The Great Big Breastfeeding Thread

hlm184 · April 2014

knotty-girl said:

I've been breast feeding approximately every three hours and pumping for 15 minutes afterwards (only after 2-3 of the feedings because I'm sore.) all as advised in the hospital by the LC. I'm making more and more colostrum each time, quite a bit actually, however my milk hadn't come in yet (5 days PP now). No latch problems and Jack is an easy eager eater. Not sure that all this background was needed to answer my question but IDK. I was wondering do I use a cold or hot compress to relieve breast pain and swelling? My breasts are sore and rock hard(I look like I have a bad boob job.) What else can I do to alleviate this?

I like to use hot.

ksulli · April 2014

@jessech89‌ it takes about 4w for supply/demand to iron out. I traveled for work when DD1 was 6mos and still BF full time- here's what I did that worked: I pumped my normal at work schedule, plus two more in the evening, one at bedtime and one as soon as I woke up. Then checked in at home to see if my oz for the day matched and/or exceeded DD's intake. It always did, but if it hadn't I'd have tried to squeeze in another pump the next day.

for shipping, see if you can find dry ice at the location you're going to- you can ship on dry ice without even overnighting it. I did next day delivery not realizing they don't deliver on weekends, so from Friday to Monday it stayed frozen while in transit. If I had it to do over again if have sent it out Thursday for Friday delivery and carried Friday's milk with me.

at the hotel request a freezer (not fridge- it has to freeze) for your room- BM is a medical liquid and many hotels will provide a fridge free of charge and access to the hotel's freezer if they can't provide one for your room. In that case I'd pump, bag, then paper bag & label it.

while in transit, if you fly, BM is not subject to the 3oz rule (medical liquid), but ice packs are. Pack whatever frozen or liquid milk you need to carry in a cooler with a ziplock of ice. Dump the ice before security, and get a refill from a restaurant on the other side. If it's a long flight let the flight attendants know you'll need ice at some point. When you check in let the gate person know you may pump in flight, so if you can have a row to yourself it would be great, otherwise you'll be in the restroom for a while with a machine making noise and you don't want to alarm the attendants or other passengers.

ksulli · April 2014

@knotty-girl said:

I was wondering do I use a cold or hot compress to relieve breast pain and swelling? My breasts are sore and rock hard(I look like I have a bad boob job.) What else can I do to alleviate this?

At 5d out you're probably just getting your milk in & hitting engorgement. I wouldn't pump after feeding unless you have a low supply issue and are needing to supplement- otherwise you'll end up with an over supply. For the engorgement, ice packs when you're not feeding, warm compress just before (it'll help get the flow started). It should only last about three days, but it's painful and seriously porn star boobs.

Dixon813 · April 2014

knotty-girl said:

I've been breast feeding approximately every three hours and pumping for 15 minutes afterwards (only after 2-3 of the feedings because I'm sore.) all as advised in the hospital by the LC. I'm making more and more colostrum each time, quite a bit actually, however my milk hadn't come in yet (5 days PP now). No latch problems and Jack is an easy eager eater. Not sure that all this background was needed to answer my question but IDK. I was wondering do I use a cold or hot compress to relieve breast pain and swelling? My breasts are sore and rock hard(I look like I have a bad boob job.) What else can I do to alleviate this?

Cold/ice packs are good in between feedings to alleviate some pain. But as pp said, hot will help when time to feed.

ETA - should've finished reading the thread before responding with the same thing @ksulli said!

Dixon813 · April 2014

speechie517 said:

I'm feeding LO every 2-3 hours during the day and pretty much have to wake her up to feed every time. We haven't had her 2 week appt to check on weight-her diapers are on target, but she always falls asleep while feeding and her feelings are short- usually 10-15 minutes total and using a shield. During the night, she will fight sleep and barely fall back asleep before it is time for her to eat again. I'm exhausted and have been tempted to let her go closer to 4 so I can actually get a little sleep. Any advice? Suck it up and keep waking her on schedule or let her sleep a bit longer? I'll be talking to the pediatrician about suggestions at her appt.

How old is LO? Did they tell you to wake LO up every 2-3 hours? We were never told to wake up every 2-3 hours, however, before we got back to birth weight (which was at one week for DS) I woke up if DS went 3-4 hours. It made me feel better that he was eating, and it kept me from being super engorged!

*sparky* · April 2014

Holljade said:

KendraColeslaw said:
What are your favorite brands for "nipple therapy"? I am a little overwhelmed at all my store options for healing sore nipples. I have EMAB butter, but what about nursing pillows (Boob Ease therapy pillows you can microwave or freeze) and gel soothies that cool on contact? There are SO many!
I got the bamboobies nipple soothing pillows. You can freeze or heat them. I really like them so far, they are super soft too.

Where can you buy these?

cgoldian · April 2014

I bought myself one of these shower hugs and it is one of my favorite things! Worth every penny IMO

https://www.showerhug.com/benefits.html

Emily041285 · April 2014

*sparky* said:

Holljade said:

KendraColeslaw said:
What are your favorite brands for "nipple therapy"? I am a little overwhelmed at all my store options for healing sore nipples. I have EMAB butter, but what about nursing pillows (Boob Ease therapy pillows you can microwave or freeze) and gel soothies that cool on contact? There are SO many!
I got the bamboobies nipple soothing pillows. You can freeze or heat them. I really like them so far, they are super soft too.
Where can you buy these?

I got mine at target, but you could probably find them cheaper somewhere else.

speechie517 · April 2014

Dixon813 said:

speechie517 said:

I'm feeding LO every 2-3 hours during the day and pretty much have to wake her up to feed every time. We haven't had her 2 week appt to check on weight-her diapers are on target, but she always falls asleep while feeding and her feelings are short- usually 10-15 minutes total and using a shield. During the night, she will fight sleep and barely fall back asleep before it is time for her to eat again. I'm exhausted and have been tempted to let her go closer to 4 so I can actually get a little sleep. Any advice? Suck it up and keep waking her on schedule or let her sleep a bit longer? I'll be talking to the pediatrician about suggestions at her appt.

How old is LO? Did they tell you to wake LO up every 2-3 hours? We were never told to wake up every 2-3 hours, however, before we got back to birth weight (which was at one week for DS) I woke up if DS went 3-4 hours. It made me feel better that he was eating, and it kept me from being super engorged!

She is two weeks today.

kseccomb17 · April 2014

Is it ok to do formula abd breastmilk? I will obviously nurse when I can, but his last feeding last night I had to top him off work formula. He kept unlatching on both breasts and he was frustrated. We tried for about a half hour until I couldn't take his screaming anymore. I am honestly just at a loss

haziedaze · April 2014

@MrsW26 I LOVE nursing in my ringsling. Took me a little while to get the hang of it with DS1 (like a week or two and initially had to loosen the sling and sit using it for a bit of support and as a cover). Over the past few days I've nursed my <1 week old hands free in the sling while chasing my toddler several times. I've fallen in long all over again.

I love my Sakura bloom slings. Last time I had a single layer linen and double layer silk which were both great. The single layer wasn't quite supportive enough once DS was over 20 lbs though, it would slowly loosen. My silk got torn my a friend who was trying to adjust it the wrong way. This time I got a new double layer linen that's been great. It was a touch stiff the first wear but it's great after a couple of days.

I'd also consider a wrap conversion like Sleeping Baby Productions, but wasn't a fan of the padded shoulder on the Maya- it was so bulky and I felt like I couldn't get it as tight. Ringslings are so versatile for later on, DS1 loved the hip carry from 6 months until about 18months and it was easy up/down when we were out running errands.

haziedaze · April 2014

kseccomb17 said:

Is it ok to do formula abd breastmilk? I will obviously nurse when I can, but his last feeding last night I had to top him off work formula. He kept unlatching on both breasts and he was frustrated. We tried for about a half hour until I couldn't take his screaming anymore. I am honestly just at a loss

Definitely. I think with everything going on you have to focus on just getting through this tough period. Every drop of breastmilk is a huge victory. You could always try to pump more later to tell your body that milk was needed. Are you doing hands on pumping at all? I find that really increases my output. You're doing great, try to just take it one nursing/pumping session at a time. ((HUGS))

knotty-girl · April 2014

Thanks for the advice on the compress/pumping everyone. I don't know why they had me do the pumping after feeding like that. Maybe they only wanted once a day. I am in such a brain fog I can't remember anything and get mixed up.

My milk did come in (yesterday) I thought it did but my MIL said it was colostrum because it wasn't white. But isn't everyone's different? Mine is yellowish-white and it's definitely more milky while the colostrum was thicker and sometimes even syrupy.

I felt some relief after I pumped today but I don't want it to be problematic in the way you described. How do I wean off it?

I feel stupid now. I'm nursing well but have no idea how to manage my supply.

Rrrrrachel · April 2014

The transition from colostrum to milk happens gradually, not all at once. So maybe you're both right

Rrrrrachel · April 2014

That's awesome! ½-1 ounce is typical unless you skipped a feeding. I generally got 3-4 ounces at most when I was at work.

khammond3 · April 2014

My
Boobs were so hard and felt so heavy and full the first couple weeks. Now they feel deflated and not hard or full. I know my baby is still getting milk bc I can see and hear her sucking and gulping. Is this normal???

Rrrrrachel · April 2014

Yes. Your supply is regulating. The hard, full feeling is only ever temporary.

khammond3 · April 2014

What are your ladies typical food intake while breast feeding? I know I haven't been eating enough lately bc I have been so tied down. Will not eating enough affect
My supply? Also what are some easy snacks and things to keep by you or available for easy and quick access

haziedaze · April 2014

dani+california said:

That's awesome! ½-1 ounce is typical unless you skipped a feeding. I generally got 3-4 ounces at most when I was at work.
Woot! Nope didn't skip a feeding, did it after his afternoon session today. Hopefully he takes the bottle! Then I can work on figuring out this whole pumping schedule thing.

Aren't our boobies amazing! You're still pretty early right? Be careful about driving up your supply too much. Oversupply can be a bitch!

ksulli · April 2014

@eme520 said:
it seems like LO is going through a growth spurt right on time at 3 weeks. I pump around 35 ounces a day. This seems plenty for when she is older. I know during growth spurts you should increase pumping sessions to match demand, but it seems like that would put me into oversupply territory. Any advice on whether I should do the extra pumps?

Keep track of what she eats in a day, even with the growth spurt. If it's less than 35oz I wouldn't change your pumping schedule. That said, if you move to full time pumping, an oversupply would let you fill the freezer, quit the pump and keep her in BM for a while.

With DD1 I quit pumping and daytime nursing around 11 mos but she stayed on BM in bottles right through her first birthday. Worked out great for us because we skipped formula all together but I could pack up the pump.

khammond3 · April 2014

jenniferb123006 said:

khammond3 said:
What are your ladies typical food intake while breast feeding? I know I haven't been eating enough lately bc I have been so tied down. Will not eating enough affect
My supply? Also what are some easy snacks and things to keep by you or available for easy and quick access
It definitely can affect supply. It did with mine with DD2.

I think you need 200 more calories than normal a day while BFing (I may not have the exact number correct).

DH stocked me up on one-handed snacks before he went back to work -- hummus and pita chips, cream cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, and of course some junk food. I eat one-handed most of the day and eat regular meals when he's home. I tend to snack a lot during the day.

Will the supply return when you eat more or does it start to deminish and not return once your not getting enough calories?

ksulli · April 2014

@khammond3‌ supply will always fluctuate based on your fluid and food intake. It'll go up & down, you won't do permanent damage unless you consistently restrict calories.

khammond3 · April 2014

ksulli said:
@khammond3‌ supply will always fluctuate based on your fluid and food intake. It'll go up & down, you won't do permanent damage unless you consistently restrict calories.

Okay I was worried, thank you!!!!

mamahann · April 2014

LO is 4 weeks old and has started to get lazy with her latch. She's not opening wide enough especially on the right side and it's starting to hurt. She'll open wide and the second she feels any part of boob touch her face she starts to work her jaw. I just latched and unlatched her about 15 times on the right side because the pain was getting to be too much.

Is there anything I can do to try and 1 get her to open wider and 2 lessen the nipple pain?

Edit - I just felt searing pain in my nipple and when I pulled it out of my nursing bra part of the tip was white. The pain stopped and the color returned after I left it exposed. Any ideas?

hordol · April 2014

mamrotu73 said:

Ashleyahann said:
LO is 4 weeks old and has started to get lazy with her latch. She's not opening wide enough especially on the right side and it's starting to hurt. She'll open wide and the second she feels any part of boob touch her face she starts to work her jaw. I just latched and unlatched her about 15 times on the right side because the pain was getting to be too much.

Is there anything I can do to try and 1 get her to open wider and 2 lessen the nipple pain?
DS was ripping up my right as well. I switched between hydrogel pads (the hospital sent me home with a pair) and nipple shells (therashells from medela). After a day and a half, I'm able to latch him without it feeling like razors. We are meeting the LC on Monday to work on his latch to prevent it happening again.

What is it with babies and right boobs? Haha, mine is ripping up the right as well. It's gotten better after meeting with a lactation consultant--she suggested alternating nursing positions each time and doing a shoulder push of the baby instead of a head push to latch him. We are getting better but I still would like him to get deeper. His mouth is just so tiny!

mamahann · April 2014

Thanks ladies! I'm sitting with a heating pad under my shirt while LO sleeps and it feels great. I'm going to call my hospitals warm line and talk to a LC about fixing the latch and making an appointment to go in if needed.

MrsH2007 · April 2014

I pretty much only lurk, but this thread has really kept me going with nursing my daughter who is now four weeks old. Lately we have been struggling. She shows signs of hunger, but either refuses to latch on (shakes her head back and forth with her mouth open) or pulls off after a minute and cries. Sometimes she needs to burp and sometimes she spits up. I can't figure out if maybe she isn't really hungry, but just gassy. Or if the let down is too much for her. I feel like she isn't truly hungry when this happens, but I don't want to under feed her either. Anyone have experience with this?

Also, anyone have any advice for nursing in public? We tried yesterday and I ended up soaking her outfit with milk. I'm not sure how much she actually got. At home I use the boppy every time to help support her body. I had a hard time feeding her without it and keeping her latched on.

hlm184 · April 2014

poru said:

LO seems to be falling into a one boob per session feeding habit. I had supply issues with my first so each nursing session we did both boobs (sometimes twice). So one side only is completely new to me. LO is almost 3 weeks old. Is it too early from a supply perspective to start this one sided feeding?. How does it work if some sessions she takes both sides and some sessions just one. Could anyone give me an example routine of nursing primarily one sided? Especially at nighttime when she goes 4-5 hours between feedings - if she only feeds from one side then that's 8 hours without feeding on one side.

DS transitioned to one boob around two weeks... for a few days (and now occasionally) the overnight thing was a problem. I ended up having to pump whichever side got too engorged first thing in the morning. That's mostly settled down now. Sometimes he has difficulty latching because the boob is so full, but we work through it and get him latched usually.

haziedaze · April 2014

@poru basically your body will adjust no matter what your pattern is and then will readjust if it changes as long as you allow unrestricted access to the breast and feed on demand. I would start with one side, let baby finish and then change or burp and offer the other. We're on single side feeds at one week old, I was with DS1 as well until he was 5mo or so and then went to both about 2/3 of the time, I was also working so my supply would sag by the end of the week.

@MrsH2007 Sounds like overactive let down, check out kellymom for tips about nursing against gravity and figuring out if you need to chill out your supply a bit. As far as NIP, practice, practice, practice. You could try a carrier for more arm support and have a burp cloth or bib under LO's chin to catch the drips. It gets easier!

Holljade · April 2014

Sorry another cluster feeding question- I know it's been discussed but can find the answer I am looking for-

Can it happen at 3/4 weeks? It it something that can last as long as your Bfingg?

ksulli · April 2014

@Holljade said:
Sorry another cluster feeding question- I know it's been discussed but can find the answer I am looking for-

Can it happen at 3/4 weeks? It it something that can last as long as your Bfingg?

It generally happens with every growth spurt, and any time your supply isn't keeping up. Also whenever they hit developmental milestones. There's pretty good info on kellymom, but essentially the clustering comes & goes until solids start.

kseccomb17 · April 2014

If I cluster feed and feed instead of using a paci, will that help bring my supply up to his needs?

Rrrrrachel · April 2014

Yes! That's exactly what cluster feeding is good for

jessech89 · April 2014

My LO has been overeating and spitting up after several feedings in a row. I have a suspicion she is wanted to nurse for comfort and just ends up sucking too much food in. I've tried offering her a pacifier but she doesn't want it. Is there anything I can do to avoid getting doused in her last meal every time I burp her?

macynsnoop · April 2014

Well my little guy & I have finally managed to figure out the whole latching thing. I've cured the mastitis & the chewed up nip. Now, little guy will latch & feed on one boob for about 12 min, then we do a changing & switch sides & he will feed peacefully for about 5 min. After that he starts fussing & crying while still doing the whole rooting & sucking of the hands. He will re-latch but immediately spit out the nip again & start crying more. This has happened the last 3 feedings today, I have no idea what the problem is. I'm worried he is not getting enough now. Anyone have ideas on what I can do?

MrsH2007 · April 2014

@macynsnoop‌ My daughter does that too. She usually needs to burp, but sometimes she just won't latch on. Tonight I tried rocking gently back and forth while I nursed her and it seemed to help. Good luck.

macynsnoop · April 2014

If your baby falls asleep while eating, but they haven't eaten their full meal, what do you do? My guy normally eats 10-15 min per side, I'm sitting here with him now & he only did 9 on one & 5 on the other side & is sound asleep. I'm tempted to swaddle him & put him to bed, should I pump tho?

ksulli · April 2014

@macynsnoop‌ no need to pump- LO fell asleep because he's content, which means he ate enough & you're making enough. Put him down & get some rest!

snowbound · April 2014

I'm 7 days pp and I still haven't gotten my milk. I'm starting to worry about whether or not LO is getting everything he needs. When should I be concerned?

Rrrrrachel · April 2014

That's on huge long end of normal but still within the range. I know it's stressful! As long as your baby isn't showing signs of dehydration everything is ok.

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