BF

metta1313

*repost from BF board as it seems to be a bit slow right now*

So yesterday I posted this .  And today I had great success.  DD latched on for 20 minutes on each side.  I didn't think I would have success so quickly and now I have a ton of questions from those of you experienced with BF.  I know I could google, but I think with something like this, it is more beneficial to hear from experienced people.

1.  How do I know when she's done?

2.  When should I switch sides?

3.  Should I pump right after?

4.  B/C my milk supply is on the low side (I know this b/c I've been EP for the first 3 weeks of her life) should I offer a bottle before or after BFing?

5.  Now that she's BFing, will this help increase my supply?

...I know this is a lot to be asking, but I just want to make sure to continue this success!

Thanks so much for your input!

 

magdusia

1.  How do I know when she's done? he pulls away and he's not crying.

2.  When should I switch sides? He pulls away the first boob, i burp him, than latch him on to the second boob.  Sometimes if he's not letting go for a while i just break the latch -he cries but as soon as i burp him he stops and then i latch him on to the second boob -but in most cases he stops on his own.

3.  Should I pump right after? if you want more milk yes, only after you feed your LO (never before)

4.  B/C my milk supply is on the low side (I know this b/c I've been EP for the first 3 weeks of her life) should I offer a bottle before or after BFing? if you have to offer it, i would after you breastfeed so she could get the most out of your breasts first and then start her with the bottle.  (otherwise she'll get too full w/ the bottle and then may not finish your BM and your supply will deminish)

5.  Now that she's BFing, will this help increase my supply? yes yes yes! but i would pump on top of it for a faster increase.

Good luck!

metta1313

magdusia:

1.  How do I know when she's done? he pulls away and he's not crying.

2.  When should I switch sides? He pulls away the first boob, i burp him, than latch him on to the second boob.  Sometimes if he's not letting go for a while i just break the latch -he cries but as soon as i burp him he stops and then i latch him on to the second boob -but in most cases he stops on his own.

3.  Should I pump right after? if you want more milk yes, only after you feed your LO (never before)

4.  B/C my milk supply is on the low side (I know this b/c I've been EP for the first 3 weeks of her life) should I offer a bottle before or after BFing? if you have to offer it, i would after you breastfeed so she could get the most out of your breasts first and then start her with the bottle.  (otherwise she'll get too full w/ the bottle and then may not finish your BM and your supply will deminish)

5.  Now that she's BFing, will this help increase my supply? yes yes yes! but i would pump on top of it for a faster increase.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for these answers.  We've been having to thicken her milk because of her partial vocal cord paralysis so she does well with food going down the right tube.  But when I was BFing her earlier, she had no breathing problems at all so I'm just going to use my intuition and latch her on before offering a bottle.  This is just so exciting!  

Lizard2022

First, congratulations!   I will try to answer the best I can from my experience.  DS is 2.5 months old.

1.  How do I know when she's done?  I know when DS either won't take the nipple any more or he's just playing with the nipple in his mouth without swallowing

2.  When should I switch sides? I just nurse on one side per feeding but I never had any supply issues

3.  Should I pump right after?  I think you are supposed to increase supply

4.  B/C my milk supply is on the low side (I know this b/c I've been EP for the first 3 weeks of her life) should I offer a bottle before or after BFing? Before, remember babies are more efficient then pumps she will be eating more then you can pump.

5.  Now that she's BFing, will this help increase my supply? yes

thetwistedwillow

1.  How do I know when she's done?  She'll stop nursing, push breast away and is perfectly content whether awake or asleep (usually asleep in these early days)

2.  When should I switch sides?  Allow her to eat on one side for as long as possible. You'll notice active suckling while she's eating and you can hear swallowing. Once she's stopped actively suckling and is just lazily sucking on the nipple you can switch.

3.  Should I pump right after?  Why would you need to?

4.  B/C my milk supply is on the low side (I know this b/c I've been EP for the first 3 weeks of her life) should I offer a bottle before or after BFing?   No, you need to let her suckle for as long as possible to build your supply. Your baby is most effective at draining your breasts and the more she is on there the better your supply should build up.

5.  Now that she's BFing, will this help increase my supply?
Most likely yes!