Breastfeeding/Pumping Check-In

Valancyy · August 2014

Good morning! I'll keep it pretty simple. Thinking this can be a place where we can share experiences and ask questions. We don't have to do formal questions every time, but I thought for the first one it would be helpful. I added in pumping since I know some of us are exclusively pumping or partially pumping right now.

How old is your LO?

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?

Any questions/advice for the other moms?

Valancyy · August 2014

How old is your LO? 2 weeks

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems? Pretty well overall. Once he's latched he nurses well. We are still taking awhile to latch on at some feedings. He doesn't always open wide enough or keep his tongue down. We eventually get it, but it can get frustrating, especially at night. It took 8 weeks for my 2nd son to latch on good every time.

Any questions/advice for the other moms? Any tips on getting LO to open wide for a latch?

I want to add that I nursed my 2nd son for 16 months (after exclusively pumping for my 1st). I forgot how hard the newborn phase is! They are still learning to nurse and aren't the most coordinated, plus it seems like you are feeding them constantly at times. For any first time moms...it gets so much easier! Once you're past this crazy time, nursing becomes so easy and enjoyable. Stick with it!

lookame3639 · August 2014

How old is LO: 11 days.

how's it going?: well its going alright but DD didn't have any super long feeds yest. Most were roughly 12-15 minutes and then my night pumps i got significantly less than usual...I'm afraid I'm not producing enough for her now...

any questions/advice: the nicu wanted me to keep her on every 3 hour feeds but I realize sometimes in between she wants more and idk if i should go ahead and feed or wait. If i feed she's not hungry the next feed time if i don't she doesn't gain those calories gets super worked up and eventually just falls asleep through the next time...

@Valancyy‌ after they've latched pull the chindown the get them to open their jaw a little bit more.

Shiva14 · August 2014

How old is your LO? 2 weeks tomorrow!

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?
Surprisingly well so far, after the initial soreness wore off. We will be introducing an occasional bottle next week with pumped milk so I can sleep for longer than 2 hours at a time.

Any questions/advice for the other moms?
When is the best time to pump? LO feeds from both sides and seems to eat at least every 2-3 hours. I don't want to take away his food! I only need to pump maybe 4 oz every other day so H can feed him now and then.

@lookame3639‌ I have no experience with premiees but I would let her eat if she is hungry and falls asleep through the next feeding anyway. I just feed on demand now, but when we had a schedule it was every 2-3 hours (which he is sticking to anyway) If he fed sooner I would just restart the clock, if that makes sense, so if his next feeding was at 3 pm and he decided to eat at 2 pm, I would just move the next feeding to 4 pm...

lookame3639 · August 2014

Another question. Do you feed one breast until she's satisfied burp and offer next side or do you feed one side till x time burp and offer next side?

Shiva14 · August 2014

I just feed until he seems done with one boob. I would think feeding for x amount of time could be counter productive, as you want baby to get all the hind milk and it is hard to know how long it takes them to get to that part. So.e babies eat quick, some take their time...

mmsweeney1 · August 2014

How old is your LO? 10 days old

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?

Feeding is going well now after a rough start. She initially was too sleepy to eat and we had to give formula the first day in the hospital. Now we're trying to get her weight up and she eats constantly. We aim for every 2-3 hours, but like @Shiva14 I just adjust the times if she eats sooner. I am pumping so I can introduce bottles soon.

Any questions/advice for the other moms?

I am wondering about the timing of offering a pacifier and starting bottles. I don't want to start too soon or wait too long either. I have read that both can be introduced around 3 weeks, but not to wait longer than one month or bottles. Any ladies with experience?

Also, I am so looking forward to having a glad of wine occasionally at night or while making dinner. How do I fit this in???

rainbowwillow · August 2014

So far it's going great. LO has latched on like a champ. It hasn't even been 24 hours since he was born. I hope the BFing stays this way.
My advice would be don't give up!

MC03 · August 2014

Baby will be 2 weeks on Friday. Breast feeding is going ok, starting to be less painful and my cracked bleeding nipples have finally healed. We have the same latch issues that @valancyy mentioned but we are working through them with patience. It's funny how in the middle of the night sometimes it seems like she has forgotten what to do because she is tired. I can't wait until it becomes easy.

She eats a lot, usually every 2 hours, sometimes more. But she is quick, a lot if times finishing in less than 10 min. But I can hear her gulping so I am hoping she is getting enough. We have a pedi app friday so hopefully she has gained weight. She certainly produces enough wet and dirty diapers!

My advice is always the same - don't quit on a bad day. It gets so much better.

SherryBaby2014 · August 2014

My little girl is two weeks old today.

Breast-feeding has been a struggle right from the start. She didn't latch right after birth and the first 24 hours she was so sleepy that she didn't suck because she was so tired. All the nurses at the hospital and things that I've read assured me that this would be just fine.

By day too she still wasn't latching and showed very little interest or signs of hunger. During the pediatrician visit we figured out that she was also very tongue-tied. I asked for lactation support at the hospital and saw somebody about an hour before we were discharged. She suggested I start pumping as soon as we got home to get my milk supply going and also gave me nipple shields to use to help her latch. We were discharged from the hospital even though her Billy Rubin levels were borderline and I was to told to continue trying to breast-feed.

When we got home I pumped every two hours and would give the baby any tiny bits of colostrum that would come out. By the morning of day four we went to the pediatrician and baby had lost 15% of her body weight and was jaundiced. At that time I was producing between 1 to 3 mL of breastmilk total!

We began formula feeding her right there at the pediatricians and after she ate she sent to the hospital for jaundiced treatment overnight. We did a mixture of feedings between formula and the breastmilk that I can pump which by the end of day four was about 60ml.

Since day five at home I've been almost exclusively pumping and feeding baby by bottle. We attempt breast-feeding about every other feed but she very easily gets frustrated, I'm assuming it is the flow from the bottle versus the flow from the nipple. My husband went out to the store and we bought the medela calma nipple to give it a try. After about two days in the new nipple she is more easily latching but still for only about five minutes or so before she gets upset.

Baby is no longer jaundiced and seems to be gaining a good amount of weight. We also have the doctor clip her tongue tied so she might be able to nurse better. She is consuming between 3 to 5 ounces at each feeding! And no she's not spitting or throwing up. My pediatrician said that it was a lot but to let her do some catch-up feeding if that's what she wants.

We have an appointment tomorrow with a lactation consultant to work on her latch. I've been trying to say calm and just feel sure that she still is getting breastmilk it's just by the bottle. It's not worth her crying and me crying over right now as long as she's being fed. I just wish that all of this had been easier so far.

Sorry for writing a novel, I have a lot of time to dictate this into my phone while I pump about every 2 to 3 hours to keep up my milk supply up for my hungry little baby.

Here's a picture of my little one cuddling while I pump away!

SherryBaby2014 · August 2014

Just another interesting little note. They always say that big breasted women don't produce more milk than someone who is smaller but I think this might be wrong. My breasts are slightly asymmetrical and the larger one always produces nearly a third more than the other...

Anyone else have a similar observation or situation?

caballablanca · August 2014

My LO is now 8 days old

My boobs hurt so bad, I caved and bought a nipple shield even though the LC didn't want me to. I am in tears every time DS feeds off my right side. He also has spells where he wants to eat every 1.5-2 hours for a day or two, enough to get my boobs to catch up, then go 4-5 hours for a day. Holy shit it makes me so engorged, so I started pumping. I am almost to the point of saying screw it and just got back to EP. But I keep remembering don't quit on a bad day.

Also have any of you ladies battled mastitis? The top of my boob was red last night and a little hard so I pumped until fully drained since DS doesn't do that very well yet. I've been putting hot washcloths and those heating packs you throw in the microwave on it and massaging. Anything else? I don't have a fever or anything, but I really don't want it to get to that point and have to take antibiotics.

Laur110 · August 2014

DD is 8 days old. Initially we struggled because she was super sleepy, not interested, and not latching. Now, we just finished a two hour cluster feed! I think she is really getting the hang of it, her latch is great, except for a couple times when she gets frustrated and is super hungry. We have another weight check tomorrow and I am hoping all is well. Any advice on what to do while baby is nursing? I put music on and talk to her, but am struggling with being stuck in my rocking chair for an hour at a time.

mmsweeney1 · August 2014

Another question!

I had a pedi appointment today for a weight check. One week ago (3 days old) she weighed 4 lb 12 oz, down from 5 lb 5 at birth. Today she was 5 lb 1 oz, so she gained 5 oz in a week. I had a different doctor than usual and she said the weight gain was "not awful." This made me feel so bad - really wondering if she is getting enough milk from me.

Does 5 oz in a week seem like she is falling behind? I read that they are supposed to get back to birth weight by 2 weeks, which would give her another 4 days to gain 4 ounces. It looks like she won't make it, but it doesn't seem that far off to me. Ahh stress...

Russiandea12 · August 2014

DD is 10 days old. Bf is going well so far. She has bee latching well and lots I swallowing. When she falls asleep between breasts I've been waking up her with diaper changes, If that doesn't work I've been pumping the second breast. She usually goes 2-4 hours between feedings. At her 1st dr apt she was 1oz above her birth weight. DS had an attached tounge and lots of issues latching. It took him around a month to get back to his birth weight and while it bf him for 7 months (with supplementation) it was a huge struggle. I'm exstatic that things are going better this time around!

lookame3639 · August 2014

After u feed one breast and if they won't takethe other do you pump the other side? ThIs whole thing is so confusing

belle785 · August 2014

LO is one day shy of 3 weeks.

Breastfeeding is going great. He nurses every 2-3 hours for about 20 mins on one side. I have started pumping to build a stash. I pump first thing in the morning. We had a check up at the dr yesterday and he is ready 8 lbs 13 oz! He was 6 lbs 15 oz at birth. Almost two whole pounds! His pedi was impressed.

My only advice is if you are having a bad time, try to make it through the first 6-8 weeks. Those are the hardest.

Valancyy · August 2014

@SherryBaby2014: You've been through a lot! I was sort of in the same boat with my 1st son, he wouldn't latch and we gave formula in the hospital. I started pumping as soon as I got home and within a day or so was able to bottle feed using only breast milk. I ended up exclusively pumping for 7 months. It's hard work! I did end up getting him to latch around 2 months. I just tried it one day to see what would happen. I breastfed a few times, then decided I was more comfortable pumping since that is what I knew and we already had a good routine down. Looking back, I wish I had tried harder to get him to breast. I would just keep trying, hopefully the LC can help you out. Good luck!

@caballablanca: I've never had mastitis, but have had plugged ducts. I do the same thing you're doing. One thing I tried that helped was cabbage leaves. I cupped them over my breasts. I did read not to do it too long, as it can also have a negative effect on milk supply, but I'm not sure how true that is.

@Laur110: What to do during nursing: I love to read. I have a Kindle and have stocked up on some books to read while nursing. I nurse in my living room, so in the evening after my boys are in bed I have been watching TV as well (started watching Downton Abbey on Amazon...really enjoying it!). I also browse around on my laptop or...eat! If you spill some crumbs on the baby, just brush them off

@mmsweeney1: If she was weighed at 3 days old, then again a week later, she may have lost a little more before starting to gain? 5 oz is the minimum acceptable weight gain. I wouldn't worry until you do another weigh in. I bought my own scale because I like to weigh once a week, just for peace of mind. I do it at the same time, right after bath time and before a nursing.

mdarmetko · August 2014

SherryBaby2014 I am having similar issues with DD

LO is 3 weeks tomorrow. She was born at 38-weeks, which is considered "near-term". She didn't latch well or suck well, which led us to bottle feeding my breast milk by day 5 (we were using the syringe before the bottle) since she was so tiny (born 5lbs 14oz). 2 lactation clinics and 1 private lactation consultation later and she still isn't breastfeeding well. She is gaining enough weight because we bottle feed. With the nipple shield she latches better on the boob, but her sucking is lackluster and feels like tiny flutters. I have to manually express the milk in her mouth to get anything going, and with 20 minutes of feeding she will take down like .2 oz (we rented a scale to measure). After many sessions of crying and stressful breakdowns, I've decided to take a break for a day from trying to breastfeed and go back to bottle exclusively. We have another private lactation consultation tomorrow where we will see if she has actual muscle insufficiency that are not allowing her to suck. Overall she is such a good baby, it just sucks that this stress is added in. Our feeding sessions are no enjoyable at this point and I'm enjoying pumping and just bottle feeding more than trying to breastfeed because I know I'm at least accomplishing something with that.

MC03 · August 2014

@lookame3639 my DD2 usually only nurses one side at a time. I offer the second side but if she refuses then I do not pump. Your body will figure things out there is no need to pump.

mdarmetko · August 2014

caballablanca said:
My LO is now 8 days old

My boobs hurt so bad, I caved and bought a nipple shield even though the LC didn't want me to. I am in tears every time DS feeds off my right side. He also has spells where he wants to eat every 1.5-2 hours for a day or two, enough to get my boobs to catch up, then go 4-5 hours for a day. Holy shit it makes me so engorged, so I started pumping. I am almost to the point of saying screw it and just got back to EP. But I keep remembering don't quit on a bad day.

Also have any of you ladies battled mastitis? The top of my boob was red last night and a little hard so I pumped until fully drained since DS doesn't do that very well yet. I've been putting hot washcloths and those heating packs you throw in the microwave on it and massaging. Anything else? I don't have a fever or anything, but I really don't want it to get to that point and have to take antibiotics.

I was also taking a hot shower right before pumping and really massaging and squeezing downward to he'll release my hard spots.

Rosebean · August 2014

@Valancyy‌ have you tried football hold? I found with DS it really gave me better control on his head without him trying to hunt my hand instead of the nipple. And for the wide bite, I know you are an experienced Bfer, but maybe aim your nipple for LOs nose...

jamjoyful · August 2014

How old is your LO? 6 days

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?

Pretty good! Still having some troubles latching because of my overly large nipples. I've been pumping after each feeding which is great for nighttime bottles!

Any questions/advice for the other moms?
Any ideas on what to do with DD1 while I'm nursing/pumping? It's the only time I see her actually jealous.

Alaska_Bride · August 2014

How old is your LO? 1 week, 1 day

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems? It's going so much better now. She had low glucose levels at birth and had to be given a ton of formula immediately. She also had low white blood cell counts, so she had an IV of antibiotics for the first 48 hours, and couldn't sleep with us the first night. The second day, she did a number on my nipples, and I was also told to pump but was apparently given too big of flanges, so those made things worse. God my nipples were so sore and red. So the next day I was given a shield, and was able to nurse without the shield on one breast by the following day. I'm still occasionally using the shield on my right breast since it's a little tender, but DD doesn't seem to have a problem switching back and forth. She is such a great little nurser and has a great latch. It usually hurts a bit when she first latches on, but then it doesn't hurt much at all. (She also does this hilarious one eyed squint with a grunt and a vigorous head shake right before she latches on and we call it her pirate face. It's too cute.) She had been nursing every 2-3 hours, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour! I think she's hit her 1 week growth spurt though, because she literally nursed all night last night. Hopefully we can catch a nap this afternoon!

Any questions/advice for the other moms? I try to tickle her upper lip with my nipple before latching and that gets her to open her mouth really wide. Any advice for helping her to be more efficient at nursing? The marathon session really wear me out! I do breast compressions and tickle her feet, rub her face, burp her to get her more energized.

jlynn62511 · August 2014

@mdarmetko and @SherryBaby2014‌

We have a similar situation. I could never get baby to latch and was in tears because she was crying and so upset. I started pumping at the hospital because she started to get jaundice because she was not eating enough. After seeing a few lactation consultants and a 2 hour support group nothing worked. I'm just sticking with pumping. She is happy at feeding and that makes for a happy mommy too. Now if my nipples would heal and be a little less painful things would be great!

jlynn62511 · August 2014

How old is your LO? 2 weeks tomorrow!!

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?
Exclusively pumping every 4 hours, I get about 7-9 ounces each time.

Any questions/advice for the other moms?

Question: Those who pump, does one breast produce more that the other?

Advice for cracked, bleeding nipples:
My nipples were so cracked and bleeding my doctor prescribed me John Newman's Nipple Ointment, what a relief! I'm finally starting to heal. I called the OB nurse and she had my doctor call in the prescription.

SherryBaby2014 · August 2014

MamaPhoenix5 said:

How old is your LO? 2 weeks exactly today

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems? Ugh. It's going. We had problems from the get go since LO was jaundiced and didn't nurse at all for the 1st 24 hours. We ended up supplementing with formula while he was under the lights for jaundice. I tried to nurse him every 3 hours while in the hospital but he was really sleepy and weak and didn't do too much. Had several appointments with lactation and discovered he had poor intake (was only nursing a total of 15 ml despite being on the breast for 10-20 minutes). Started pumping after every feeding which really got my production up. I now pump about 4-5 oz. per session and have a fridge full of milk. We have been bottle feeding pumping milk, which is great that he's not on formula anymore.
I'm still having problems with pain while nursing. My nipples feel like they are on fire and were bleeding. The lactation nurse can't figure out where the pain is coming from because his latch is good and deep and I am positioning him the correct way. I was in tears yesterday because I just couldn't take the pain anymore so I have been exclusively pumping for the past 24 hrs to try to get my nipples to heal some before trying again. I hate bottle feeding because LO doesn't seem as satisfied, and spits a lot of it out, fusses, etc. I also miss the bond of nursing him so I feel really detached. The good news is that he IS gaining weight, went above and beyond his birth weight at his 2 week checkup on Monday, so I'm trying to focus on the positive. I have another visit on Friday with the LC to try to figure all this out. Why does it have to be so hard?

Any questions/advice for the other moms? How do you recommend rotating the pumped milk? I literally have about 15 bags of 3-4 oz. in the fridge from the 10th through today. I'm going to have to start freezing it but I don't know how I will ever use it all!

I'm super jealous of your stash! My LO is drinking everything and I'm only one bottle ahead at the moment since sometimes she's eating a full 5 oz in a sitting. (I have no idea how it fits in her tiny body.)

Just keep some handy in the fridge for a growth spurt or cluster session.

SherryBaby2014 · August 2014

mdarmetko said:

SherryBaby2014 I am having similar issues with DD

LO is 3 weeks tomorrow. She was born at 38-weeks, which is considered "near-term". She didn't latch well or suck well, which led us to bottle feeding my breast milk by day 5 (we were using the syringe before the bottle) since she was so tiny (born 5lbs 14oz). 2 lactation clinics and 1 private lactation consultation later and she still isn't breastfeeding well. She is gaining enough weight because we bottle feed. With the nipple shield she latches better on the boob, but her sucking is lackluster and feels like tiny flutters. I have to manually express the milk in her mouth to get anything going, and with 20 minutes of feeding she will take down like .2 oz (we rented a scale to measure). After many sessions of crying and stressful breakdowns, I've decided to take a break for a day from trying to breastfeed and go back to bottle exclusively. We have another private lactation consultation tomorrow where we will see if she has actual muscle insufficiency that are not allowing her to suck. Overall she is such a good baby, it just sucks that this stress is added in. Our feeding sessions are no enjoyable at this point and I'm enjoying pumping and just bottle feeding more than trying to breastfeed because I know I'm at least accomplishing something with that.

Sorry to hear about your similar experience. I hear you on feeling better bottle feeding. It feels like "yay she's finally getting the food she needs and wants!" Sometimes trying to feed her from the breast is like I'm absolutely torturing her.

I do like the Medela Calma nipple so far. I even filled a bottle with water and tried the slow flow standard nipple and Calma in comparison. It really requires you to create a suction and work hard. Believe me, she really hated it at first but now she's getting it down. Last night I did have a few of the regular slow flow nipples ready for one particularly frantic feeding and skipped the Calma. So after a few Calma bottle feedings when I have tried to have her latch it has felt different than before. She's got more of that tugging sensation whereas before it was more like your described as flutters. Problem now is she still doesn't last long enough to get a real feeding in. Anyways, might be worth a try for you and LO?

SherryBaby2014 · August 2014

jlynn62511 said:

@mdarmetko and @SherryBaby2014‌ We have a similar situation. I could never get baby to latch and was in tears because she was crying and so upset. I started pumping at the hospital because she started to get jaundice because she was not eating enough. After seeing a few lactation consultants and a 2 hour support group nothing worked. I'm just sticking with pumping. She is happy at feeding and that makes for a happy mommy too. Now if my nipples would heal and be a little less painful things would be great!

I wish my hospital had gotten me pumping while I was there. Or maybe even formula feeding so we could have avoided going through over 24 hours of hospital treatment for Jaundice. Not sure if your baby had to go under the lights?

I've certainly been entertaining the idea of just pumping. I do wish that I felt like I was getting ahead with pumping but right now it's still basically feeding to feeding. If I was producing enough for a stash I would feel better. Also skipping all of the washing and dealing with all the different pieces would be terrific if I could get her to the breast.

**Wishing your nipples some good healing**

Valancyy · August 2014

Rosebean said:

@Valancyy‌ have you tried football hold? I found with DS it really gave me better control on his head without him trying to hunt my hand instead of the nipple. And for the wide bite, I know you are an experienced Bfer, but maybe aim your nipple for LOs nose...

Yup, I do the nipple to nose thing! It's so weird how for some feedings he'll open wide and go right on, and for others it's like he forgets how to do it and I struggle to get him to open his mouth! It may have to do with being tired...I don't know. I tickle his lip, press his chin with my breast, etc. The good thing is that once he's on, he does have a good latch. My nipples are fine, thankfully. They haven't been sore at all, so that's a good thing! I have no doubt as he gets older he'll grow out of this, I just hope it's soon.

mdarmetko · August 2014

jlynn62511 said:
How old is your LO? 2 weeks tomorrow!!

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?
Exclusively pumping every 4 hours, I get about 7-9 ounces each time.

Any questions/advice for the other moms?

Question: Those who pump, does one breast produce more that the other?

Advice for cracked, bleeding nipples:
My nipples were so cracked and bleeding my doctor prescribed me John Newman's Nipple Ointment, what a relief! I'm finally starting to heal. I called the OB nurse and she had my doctor call in the prescription.

Yes, and one was looking bigger than the other. They've started to even our... the appearance, not the production.

So do plan on only pumping and bottle feeding without breastfeeding? For how long?

mdarmetko · August 2014

SherryBaby2014 said:

mdarmetko said:

SherryBaby2014 I am having similar issues with DD

LO is 3 weeks tomorrow. She was born at 38-weeks, which is considered "near-term". She didn't latch well or suck well, which led us to bottle feeding my breast milk by day 5 (we were using the syringe before the bottle) since she was so tiny (born 5lbs 14oz). 2 lactation clinics and 1 private lactation consultation later and she still isn't breastfeeding well. She is gaining enough weight because we bottle feed. With the nipple shield she latches better on the boob, but her sucking is lackluster and feels like tiny flutters. I have to manually express the milk in her mouth to get anything going, and with 20 minutes of feeding she will take down like .2 oz (we rented a scale to measure). After many sessions of crying and stressful breakdowns, I've decided to take a break for a day from trying to breastfeed and go back to bottle exclusively. We have another private lactation consultation tomorrow where we will see if she has actual muscle insufficiency that are not allowing her to suck. Overall she is such a good baby, it just sucks that this stress is added in. Our feeding sessions are no enjoyable at this point and I'm enjoying pumping and just bottle feeding more than trying to breastfeed because I know I'm at least accomplishing something with that.

Sorry to hear about your similar experience. I hear you on feeling better bottle feeding. It feels like "yay she's finally getting the food she needs and wants!" Sometimes trying to feed her from the breast is like I'm absolutely torturing her.

I do like the Medela Calma nipple so far. I even filled a bottle with water and tried the slow flow standard nipple and Calma in comparison. It really requires you to create a suction and work hard. Believe me, she really hated it at first but now she's getting it down. Last night I did have a few of the regular slow flow nipples ready for one particularly frantic feeding and skipped the Calma. So after a few Calma bottle feedings when I have tried to have her latch it has felt different than before. She's got more of that tugging sensation whereas before it was more like your described as flutters. Problem now is she still doesn't last long enough to get a real feeding in. Anyways, might be worth a try for you and LO?

I will ask the LC tomorrow her thoughts on it. Thanks for the advice! What bottles were you using otherwise? We are using the MAM.

jlynn62511 · August 2014

mdarmetko said:

jlynn62511 said:
How old is your LO? 2 weeks tomorrow!!

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?
Exclusively pumping every 4 hours, I get about 7-9 ounces each time.

Any questions/advice for the other moms?

Question: Those who pump, does one breast produce more that the other?

Advice for cracked, bleeding nipples:
My nipples were so cracked and bleeding my doctor prescribed me John Newman's Nipple Ointment, what a relief! I'm finally starting to heal. I called the OB nurse and she had my doctor call in the prescription.
Yes, and one was looking bigger than the other. They've started to even our... the appearance, not the production.

So do plan on only pumping and bottle feeding without breastfeeding? For how long?

Yes that's my plan. As far as how long, i am not sure. I'm nervous about going back to work and pumping. Hopefully my supply will stay the same. I have been freezing and storing so my hopes is to build a good supply for when I do stop.

I could never get her to latch on even with help from a lactation consultant so pumping was my next best option which really helped me to stop stressing over it.

jlynn62511 · August 2014

SherryBaby2014 said:

jlynn62511 said:

@mdarmetko and @SherryBaby2014‌

We have a similar situation. I could never get baby to latch and was in tears because she was crying and so upset. I started pumping at the hospital because she started to get jaundice because she was not eating enough. After seeing a few lactation consultants and a 2 hour support group nothing worked. I'm just sticking with pumping. She is happy at feeding and that makes for a happy mommy too. Now if my nipples would heal and be a little less painful things would be great!

I wish my hospital had gotten me pumping while I was there. Or maybe even formula feeding so we could have avoided going through over 24 hours of hospital treatment for Jaundice. Not sure if your baby had to go under the lights?

I've certainly been entertaining the idea of just pumping. I do wish that I felt like I was getting ahead with pumping but right now it's still basically feeding to feeding. If I was producing enough for a stash I would feel better. Also skipping all of the washing and dealing with all the different pieces would be terrific if I could get her to the breast.

**Wishing your nipples some good healing**

No lights luckily. I think we caught it just in time.

mdarmetko · August 2014

jlynn62511 said:

mdarmetko said:

jlynn62511 said:
How old is your LO? 2 weeks tomorrow!!

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?
Exclusively pumping every 4 hours, I get about 7-9 ounces each time.

Any questions/advice for the other moms?

Question: Those who pump, does one breast produce more that the other?

Advice for cracked, bleeding nipples:
My nipples were so cracked and bleeding my doctor prescribed me John Newman's Nipple Ointment, what a relief! I'm finally starting to heal. I called the OB nurse and she had my doctor call in the prescription.
Yes, and one was looking bigger than the other. They've started to even our... the appearance, not the production.

So do plan on only pumping and bottle feeding without breastfeeding? For how long?
Yes that's my plan. As far as how long, i am not sure. I'm nervous about going back to work and pumping. Hopefully my supply will stay the same. I have been freezing and storing so my hopes is to build a good supply for when I do stop.

I could never get her to latch on even with help from a lactation consultant so pumping was my next best option which really helped me to stop stressing over it.

I might have to do this too. However, a couple of days ago my supply dropped from like 38oz a day to 24oz. I've started to pump more often to up my supply and drinking mother's milk tea.

Right now I have a lot of milk frozen, but alone it's probably only a week's worth. Keep freezing your supply girls! Don't throw anything out bc you don't know what will happen in the future to your supply.

caballablanca · August 2014

Valancyy said:

@SherryBaby2014: You've been through a lot! I was sort of in the same boat with my 1st son, he wouldn't latch and we gave formula in the hospital. I started pumping as soon as I got home and within a day or so was able to bottle feed using only breast milk. I ended up exclusively pumping for 7 months. It's hard work! I did end up getting him to latch around 2 months. I just tried it one day to see what would happen. I breastfed a few times, then decided I was more comfortable pumping since that is what I knew and we already had a good routine down. Looking back, I wish I had tried harder to get him to breast. I would just keep trying, hopefully the LC can help you out. Good luck!
@caballablanca: I've never had mastitis, but have had plugged ducts. I do the same thing you're doing. One thing I tried that helped was cabbage leaves. I cupped them over my breasts. I did read not to do it too long, as it can also have a negative effect on milk supply, but I'm not sure how true that is.
@Laur110: What to do during nursing: I love to read. I have a Kindle and have stocked up on some books to read while nursing. I nurse in my living room, so in the evening after my boys are in bed I have been watching TV as well (started watching Downton Abbey on Amazon...really enjoying it!). I also browse around on my laptop or...eat! If you spill some crumbs on the baby, just brush them off
@mmsweeney1: If she was weighed at 3 days old, then again a week later, she may have lost a little more before starting to gain? 5 oz is the minimum acceptable weight gain. I wouldn't worry until you do another weigh in. I bought my own scale because I like to weigh once a week, just for peace of mind. I do it at the same time, right after bath time and before a nursing.

Cabbage leaves will dry you up, I do know that!

HeatherHam10 · August 2014

How old is your LO? 2 weeks yesterday

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems?
I am EL and it's ok I honestly hate pumping non stop and wish LO would latch. I tried again today and no luck. Making lots of milk though!

Any questions/advice for the other moms?
Just to make sure you are pumping whenever LO is eating to make sure to build your supply. That is if you are EP.

HeatherHam10 · August 2014

jlynn62511 said:

SherryBaby2014 said:

jlynn62511 said:

@mdarmetko and @SherryBaby2014‌

We have a similar situation. I could never get baby to latch and was in tears because she was crying and so upset. I started pumping at the hospital because she started to get jaundice because she was not eating enough. After seeing a few lactation consultants and a 2 hour support group nothing worked. I'm just sticking with pumping. She is happy at feeding and that makes for a happy mommy too. Now if my nipples would heal and be a little less painful things would be great!

I wish my hospital had gotten me pumping while I was there. Or maybe even formula feeding so we could have avoided going through over 24 hours of hospital treatment for Jaundice. Not sure if your baby had to go under the lights?

I've certainly been entertaining the idea of just pumping. I do wish that I felt like I was getting ahead with pumping but right now it's still basically feeding to feeding. If I was producing enough for a stash I would feel better. Also skipping all of the washing and dealing with all the different pieces would be terrific if I could get her to the breast.

**Wishing your nipples some good healing**

No lights luckily. I think we caught it just in time.

Exact same situation here. My boy had jaundice and refused to latch and it was awful. Non stop screaming at the hospital. No I'm EP because it was just less stress on us both and I couldn't bear thinking he wasn't eating enough. It's tough work but worth it.

Shiva14 · August 2014

I have a procrastination question - I used a sanitizer bag (microwave type) to sanitize some pump parts and forgot about it. They have been heated but have been sitting in the bag with water now for about 3 hours. Do I need to sanitize again now?

violajack · August 2014

How old is LO? 11 days, tandem nursing with 2 year old DS1

How is BF going? Really well this time around, so much easier than #1. I think it's mostly because I kept nursing DS1 through the pregnancy, which was super hard with the sore nipples, but adding a newborn to the mix has been no big deal. DS2 was super not coordinated at the beginning, so it would take us a handful of tries to get latched, but that's getting better as DS2 starts to figure out how it works. My milk came in without too much engorgement, and I've just been able to let DS1 nurse if one boob gets too full and DS2 doesn't empty it. DS1 will empty it all the way for me.

Advice? It gets better. It's also okay if it's not some super amazing bonding experience, especially while you're still getting used to it. I BF because it's free, good for the kdis, good for my health, and ultimately really easy when you get everything established. I've had some nice moments, but mostly it's just about feeding the baby. But for me, it's essential to have a food source that I can't forget to bring with me, because I have forgotten everything else at some time or other, but you can't leave your boobs behind.

rstarrlemaitre · August 2014

How old is your LO? 3 weeks tomorrow!

How is breastfeeding/pumping going? Any problems? Travis has a great latch, and for the most part things are going great. I took a BFing class before he was born, and the LC said to nurse from one breast each time to drain it completely. This method seems to work well for us, and he nurses on average every 2.5 hours.

Any questions/advice for the other moms? My biggest issue right now is the spit-up after feeding. We make sure to burp and keep him upright for a bit after he finishes, but he still pretty much always spits up. Any tips from other moms for this, or is it a phase we just have to pass through?

Want a personalized experience?

Breastfeeding/Pumping Check-In

Re: Breastfeeding/Pumping Check-In

Choose Another Board

Search Boards