So how are you all introducing solids to your kiddo? Mine gets so tired and cranky after she eats at 6, I am worried she won't be alert, excited to try solids after that meal. I guess I should actually read about this!
My new anger this week is all the experts (usually MEN, it seems) who make moms feel guilty for nursing babies to sleep. Biology says that's what's supposed to happen!!
Hang in there, ladies. It gets better... eventually!....
I fully plan to nurse lo to sleep until she's over it. I feel zero guilt. She goes down for naps without it, and has gone down without it at night before (her choice) so she is obviously 100% capable of going to sleep without a boob in her mouth. But it's easier, and I like to bond with her after being at work all day.
Eventually she'll ask for a cup of milk and then get in bed on her own. I'm going to enjoy nursing her for as long as I can. It's complete horse shit that moms feel guilty about doing this. It's only a problem if you don't want to do it, in which case you can break the habit with sleep training. Otherwise carry on.
Yes. Yes. All of this. I'm glad to hear others on the same page as me. LO is 6 months on Thursday. DS took him on an overnight tonight so we'll see how he does without boobs! We been joking about it today (mostly to cut my discomfort about it) but I'm wondering if he'll do better. I just pumped and didn't get much, maybe a bottle will satisfy him more. And he loves his Dad. I just didn't want to be separated yet. But DS wanted to go hiking and visit a friend and I had to work until 8, then again in the early am, so this was the only way for that to happen. We'll see how he does without boobs!
Good night everyone, nurse all the babies to sleep guilt free for me. I'll be up pumping if anyone's lonely. Boo!
So 7 hours of sleep was fun, but now I'm groggy and have been on pump for 25 minutes. So sloooowwww, no sure if its me or the pump. I'd rather be up nursing and cuddling a baby all night! Good to know I guess.
So 7 hours of sleep was fun, but now I'm groggy and have been on pump for 25 minutes. So sloooowwww, no sure if its me or the pump. I'd rather be up nursing and cuddling a baby all night! Good to know I guess.
For some reason, first thing in the morning my left boob is INSANELY SLOW on the pump. Even though it's totally full because it's been at least 7-8 hours since the last time i nursed or pumped it. This just started happening like 2 weeks go. My right boob will be completely drained before my left boob has even spit out 2 ounces. And then the left boob will start producing. I usually cut it off once i've pumped for either 15 minutes (in the morning...the rest of the day maxes out at 10) or i get 5oz from each boob. I know i CAN get 5oz out of each side first thing in the morning (in fact i have gotten closer to 7 from each side multiple times), but old Lefty is just SO DARN SLOW NOW.
I wonder if it's just the pump or if my letdown is slower for LO now too. She's going to start hating that i'm sure. i am going to order new valves/membranes and tubes soon to see if that helps.
My letdown in the am is insane slow now! I wonder if my body is rejecting the pump? It sucks. Takes me an hour to drain in the am. An. Hour.
I'm wondering if I'm not responding to the pump as well as before...the letdown used to happen within a minute on both sides and now sometimes the R one will start and the L one will take up to 2 minutes to get going. I also just got new tubing and membranes but no difference.
So last week I had a 41 ounce day and today I have barely pumped 20. WTH. Get it together, boobs. I think they are protesting the 5.5 oz bottle I dumped this weekend.
So last week I had a 41 ounce day and today I have barely pumped 20. WTH. Get it together, boobs. I think they are protesting the 5.5 oz bottle I dumped this weekend.
Is it something in the air? My supply has gone to shit lately. My record, in September, was 60 oz (twins, though) and yesterday I got 35. I had to defrost 2 bags of milk to have enough for today's feedings. I've been in the low 40s all week, and using up the freezer stash.
I keep thinking something is wrong with my pump but I don't think its the pump and I don't think its my supply either. My body just doesn't response to the pump, the pump gets out stored milk but my storage capacity is shit. LO can get multiple let downs and plenty of milk. During the day at least, at night I'm not so sure.
I wasn't getting hardly anything from the pump a few weeks ago. I think LO was just draining me. It picked back up after about a week but now I'm noticing another dip. He seems to get plenty when he nurses though.
I wasn't getting hardly anything from the pump a few weeks ago. I think LO was just draining me. It picked back up after about a week but now I'm noticing another dip. He seems to get plenty when he nurses though.
Last night LO was pretty hungry...and when i went to pump before bed (about 2.5 hours after i put her down) i got less than a half ounce. Normally when i pump before bed i get 3 ounces or so (i only pump then so that i don't wake up engorged MOTN, i don't NEED the milk really). I'm thinking she might be getting into that 5 month growth spurt i saw some people talking about a few weeks ago. She's 22 weeks now. She also woke up at 3:30am and ate a LOT last night. That is the first time she has woken up and wanted to eat before 4:30am in probably a month - and most nights she doesn't even wake up then, she just sleeps through to 6:30 or so. I'm thinking we might have either a growth spurt or the beginnings of teething going on.
I probably sound stupid but the membranes are just the yellow/white things that the milk drops through?
I think the membrane is just the white part. The yellow thing is the valve. You can buy and replace the membranes separately, or also replace the valve (i just ordered replacement sets of valve+membrane).
Thanks! I have another set actually because I ordered a smaller size breastshield. I think I might have not had the white part pushed all the way through because I tried it today and it seemed better. I'm going to wash/sanitize everything and see how it is.
I want to know too! Every time we eat she opens her mouth and like growls. She eats oatmeal and some veggies. I think she might be too young to give her any food tomorrow ? She was 5 months on the 17th.
LO has started (for a little while already) reaching for our drinks, but not our foods. He's only 5m as of yesterday, so I don't think we are there yet, but he's getting there.
@Sjeff0816 LO has had cereal, green beans, carrots (favorite), green peas (hates them), squash, and sweet potatoes. I think we're going to give him sweet potatoes tomorrow, they seem the most Thanksgiving-ish.
@KarasTwin that's what we're doing too! The other night LO grabbed a big fistful of spaghetti off DH's plate. I'm thinking we may switch to BLW in the next couple weeks. She's had oatmeal, squash, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and bananas. She turned 5 months on the 15th, but we started at 4 months.
When I thaw my bags under hot water does that count as "heating it up"? I just had this oh no thought that I'm doing this wrong. I thaw bags I need for work under hot water and then put all the bottles in the refrigerator for the day.
@jesshrou I would consider that heating them up, which then means that you need to use within an hour. Personally I thaw mine out in the fridge and then take what I need for her feedings to warm up. When thawing in the fridge you need to use 24 hrs after thawed.
@rklinge0 thank you! I feel so dumb now. It's easier for my mom and husband if I already have the bottles made ready to grab in the fridge instead of them thawing it.
@rklinge0 thank you! I feel so dumb now. It's easier for my mom and husband if I already have the bottles made ready to grab in the fridge instead of them thawing it.
If I need to thaw in a hurry, I use cold water. Gets it thawed enough to portion into bottles.
I do exactly what you do--I want those bottles portioned in the fridge so it's easy for whoever does the feeding.
^^ I take out whatever I expect to need the night before and thaw overnight. I then make sure it's used within 48-72 hours. I know 24 is the official max, but I freeze the milk within 24 hours of pumping it always, and with thawing in the fridge it seems to be fine for that long. After that I'll pitch it.
Only time I've had an issue was the time I took a bottle home from daycare that they heated but didn't have time to feed her before I arrived. The milk had been frozen before and I put it in the fridge and DH tried to give it to her the next morning. She rejected it and then threw up the small amount she had taken in. So I no longer do that.
Either my supply is tanking or I'm just not responding to the pump like I used to. It's a little depressing. And LO has no interest in food yet. Whenever we try something it reminds her she's hungry and screams for a bottle.
@Sammy K have you tried a lactation smoothie to boost supply? Whenever I drink those for a few days my boobs start leaking again so I'm assuming it helps boost supply. I know different people respond to other "boosters", but it may be worth a try.
@Sammy K Having the same issue and I really feel like its how I respond to the pump. My body seems to keep making milk when he nurses but the pump just takes out what's built up and really doesn't stimulate enough for a let down anymore unless I turn it up so much it makes me sore. The other issue is that LO does seem to like having a bottle so he misses it when I just nurse (and vise versa). Oatmeal and oatmeal cookies work well for me, and pumping a little more consciously, watching videos of LO rather than bumping
@henrytviii Funny you mention the videos. I still had a flip phone with DS, so I would just look at pics of him while I pump. I think sometimes I cut it short just because I hate pumping. But I did find brewers yeast, so that is breakfast. Oatmeal everyday this week hasn't helped.
^^ I have been having oatmeal for breakfast at work every day for almost 2 months and I feel like it's not doing what it used to. Making no difference anymore...
@423ang I was kind of wondering the same thing. I have been producing 10 oz less every day this week. I chalked it up to getting sick and antibiotics plus a little extra stress in my life. But I had read on other boards that you start making less at 6 months.
I am finding pumping about half what I used to be able too as well but if I hand express I'm more on track with normal production.. It must be a thing if so many of us are experiencing it. Also LO still is satisfied after one side so I don't think the actual supply has dipped..
@423ang I was kind of wondering the same thing. I have been producing 10 oz less every day this week. I chalked it up to getting sick and antibiotics plus a little extra stress in my life. But I had read on other boards that you start making less at 6 months.
I'm 10 oz per day less, too. I had a stomach bug and work stress last week, but my supply hasn't rebounded yet. Holding out hope it will increase again.
Re: Feeding lo - November
Eventually she'll ask for a cup of milk and then get in bed on her own. I'm going to enjoy nursing her for as long as I can. It's complete horse shit that moms feel guilty about doing this. It's only a problem if you don't want to do it, in which case you can break the habit with sleep training. Otherwise carry on.
Good night everyone, nurse all the babies to sleep guilt free for me. I'll be up pumping if anyone's lonely. Boo!
For some reason, first thing in the morning my left boob is INSANELY SLOW on the pump. Even though it's totally full because it's been at least 7-8 hours since the last time i nursed or pumped it. This just started happening like 2 weeks go. My right boob will be completely drained before my left boob has even spit out 2 ounces. And then the left boob will start producing. I usually cut it off once i've pumped for either 15 minutes (in the morning...the rest of the day maxes out at 10) or i get 5oz from each boob. I know i CAN get 5oz out of each side first thing in the morning (in fact i have gotten closer to 7 from each side multiple times), but old Lefty is just SO DARN SLOW NOW.
I wonder if it's just the pump or if my letdown is slower for LO now too. She's going to start hating that i'm sure. i am going to order new valves/membranes and tubes soon to see if that helps.
When thawing in the fridge you need to use 24 hrs after thawed.
I do exactly what you do--I want those bottles portioned in the fridge so it's easy for whoever does the feeding.
Only time I've had an issue was the time I took a bottle home from daycare that they heated but didn't have time to feed her before I arrived. The milk had been frozen before and I put it in the fridge and DH tried to give it to her the next morning. She rejected it and then threw up the small amount she had taken in. So I no longer do that.
OY breastfeeding.. Can be so aggravating!