December 2010 Moms

Bfing questions for those with newbies or can remember back to the fogginess of the newborn days of

XP'd to BFing board

 Let me start by saying I'm jealous of the moms who have baby's on a schedule and can do feedings every 3ish hours except during growth spurts. I never have had the 30-45 min BFing session and wonder how its done.

I BF'd A on demand and he was a snacker with reflux. Most nursing sessions were ~10-15 minutes on one side, but he would spit up so much that we only did 1 breast per feed until he was older.   He would also feed about every 1-2 hours for a looong time (maybe 3-4 months old give or take, its foggy in my sleep deprived state)

 Fast forward to J. He is 6 days old and ever since he was born feeds about every hour-two hours. I think once he has gone 3 hours between a feeding.  He usually only feeds off one breast for about 7-12 minutes before falling asleep.  We burp him, change diapers, stimulate (feet/tickle/etc), but he is done.  Same goes for a feeding session and he ends awake, he shows no interest in continuing to feed, until the next hour rolls around.  A few times we went to nearly 20 minutes for feeding but that ended when my milk came in about 3 days ago. I'm still dealing with some engorgement issues and latching issues. but my nips are starting to feel the strain of hourly feeds.  I think he may have reflux, but he hasn't started the vomiting quite yet, just makes the sour faces from time to time and scrunches body/face up after some of the feeds. 

 Suggestions? Anybody else go through similar eating patterns with their Lo's?  I feel bad for A because DH is going to go back to work next week and I haven't been able to "play" much since I have J stuck on the boob every hour or so it seems.
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Re: Bfing questions for those with newbies or can remember back to the fogginess of the newborn days of

  • Sorry this is so rough on you!  C also had reflux and also tended to be a snacker.  I don't have much help, but as you probably know with A, the thought is that they tend to do what their bodies need.  So, if J really is experiencing a bit of reflux then he's probably keeping his feedings short on purpose. C's pedi recommended for me to try to do more of an upright or angled nursing session with C to try and keep the milk down.  Other than that though, we didn't start having better luck until we got him on Prevacid at about 7-8 weeks.  (We blew threw Zantac like it was nothing.)  Hope J doesn't have reflux though and that it gets better!  BTW, your siggy is gorgeous!

     

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  • imagelrn327:

    Sorry this is so rough on you!  C also had reflux and also tended to be a snacker.  I don't have much help, but as you probably know with A, the thought is that they tend to do what their bodies need.  So, if J really is experiencing a bit of reflux then he's probably keeping his feedings short on purpose. C's pedi recommended for me to try to do more of an upright or angled nursing session with C to try and keep the milk down.  Other than that though, we didn't start having better luck until we got him on Prevacid at about 7-8 weeks.  (We blew threw Zantac like it was nothing.)  Hope J doesn't have reflux though and that it gets better!  BTW, your siggy is gorgeous!

     

     

    I hadn't even thought of that, but that does make sense!  This morning I vaguely remember our LC telling us the same about the angled/upright position so I'll give that a try on our next session.  Thanks! These pp hormones and lack of sleep are a doozy and I seem to have forgotten that from before.  

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    imagelrn327:

    Sorry this is so rough on you!  C also had reflux and also tended to be a snacker.  I don't have much help, but as you probably know with A, the thought is that they tend to do what their bodies need.  So, if J really is experiencing a bit of reflux then he's probably keeping his feedings short on purpose. C's pedi recommended for me to try to do more of an upright or angled nursing session with C to try and keep the milk down.  Other than that though, we didn't start having better luck until we got him on Prevacid at about 7-8 weeks.  (We blew threw Zantac like it was nothing.)  Hope J doesn't have reflux though and that it gets better!  BTW, your siggy is gorgeous!

     

     

    I hadn't even thought of that, but that does make sense!  This morning I vaguely remember our LC telling us the same about the angled/upright position so I'll give that a try on our next session.  Thanks! These pp hormones and lack of sleep are a doozy and I seem to have forgotten that from before.  

    No worries, I totally get that!  If it turns out that works for you, I did see some special BFing pillows online that keep reflux LOs in the proper angled position.  Hope it helps!

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  • With O I had a really rapid let down and if he wasn't positioned correctly he would just stop feeding because he couldn't keep up and then want to come back every 30-60 minutes.  I started pumping like 1-2oz per side before a feeding and then letting him latch.  That seemed to help until my inital engorgement went down.  Then he spaced out sessions every 1-2 hours until he was like 6 weeks old.  We also found the football hold to be most beneficial for him (I have a VERY large chest) and he seemed most comfortable this way.  We eventually got the side lying position and nursing in the ergo down which made it easier to sleep and/or get stuff done with what felt like constant nursing sessions.

    Good Luck!

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  • Hang in there.  You are doing great.  It is rough BFing.  My poor chest took up to a month to getting used to BFing.  Latching issues definitely can tear up your nips. Hope you can get that resolved quickly.  I really hope your LO doesn't have reflux either (no fun - been there), but you'll know soon enough. Definitely try nursing sitting up/leaning back if you think your milk is flowing too quickly.

    My advice is give it time.  Your baby is only a week old.  I never had a baby nurse very long at that age either.  My babies were quick eaters too - 15-20 minutes tops ever (except my first).  It will be a while before he's able to go more than a couple hours without eating.  It's going to be rough for a little while figuring out life with 2 kids, but you'll get it.  Soon you'll be a pro!

     

     

  • Similar here. Dunk is 4.5 months now and still is not a great feeder. He eats more at night my LC says reflux babes are known for that... They eat better when groggy. I have his cosleeper at an angle because he was waking up stuffy and coughing. This, along with the meds has kept him comfortable.
    My best suggestion is to keep in close contact with the pedi AND a good lac consultant. We ended up going to a private LC because the ones at the hospital were not fabulous.
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