Anyone else not tried a bottle at all yet? I keep meaning to but I haven't yet. I pumped once so my freezer stash is a whole two ounces. I'm not really in a rush because I'm not going back to work this time and for some reason nobody's knocking down the door offering to babysit three kids. I don't want to wait too long to introduce a bottle, and yet... lazy.
I've never tried a bottle. I'm thinking I better try soon, just in case. My kid screams when we try a pacifier. Not sure if that has any connection to taking a bottle. I don't have anything against pacis or bottles. Had planned on using both by now.
@slr1229 our dr Browns leak all the time. I hate it sooooo much but they are all we can use given her reflux and gas issues. It super annoying though.
Re: nipples, we moved to size 2 medium flow this week at 13 weeks but she's having trouble getting used to it... Lots of choking and she's eating much more than normal since she's eating faster. Like she will take down 7 ounces in once sitting. Not sure how to make sure she digests before deciding she needs more!
Make sure you don't go over the line.. I've never had a problem with leaks but DH sometimes goes over the line and it will leak. It will also leak if the circle part thing isn't secured against the bottle before twisting the top on
@virginiaunicorn11 I dont have a problem with a bottle and dd hates her paci. So there must not be much correlation between the 2. She is super picky but we have 2 nipples she will take.
Has anyone stopped breastfeeding and then started again like a month later?
No.. Just curious do you mean stop pumping too? If you stop stimulating your breasts through feeding or pumping you will lose supply .. Can you elaborate ?
On day 2 now of eating terribly. She will eat for about 8 min on one side and then scream if I try and put her on the other. And also spit up copious amounts (she rarely spits up). Worried about my supply etc since she's not really eating. No fever. Didn't eat anything outside of the normal realm. Ughhhhhh
My LO has been doing shorter feeds, only eating on one side about half the time she eats, for about a week now. She has not been spitting up more than usual but she does freak if I try to do the other side and she doesn't want it. If I remember right, our LOs are very close in age - mine was born June 1. Makes me wonder if this is age/leap related.
Anyone else experiencing these issues around 12/13 weeks?
Mine is 8 weeks and has been doing this a couple days now.
Has anyone stopped breastfeeding and then started again like a month later?
No.. Just curious do you mean stop pumping too? If you stop stimulating your breasts through feeding or pumping you will lose supply .. Can you elaborate ?
Yeah I stopped pumping too. I was reading online how it's possible to start again for some women & I was wondering if anyone actually has. I want to try, but I don't want to waste my time if it's not possible.
Anyone have a tongue tie reattach? So upset as we have seen two IBCLCs, a speech pathologist, the pediatrician and 2 chiros who looked and said it looked fine. Now the original IBCLC said it is rigid in there and she thinks reattached. Really don't want to put him through that again but he's still not feeding perfectly. Consultant said she doesn't know if it will help. I know there can be problems later with speech and eating. @dancegurl1118 how old was your LO when you had it done, how are they taking the daily stretches? I didn't mind it with newborn but I really don't want to put my happy cooing baby through that a second time. Sigh. I guess there are worse things in life
@janit368 pretty sure both her ties reattached. The lip tie isn't bad and she still has movement. But the tongue tie looks pretty attached. She's having trouble eating again too. I do not want to put her through it again. I physically can't. We only did the stretches half-assed for a week. She started clamping down and wouldn't let me in her mouth. That was at 10 weeks.
TTC: 1/2014
BFP: 9/24
EDD: 6/8/2015
Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
Anyone having extreme difficulty positioning LO to feed? She kicks everything and squirms. Then gets mad and doesn't eat well. I don't know how to position her anymore and I don't think she's getting enough milk.
TTC: 1/2014
BFP: 9/24
EDD: 6/8/2015
Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
Anyone having extreme difficulty positioning LO to feed? She kicks everything and squirms. Then gets mad and doesn't eat well. I don't know how to position her anymore and I don't think she's getting enough milk.
When I do my bf part of his feeding he kicks and squirms and moves his head all around... It makes it difficult for sure. Twists his head and pulls his face off my boob then gets mad the boob is gone. Then will relatch and pull off again. And again. And again. Kicking other boob for emphasis. Really miss the days of when he would just lie comfortably on the bobby and nurse.
Has anyone stopped breastfeeding and then started again like a month later?
No.. Just curious do you mean stop pumping too? If you stop stimulating your breasts through feeding or pumping you will lose supply .. Can you elaborate ?
Yeah I stopped pumping too. I was reading online how it's possible to start again for some women & I was wondering if anyone actually has. I want to try, but I don't want to waste my time if it's not possible.
Hmm, I guess it depends on the person but a month seems long. Contact a local lactation consultant they would be the ones to help you the most.. Good luck! And keep me posted as I'm curious to see if you are able to
@dancegurl1118 Sorry you are going through that Ties are just so stupid. Don't feel bad we did them for 4 weeks... All for nothing, well she said it's better then it was
@kelseyharrell22 check out the exclusively pumping facebook page. I think that's the one where they talk about relactation a lot. It's hard and takes a long time, if it works, but I guess it can be done. As they say even adoptive moms get their body to lactate sometimes
Anyone having extreme difficulty positioning LO to feed? She kicks everything and squirms. Then gets mad and doesn't eat well. I don't know how to position her anymore and I don't think she's getting enough milk.
I would say 50 percent of the time I feel really unconfortable when holding LO to eat. Either I feel like the arm he has against me is goofy, or he is so long he kicks the other side of the chair... And supporting his head is getting really difficult with his growth lol. I seriously think I have carpal tunnel. I have contemplated going to see a lc to help, anyone who's read the womanly art of breastfeeding? I made it through the first 2 chapters I think... Might revisit to see if there's any tips.
So I know a lot of you are nervous about going back to work, getting LOs to take a bottle, finding time to pump etc. Wanted to share my case study of 1.
First not taking the bottle. DS1 never really did well with a bottle. I went back to work when he was 5 weeks and it was a struggle to get him to take an ounce or two. I also did not respond well to pumping. He ended up reverse cycling and nursing more at night and when I was home. This was great for us. He started taking a bottle at 11 months when my supply final tanked. But we made it 11.5 months. All BM until 10.5 months and my maximum freezer stash size was 12oz.
DS2. Loves his bottles. Back to work full time at 6 weeks, noon to 8pm shifts. Never find time to pump more than 2x. I was able to keep up with him by pumping in am and at night. At 12 weeks I started a second job teaching high school. Pumping has been terrible the last 3 weeks. I often am going 6-7 hours without pumping and in 13 hours away I usually only pump twice. I pump when I get home if he's not hungry. I sleep in the same room and grab him to nurse 2-3 a night when he stirs. He'd probably go back to sleep but I want to keep my supply up. This weekend I am finally with him for 3 days and I'm trying to nurse a lot to get my supply up. Though to be honest he'll only nurse if he needs to unlike my first who would nurse at any time. So far this is all working, he's happy and fed, I am still making milk. When I go 6-7 hours I pump about 1.5x's a normal pump session. In 3 weeks I am down just 2-3 4oz bags from my freezer stash. This seems to be working out. I am going to stick with the infrequent pump sessions, nurse a lot when I am home. I'll make pumping more of a priority if I notice a supply drop. Remember if you have a freezer stash, even a small one, you can dip into it while you get your supply back up. And you'll know right away if you aren't keeping up.
When my supply was low with DS1 I would occasionally pump about 30 minutes before a feeding and nursing him would really force more production. I had to do it this way because LO did a much better job than the pump. If he was still hungry I'd top him off with pumped milk but usually he'd be satisfied and just nurse again an hour later which further helped supply.
When we had LOs tongue tie cut the doc never told us to do any stretches, so we didn't! So I have no idea if it reattached - if it did I can't tell - but I'm kinda annoyed. Don't want to have wasted everyone's time!
@hoodoll82 Some say not doing them is better as stretching can cause more scar tissue which can cause issue. (Which of course no one told me) I think like a lot of things with kids, everyone can sit around analyzing what they did to cause the issue, their decision now, etc but as this shows at the end of the day stuff happens no matter what you do.
^^^ Spot on. Its easier not to overanalyze the second time around but this is something I have to remind myself of daily.
Question: Why is thawed milk only good for 24 hours? Anyone break this rule? DH thawed 2 bags Friday but forgot and used fresh milk. I know I have to toss them but its painful. I should have used them Friday night and pumped.
^^^ Spot on. Its easier not to overanalyze the second time around but this is something I have to remind myself of daily.
Question: Why is thawed milk only good for 24 hours? Anyone break this rule? DH thawed 2 bags Friday but forgot and used fresh milk. I know I have to toss them but its painful. I should have used them Friday night and pumped.
I've broken this rule. I ultimately use the smell test. Except if it was frozen, then warmed. If it doesn't get eaten, it goes down the drain.
^^^ Spot on. Its easier not to overanalyze the second time around but this is something I have to remind myself of daily.
Question: Why is thawed milk only good for 24 hours? Anyone break this rule? DH thawed 2 bags Friday but forgot and used fresh milk. I know I have to toss them but its painful. I should have used them Friday night and pumped.
I've broken this rule. I ultimately use the smell test. Except if it was frozen, then warmed. If it doesn't get eaten, it goes down the drain.
I do the same. If it's been warmed I toss it after a few hours. But I freeze within 24 hours of pumping so I figure if I thaw it in the fridge I should have at least 2-3 days to use it.
I also use the smell test unless already warmed, then it's pretty much two hours max- LO is Sometimes finicky about a bottle. I recently set a new pr in pumping though! 14 ounces total! On a different day I set a new pr for one side-11 ounces. I have soooo much milk! (Like around 700 ounces in freezer) Has anyone else ever sold your oversupply? I like having some extra on hand but think we might not need quite that much! Sorry for all of you struggling though!! I mean that in sincerity, not sarcasm! T&Ps your ways for a great week of bf and baby's eating well and pumping and anyone formula feeding and all other feeding situations not yet mentioned!
Finally tried a bottle yesterday! She took 2 ounces of milk (all I had) no problem. I can't imagine I'll have a good opportunity to get the pump out again so it'll probably be formula next time.
Sorry if this was discussed previously in this thread, I tried scanning through. My LO will NOT take thawed breast milk. I've tried mixing with formula and he knows and refuses it! I'm devastated because I have so much frozen milk and thought he'd be getting my milk for months after I stop breast feeding., right now I'm just nursing once in the am and once in the pm (not pumping at all) so he's not getting anywhere near as much as I'd hoped. Does anyone have any experience with LO refusing thawed milk? How about donating it? It would break my heart if I had to throw it all out.
Sorry if this was discussed previously in this thread, I tried scanning through. My LO will NOT take thawed breast milk. I've tried mixing with formula and he knows and refuses it! I'm devastated because I have so much frozen milk and thought he'd be getting my milk for months after I stop breast feeding., right now I'm just nursing once in the am and once in the pm (not pumping at all) so he's not getting anywhere near as much as I'd hoped. Does anyone have any experience with LO refusing thawed milk? How about donating it? It would break my heart if I had to throw it all out.
I actually just donated 700+ ounces today to a mom in need! My LO refuses a bottle and I was running out of freezer space. There is a Facebook page called Human Milk 4 Human Babies. I think there is a way to find a local chapter so it's simpler for transporting milk. The mom I gave mine to has a really low supply and was very very grateful! I was also happy because I was going to cry if I just had to throw it out after all the pumping and freezing I did the last few months!
Sorry if this was discussed previously in this thread, I tried scanning through. My LO will NOT take thawed breast milk. I've tried mixing with formula and he knows and refuses it! I'm devastated because I have so much frozen milk and thought he'd be getting my milk for months after I stop breast feeding., right now I'm just nursing once in the am and once in the pm (not pumping at all) so he's not getting anywhere near as much as I'd hoped. Does anyone have any experience with LO refusing thawed milk? How about donating it? It would break my heart if I had to throw it all out.
My area has a local breastfeeding FB page and people will post milk available. There is even a local page just for donating. You can also look up Eats on Feets. You could also contact a local lactation consultant or La Leche group and they will point you in the right direction
Sorry if this was discussed previously in this thread, I tried scanning through. My LO will NOT take thawed breast milk. I've tried mixing with formula and he knows and refuses it! I'm devastated because I have so much frozen milk and thought he'd be getting my milk for months after I stop breast feeding., right now I'm just nursing once in the am and once in the pm (not pumping at all) so he's not getting anywhere near as much as I'd hoped. Does anyone have any experience with LO refusing thawed milk? How about donating it? It would break my heart if I had to throw it all out.
Kellymom suggests trying to mix frozen milk with freshly pumped milk, half and half first, then adjust as necessary.
I know you aren't pumping right now, but maybe you could try to pump and mix fresh with frozen? Might taste different than the formula mixed with it?
Or, if you plan on making baby food, use the frozen milk to thin the purées?
Sorry if this was discussed previously in this thread, I tried scanning through. My LO will NOT take thawed breast milk. I've tried mixing with formula and he knows and refuses it! I'm devastated because I have so much frozen milk and thought he'd be getting my milk for months after I stop breast feeding., right now I'm just nursing once in the am and once in the pm (not pumping at all) so he's not getting anywhere near as much as I'd hoped. Does anyone have any experience with LO refusing thawed milk? How about donating it? It would break my heart if I had to throw it all out.
Not sure if he will notice but I would save it and try mixing the cereals with it.. I just bought the ones that you mix with breastmilk. Or you could make "smoothies" when he is older by adding it to fruit...
Sorry if this was discussed previously in this thread, I tried scanning through. My LO will NOT take thawed breast milk. I've tried mixing with formula and he knows and refuses it! I'm devastated because I have so much frozen milk and thought he'd be getting my milk for months after I stop breast feeding., right now I'm just nursing once in the am and once in the pm (not pumping at all) so he's not getting anywhere near as much as I'd hoped. Does anyone have any experience with LO refusing thawed milk? How about donating it? It would break my heart if I had to throw it all out.
After you thaw it, does it smell ok? I've heard third-hand that there is a very rare enzyme some women have that can spoil frozen milk. The remedy is to boil before freezing. Your pedi would have to test your milk for confirmation. If it smells ok after thawing, then it should be fine to eat and is your LO's preference.
Usually my LO can sleep for about 6 or 7 hours at night and goes sometimes for 4 or so hours between feedings. But the past couple days she has been sleeping a lot less at night, eating every hour or so and just being more cranky overall. She's 11.5 weeks so I thought it might still be too early but I'm thinking she is just having a growth spurt.
Re: Feeding your lo...accomplishments and concerns 8/25-8/31
My kid screams when we try a pacifier. Not sure if that has any connection to taking a bottle.
I don't have anything against pacis or bottles. Had planned on using both by now.
She is super picky but we have 2 nipples she will take.
First not taking the bottle. DS1 never really did well with a bottle. I went back to work when he was 5 weeks and it was a struggle to get him to take an ounce or two. I also did not respond well to pumping. He ended up reverse cycling and nursing more at night and when I was home. This was great for us. He started taking a bottle at 11 months when my supply final tanked. But we made it 11.5 months. All BM until 10.5 months and my maximum freezer stash size was 12oz.
DS2. Loves his bottles. Back to work full time at 6 weeks, noon to 8pm shifts. Never find time to pump more than 2x. I was able to keep up with him by pumping in am and at night. At 12 weeks I started a second job teaching high school. Pumping has been terrible the last 3 weeks. I often am going 6-7 hours without pumping and in 13 hours away I usually only pump twice. I pump when I get home if he's not hungry. I sleep in the same room and grab him to nurse 2-3 a night when he stirs. He'd probably go back to sleep but I want to keep my supply up. This weekend I am finally with him for 3 days and I'm trying to nurse a lot to get my supply up. Though to be honest he'll only nurse if he needs to unlike my first who would nurse at any time. So far this is all working, he's happy and fed, I am still making milk. When I go 6-7 hours I pump about 1.5x's a normal pump session. In 3 weeks I am down just 2-3 4oz bags from my freezer stash. This seems to be working out. I am going to stick with the infrequent pump sessions, nurse a lot when I am home. I'll make pumping more of a priority if I notice a supply drop. Remember if you have a freezer stash, even a small one, you can dip into it while you get your supply back up. And you'll know right away if you aren't keeping up.
When my supply was low with DS1 I would occasionally pump about 30 minutes before a feeding and nursing him would really force more production. I had to do it this way because LO did a much better job than the pump. If he was still hungry I'd top him off with pumped milk but usually he'd be satisfied and just nurse again an hour later which further helped supply.
So for long post. Hope this helps.
Question: Why is thawed milk only good for 24 hours? Anyone break this rule? DH thawed 2 bags Friday but forgot and used fresh milk. I know I have to toss them but its painful. I should have used them Friday night and pumped.
I recently set a new pr in pumping though! 14 ounces total! On a different day I set a new pr for one side-11 ounces. I have soooo much milk! (Like around 700 ounces in freezer)
Has anyone else ever sold your oversupply? I like having some extra on hand but think we might not need quite that much!
Sorry for all of you struggling though!! I mean that in sincerity, not sarcasm! T&Ps your ways for a great week of bf and baby's eating well and pumping and anyone formula feeding and all other feeding situations not yet mentioned!
I was also happy because I was going to cry if I just had to throw it out after all the pumping and freezing I did the last few months!
I know you aren't pumping right now, but maybe you could try to pump and mix fresh with frozen? Might taste different than the formula mixed with it?
Or, if you plan on making baby food, use the frozen milk to thin the purées?
She's 11.5 weeks so I thought it might still be too early but I'm thinking she is just having a growth spurt.