The Great Big Breastfeeding Thread

fourthnlast · May 2014

hbell12 said:

What are some preventative measures to avoid thrush/mastitis because I'm also terrified!

Emptying your breasts is key! Let that baby drain you!!! Another thing my LC told me when I had thrush was to change your breast pads on the regular.

snowbound · May 2014

fourthnlast said:

hbell12 said:

What are some preventative measures to avoid thrush/mastitis because I'm also terrified!

Emptying your breasts is key! Let that baby drain you!!! Another thing my LC told me when I had thrush was to change your breast pads on the regular.

Thanks! I don't use breast pads because I don't leak. However, I do feel like LO doesn't always empty the breast so I'll keep him on longer if he allows it.

edoliesmom · May 2014

Posting again:

For some reason for the past couple of days when baby girl latches, she's started pinching my nipples. So badly that when she releases or I make her release, there's a crease in my nipple! Talk about painful. I've read that this can also kink up the milk flow.

Any suggestions on getting her to latch better? I try to get her to open wider and position her differently (but still in the cradle hold; it's the only one I have down really well), but she gets frustrated and ends up relatching however she wants to.

Vjlewis07 · May 2014

Anyone else with latching and nipple creasing issues come to discover their LO had tongue or lip tie? Starting to think this is the cause of our latch problem and curious if LO had a procedure done to fix it ? And what their experience was

Dixon813 · May 2014

@SLSchuerg‌ have you tried cross cradle? I only used cross cradle the first two weeks and it really helped DS latch properly. Now (4 weeks) he prefers regular cradle and while his latch isn't perfect, it doesn't hurt. If it does hurt, I relatch him in cross cradle.

edoliesmom · May 2014

@Dixon813‌ I have, but I don't know if I'm doing it correctly. It doesn't really seem like she's in a different position than when I'm cradle holding her.

hlm184 · May 2014

mummyofsix said:

hlm184 said:

Mastitisis - should I call for redness or only if I also have a fever?

WTH- you just had thrush! Your boobs need a break.

I would call anyway. It can get nasty so quick and better to knock it on the head early than to wait and be in more pain.

Tell me about it! Seems like I get one easy week and then something else hits. Thanks for the advice!

edoliesmom · May 2014

@Dixon813‌ @LalaMama81‌ The cross cradle hold helped so much! She's back to latching better again. I love this thread.

Emily041285 · May 2014

Ugh. Well when I woke up this morning I was feeling much better and my boob wasn't as sore. Tender, but not sore. But just now as I was getting in the shower I noticed that boob was all red on one side. Who do I even call to see if it's mastitis? A lc or my ob?

Eta: can I still feed dd from that side?

AcaAwkward · May 2014

Emily041285 said:
Ugh. Well when I woke up this morning I was feeling much better and my boob wasn't as sore. Tender, but not sore. But just now as I was getting in the shower I noticed that boob was all red on one side. Who do I even call to see if it's mastitis? A lc or my ob?

Eta: can I still feed dd from that side?

DEFINITELY feed DD from that side! Draining the breast will help clear any infection. If you think you have mastitis, your OB is who you need to call for a Rx.

Emily041285 · May 2014

Thanks @AcaAwkward‌. I'm going out tonight so I decided to pump that side to make sure it's empty. Last night I thought it was a pugged duct because it was hard. I've been starting her on that side all day but it definitely hurts the entire time. I'll call my ob in the morning.

rockstarlaw · May 2014

So I have not read through this entire thread - please forgive me, I was a caboose & just had my baby in 5/4. Anyway: we had good luck nursing so far. In the hospital & at the pedi appointment I have had several nurses & LCs check his latch and all have said it was good. But the past day or so I am having difficulty getting him to latch on my right side, which is the bigger boob & I'm worried it is or will become engorged. What should I do? Is it ok to try & pump that side out to drain it and then try again with LO? Any suggestions? He has fed from that side every day so far, but I just tried for like 10 mins with him screaming the whole time and could not get him to latch so I switched sides & he latched almost immediately to the left.

mrscrcalli · May 2014

I'm trying to start a freezer stash and not going well I tried to pump after I'm done feeding and I seem to only get half an ounce from both boobs...

How do I do this? I have to go back to work soon

ksulli · May 2014

mrscrcalli said:
I'm trying to start a freezer stash and not going well I tried to pump after I'm done feeding and I seem to only get half an ounce from both boobs...
How do I do this? I have to go back to work soon

I pump about an hour after our first daylight nursing session and get nearly a full 'meal', but it took a bit to get there. Your body needs to adjust to the new demand.

if it doesn't pick up you could pump the other boob while LO nurses.

mrscrcalli · May 2014

ksulli said:

mrscrcalli said:
I'm trying to start a freezer stash and not going well I tried to pump after I'm done feeding and I seem to only get half an ounce from both boobs...
How do I do this? I have to go back to work soon
I pump about an hour after our first daylight nursing session and get nearly a full 'meal', but it took a bit to get there. Your body needs to adjust to the new demand.

if it doesn't pick up you could pump the other boob while LO nurses.

The problem is he nurses both sides when he eats... Is he just the fat kid?

Rrrrrachel · May 2014

½ ounce is normal. You will pump a lot more when you're skipping feedings at work. You don't need an enormous stash, just enough for a couple of days.

rockstarlaw · May 2014

Ok, I just pumped an ounce & then he latched to the right! Thank you @aronie82‌!! Now, stupid question, but what do I do with this ounce? Can I save it? I do want to start a stash eventually but I just started and don't want to use bottles for at least a few weeks. Dump it or save it?

Also, since he fed for over 30 mins on the left & is now finishing off on the right, but I assume won't completely drain the right, should I finish off that boob by pumping? Or just start him over there next time like usual? (I switch sides each time)

Sorry, super novice here.

mrscrcalli · May 2014

Rrrrrachel said:
½ ounce is normal. You will pump a lot more when you're skipping feedings at work. You don't need an enormous stash, just enough for a couple of days.

@Rrrrrachel‌
He eats it eight or nine times a day so I need about 18 freezer bags is that normal? So far only have two.. Sorry if I am ignorant about this I'm feeling kind of deflated

Dixon813 · May 2014

rockstarlaw said:
Ok, I just pumped an ounce & then he latched to the right! Thank you @aronie82‌!! Now, stupid question, but what do I do with this ounce? Can I save it? I do want to start a stash eventually but I just started and don't want to use bottles for at least a few weeks. Dump it or save it?

Also, since he fed for over 30 mins on the left & is now finishing off on the right, but I assume won't completely drain the right, should I finish off that boob by pumping? Or just start him over there next time like usual? (I switch sides each time)

Sorry, super novice here.

Let him start on the right side next time.

Also, when my milk came in and I was getting engorged, I found it easy to just hand express enough to make it possible for DH to latch - if you don't want to take the time to pump. It only takes a moment.

Rrrrrachel · May 2014

mrscrcalli said:

½ ounce is normal. You will pump a lot more when you're skipping feedings at work. You don't need an enormous stash, just enough for a couple of days.
@Rrrrrachel‌ He eats it eight or nine times a day so I need about 18 freezer bags is that normal? So far only have two.. Sorry if I am ignorant about this I'm feeling kind of deflated

You don't have to freeze each half ounce individually. You can save them up ( I would keep it in a bottle and just add to the bottle over several days) and freeze together. I would freeze in 2-3 ounce portions.

rockstarlaw · May 2014

So I am sure this has been home over, but how do you safely save up for the 2-3 oz freezing? Pump, put that small amount in fridge & then how do you add to it? Do you have to refrigerate the second pump amount first by itself to get it to the same cooled temp before adding to the refrigerated milk and then freezing?

Edit: typo

Dixon813 · May 2014

@rockstarlaw‌ pump and store in fridge (label date and time) then next pumping store (separate container/bottle). Once they're both cold, I'll mix to get the oz amount I want to either feed (DH gives DS 1 bottle at night and I pump) or put in bag to freeze.

I was told its important to make sure the milk is the same temperature when mixing. So if you pumped both sides, you can combine them together and then refrigerate/freeze. Otherwise, let everything cool in fridge before combining.

Rrrrrachel · May 2014

I just mix mine right away. I am not bothered by adding room temp milk to cold milk.

MamaFantastic · May 2014

Rrrrrachel said:
I just mix mine right away. I am not bothered by adding room temp milk to cold milk.

To be clear, though, this is not advised by any doctor or LC. Only same-temp milks can be mixed together (warm to warm, cold to cold). I'm not trying to rag on you... I get that we all do what feels ok to us, but in the interest of being sure these public questions are answered with the current best medical practices, I want to clarify that warm and cold milks shouldn't ever be mixed together.

heids4787 · May 2014

@rockstarlaw‌ - in addition to what pp are suggesting, you can always check out Kellymom.com. This resource has helped me so much since A14 clued me in!

https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/

Dixon813 · May 2014

Can I just say it drives me crazy to feed DS soon after putting on deodorant and he's flailing his hand around there! Lol. Any other time his hand doesn't bother me, just right after the deo has been applied.

Random thought for you all!

Rrrrrachel · May 2014

Considering breast milk can sit at room temp for 4-8 hours I feel totally ok raising the temp of refrigerated milk very slightly for a short period of time. I think it's "not recommended" because it's not a good food handling practice in general, but I also can't find info on it from anyone like Kelly mom in their milk handling section. Since it had already been said not to mix I was just adding my two cents. Hopefully it was clear I was talking about what I'm personally comfortable with.

Rrrrrachel · May 2014

The reason I don't like to chill it separately is then when I combine it fat ends up sticking to whatever container I chilled it in.

sherks11 · May 2014

Is there really a no shaking rule!?!? Ive never heard of that, Ive been shaking my bottles before I use them for 3 weeks... But LO has only had 5-10 bottles. What is the purpose of this rule?

Rrrrrachel · May 2014

Shaking it can make your baby more gassy and I think it can also damage some of the cells or whatever in it that help with immunity.

sf214902 · May 2014

I've been shaking them. My poor gassy baby, I didn't realize I was making it worse. Mommy fail!

pete0121 · May 2014

If I suspect I have thrush who do I talk to? OB? I brought up the possibility last week at pedi appt but she didn't show signs if white patches in her mouth. But my nipples are burning after every feed, she pulls on and off all the time. After I feed besides the nipple pain my right breast aches. I'm curious if thrush could be the culprit.

mrscrcalli · May 2014

I'm xp this from RTT

I must have been something yesterday that he did not like because he slept terrible and he's so grumpy today

Any suggestions?

maelic · May 2014

I've been pumping three times a day-ish and I get around 12oz total. Now I realize I don't know how much of that I should feed to baby.

She just obliterated 3oz so I gave her another 1.5oz but I really would love to know what the rule of thumb is. She is 4w and still nurses at night and five or so feedings during the day.

Rrrrrachel · May 2014

1-1.25 ounces for every hour is a good rule of thumb. S if you feed every three hours, 3-4 ounces would be typical. Paced feeding is a good idea, it's easy for babies to over eat from a bottle.

To get the fat off the sides of the bottle is run it under warm water and swirl the milk.

Emily041285 · May 2014

@celticlullaby‌ my lc said almost the same thing today. She did add that while shields get a bad wrap sometimes they do help some people Breastfeed and that's better than not so I shouldn't feel ashamed about it. If it works use it as long as you have to she said.

maelic · May 2014

Thanks @Rrrrrachel‌ @celticlullaby‌ @poru‌ !

I have been pacing her, she just suddenly seemed to need more than the usual 3oz. We might be needing closer to 1.25oz an hour rather than 1oz.

Dixon813 · May 2014

maelic said:

I've been pumping three times a day-ish and I get around 12oz total. Now I realize I don't know how much of that I should feed to baby. She just obliterated 3oz so I gave her another 1.5oz but I really would love to know what the rule of thumb is. She is 4w and still nurses at night and five or so feedings during the day.

DS is four weeks and we tend to give him one bottle a day (DH does it at night, before we put him down for the night and we give him 3-3.5 oz. DH does paced feeding (stopping to burp every .5-1 oz), switching sides half way through, etc. DS still goes through the bottle a little faster than it would take to nurse him, and some times he still seems hungry, but then he falls asleep, so we don't give him any more...
ETA : we tried tommee tippee and those were fine, but switched to the first years breastflow and those make him latch and work for it!

sf214902 · May 2014

Medela makes a nipple Calma which makes babies literally suck the milk out to be more like breastfeeding. It helped our little chugger!

fourthnlast · May 2014

mrscrcalli said:

I'm xp this from RTT I must have been something yesterday that he did not like because he slept terrible and he's so grumpy today Any suggestions?

Answered you on RTT and too lazy to go back and copy/paste it

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