more bf-ing questions
thanks for all the advice the other day! my supply is definitely starting to regulate (i think) and I don't feel like I need to be nursing 24/7 to relieve the pressure.
However, the new issue is that it seems to be taking him such a long time to nurse. I'll nurse him on one side and then he'll fall asleep usually after about 10ish min...then I burp him which usually wakes him up and he wants to keep eating (or at least seems to because he's rooting). Then once that side is done, we'll do the same thing on the other side. He's not super fussy at all, but after I've nursed him on both sides, I really don't have much left for him and he still roots around a little bit before he falls asleep and I'm worried that he's still hungry. And usually by then it's taking at least an hour to nurse. Is that normal? (if there is such a thing?)
Sometimes he'll take a pacifier and other times he just falls asleep. Either way he doesn't get really fussy or anything, but I am still worries that he might be hungry...but I don't know what to do about it.
Since he is having plenty of wet/dirty diapers and is still sleeping pretty much round the clock, am I just over-thinking this (as usual)?
Re: more bf-ing questions
Totally normal. We had 45-minute nursing sessions for the first month. As long as he's gaining weight, he's fine.
This sounds normal. It can take a long time at first, although it gets better--by 6 months or so it was 5-10 minutes per side, max.
If you're worried about him falling asleep while he's nursing, you can try to tickle his feet or his ear. Also having him in lighter clothing helps.
But if he's nursed both sides, it seems like he just wants some comfort nursing before he falls asleep. (Awww is it weird that I kind of miss that?) If he's peeing/pooping enough, I wouldn't stress about it.
TTC #2: BFP 12/17/11, m/c 1/7/12 and D&C 1/12/12
baby blog/cooking blog
definitely normal, especially since his output is so good. FWIW, I never had the 5-10min/side nursers, mine always took a long time. Enjoy the cuddles!
okay, well that's good...thanks for the feedback, everyone. so my next question, is how the heck am I supposed to nurse for an hour every other hour around the clock and take care of a toddler?? :-(
Do you have a sling or any other type of hands-free baby carrier? You can nurse in most of them. It might not work for the first couple of weeks, but after you and the baby get the hang of nursing, you can just put the baby in the sling/carrier and walk around while nursing. Practice at home first. I'm pretty sure there are helpful youtube videos.
It gets remarkably faster, especially after the first few weeks. Moms who have actually been there can probably give better advice, but can you nurse in W's room so you can talk to him while he plays? Maybe try reading a book to him while you nurse Z (I'm basing this off the fact that I played with my iphone a lot while bfing)? Go out in the backyard (assuming you have a little bit of privacy) and keep W occupied with chalk and bubbles? Also, there's always TV . . .
I had a similar problem mostly at night when he would fall asleep and then I would think he's full, so I put him to bed and then he wakes up right away wanting more. So the pedi told me to try to keep him awake when nursing by rubbing his ear, tickling his feet, even putting a cold-ish towel behind his neck if necessary (as a last resort, lol). It worked and he started nursing more efficiently. Also, at night, I would nurse on one side, change his diaper to keep him awake, and then the next side.
I also felt like I was nursing all day long, but then I quickly realized he just wanted to comfort nurse, so I began offering the pacifier and he took it really well. It was a life saver back then.
this reminded me, I was always a one-side-at-a-time nurser, i.e.: 9am - left, noon - right, 3pm - left, 6pm - right. But when I went back to work, I pumped from both at the same time, while only nursing from one side at a time, and my body did just fine. I felt like the baby got the most of hindmilk this way, it worked for me.
As for your 2nd question - it's hard! We sent DD to daycare for that exact reason. I could not be alone with both kids for a long time, months, b/c DD was still so young and required a lot of supervision while DS was pretty much attached to my boob.