January 2016 Moms

Breast/formula feeding Q&A and support

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Re: Breast/formula feeding Q&A and support

  • @andimegie325 the best way to tell if he's getting enough are diaper counts and weight gain! If you're still worried, you could always do a weighted feed to see how many ounces he's getting in a feeding session. I don't feel my let down either, but that isn't an indication that something is wrong.

    Some other explanations are that he's going through a growth spurt and wants to cluster feed or he's wanting to comfort nurse. You mentioned you express and then let him back on if more comes out. I would let him on any time he shows any hunger cues. I know sometimes for me it seems like that's all the time, but that usually means they're going through a growth spurt. 
  • fishee333fishee333 member
    edited February 2016
    @andimegie325 Exact same thing is going on with me. I'm worried I'm just not making enough for her! I think she's going through a growth spurt right now because its only been like this the last couple days. I have an LC appointment tomorrow so hopefully I'll find out more then. It's really tempting to supplement right now though because LO wants more and I simply don't have any more to give! I don't have any letdown sensation either. 

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  • @kaym6 I have this problem as well! I have a really powerful letdown that makes LO choke on milk about 75% of the time. I have found that using the reclining position helps, but also letting LO pop off the boob when he's getting water boarded (glad someone else feels like they are water boarding the poor kid). If I let my milk drain into a towel or receiving blanket for a minute, he can re-latch and doesn't choke anymore. I hope that's helpful!
  • @Cricket99 glad I'm not alone! That's what I've been doing which is making it at least possible! Ido feel so bad for him when he starts coughing so I've been trying to take him off before he gets to that point and give him a breather! The other day I decided to let it drain into a bottle instead of a cloth and it was 2 entire ounces which is insane! No wonder the poor little guy can't keep up! I'll keep trying those things thanks! :) Is your little one eating from both sides or just one usually?
  • Cricket99Cricket99 member
    edited February 2016
    @kaym6 he only eats from one side at a time, which gives the other side plenty of time to fill up uncomfortably. Apparently that's supposed to regulate eventually (it can't happen soon enough for me). I hadn't thought of letting it drain into a bottle! I bet I could get 4-5 ounces a day if I do that! Genius!

    ETA: whole post didn't show up.
  • Hi ladies I just moved to EP due to latch issues and I am trying to figure out night feeding/pumping. Right now my husband gets up with us and feeds her while I pump and then holds her up for 20 min because she has reflux.I feel horrible because he is working and needs rest but I have not figured a way to feed and pump that wont take well over an hour. How do other EP folks handle their night pump? 
  • @andimegie325 Update: I saw an LC today and she agreed that although LO has gained some weight, she's still hungry (I'm not making enough milk) and so we are going to supplement for now. She recommend a vitamin/supplement for me to take that will increase my milk supply though. Anyway, it feels good to know what the issue is and I have the go ahead to supplement with formula until I can produce more milk. 

    Update for me in general: figured out LO has a really subtle tongue tie which explains my painful nipples and thus latch issues. This is the 3rd LC I've seen, and no one has detected it before! Also getting some body work done on LO because she's tense in her shoulders while BF which also effects latch. I'm going mainly pumping until hopefully we can fix things. 
  • I'm getting really frustrated with BF. I had a reduction surgery about 10 years ago and my milk supply is low, particularly in the left side. I've been to see the LC 3 times, and the pediatrician twice in the 16 days since LO was born. We've done weighted feeds, LO gets up to an ounce from me, and we have to supplement with formula for the rest, which is usually about 2oz. After each feed I pump, anything from 0.5 - 2.5 ounces each time (almost all from the right). 

    My main issue is that feeds take a very long time. LO spends at least half an hour on the breast (often a lot longer), which feels like a long time for 1oz max - the LC called him a 'gourmet eater'. He then takes a good 15 minutes for the bottle (sometimes formula, sometimes pumped breast milk), and I pump for 15-20 minutes after that. A feed takes a minimum of 1 hour, and often takes a lot longer. The LC finally gave me the go ahead to reduce the number of times I pump in the day, but it's still an exhausting process especially considering he gets half his food from formula. His weight gain has been great since we started supplementing, and he has a great latch on the breast, but I keep wondering if it's worth the effort to give him the breast milk. Exclusive formula feeding is starting to sound so tempting! 

    I guess I just needed to vent a bit, and hopefully convince myself that it is worth it, that anything I can give him is better than nothing. 
  • I feel the benefits and convenience of BF isn't seen until the later months, when you don't have bottles to wash or a bottle to to prepare. It gets easier! My 2 year old took about an hour (or more) to nurse in the beginning and then it got better like 3+ months. 
  • Lacynduck said:
    I feel the benefits and convenience of BF isn't seen until the later months, when you don't have bottles to wash or a bottle to to prepare. It gets easier! My 2 year old took about an hour (or more) to nurse in the beginning and then it got better like 3+ months. 
    Maybe for stay at home moms it's more convenient, I'm going to need to be pumping at work starting in April, carrying pump and bottles and coolers around and then still washing bottles after day care each day.
    im going to do it for my baby, but I definitely don't think it's more convenient than formula.
  • I work too. If they give the baby formula at a daycare, they still get their food from a bottle... Right? Or especially at night time. 
  • The worst part that I'm having with breastfeeding is that I feel like I'm either under feeding him (cause he's constantly making hunger cues) or that I'm over feeding him (cause he just vomited up what looked like a bunch of milk). 

    I feel like a failure since I never know what to do for my son. 
  • sea8884 said:
    The worst part that I'm having with breastfeeding is that I feel like I'm either under feeding him (cause he's constantly making hunger cues) or that I'm over feeding him (cause he just vomited up what looked like a bunch of milk). 

    I feel like a failure since I never know what to do for my son. 
    Don't feel like a failure! This shit is hard! Breastfeeding for me has been the hardest part. I thought it would be easy and natural, but omg. You are doing the best you can. My son also always did hunger cues after eating, I ended up going to my pedi and we did a weighted feed, he gets about 2oz from me, the pedi said just try to give him a paci after eating it he's cueing for more. It's worked okay for us. My son sometimes also overfeeds and spits up, I usually do one breast now for 15min, take a break and burp him, and then do the other side until he stops. 

    Just remember that you are doing great, and it takes time!

    good luck! 
  • sea8884 said:
    The worst part that I'm having with breastfeeding is that I feel like I'm either under feeding him (cause he's constantly making hunger cues) or that I'm over feeding him (cause he just vomited up what looked like a bunch of milk). 

    I feel like a failure since I never know what to do for my son. 
    In addition to pp comment, my pediatrician assured me that they have done studies on how we think babies spit up a ton more than what is actually there (including doctors!). She said as long as baby is gaining and has wet diapers there is no need for concern. It's just an annoying laundry problem :)
  • sea8884 said:
    The worst part that I'm having with breastfeeding is that I feel like I'm either under feeding him (cause he's constantly making hunger cues) or that I'm over feeding him (cause he just vomited up what looked like a bunch of milk). 

    I feel like a failure since I never know what to do for my son. 
    Don't feel like a failure! This shit is hard! Breastfeeding for me has been the hardest part. I thought it would be easy and natural, but omg. You are doing the best you can. My son also always did hunger cues after eating, I ended up going to my pedi and we did a weighted feed, he gets about 2oz from me, the pedi said just try to give him a paci after eating it he's cueing for more. It's worked okay for us. My son sometimes also overfeeds and spits up, I usually do one breast now for 15min, take a break and burp him, and then do the other side until he stops. 

    Just remember that you are doing great, and it takes time!

    good luck! 
    Thank you. That does help to hear. 
  • BF has been so up and down for us. Her latch goes through spurts of being really great and then sucking. She'll be 4 weeks on Monday. When we feed it feels like my nipples and breasts afterward are just on fire. And they stay warm to the touch all day. When she latches right away there's mind numbing pain again lately. It goes away after a time but not always. Anyone else having this problem? Advice?
  • failuretoflyfailuretofly member
    edited February 2016
    BF has been so up and down for us. Her latch goes through spurts of being really great and then sucking. She'll be 4 weeks on Monday. When we feed it feels like my nipples and breasts afterward are just on fire. And they stay warm to the touch all day. When she latches right away there's mind numbing pain again lately. It goes away after a time but not always. Anyone else having this problem? Advice?
    I found this too, but I think it's because between nursing and leaking my nipples are perpetually moist,  leading them to get a bit macerated. I found letting them air out for 5-10 minutes a few times a day has helped tremendously! 

    *Edited because auto correct is an asshole
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  • How long is baby supposed to nurse for? 
  • @sea8884 every baby is different with nursing efficiency. My little guy can easily nurse for an hour, and used to go longer. I was at my wits end, my pedi and LC told me he gets 95% of milk in the first 20 minutes of nursing, so they had me go 20min on one breast, burp and then do 20 on the other. Now that he's over a month, he's a lot more efficient and sometimes is done within 20min total. 

    The 2am/3am feed was always so brutal for me, and I would doze off while nursing, which scared me, what I have done is, I got a manual pump, so I quickly pump for him when he's ready, give him that, and then nurse him for a few minutes as well. It's cut down our nighttime routine from 1-1.5 hours to about 30min.


  • StephEppie said:
    BF has been so up and down for us. Her latch goes through spurts of being really great and then sucking. She'll be 4 weeks on Monday. When we feed it feels like my nipples and breasts afterward are just on fire. And they stay warm to the touch all day. When she latches right away there's mind numbing pain again lately. It goes away after a time but not always. Anyone else having this problem? Advice?
    Yes! I weaned off the shield with help of an LC and thought I was doing well until yesterday I got massive cracks, and like you feel like I'm on fire during and afterwards. I'm sure I get lazy ensuring his latch is right, especially during night feedings. So frustrating :( 
  • My lo is favoring my left side over my right side and there is starting to get a noticeable difference in size. Any suggestions?

    I try to put her more on the right but she'll still spend more time on the left when I switch sides. I'm going to start pumping this week to prepare for going back to work, should I favor my right side when I do? 
  • Guys, I am in desperate need of help. I'm miserable. LO nursed like a champ within 20 min of being born and then once more that night. But then she stopped eating at all and ended up in the NICU for a few days. It turned out she was fine, she had a meconium blockage and once she passed it she started doing reAlly well, but I wasn't allowed to nurse in the NICU because they wanted to measure her exact intake and output, so I pumped. Now she's home and she's game to nurse but my nipples are cracked and bleeding and it is literally too painful to let her. My breasts also feel heavy, tender, and sore all the time, even after pumping. I'm using lanolin, letting my nipples air dry, massaging my breasts in the shower, using cold packs after pumping. Why am I so physically miserable and how can I fix it? At night I'm so uncomfortable I have to take one of my leftover norco to sleep. I would quit but my other two LOs never latched and this one is ready and willing so it feels like a waste to quit. Help!!! She was born 2/7 if that helps with a BF timeline.

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  • Oh mama that sounds miserable- do you know what caused you to be so sore? the pump or a poor latch? First you need to address that. Baby could have a tie? If it's the pump then stop pumping if it's the latch fix that- then you might have to tough it out for a bit but they should heal quicker than you think. Cracked and bleeding nipples are ALWAYS due to a problem and never normal. The heavy ness and such is normal for a bit and will adjust as your body figures out how much of a supply you truly need. If baby is latching well then the initial latch on will hurt your sore nipples but nursing itself will not hurt- if it continues to hurt after a few seconds into nursing then you have a latch problem, otherwise the pump could have done this especially if you didn't have a proper fit there. I hope this helps. See a lactation consultant if you can! 
  • I had that problem of bleeding get etc at first. I expressed some put that on my nipplesite then put ointment on. I used Mothers love which worked a lot better than lanolin. Also consider using a nipple shield if possible. That may help with the latest have and decrease the pain. This is definitely the tough part but if you get through this stage the pain, cracking etc will go away and your LO will be latching great.
  • I will have LO feeding and then he'll stop so I take him off but he is still showing hunger signs....
  • FTM and I'm EBF and my LO is 3.5weeks. She is having regular wet and poopy diapers so I wasn't worried that she isn't getting enough, but the last week she has been constantly acting like she is hungry but when I BF her after about 5 min of BF she falls asleep almost every single time and is just comfort nursing for the other 10-15 min. Then when I take her off, she sleeps for about 30-60min and wakes up acting hungry again. I've tried everything to keep her awake during feedings but a majority of the time she nurses to sleep and never unlatches herself. She would comfort nurse all day and night if I let her. Anyone else have this problem??? She also doesn't always burp when I burp her, but will spit up as soon as I lay her down. Im not sure if this is a reflux issue I should be asking the Dr about or just normal baby spit up. I have a day or two where I feel like everything is good and then days like today where I question everything and feel like I'm doing everything wrong! I wish they could just tell us what's going on 
  • Feeling a bit overwhelmed after being told to change direction today at the dr office.  LO is 9 days old.  She had a problem with dehydration and I had a problem with supply.  After she lost too much weight and wasn't producing more than 2 wet diapers in 3 days, we were told to supplement with formula.  We were told to start breast feeding her every 2 hours, 15 min each side, then offer 1oz of formula.  Things were going great for a couple of days and LO started wetting plenty of diapers and gaining a bit of weight.  However, two days ago she started throwing up nearly every time we fed her formula, and the last time she threw up it had a little bit of blood in it (which is why we brought her in to the doctor today.)

    The doctor said we should try skipping the formula.  He was a different doctor than the one who put us on the schedule and he suggested we throw out schedules entirely and just feed on demand.  So we've been doing that all day and I'm feeling overwhelmed.  I am a very schedule oriented person and I feel adrift without one.  I'm also concerned that LO isn't going to get enough milk or hydration without the formula, and I'm worried that she's a very inefficient eater.  (When we got home from the doctor she nursed for over an hour, 30 plus minutes on each side, then took a 20 minute break and nursed again for 45 minutes.)  I am terrified that without the schedule I am never going to sleep more than 45 min at a stretch and that she still may not get enough milk to stay hydrated.  And I'm especially nervous for night feedings because she was often too tired to nurse from the breast and was only getting formula during the night as far as nourishment goes because even when sleepy she would still take a bottle.

    I know I need to just calm down and see how things go and the doctor said we can add back formula if she doesn't wet enough diapers, but I am really nervous (and obviously totally postpartum hormonal here.)  We're going to a breastfeeding class tomorrow to double check her latch (I think it may be too shallow, possibly causing the long feeds, but I can't seem to forcefully correct it) but in the meantime I had a couple of questions: 

    Is it normal for very young babies to be inefficient eaters and then become more efficient?  And, if so, how soon does that happen, generally?  

    And if I were to add pumping, would it be smartest to add them to the short night sessions when she's too tired to feed?  (In the hopes that I could eventually have a stash of breastmilk bottles to feed her when she's too sleepy to nurse.)

    Thank you!  So sorry this is so long winded, I'm just exhausted and nervous.
  • maureenmce , I'm so sorry you and your LO are going through all this! Did the dr say what could have caused the blood? That must have been so scary to see! Have you tried different types of formula? We supplement every now and then and started with Enfamil Supplementing, but he wasn't having it. We switched to their Newborn formula and he still wasn't good, so we tried the Enfamil Gentlease, which he is great with. But now we might be dealing with a milk protein allergy, so we are switching to a Enfamil's soy formula for fussiness and gassy babies ( I can't remember what it's called right now). I've heard stories where it takes trying 10 or more kinds before finding one that LO tolerates. Hopefully you can figure that part out soon!
    And, I'm sorry that I don't have answers to your questions. I do know that new babies aren't generally very efficient at nursing as they are still learning and figuring things out, but they do get their stuff together, but I'm sure at different ages.
    As far as pumping, does LO always eat off both breasts? You could always try feeding on one and pumping the other. I've done this and offer DS an oz of what I have pumped to help satisfy him (If I only pump 1oz, I just give him that).
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  • Karenin said:
    Guys, I am in desperate need of help. I'm miserable. LO nursed like a champ within 20 min of being born and then once more that night. But then she stopped eating at all and ended up in the NICU for a few days. It turned out she was fine, she had a meconium blockage and once she passed it she started doing reAlly well, but I wasn't allowed to nurse in the NICU because they wanted to measure her exact intake and output, so I pumped. Now she's home and she's game to nurse but my nipples are cracked and bleeding and it is literally too painful to let her. My breasts also feel heavy, tender, and sore all the time, even after pumping. I'm using lanolin, letting my nipples air dry, massaging my breasts in the shower, using cold packs after pumping. Why am I so physically miserable and how can I fix it? At night I'm so uncomfortable I have to take one of my leftover norco to sleep. I would quit but my other two LOs never latched and this one is ready and willing so it feels like a waste to quit. Help!!! She was born 2/7 if that helps with a BF timeline.
    My nipples KILLED in the beginning and this is my second baby. Give it a bit of time and if it doesn't improve in a couple weeks definitely see an LC!
  • @MissMheMhe - Thanks for the suggestion.  We had been using two different types of formula and I think we figured out the one that was causing her issues.  She hasn't thrown up yet today (knock on wood) so I think we're in the clear, thank god.  And yes, the blood was SO scary to see!  But luckily it was a tiny amount and our pediatrician told us it was okay as long as it didn't happen again.  (He thought it either was actually from my nipple or something she had in her system from labor, if it was just a one time thing.)

    Anyway, feeling SO much better after a newborn lactation support group today.  The lactation consultant watched me feed and said my baby was latching too shallow (nipple only) so that's why she's been so hungry.  Sadly, baby fell asleep right after she showed me the correct way to latch, so I only got one demonstration, so I'm going back on Friday to check in again and have more practice.

    She also told me not to just let the baby breastfeed for unlimited amounts of time because she's actually burning too many calories for her that way and it's not good for me or baby.  My new prescribed routine is 20 minutes breastfeeding each side (with new, better latch) and then to pump for 20 minutes.  After coming off an epic cluster feed from 9 am to 1:30 pm today, with nearly no break, this sounds like HEAVEN.

    Oh, also, for any moms who are trying to get their babies to catch up on weight, she gave us this awesome medela thing that allows formula or pumped milk supplementation to happen at the same time as feeding.  It's like a double feeding!  It's amazing!  We're supposed to use it for a week to make sure baby is gaining enough while she and I are working on our latch.  It's awesome because it saves time, since we don't have to feed, then supplement, and also because I know at the very least, she'll be full from the formula or pumped milk, even if she and I don't have a great latch yet.

    This is the product, if anyone else is interested:
    https://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/782/starter-supplemental-nursing-system-sns-sterile
  • I'm curious how everyone stores there frozen breast milk. What is the best way?
  • I'm curious how everyone stores there frozen breast milk. What is the best way?
    I let it freeze flat in the door of our upright deep freeze in the NUK bags (just for the day) and then I have them lined up by date in a cardboard box that fits two rows perfectly, bags standing up, in the main part of the freezer. 
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