Breast Feeding, Post all your questions dumb or otherwise here

Jennyinheaven · May 2014

So on average how much milk should I be producing at 3 weeks PP? I want to start storing but I can only pump 1 to 3 ounces at a time.

mirdamae03 · May 2014

@jennyinheaven that's quite a bit for pumping in addition to nursing. I probably got an extra ounce/d and kept it in the fridge and just added to it each day. By the third day I had enough to freeze (typically I froze 3 oz), and then I'd start over.

SMM1986 · May 2014

Jennyinheaven said:
So on average how much milk should I be producing at 3 weeks PP? I want to start storing but I can only pump 1 to 3 ounces at a time.

I pump one time a day and get anywhere from 1-3 oz.

JAM85 · May 2014

Quick question- peanut rarely will feed from both boobs in one session. Usually she will take one then either immediately fall asleep, frequently while at the boob, or be burped changed and then 10-20 minutes later want the other one. Is this normal? She is back at birth weight just 4 days after birth so I assume she is eating enough but I guess I always thought they usually take both on the same session.

SMM1986 · May 2014

JAM85 said:
Quick question- peanut rarely will feed from both boobs in one session. Usually she will take one then either immediately fall asleep, frequently while at the boob, or be burped changed and then 10-20 minutes later want the other one. Is this normal? She is back at birth weight just 4 days after birth so I assume she is eating enough but I guess I always thought they usually take both on the same session.

I'm a first time bf'er, but DD takes one boob a session and usually eats every 1-2 hours.

Xath · May 2014

JAM85 said:
Quick question- peanut rarely will feed from both boobs in one session. Usually she will take one then either immediately fall asleep, frequently while at the boob, or be burped changed and then 10-20 minutes later want the other one. Is this normal? She is back at birth weight just 4 days after birth so I assume she is eating enough but I guess I always thought they usually take both on the same session.

I deliberately only feed from one breast per session to ensure LO is getting fore milk and hind milk.

usernewname · May 2014

JAM85 said:

Quick question- peanut rarely will feed from both boobs in one session. Usually she will take one then either immediately fall asleep, frequently while at the boob, or be burped changed and then 10-20 minutes later want the other one. Is this normal? She is back at birth weight just 4 days after birth so I assume she is eating enough but I guess I always thought they usually take both on the same session.

I've been switching only if he won't relatch back onto the first breast - as I'm guessing its empty or not coming down as fast. Depending on the time of day he will eat anywhere up to every 1 hour, or as long as every 3 hours.

JAM85 · May 2014

Ok that makes me feel better! The nurse at the hospital said to switch to the other side after burping so I was worried but it definitely makes sense about the fore and hind milk. I mean intuitively I know she is satisfied and gaining so well the boobs must be doing well!

mirdamae03 · May 2014

gertiebarden said:

Quick question- peanut rarely will feed from both boobs in one session. Usually she will take one then either immediately fall asleep, frequently while at the boob, or be burped changed and then 10-20 minutes later want the other one. Is this normal? She is back at birth weight just 4 days after birth so I assume she is eating enough but I guess I always thought they usually take both on the same session.
I deliberately only feed from one breast per session to ensure LO is getting fore milk and hind milk.

This. If after boobie #1 is drained and still hungry, then switch to #2.

SMM1986 · May 2014

Pumping/feeding question:
The rule of thumb I was told is that baby should eat 1-1.25 oz of BM for every hour they are away. We have bottle fed DD twice with 2oz and both times it didn't come close to keeping her full for 2 hours. We did pace feed her as well.
Any ideas/suggestions on how to tell how much to feed her via bottle?

ns1 · May 2014

JAM85 said:

Quick question- peanut rarely will feed from both boobs in one session. Usually she will take one then either immediately fall asleep, frequently while at the boob, or be burped changed and then 10-20 minutes later want the other one. Is this normal? She is back at birth weight just 4 days after birth so I assume she is eating enough but I guess I always thought they usually take both on the same session.

___________________________________________________

When I bf DD she only took one side (unless something was up - growth spurt, etc.). She always got enough and I typically had enough!

Xath · May 2014

Bliz1712 said:

Pumpers please help. I'm on my second day back to work and I just keep having questions....

1)I noticed my output decreasing from pump #1 to #3? I'm assuming this is normal? The 3rd one wouldn't have been enough to satisfy LO. Is there anything I need to do to ensure each time I get the same amount or am I over thinking it. A coworker thought making sure I drank a ton of water would help.

2) When should I start to get concerned with my output and having a low supply? When I don't pump as much as she's drinking? I want to stay proactive and if I'm getting close try some boosting methods.

3) Someone also suggested I pump the first thing when I wake up? So I tried today and then less than an hour later LO woke up and wanted to eat. Because I pump, does that mean she won't get as much? She seemed fussy afterwards like she wasn't full. Should I not pump then? Otherwise I'm just pumping 3x at work.

Sounds normal-ish? I'd usually get the most milk my first pump of the day. The rest of the pumps would be less than the first, but around the same amount. Drink lots and lots of water; try looking at a picture of your LO while pumping (or a video of baby crying) to encourage good let-down.

You want to at least make as much as baby is eating during the day, but baby is much more efficient than the pump. I found I needed to encourage a slight oversupply to be able to pump enough during the week. So even when I was home on the weekends, I'd still pump twice to make sure I was keeping up. If you get a significantly lower output than you think you need, make sure you're using the correct flange size and that the valves have been replaced recently.

My LC told me that the way to get enough was not by pumping for long durations, but by pumping numerous sessions throughout the day. Four 5-minute sessions are better than one 20-minute session in terms of building/keeping up your supply.

Pumping first thing in the morning has always been great for me. It's definitely when I get the most productive pump. Don't worry about your LO not getting enough. She's more efficient than the pump. If you pump then let her eat; she'll stimulate the production of more milk so you'll build a bigger supply in the morning.

mirdamae03 · May 2014

What Gertie said. Yes, you'll generally see more production in the mornings. My general rule of thumb was to make what he ate while at daycare + 1-3 oz extra to store. It'll help build your supply, give you some cushion (and date night food), and be proactive and ahead of the curve when baby starts taking bigger bottles.

mirdamae03 · May 2014

SMM1986 said:

Pumping/feeding question: The rule of thumb I was told is that baby should eat 1-1.25 oz of BM for every hour they are away. We have bottle fed DD twice with 2oz and both times it didn't come close to keeping her full for 2 hours. We did pace feed her as well. Any ideas/suggestions on how to tell how much to feed her via bottle?

She's 3 weeks right? I really like this chart. It'll be a guessing game until you figure it out, but I think that 2.5-3 oz may be a good place to start.

SMM1986 · May 2014

Thanks @mirdamae03‌. I have the same chart which is why I started with 2 oz (she was 2 weeks for her first bottle), but it didn't last. Maybe she's just a baby that eats a lot? So hard to tell. I will try 3 oz next time.

sparklingdiamond · May 2014

I keep hearing that the baby should nurse for 20 min a session, but mine doesn't always go that long. He often falls asleep and I have a hard time getting him to wake back up. Sometimes he will eat longer than 20 min, but sometimes he won't. And it's never 20 min in a row, I usually have to do it for as long as he will go, stop, wait for him to wake up (which could be 10-15 min later) and feed some more. But he is having enough diapers. So is the time he eats the important part or that he is having the appropriate number of diapers?

ns1 · May 2014

sparklingdiamond said:
I keep hearing that the baby should nurse for 20 min a session, but mine doesn't always go that long. He often falls asleep and I have a hard time getting him to wake back up. Sometimes he will eat longer than 20 min, but sometimes he won't. And it's never 20 min in a row, I usually have to do it for as long as he will go, stop, wait for him to wake up (which could be 10-15 min later) and feed some more. But he is having enough diapers. So is the time he eats the important part or that he is having the appropriate number of diapers?

Be concerned woth good output and weight gain. Some babies are just "efficient" nursers. Dd was like this and would maybe eat for 10 mins. per session. I worried at first like you but all signs pointed to her getting enough!

SMM1986 · May 2014

ns1 said:

sparklingdiamond said:
I keep hearing that the baby should nurse for 20 min a session, but mine doesn't always go that long. He often falls asleep and I have a hard time getting him to wake back up. Sometimes he will eat longer than 20 min, but sometimes he won't. And it's never 20 min in a row, I usually have to do it for as long as he will go, stop, wait for him to wake up (which could be 10-15 min later) and feed some more. But he is having enough diapers. So is the time he eats the important part or that he is having the appropriate number of diapers?
Be concerned woth good output and weight gain. Some babies are just "efficient" nursers. Dd was like this and would maybe eat for 10 mins. per session. I worried at first like you but all signs pointed to her getting enough!

I agree. As long as output is good and weight is gained I think it's okay. DD nurses 20 mins on average, sometimes does 10 and sometimes does 30.

usernewname · May 2014

I agree. As long as output is good and weight is gained I think it's okay. DD nurses 20 mins on average, sometimes does 10 and sometimes does 30.

This is DS. And how long he naps depends on how long his feed was. Basically for every 10 minutes he nurses, he will nap for 1 hour. His poops and pees are great so that tells me he's getting enough! Today he pooped all over me and him. It was lovely.

usernewname · May 2014

Here is a dumb one.

Can your armpits hurt when your breast is full? I know there is tissue in there ... I may be crazy.

mirdamae03 · May 2014

@florassecret‌ yes, your milk is starting in that general area. You can get clogged ducts close to the armpit.

usernewname · May 2014

One more dumb q.

Does anyone get a heaviness on their chest with their milk coming in? I've never been a large busted girl so I'm wondering if it's common since now my chest is supporting some heavier bosoms.

raebee18 · May 2014

Ok so my milk came in today I woke up from my afternoon nap I snuck in and they were huge and rock hard! I let little one nurse off the right since that was the next side. She got it to be soft again but nowhere near drained it and was full. So I decided to try pumping the other side. I got 5 oz. I feel like a dairy cow is it normal to have this much production at first, will it level out on its own? I want to do some pumping to build up stock but I don't want oversupply. I'm also concerned since they were so hard and painful. Claire is only 3 days old so I know her appetite is still growing but I'm not sure how to handle supply and sore boobs.

mirdamae03 · May 2014

raebee18 said:
Ok so my milk came in today I woke up from my afternoon nap I snuck in and they were huge and rock hard! I let little one nurse off the right since that was the next side. She got it to be soft again but nowhere near drained it and was full. So I decided to try pumping the other side. I got 5 oz. I feel like a dairy cow is it normal to have this much production at first, will it level out on its own? I want to do some pumping to build up stock but I don't want oversupply. I'm also concerned since they were so hard and painful. Claire is only 3 days old so I know her appetite is still growing but I'm not sure how to handle supply and sore boobs.

They will definitely even out with her demand. I would only pump enough to give your boobs some relief. If you fully drain them you're telling your body it needs to make more.

raebee18 · May 2014

@mirdamae03‌ thanks I'll do that today I have an appointment with a lactation specialist tomorrow with her first post hospital visit but in the mean time I'll just pump a little so they're not rock hard.

usernewname · May 2014

jkanter107 said:

florassecret said:
One more dumb q.

Does anyone get a heaviness on their chest with their milk coming in? I've never been a large busted girl so I'm wondering if it's common since now my chest is supporting some heavier bosoms.
I do! I was wondering the exact same thing.

Oh good! I get relief when I lie on my tummy! How I've missed that!

ns1 · May 2014

jkanter107 said:
Will my nipples eventually "toughen up"? The first week was rough for us getting a proper latch & they're still on the mend, but I'm wondering whether the cracks/soreness will ever completely disappear.

Yes. My pedi likened it to going barefoot in summer. Your feet have to toughen up and then they're good. I don't believe anyone who says if it hurts you're doing it wrong.

With that said though...make sure LO is latching well. I liked what the book Breastfeeding Made Simple has to say on the topic of latching. I'm sure kellymom.com also has good info on latching.

spinsoffresonance · May 2014

jkanter107 said:

Will my nipples eventually "toughen up"? The first week was rough for us getting a proper latch & they're still on the mend, but I'm wondering whether the cracks/soreness will ever completely disappear.

Yes, once you have a proper latch the cracks will heal and that pain will go away. The pain you feel the first 20 sec after latching will also go away once your nipples get used to all the stretching. Took 2-3 weeks for mine to go away. After that BFing was completely painless.

ns1 · May 2014

Bliz1712 said:
I didn't think I'd have more, but I do.

What does the let down feel like? I can't exactly say that I feel it to know when it happens for me. The only weird feeling I get is randomly after a feeding or pumping session my nips will tingle and with a slight discomfort. Almost like they are refilling, which I'm guessing is what the feeling is associated with.

For me with DD it was a tingling feeling in my boobs and then kind of a heavy feeling. I've heard other people say the same but I think it can be different for everyone. And some people never feel letdown. I never actually felt it until a little later on when DD was maybe a month or two.

spinsoffresonance · May 2014

Bliz1712 said:
I didn't think I'd have more, but I do.

What does the let down feel like? I can't exactly say that I feel it to know when it happens for me. The only weird feeling I get is randomly after a feeding or pumping session my nips will tingle and with a slight discomfort. Almost like they are refilling, which I'm guessing is what the feeling is associated with.

I never feel the letdown. Once I started pumping For DD1 I could see the letdown but still couldn't feel it.

SMM1986 · May 2014

I don't know what the letdown feels like either.

How long does it take to thaw a bag of breast milk (no more than 3 oz) with warm water?
I have a dentist appt Monday (I would skip if it was a check up, but I'm having some pain) and I don't know how much milk to pack for DD while I am gone (she seems to eat more than the average 1 oz per hour) so I was going to send a couple oz frozen to my mom's and have her defrost only if needed.

KBowen715 · May 2014

XP'ed:
I delivered my son 8 days ago and I am exclusively breastfeeding. I'm hoping to pull off the full year.

I have two older sons, and I only breastfed them for two months apiece due to decreased production. I've been so hopeful this time that I would produce enough and have been on-demand feeding to help production.

Everything seemed to be going great until yesterday. He was more hungry than usual, had less poopy diapers, and my boobs starting being less engorged. Worried, I manually tried expressing milk to test production and got very, very little. Baby boy is a 9 pounder, so he will obviously eat a little more.

I've put in a call to the lactation consultant and I really want to get ahead of the game if production is going down. Any advice? Dietary help? Something I'm doing wrong unknowingly? I'm strangely emotional about this....

spinsoffresonance · May 2014

SMM1986 said:
I don't know what the letdown feels like either.

How long does it take to thaw a bag of breast milk (no more than 3 oz) with warm water?
I have a dentist appt Monday (I would skip if it was a check up, but I'm having some pain) and I don't know how much milk to pack for DD while I am gone (she seems to eat more than the average 1 oz per hour) so I was going to send a couple oz frozen to my mom's and have her defrost only if needed.

About 5 min

mirdamae03 · May 2014

KBowen715 said:

XP'ed: I delivered my son 8 days ago and I am exclusively breastfeeding. I'm hoping to pull off the full year. I have two older sons, and I only breastfed them for two months apiece due to decreased production. I've been so hopeful this time that I would produce enough and have been on-demand feeding to help production. Everything seemed to be going great until yesterday. He was more hungry than usual, had less poopy diapers, and my boobs starting being less engorged. Worried, I manually tried expressing milk to test production and got very, very little. Baby boy is a 9 pounder, so he will obviously eat a little more. I've put in a call to the lactation consultant and I really want to get ahead of the game if production is going down. Any advice? Dietary help? Something I'm doing wrong unknowingly? I'm strangely emotional about this....

After eating did he seem satisfied? If so don't worry, he's just cluster feeding to stimulate more milk production. It will happen several times while he is nursing. Supply and demand. He is also much better at extracting milk than you or a pump will be. The engorgement is also normal as your body is trying to regulate its supply to match his consumption. Watch out for warm breasts, low grade fever, flu-like symptoms as they can turn into mastitis.

Xath · May 2014

Anyone have really painful letdown? It's different this time than with my first two; it feels like the ache after getting punched, only it lasts for 30+ seconds.

SMM1986 · May 2014

Thanks @lica001‌

JAM85 · May 2014

After being engorged to the point of having to hand express each time starting yesterday my breast have softened and don't get that hard any more. I am 9 days pp- is this normal? Should I expect them to be softer or is that a bad sign? She is eating at least 12 sessions a day although only 10-15 each time but seems satisfied each time and stops herself. ETA: she was less than an ounce from birth weight at 4 days.

Other question- how much spit up/drool is normal? Thursday night and again last night I found wet spots on her sheets where her mouth is (her head is always turned to the side) and it increased last night to what seems like a lot and is worrisome while she is sleeping. She doesn't spit up during the day and we burp her before we put her down. And I am already off dairy/soy since 3 weeks before she as born.

usernewname · May 2014

JAM85 said:
After being engorged to the point of having to hand express each time starting yesterday my breast have softened and don't get that hard any more. I am 9 days pp- is this normal? Should I expect them to be softer or is that a bad sign? She is eating at least 12 sessions a day although only 10-15 each time but seems satisfied each time and stops herself. ETA: she was less than an ounce from birth weight at 4 days.

You sound exactly like me. DS started nursing in less time and I noticed my breasts were emptying faster. He still clusters in the afternoons. If your still getting wet diapers and she seems happy I'm guessing she's getting efficient like my guy I'm guessing is.

You'll also notice in her poops if she's getting all the fore and hind milk. That mustard yellow tells us they are getting both

probably your supply is evening out so that's why your not getting uncomfortable.

SMM1986 · May 2014

Mine have gotten soft and we are still breastfeeding fine. If she goes too long without a feeding or she gets a bottle and I don't pump, they start to harden up until she feeds or I pump.

Also, some spit up is normal. I think you should be concerned if baby is projectile spitting or there is blood in the spit up.
I feel like DD spits up a lot, but from what I read it always looks like more than it really is.

SMM1986 · May 2014

https://kellymom.com/health/baby-health/reflux/

I liked this link for spit up info

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