and as a tiny baby he has a tiny mouth, so his latch is not very good, thiugti don't think it's bad either because this is day 4 and my nipples are doing ok. Getting an LC to help on Monday.
It's also hard to deal with the fact that a BF session basically lasts an hour if all goes well between switching sides, burping, possible fusses, changing, etc. I'm always looking for efficiency but I have surrendered now and just doing my best for Milo!
3. What's been going well?
DS seems to poop and pee fine and he is *usually* on a good "schedule" of feeding every 2.5-3 hrs and sleeping until the next session. Unless it's a day like today, see below. Anyways, I feel like he is getting fed.
Also I am not pumping anymore after the hospital baby line advised me against it but at my last session I pumped 75 ml which I thought was pretty good and it was also pretty even on both sides.
Biggest positive is DH has been helping so much waking up with me most time, helping BFIng, pumping, washing things, changing diapers, he is a super dad and I'm so freaking proud of him.
4. Any questions/concerns?
First, I guess it's normal that my boobs are rock solid. But what do I need to look for for mastitis? I'm super terrified.
Other question, does anyone know if soda can affect BF??? Milo had an amazing morning until his 3pm session rolled around. After feeding he got SO FUSSY, he cried like a maniac on and off for 2.5 hours! I know it can be just a random fuss but I had a coke right before nursing and I'm wondering if it had anything to do with it?
Lastly, the poop is way lighter than the meconium but it's not fully yellow yet, he is 5 days old, I'm guessing it's ok?
5. Any tips/advice/resources you found helpful this week?
Thankful for you ladies and the hospital baby line! Looking forward to working with my doula/LC to hopefully fix the latch.
+1 for painful initial latch especially when baby is AGGRESSIVELY hungry! And sooooooooo agreed on the football, it's so dumb IMO, the cross cradle is easier on me for now. Plus I don't have the patience for all the pillows you need for the football.
Also @kissableviv I was going to say that carbonated beverages CAN affect LO because I had a friend who gave up soda because her child seemed to react weird to it (maybe it was the caffeine)? But kellymom.com says that carbonation cannot affect LO's and give them gas through your breast milk. So I learned something new! Thanks!
I'm wondering if the caffeine or some of the chemicals could have some effect, for now I'll stick to my one cup of coffee - it's so much trial and error!
I really only pumped twice/3 times so hopefully my body is adjusting, LO is able to relieve a lot more pressure now so yay!
I think caffeine can affect some babies (especially if you didn’t drink much while pregnant) but otherwise I don’t think soda should affect anything. Maybe he just had some coincidental gas?
@zande2016 I have never heard of the lechitin! Should you only take it if you have a history of dealing with clogs etc? Or can it be taken as a preventative? Also interesting to know chiros can help with the clogged ducts!!
@kissableviv the rock hard breasts are normal because you are engorged as your body tries to level out according to your babies needs. Mastitis will have flu like symptoms as the biggest indicator. Your breast will be warm to the touch and you'll have redness as well, I want to say my friend had a rash to accompany hers as well going towards her underarm.
They have pretty good information and have some LC. They will even help you with sizing of flanges.
2. What has been hard? Learned at first pediatrician visit that she had a tongue tie and oral surgeon confirmed it was a double (top and bottom). She got them both cut with a laser and that made her inconsolable afterward and broke our rhythm. And before that she had jaundice so we were forced to feed her on a schedule every three hours for exactly 30
min at a time and pump to supplement in between, which was very stressful. Also, she is the sleepiest baby ever, so we have to set alarms constantly and wake her up to eat and try to keep her awake while eating.
3. What's been going well? She seems to be latching more deeply three days post the tongue tie surgery. My scabbed up nipples are healing up (thank goodness)! So hopefully we are turning a corner in a positive direction.
4. Any questions/concerns? STM - Does it get easier? Between trying to get her latched on and feeding, it takes forever and it’s getting so tiring!
5. Any tips/advice/resources you found helpful this week? My sister - a pediatrician and mother of two - came this weekend and gave me some coaching. The two tips that really worked for me that perhaps might be helpful to others are: (1) pull the baby in closer to you if she is not latched deeply - it can make her open up wider and latch more deeply just by instinct. Nose to boob! And (2) Lift the boob from below with your hand so that she is coming it at from below.
are you guys starving? I’m snacking in the motn and don’t love that but I need food all the time! I keep a box of granola bars on my headboard!
Im definitely a “fed is best” proponent. However, if you choose to power through, I think you’ll find that it’s worth it.
@tarheelgirl8 Good to hear and appreciate the encouragement! I have flat / inverted nipples, too, and we are using the nipple guard and while I have been committed to giving BF a good go, it has just been so much harder and more exhausting than I had anticipated. But trying to power through and take it one day at a time. I think it might be from the movie “Apollo 13” - “Work the problem” - that’s what I have been trying to focus on!
I'm also having a hard time with cluster feeding. I just resist it because I'm so sore and I am not yet good at breastfeeding in different rooms and positions and because it's hot during the hottest hours I'm confined to my ac room upstairs. I feel bad about my mom sitting around while all I do is breastfeeding but that may just be what needs to happen for now.