For the ladies who have had their babies...

stemms8810 · May 2012

I wanted to check in to see if anyone else is BF'ing and how it's going? This is new for me because I only BF my DD for about a week and it didn't go well so I stopped. Now I am trying very hard to make it work and have access to a LC when I need her. I have a follow-up appt on Thurs to check in with how we are doing.

Right now my nipples are still sore but no more cracking or bleeding (which was minimal but still hurt). DS has a good latch some of the time but the other times he won't open his mouth quite wide enough which started in the past few days. Does anyone have any tips on how to get him to open his mouth wider?

He is gaining weight, I can hear swallowing, and he has a wet and/or poopy diaper in between feedings so I feel confident he is getting enough milk. I am pumping a few times a day and drinking Mother's Milk Tea to help make sure I have a good supply by instruction of my LC.

How is everyone else doing?

faydre · May 2012

My daughter is lazy!

We're doing pretty good. My nips aren't all scabby anymore.i think we are both getting used to it.

Im sure you've tried this but rub his bottom lip with your nipple. And wait for his mouth to open wide before you let him latch.

Good job so far mama!!! It's hard work!

becketts · May 2012

Well, DD was a preemie which is making it super challenging! We're currently in the process of transitioning from EP to EBF. DD is finally starting to turn the corner and do more feedings BFing without needing a bottle supplement! It's taken a ton of patience and I can't believe we may finally be getting there! We have an awesome LC, which has made a big difference.

Way to stick with it! I'll be interested in seeing if others have tips for getting LO to open wider since DD has that same issue.

stemms8810 · May 2012

faydre:

My daughter is lazy!

We're doing pretty good. My nips aren't all scabby anymore.i think we are both getting used to it.

Im sure you've tried this but rub his bottom lip with your nipple. And wait for his mouth to open wide before you let him latch.

Good job so far mama!!! It's hard work!

I didn't try rubbing his bottom lip with my nipple yet so thank you for the tip. I have been doing this with the top lip. I will try this next time!

My LO is a bit lazy too. He latches on and sucks really well for about a minute or two and then starts dozing off to sleep. He is hard to wake up too. Tickling his feet or forehead don't usually work. I have to unlatch him, change his diaper, and then latch again.

Sounds like you are doing a good job too! I am exhausted but I know once we get the hang of it, it will be so much easier and less time consuming.

hewinked · May 2012

I didn't BF my first 2 children and really wanted to BF this LO. I did it in the hospital and then ended up quitting once we got home. DD cluster/comfort fed all night the night before we came home. I made sure I had a good latch and all that, but with the all night feeding, it became incredibly painful. By the next day, my nipples were blistered. I became really overwhelmed and my c-section recovery was kinda brutal, so I was not a happy momma. I'm sad that I quit so quickly, but I tried and I'm proud I even got that far. Good luck to you. Big props to all the mommas that do it and stick with it!

stemms8810 · May 2012

becketts:

Well, DD was a preemie which is making it super challenging! We're currently in the process of transitioning from EP to EBF. DD is finally starting to turn the corner and do more feedings BFing without needing a bottle supplement! It's taken a ton of patience and I can't believe we may finally be getting there! We have an awesome LC, which has made a big difference.

Way to stick with it! I'll be interested in seeing if others have tips for getting LO to open wider since DD has that same issue.

We supplement occsionally as well as there was a question whether my milk supply is where is should be, hence the pumping and mothers milk tea. Some days I supplement with one bottle of breast milk mixed with formula. Other days like today he constantly at my breast wanting to feed every hour.

Sounds like you are doing a great job! Glad to hear BF'ing without a supplement is starting to work for you

faydre · May 2012

Try feeding him naked, with a diaper.

Also, I pretty much goose her all over. The chin works best for me. Or I'll rub her back, legs, arms... Pretty much anything.

melrrr · May 2012

Keep up the good work! I didn't have any cracking/bleeding, but the pain..oh the pain. The first few days were so easy and painless, and then after a week I wanted to crush her tiny head every time she latched on. Thank goodness that went away fairly quickly.

She used to doze off too, so I had to tickle her constantly and nurse her in only a diaper for a while.

LilMonster2 · May 2012

Sometimes, when DD isn't willing to open up widely enough, I have to let her get a little upset and then she does. I feel bad, but when she gets a little worked up she is more than willing to open her mouth as widely as she can.

When she starts to doze off, I gently blow air in her face. She gets going immediately. She didn't respond much to the tickling or anything, but the air in the face seems to work. HTH!

starrynight1658 · May 2012

We BF for about 5 days, but we had to stop due to supply issues and health concerns for both me and DS. I was so frustrated while BFing because I knew I wasn't producing enough (even colostrum), and even with daily support from LC at the hospital, he just wouldn't drink, even though he would latch on.

After trying pumping and not succeeding with that, the combination was enough for even the LC to suggest supplementing. I was so happy to see him eating finally that I became a formula convert completely. Of course, my milk (finally!) came in around day 7, so now I am huge, sore, and engorged.

I do wish BF had worked out for us, but I really felt that I tried as hard as I could and used all the resources I had available. I'm just happy that he seems happy and healthy.

MelissaMiso · May 2012

I seem to be having the same problem as a few previous posters. My nipples are cracked and painful. Someone posted to put a little breast milk on the nipple after each feeding and let them dry completely before putting lanolin on the. This seems to be helping. The scarring and cracking has begun to subside (I'm on day 5) but I swear I hit the ceiling each and every time she first latches on.

The thing I am having trouble with is figuring out the best way to hand expel some milk to help tempt her to latch quicker and to soothe the nipples after. Any tips?

PotomacSt · May 2012

I feel like I won the breastfeeding lottery. My daughter latched perfectly as soon as she was born, my milk came in in less than 48 hours, and she surpassed her birthweight by 2 oz when she was 5 days old. The only problem we have is that I choke her with my oversupply/overactive letdown (not sure which) so we only nurse laying down or reclining. She cluster feeds a lot so I'm getting a little restless because I feel like I've spent the entire last week laying on the couch. But I'm very grateful that everything has gone so well thus far.

For those who are struggling, I hope things get easier for you and your little ones.

cltk12 · May 2012

LO didn't feed for the first 24 hours then he'd suck here and there. He was 3 weeks early, had a rough L&D so the LC recommended a Nipple Shield. With that he latches right on and feeds well, but it's a process for DH and I. (with the nipple shield he doesn't get as much milk and my breasts are not exercised the same as without the nipple so we have some extra steps) I have to feed him for 15 mins with the nipple shield, then I need to pump for 15 mins. While I'm pumping DH feeds him with the supplemental bottle I pumped from the last feeding. Then DH cleans the pump and gets it ready for the next feeding in 2 hours. 1 feeding session takes about 40 mins. I had a follow up LC visit today and discussed weening off the nipple shield so today we're working on that. We have another follow up visit on Friday with the LC. I stongly encourage people to visit with the LC.

hurricanelydiaa · May 2012

It is going really well! I was so nervous because I had such a hard time BFing DS#1 at first. This time he took to it right away and it has honestly been a breeze! (I hope I don't jinx things by saying that...!)

stemms8810 · May 2012

MelissaMiso:
I seem to be having the same problem as a few previous posters. My nipples are cracked and painful. Someone posted to put a little breast milk on the nipple after each feeding and let them dry completely before putting lanolin on the. This seems to be helping. The scarring and cracking has begun to subside (I'm on day 5) but I swear I hit the ceiling each and every time she first latches on.

The thing I am having trouble with is figuring out the best way to hand expel some milk to help tempt her to latch quicker and to soothe the nipples after. Any tips?

My nurse at the hospital showed me how to do this. This may be hard to explain without showing it. You use your thumb and pointer finger around the outside of your aerola and push down on your breast. When you come up with your fingers press gently and up your nipple squeezing a little. It may take a couple times but I can express some drops of milk this way.

stemms8810 · May 2012

faydre:

Try feeding him naked, with a diaper.

Also, I pretty much goose her all over. The chin works best for me. Or I'll rub her back, legs, arms... Pretty much anything.

I have tried feeding with only a diaper on and he still dozes off. Rubbing my finger on his chin works sometimes as well as the feet if he isn't already too far gone.

huskymomma94 · May 2012

When he doesn't open wide enough, have you tried pulling down on his chin with your finger? That will usually make my LO open up and put his tongue down (we have had the same problem).

elviebird · May 2012

I'm EPing right now because DD has a bad (painful) latch when I can even get her to latch at all. Luckily I'm producing plenty for her and also enough to get a pretty good freezer stash going. We're practicing latching a few times a day so I hope that she'll eventually get it or grow into it.

Heres a video my LC sent me about hand expression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc8SECn4Dfw&feature=relmfu&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1dxONP_QKMw&has_verified=1

meeko1985 · May 2012

I'm finding it incredibly challenging. I had a c section after my water broke, so my milk is still slowly conning in. I'm luckcy theat my daughter always had an awesome latch, but she is a sleepy baby, and falls asleep after only a few sucks. My husbands job was to irritate her. She enderd up losing too much weight and we had to supplement with formula. Then last week she was diagnosed with thrush, and I was instructed to pump only so we would be passing uthe yeast back and forth. Pumping is horribly painful as one breast now has blisters from the thrush. It has been anything but easy, but I suppose I expected that. Im really not sure how much longer I can go on like this... My goal is one month now. We will see.

jennyelf · May 2012

My BF'ing experience seems to be going pretty well so far. I was able to start within a hour of birth and we roomed in the two nights we were in the hospital. I got an LC to help me with my latching issues so that it isn't painful now. I find that holding his head and kinda shoving it onto my breast when he opens his mouth works the best.

He does get kinda sleepy during feedings, so I find feeding him in just a diaper or changing him between breasts helps wake him up some. Also giving him off to my husband to burp wakes him up. Tickling his hands and feet also helps, or rubbing his face with a cool cloth.

Pretty sure he's feeding well if the diaper loads are any indication.

My nipples are still a bit sore to touch, but they are no longer cracked now that I've got the latch correct. I've also learned to just break the latch if it doesn't feel right at first, that seems to have helped the cracked nipples. I've also been using lanolin on them after feedings.

We're currently at feedings every 2 hours (which I sometimes have to wake him for) or so during the day and 3-4 hours at night.

picklesx · May 2012

I had intended to exclusively pump because the thought of me personally breastfeeding skeeves me out. I pumped four or five times in the hospital but found that I really just hated it. Now LO is exclusively formula fed. I wish that the pumping thing had worked out but it didnt and I can at least nnow that I tried. It's just not for everyone, but I give props to those that stick with it.

roxygulrjax · May 2012

I am pumping, pretty much, exclusively. Sometimes we do the breast if she's really into it, but it rarely lasts more than 10 mins...she is very wiggle-y and non-focused most of the time. I can pump about 4oz in half an hour and then bond over the bottle. There was no bonding at all with latching. I felt as though we just got frustrated with each other the whole time. Ah well, she is still getting breast milk...thats all I care about.

meeko1985 · May 2012

roxygulrjax:
I am pumping, pretty much, exclusively. Sometimes we do the breast if she's really into it, but it rarely lasts more than 10 mins...she is very wiggle-y and non-focused most of the time. I can pump about 4oz in half an hour and then bond over the bottle. There was no bonding at all with latching. I felt as though we just got frustrated with each other the whole time. Ah well, she is still getting breast milk...thats all I care about.

This is an interesting perspective over bonding. It is true when I'm bottle feeding, we look straight into each others eyes. I agree with your last point too.

mrsjengle · May 2012

BFing this time worked out just like last time. In the hospital she did a good job. I even got help from the LC while in the hospital to make sure we were ok. It didn't even really hurt. Then, when we got home, it all started going down hill. She, like my other daughter, just "rubs me the wrong way." My nipples didn't just crack, they are completely rubbed raw, and that's after BFing for only 4 1/2 days. I tried the nipple shield, but she couldn't get enough of the nipple up into it to get any milk out. I even have this little bulb suction thing to pull my nipple out so she can latch, but that didn't help. Last time I insisted I would BF, and I pushed myself too hard. This time I stopped before I got to that point. Right now I'm pumping when I can and mostly FFing.

I know that BM is the best, but I wonder how much BM they need to get all those awesome benefits? What if she only ever gets 2 oz of BM a day. Will that be enough to get the benefits, or does BM have to be the majority of their diet?

becketts · May 2012

meeko1985:
roxygulrjax:
I am pumping, pretty much, exclusively. Sometimes we do the breast if she's really into it, but it rarely lasts more than 10 mins...she is very wiggle-y and non-focused most of the time. I can pump about 4oz in half an hour and then bond over the bottle. There was no bonding at all with latching. I felt as though we just got frustrated with each other the whole time. Ah well, she is still getting breast milk...thats all I care about.
This is an interesting perspective over bonding. It is true when I'm bottle feeding, we look straight into each others eyes. I agree with your last point too.

I think that's a great way to look at feeding. You do what you need to do in order to bond with your infant, whether that be breastfeeding, pumping, or formula.

winter-shock · May 2012

This time is so much easier. I had major problems with DD1, mastitis twice, cuts that left scars, and 4 weeks of struggling with a terrible latcher before things got good! This time I literally put DD2 up to the breast when she was only 20 minutes or so old and she had a perfect latch instantly! I feel so blessed that it is so much easier this time!

ssumargo · May 2012

oh man...BF was so painful for me. My nipples were pretty much bleeding the first 3 days. But the pain wasn't from the bloody nipples, it was more of a shooting pain for me. I couldn't take it anymore, so I stopped breastfeeding and moved her onto formula. My breasts ended up being painfully engorged the next 48 hrs, so I started pumping. Now she is 11 days old, I'm pumping several times a day, alternating between formula and breast milk.

stemms8810 · May 2012

mrsjengle:

BFing this time worked out just like last time. In the hospital she did a good job. I even got help from the LC while in the hospital to make sure we were ok. It didn't even really hurt. Then, when we got home, it all started going down hill. She, like my other daughter, just "rubs me the wrong way." My nipples didn't just crack, they are completely rubbed raw, and that's after BFing for only 4 1/2 days. I tried the nipple shield, but she couldn't get enough of the nipple up into it to get any milk out. I even have this little bulb suction thing to pull my nipple out so she can latch, but that didn't help. Last time I insisted I would BF, and I pushed myself too hard. This time I stopped before I got to that point. Right now I'm pumping when I can and mostly FFing.

I know that BM is the best, but I wonder how much BM they need to get all those awesome benefits? What if she only ever gets 2 oz of BM a day. Will that be enough to get the benefits, or does BM have to be the majority of their diet?

I think any BM she gets is good. Sometimes I supplement with an oz of pumped BM and an oz of formula if I just pumped and he is hungry because my nipples get sore from pumping. And then DH can feed him. I look at it that he is getting at least some BM. Plus, there is nothing wrong with formula. I have to keep telling myself that sometimes. Good job mama!

loubellesc · May 2012

My LC helped me to find ways to keep my LO awake and latching on during feedings. I find myself stripping my LO down to her diaper to keep her awake. Now that she's 3 weeks old she's letting me know more when she's hungry so latching on is not a problem, but she still falls asleep during the feedings. So, once I've finished on the first side I burp her and then I go change her diaper to get her good and awake to get her to latch and eat on the other side. I hope this helps.

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