Breastfeeding/pumping support 7/6

bearmomma1

@zande2016 I just got a quick break to scarf down a leftover taco. I think my time is up!

zande2016

@rachelsogo I was standing over the stove shoveling leftover Mac n cheese from toddlers dinner into my mouth between feeds lol. He’s been asleep for 30 mins now so I think he may finally be done. Only took him 4.5 hours. 

wildtot

For those cluster feeding, are you actually hearing them swallow? LO can go on longer using me as a pacifier but not actually be feeding so i detach him. 

zande2016

@wildtot yeah I definitely heard swallowing, but I also have a ton of milk/oversupply right now so I don’t think it’s possible for him to suck without getting milk. I am hoping maybe he’ll sleep longer tonight since he’s been clusterfeeding this asgernoon/evening. 

bearmomma1

@wildtot definifely swallowing. She just passed out on the 4th boob. If you detach while he’s just using you as a paci, do you then replace with a paci?

krystlerr

@zande2016 Evan has also been cluster feeding nonstop. He was up 2am-6:30am feeding off and on and sleeping no more than 30 min in between. Finally got some sleep between 7-10am and we are back to cluster feeding the remainder of today. I’m assuming it might be a growth spurt and when he’s finally knocked out, he’ll have a meltdown when I try to put him down. I almost started crying myself! 

Glad to have this thread so i know I’m not alone! 

wildtot

@rachelsogo not always. Sometimes he’s falling asleep and just making the sucking motion and doesn’t need the paci. 

ckmb_1250

for those of you dealing with cluster feeding, does it always happen at the same time every day? For us it’s been very random and impossible to plan for, like today when all she wanted to do was nurse for the entire 4 hours we had visitors  we generally have a couple hours of cluster feeding sometime during the day and then again at night, but never the same time period. 

julianne0

@ckmb_knottie cluster feeding has switched a bunch for me too! Yesterday it was like all morning and late afternoon, when it was usually during the evening. It's definitely hard because it does mess up plans when you're not expecting it to change. I warn company before they come that sometimes she takes a while to eat and that there's no schedule to it right now. That way they won't be too disappointed if baby is eating the entire time
Does anyone know if/when cluster feeding is no longer a thing anymore? 

bearmomma1

@ckmb_knottie I haven’t noticed a pattern or any specific times. I’m starting to think I might use a paci here and there to space out a cluster feed. Not all the time, but sometimes this momma needs a break! And I think she might be just using me as a paci half the time. My boobs feel drained.

@julianne0 I’m not sure, but I think after 3-4 weeks or so? Once the supply is established and they get more efficient in eating, they start getting on a regular schedule? FTM here so I’m clueless really....

kbernal2021

Clusterfeeding so much the last 3 days I feel like my boobs have no milk left in them

krystlerr

@ckmb_knottie our cluster feedings times were usually at night but now they’re completely random. My lactation consultant told me not to get used to a routine right now with them bc it can always change. I really want to introduce a paci to help with the soothing bc like @rachelsogo said i just feel like a human pacifier and last night I felt completely drained and depleted. I seriously thought there wasn’t a drop left in there but he would not detach. I woke up my husband at 6am bc I didn’t know what else to do since baby would freak out anytime I got him to unlatch. 

morethanamama

@zande2016 I so started crying a few times already because of the feedings. Last time it was this morning. Milo bit my nipple because he was so eager and now I'm nursing on one side for a bit before I can go back to two. I might pump on the "injured" side because I cringe at the idea of trying to nurse on it. 

Re: cluster feeding, for us it was without fail 4-8pm roughly. However looks like today it was this morning but thankfully it wasn't too bad. Only thing is his napping during the day has been crappy and I feel like I shouldn't have him sleep on my chest because he doesn't transfer well. It's just so nice to get the snuggles! 

Re: pacifier, we are using it. My doula and my pediatrician are perfectly ok with it, as long as it is not used to shut a feeding cue. So if it's to comfort a bit or get through cluster feeding then it's fine, at least in my book! 

A couple of things my doula/LC suggested to get through cluster feeding. A warm compress on the breasts and a massage to melt the fat. Do this before the regular feeding before cluster feeding time, if you have a semi predictable time. For me, he usually eats at 130pm or 2pm so I do that before then. It helps to melt the fat from the milk so it comes out sooner and  baby feels full sooner too. Then after this give baby a pacifier. It worked for us and the first day we tried he was up for a bit but then took a nap until 6pm which he had never done before. Then I fed him, gave him a bath, fed him again and he went down until 1130pm!

zande2016

It’s been a rough night for us. He wanted to nurse all the time and wouldn’t sleep in his bassinet at all. But every time we nursed, he’d start off acting like he was desperate and starving (even though he’s been eating all night) and flailing his arms all over, crying, latching and then letting go crying, etc. I was getting so frustrated. To make it worse he’s still clamping down on me and I can’t get him to latch properly when he’s acting like this so I’ve been in constant pain all night long. It’s just one of those nights. All I want is some sleep, and relief from this nonstop pain. 

kmac103

@zande2016 we had a rough night here as well. DD just would not settle and nurse contently. She’s literally wanted to nurse non stop though so I don’t know what’s going on with her. My boobs are super engorged again which is weird since she’s been nursing so much in the past 10 hours. I could use a nap and a spare pair of nipples about now lol

bearmomma1

@zande2016 @kmac103 same! This girl will not settle! I’m so exhausted. She falls asleep on my boob or chest and wakes up as soon as I transfer her. The Dockatot has made its way into our bed. Desperate times call for desperate measures 

zande2016

Omg @rachelsogo totally forgot about the dock a tot, that may be coming out next in my bag of tricks haha. I really was losing it last night. The only sleep I got was with baby next to me in bed attached to my boob. I have the worst neck ache/strain and my nipples feel like they’re gonna fall off. And my H acted like it was soooo hard for him to get up to do a diaper change at 6:30 so I could use the bathroom after he slept soundly the entire night. He’s lucky he didn’t get a dick punch. (Can you tell I haven’t slept). 

morethanamama

Milo slept almost 4 hours but now my right boob hurts like a mofo I don't know if it's the let down, I pumped from it last night since it's bruised and I wasn't nursing on that side. And DH's answer to any of my BF issues? Try the football! I'm like stop suggesting things you have no idea about. I already told him I don't like that position.

adventuresawait1

@zande2016 @kmac103 @rachelsogo I’m with you. Little girl likes to sleep all afternoon, cluster feed in the evening, then sleep a stretch until 12:30 am, but then feed 2-3:30/4 am continuously. Last night she fed, then spit it all up, then started up again. Then woke up again at 5:15, 6 and 7 to eat. So basically no time to sleep this morning. We were going to try to go to church this morning, but I think I’m too tired...

@kissableviv So funny about your DH and the football hold. My DH says the same thing. I guess they just don’t know what else to say.

I did find this morning that lying back a bit seemed to stop my little one from clamping down so hard. Hoping she keeps it up. 

bearmomma1

@zande2016 LO wouldn’t even fall asleep my bed! She actually slept in her crib last night! I just stayed in the nursery switching boobs for her. Every time she dozed, I put her in and laid back in the glider. She finally conked around 3. I feel like a fool waking her up to feed right now. My nips are toast. I’m hoping that was the end of the horror and she lets me get in some decent naps today.

@kissableviv  I don’t like the football either. So awkward! 

@adventuresawait1 I wish LO had slept all afternoon! It was almost a 24 hour cluster fest for us. Ugh so sleepy

elizabethrn87

Going to try and join in on this thread. I’m an exclusive pumper from day one however with DD I never got milk in- at two weeks I could get maybe 2 oz a day pumping every 3 hours. 

Im already struggling knowing it might not work and how much extra work it is and how exhausted I am. Knowing the likelihood I get a supply is slim it makes it hard to keep putting that much effort into it.

i feel slightly frustrated reading this thread at some of the wording from others who aren’t even aware how they have made “bottles” a bad thing. Remember pumpers are coming here for advice/help/support too- a bottle of breast milk is not negative. 

comealongponds

@elizabethrn87 kudos to you for EPing again! I did it for 14m with my twins and it is so freaking exhausting and taxing, I can’t imagine doing it with older kiddos around! I already knew this time if BFing didn’t work I out I’d be skipping EPing and going straight to formula...the logistics of EPing with two 22m olds underfoot (and into everything) was way too daunting for me to consider. 

wildtot

@elizabethrn87 bottles can be sanity savers! I’m super happy that none of our pediatricians made it sound like bottles and pacifiers were bad. In fact they encouraged them to help with my own sanity and make it easier to go back to work. With DSs bump group there were a few babies who struggled with taking a bottle because it was introduced so late. Pumping is hard! The worst part for me was the anxiety i got from feeling trapped and retrained to a machine while baby cried. Keep doing what you need to do! Fed is best!

zande2016

@elizabethrn87 I don’t recall anyone saying or implying that giving a bottle is a bad thing, but then again this thread is 6 pages long so I could be mistaken. But it just depends on what your goal is. If your goal is to exclusively breastfeed (from the breast), then I think it’s a good idea to wait about 4 weeks to introduce the bottle if you can. The reason is you want to establish the breastfeeding relationship, regulate supply, avoid baby developing a preference for the bottle when your goal is to feed from the breast. Of course things come up and you can’t always wait, or may choose not to wait, and that’s fine too. If your goal is to feed the baby breast milk but you choose to exclusively pump (or pump as much as you can), or if you have to pump rather than feed from the breast for whatever reason, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! I exclusively pumped for a while with my first when he refused to nurse for a few months, it wasn’t easy for me at all, but some prefer it and that’s totally fine. Personally this time around I’ll probably introduce a bottle around a month old, and I’ll probably have my husband feed a bottle before bed every night once we do that. 

Anyway, re supply, have you tried power pumping? That’s the one thing that really helped me with supply when I struggled with my first after going back to work. I’m sorry you’re having a tough time with it. 

elizabethrn87

comealongponds said:

@elizabethrn87 kudos to you for EPing again! I did it for 14m with my twins and it is so freaking exhausting and taxing, I can’t imagine doing it with older kiddos around! I already knew this time if BFing didn’t work I out I’d be skipping EPing and going straight to formula...the logistics of EPing with two 22m olds underfoot (and into everything) was way too daunting for me to consider. 

I can’t imagine being able to do anything with two that young also! My 4 year old we just have to play defense with and keep her from constantly messing with baby. 


Part of my supplynissue sue is I had a breast reduction in 2011. Last pregnancy I worked closely with our LC. I can’t do any fenugreek because I have tachycardia and it can cause increased heart rate. I do a beer a day ( I hate beer) . Per doctor recommended 

zande2016

elizabethrn87 said:

comealongponds said:

@elizabethrn87 kudos to you for EPing again! I did it for 14m with my twins and it is so freaking exhausting and taxing, I can’t imagine doing it with older kiddos around! I already knew this time if BFing didn’t work I out I’d be skipping EPing and going straight to formula...the logistics of EPing with two 22m olds underfoot (and into everything) was way too daunting for me to consider. 

I can’t imagine being able to do anything with two that young also! My 4 year old we just have to play defense with and keep her from constantly messing with baby. 


Part of my supplynissue sue is I had a breast reduction in 2011. Last pregnancy I worked closely with our LC. I can’t do any fenugreek because I have tachycardia and it can cause increased heart rate. I do a beer a day ( I hate beer) . Per doctor recommended 

Does the mother’s milk tea have fenugreek in it? I think there’s another herb that’s supposed to help but I’m blanking on the name. Oatmeal is also supposed to help. 

morethanamama

@elizabethrn87 I'm sorry if you saw any negativity around bottles here. I for one have a crisis about once a day where I want to start exclusively pumping lol. Breastfeeding has been really hard for me despite an overall good baby (good with latching I mean) and  supply. But since BF is overall going well for me I am just trying to really be careful with introducing bottles and doing it the right way. We started yesterday with 2 a day and even though we still need to get the pace feeding down LO took it ok and it was amazing to give my nipples a good 6 hour break!

wildtot

I couldn’t take fenugreek with DS because it made him gassy. I ended up making oatmeal lactation cookies and they seemed to help. H really like them too   

zande2016

Fenugreek made me reek like maple syrup when I took it with my son. I was not pleasant to be around unless you really love pancakes. 

elizabethrn87

zande2016 said:

elizabethrn87 said:

comealongponds said:

@elizabethrn87 kudos to you for EPing again! I did it for 14m with my twins and it is so freaking exhausting and taxing, I can’t imagine doing it with older kiddos around! I already knew this time if BFing didn’t work I out I’d be skipping EPing and going straight to formula...the logistics of EPing with two 22m olds underfoot (and into everything) was way too daunting for me to consider. 

I can’t imagine being able to do anything with two that young also! My 4 year old we just have to play defense with and keep her from constantly messing with baby. 


Part of my supplynissue sue is I had a breast reduction in 2011. Last pregnancy I worked closely with our LC. I can’t do any fenugreek because I have tachycardia and it can cause increased heart rate. I do a beer a day ( I hate beer) . Per doctor recommended 

Does the mother’s milk tea have fenugreek in it? I think there’s another herb that’s supposed to help but I’m blanking on the name. Oatmeal is also supposed to help. 

Oatmeal is good. I have a list of foods that are good for supply. And a short list of herbs to avoid- which I found interesting .

julianne0

I also don’t recall anything negative about giving bottles but similar to @zande2016, my first ended up refusing to nurse after 8 weeks and I think it’s because she got too used to bottles in the early weeks and would become frustrated with how slow it comes when nursing. That refusal was a nightmare for me because then I had to pump instead of feeding and while by myself on maternity leave it was extremely hard to find time to pump when she was screaming for food. And then my supply tanked. So I personally have a lot of worry and anxiety about that happening again and do try to hold off on bottles as much as possible just in case. In case anyone else has this worry we use como tomo bottles because they supposedly resemble the boob and has a really slow flow

zande2016

@julianne0 yup similar thing happened to me. My son was sore from having his tongue tie fixed and didn’t want to nurse so we introduced the bottle. Then he just decided he was done with the boob and I was pretty upset because 1) I really wanted to breastfeed and 2) pumping was hard for me when trying to take care of him by myself and then my supply got messed up. So this time it’s my goal to wait until I feel really secure that we have breastfeeding down pat, and then I’ll introduce the bottle. I won’t wait too long though and risk him refusing the bottle since he’ll obviously need to take it when I go back to work. 

ETA I did end up getting him back on the breast after a few months of EPing. 

julianne0

@zande2016 so similar! It was so hard to deal with and then desperately trying to find ways to get back the supply but nothing worked. Eventually I was able to nurse her during the night and first thing in the morning but omg the ways we had to trick her to get her to nurse... it was crazy. My H would fill a bottle nipple with milk and have her suck on that and then quickly shove her on the boob and try to trick her lol. I would also put milk in the nipple shield to trick her. It was so tough but I was determined to give her as much bm as possible. Our pedi wants us to be topping this LO off after nursing so that she boosts her weight so it’s something I worry about

zande2016

Ah yes I remember trying to trick my son too, I’d start him on the bottle when he was sleeping and then try to do a quick switch to the boob before he realized lol. It was stressful to say the least. Could you supplement with a syringe rather than bottle until BF is more established and you feel comfortable giving a bottle? @julianne0

julianne0

@zande2016 I never thought about that... I should do that though. Where would I find one?!

morethanamama

So thankful I'm back nursing on both sides. My right boob is also the one producing less so I needed it stimulated! Last night it hurt so bad, pumping this morning finally gave me some relief. Now I might even dare saying I'm in a good spot where my nipples don't hurt much if at all.. The bruise is almost gone too. How long will this last??

zande2016

Hmmm maybe you can order online? With my first they gave them to me in the hospital since my son wouldn’t latch. I took them home and kept using them until he finally latched (with a nipple shield). 

lem5344

@elizabethrn87.. Yayyy ! Another exclusive pumper ! I posted a few days ago in this thread and was really starting to think I was the only one lol. Curious as to how often you've been pumping this time around? I try for every 3 hours but there are seriously times where I skip and go 4-6 hrs instead. It's partly because we're out and about some and I haven't quite mastered the whole pumping on the go thing yet.

morethanamama

@julianne0 I kept the one we used at the hospital, DS was latching but not staying at the breast long enough. I see a few different ones on Amazon

elizabethrn87

knottie531e966776b60b6d said:

@elizabethrn87.. Yayyy ! Another exclusive pumper ! I posted a few days ago in this thread and was really starting to think I was the only one lol. Curious as to how often you've been pumping this time around? I try for every 3 hours but there are seriously times where I skip and go 4-6 hrs instead. It's partly because we're out and about some and I haven't quite mastered the whole pumping on the go thing yet.

Every 2-3 hours. My sheet says. I think I’ve missed one or two times