I started pumping yesterday morning after BF so we can introduce a bottle once a day. Today I noticed I'm getting about twice as much milk from one side than I am from the other even though LO just fed on the side producing more. Has anyone else experienced this?
Yup I always get 2 oz from the right and 1oz from the left... My right is bigger.
Yes, but I'm opposite. I get about 3-4 oz from the left and 1 oz from the right. My left side feels engorged a lot and I get plugged ducts frequently on the right.
I am trying to figure out how and when to start pumping for I go back to work. When are you working in pumping sessions?
I'm trying to pump once a day. If LO slept better at night (waking every 3-4 hours but hard to get BACK to sleep) I'd pump between 1-5am, because that's when milk production is at its highest. But right now it's whenever I can. I get 3-4ozs each time. I'd love to pump twice a day but can't quite yet. If I get 4ozs a day that would be almost 400ozs by the time I go back to work, assuming I don't use any at all (which I will, for date nights and possibly an overnight for our anniversary in June). I really really hope I can get a good pumping schedule so I can make it to a year...I don't know if it'll work out, but I'm hoping!
Jealous of how much you guys get. When I got home, I was pumping about 1.5-2oz per side but then LO started what I thought was eating enough from me and I slowed down on pumping. My supply ended up dropping loads where sometimes I would barely get .5oz combined. I'm on my 3rd or 4th day of fenugreek and I'm getting about 1-1.5oz total, but still wish I had my old supply
I try to pump after a feed 1 time a day and I get like nothing. I have been taking fenugreek for 2 weeks and more milk plus for a week. I just wish I didn't have to worry about supply
Just an fyi. I started taking my prenatals again Saturday night thinking it would be great for baby and myself since I've read that a lot of moms do so. Wellllll. Sunday LO was a fussy wreck. He was on my boobs all day since it was the only thing that would calm him. The only thing that I switched up was taking that prenatal. Apparently prenatals can be super harsh on little tummies when breastfeeding. My LC recommend a Flintstone a day for extra vitamins and told me to completely shy away from prenatals. I felt so bad! So many people recommend different things it's hard to keep track. So if your LO is fussy and you're taking prenatals try not taking them to see if it helps. I believe everyone is different but if it'll help you ladies and your babies why not!
That's interesting about the prenatal vitamins. I never stopped taking mine. I've been taking them since Feb of last year. I have noticed something interesting though! Since he started taking a vitamin D drop supplement his poop is no longer yellow, but a crayon orange... At least I think it's the vitamin D supplement. Anyone notice this?
Also, I've been nursing exclusively for exactly a week now and was really worried about weight gain... The doctor knew we would be giving it a try, so they scheduled a weight check. He gained 13oz in a week! He is now 8lb and 10oz! That also means he's gained 2 lbs total thin a little over two weeks... So I thing nursing is working....
Just an fyi. I started taking my prenatals again Saturday night thinking it would be great for baby and myself since I've read that a lot of moms do so. Wellllll. Sunday LO was a fussy wreck. He was on my boobs all day since it was the only thing that would calm him. The only thing that I switched up was taking that prenatal. Apparently prenatals can be super harsh on little tummies when breastfeeding. My LC recommend a Flintstone a day for extra vitamins and told me to completely shy away from prenatals. I felt so bad! So many people recommend different things it's hard to keep track. So if your LO is fussy and you're taking prenatals try not taking them to see if it helps. I believe everyone is different but if it'll help you ladies and your babies why not!
Thanks for this tip. There were a couple of times last week that I remembered to take my prenatals. Those might have been the days LO was super fussy and inconsolable. I haven't taken them for the past two days and there was no excessive fussiness. I suppose I should take another prenatal to observe any possible changes but I don't want to!
I'm 4 weeks post partum and head back in 5 weeks. I started to pump every day last week during afternoon nap or after he goes to bed to start building my stash. I used/ruined most of it this weekend so I'm starting from scratch. I think despite the lost 20ish ounces we are still going to be in a good place. With DD, I was able to keep up each day and built some extra for a work trip. Getting a ton stashed before work wasn't necessary.
WRT prenatals, I've mostly remembered them everyday with no issue. I'm taking gummy ones in case it makes a difference.
LO is having trouble with the latch and continues to crack and break my skin open on my nipples, so we are going to see the LC on Friday to hopefully fix this. Until then I have been EP, and I am dealing with oversupply producing about 40oz a day. I already have almost 300oz stored in the freezer and not counting what I have stored in the fridge! LO will be 3w old tomorrow and my milk supply came in 3w ago this Saturday. We can do this ladies!
So jealous of the supply some of you have! I'm EP and sometime I only get 2-3oz total. Occasionally I get about 8oz total but that's not very often. I'm still getting up in the middle of the night to pump every time LO wakes up to eat (so basically every 2-3 hours round the clock)
I messed up and went almost 6 hours without pumping the other day because hubby took the baby and let me sleep and when I woke up my boobs were on fire.
At this rate I'm afraid I'll never have a stash to fall back on. The way LO is eating now I usually have about a day or two worth of milk in the fridge in addition to what he needs for the day so a 2-3 day supply if needed but I would love to have more.
Have any of you used fenugreek or other supplements with success?
So jealous of the supply some of you have! I'm EP and sometime I only get 2-3oz total. Occasionally I get about 8oz total but that's not very often. I'm still getting up in the middle of the night to pump every time LO wakes up to eat (so basically every 2-3 hours round the clock)
I messed up and went almost 6 hours without pumping the other day because hubby took the baby and let me sleep and when I woke up my boobs were on fire.
At this rate I'm afraid I'll never have a stash to fall back on. The way LO is eating now I usually have about a day or two worth of milk in the fridge in addition to what he needs for the day so a 2-3 day supply if needed but I would love to have more.
Have any of you used fenugreek or other supplements with success?
I was just going to ask the same thing. I'm averaging about 4 oz at a time pumping, which is just about what LO is taking at each feeding. I can't get ahead of her.
This growth spurt is killing me. DS is 15 days which is earlier than I remember from my first but he's been nursing so much the past 24 hours. My nipples had finally healed and now I feel like the first few days all over again!
@WiseUsagi@runningwild Me too! I pump to keep up, and have zero back stash. I have no problem supplementing with formula, but would like to keep him on mostly breast milk still... And as he is eating more and more every day I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up with him.
To those that are pumping and using bottles, which ones are you using? I had the great idea to pump so DH could feed LO every once and a while, totally didn't work. We have Medela and avent bottles. He hated both of them and would not cooperate to eat a drop. Is this normal and something we will work through or do I need to try different bottles?
To those that are pumping and using bottles, which ones are you using? I had the great idea to pump so DH could feed LO every once and a while, totally didn't work. We have Medela and avent bottles. He hated both of them and would not cooperate to eat a drop. Is this normal and something we will work through or do I need to try different bottles?
DD hated both Medela and Avent bottles too. We tried the Playtex VentAire and so far those seem to be working. I've also heard that Dr Browns work really well. Those were next on our list.
To those that are pumping and using bottles, which ones are you using? I had the great idea to pump so DH could feed LO every once and a while, totally didn't work. We have Medela and avent bottles. He hated both of them and would not cooperate to eat a drop. Is this normal and something we will work through or do I need to try different bottles?
We have Dr. Brown's. I only gave DD one bottle (she is three weeks) and she took it like a champ. I actually had my mom give it to her- I wanted to make sure she would take it from someone else so we can leave her with my SIL in a few weeks for a wedding.
My understanding is sometimes babies don't want to take bottles from you (they recognize you by smell at a very young age) so maybe try and have someone else give it to him?
To those that are pumping and using bottles, which ones are you using? I had the great idea to pump so DH could feed LO every once and a while, totally didn't work. We have Medela and avent bottles. He hated both of them and would not cooperate to eat a drop. Is this normal and something we will work through or do I need to try different bottles?
We have Dr. Brown's. I only gave DD one bottle (she is three weeks) and she took it like a champ. I actually had my mom give it to her- I wanted to make sure she would take it from someone else so we can leave her with my SIL in a few weeks for a wedding.
My understanding is sometimes babies don't want to take bottles from you (they recognize you by smell at a very young age) so maybe try and have someone else give it to him?
That's a great idea. Thanks for the advice & the bottle recommendations ladies!
To those that are pumping and using bottles, which ones are you using? I had the great idea to pump so DH could feed LO every once and a while, totally didn't work. We have Medela and avent bottles. He hated both of them and would not cooperate to eat a drop. Is this normal and something we will work through or do I need to try different bottles?
DS gets a bottle of expressed milk about every other day. We've only used the Munchkin latch (we used Dr Browns with DD) and he's had no trouble going back and forth between boob and bottle.
To those that are pumping and using bottles, which ones are you using? I had the great idea to pump so DH could feed LO every once and a while, totally didn't work. We have Medela and avent bottles. He hated both of them and would not cooperate to eat a drop. Is this normal and something we will work through or do I need to try different bottles?
Peter wouldn't take Tommy Tippee, Avent or Nuk. We finally had success with Mam bottles. They're the only bottles and pacifiers he'll take. I think he likes the nipple shape better. It's wider and kind of flat and fits in his mouth better than the others.
We are using Dr. Brown's, mostly due to the good reviews. DS isn't picky at all though; he took every kind of bottle we tried. I usually give him his bottle; he doesn't seem to mind it coming from mom at all! I both pump and breastfeed (pumping has helped tremendously with my forceful letdown and totally saved breastfeeding for us).
I cannot for the life of me get DS's top lip to flange out when he latches. Now he's getting blisters on his lip from bad sucking position. And we are trying to warn from a nipple shield on top of that. I'm seeing an LC on Friday, but does anyone have any suggestions for the mean time? Maybe pump and bottle feed? The blisters don't seem to bother him, but I imagine they'll hurt if they get worse.
Started using Dr. Brown's yesterday since we've had so much trouble with gas. Peter is taking it just fine.
I am trying desperately to get him on the boob. I'm trying a nipple shield. He latched GREAT on the shield several times last night but today he is totally fighting it again. He uses his hands to push away from the boob and flails about and cries and won't open his mouth. So frustrating.
I feel like I'm giving up by giving him a bottle but I can't let my baby starve. =/ People keep telling me to stay in bed with him all day and just keep trying the boob but after almost an hour of him crying in hunger and frustration I give in and give him the bottle. I can't stand the thought of him going hungry.
At least even if I continue to EP he's still getting breast milk
Started using Dr. Brown's yesterday since we've had so much trouble with gas. Peter is taking it just fine.
I am trying desperately to get him on the boob. I'm trying a nipple shield. He latched GREAT on the shield several times last night but today he is totally fighting it again. He uses his hands to push away from the boob and flails about and cries and won't open his mouth. So frustrating.
I feel like I'm giving up by giving him a bottle but I can't let my baby starve. =/ People keep telling me to stay in bed with him all day and just keep trying the boob but after almost an hour of him crying in hunger and frustration I give in and give him the bottle. I can't stand the thought of him going hungry.
At least even if I continue to EP he's still getting breast milk
My LO one doing the same thing! He's still doing it now about 50 percent of the time but I'm using a nipple shield and I went to see a lactation consultant who gave me a curved syringe and I fill it with pumped breast milk and sneak a little into the corner of his mouth while he is on the nipple shield. I guess my LO is too impatient so this helps him keep going. Doesn't work 100 percent but I have been able to actually breast feed a few times a day instead of having him scream and cry and push away from me! Good luck
When I was trying to get Eliot back to the breast, we would fight by going on and off the breast for 40 minutes or so, milk everywhere! We did this for several feedings. He would shake is head, push me away and finally take it... Just to fall asleep. After doing this for a day, he took the breast sooner and sooner coming off less and less. I think I was giving up and going for pumped milk too soon before. He had gained a ton, so I wasn't worried and was determined to not give him a bottle. It was a lot of persistence, hard work, and pain, but we now are exclusively breast feeding... And he gained 13 oz that week. We still are having lots of pain because he is just sucking on the nipple no matter what I try. I was told we just need time. Ouch!
Started using Dr. Brown's yesterday since we've had so much trouble with gas. Peter is taking it just fine.
I am trying desperately to get him on the boob. I'm trying a nipple shield. He latched GREAT on the shield several times last night but today he is totally fighting it again. He uses his hands to push away from the boob and flails about and cries and won't open his mouth. So frustrating.
I feel like I'm giving up by giving him a bottle but I can't let my baby starve. =/ People keep telling me to stay in bed with him all day and just keep trying the boob but after almost an hour of him crying in hunger and frustration I give in and give him the bottle. I can't stand the thought of him going hungry.
At least even if I continue to EP he's still getting breast milk
I feel for you. That is why I switched to EP. My nipples are flat and LO can't latch well. I was so torn up I couldn't take it. And she would cry and bite me and push away over and over. I decided it was better for both of us to EP and bottle feed.
I hope it gets better for you. EP really sucks sometimes.
For those of you EPing, what's your process in getting the bottle ready? I can guess what time LO will be feeding and his average intake but we often find ourselves warming a bottle as he's crying. I hate this waiting time and usually warm a bit less to avoid wasting (we just warm up a bit more if we feel like he's gonna want it).
For those of you EPing, what's your process in getting the bottle ready? I can guess what time LO will be feeding and his average intake but we often find ourselves warming a bottle as he's crying. I hate this waiting time and usually warm a bit less to avoid wasting (we just warm up a bit more if we feel like he's gonna want it).
My LO is a HUGE eater (to the point that the pediatrician told me today I need to cut him off at 3 oz per feeding, bc he'll just keep going). I warm up an entire Avent big bottle though, and whatever he doesn't drink, I put back in the fridge to warm up again in 2-3 hours. Once that bottle is done, I make a new bottle. I know it will all be drank and the bottle cleaned/sterilized in just a few feedings, so I never worry too much about serving him an exact portion.
For those of you EPing, what's your process in getting the bottle ready? I can guess what time LO will be feeding and his average intake but we often find ourselves warming a bottle as he's crying. I hate this waiting time and usually warm a bit less to avoid wasting (we just warm up a bit more if we feel like he's gonna want it).
QBF
I've been having trouble pumping enough milk to get very far ahead of LO. But basically, I prepare bottles in 3-4 oz. portions. She averages about 3.5 oz per feeding so there's very little waste (sometimes none). I can usually anticipate when she'll be hungry so already have water heated on the stove ready to warm the bottle, so it doesn't take too long.
I use a bottle warmer in my room at night and struggle more with the crying waiting game at night because I don't have the water heated ahead of time. I wish there was a better, easier way to go about it. But I have yet to figure it out
@Mailmans Baby Momma I've tried it s few times recently. I like it because I feel it is absorbed better. All other nipple balms keep my nipples too moist and makes them feel more raw.
Has anyone tried coconut oil on their nipples instead of lanolin? LC suggested it today and I like the idea of it but never tried it with DS 1.
I use coconut oil almost exclusively! It works excellently well, and DS likes it too. He usually pulls back a little and makes a face if I have just lanolin (I use Medela) on my nipple, but he goes right for it with coconut oil. I do feel that coconut oil absorbs better (plus we use coconut oil for so many other purposes that it's easy to just swipe a little extra from the jar!). I do tend to use the lanolin if I'm super sore/raw; I think it offers a little more protection from rubbing/moisture.
Started using Dr. Brown's yesterday since we've had so much trouble with gas. Peter is taking it just fine.
I am trying desperately to get him on the boob. I'm trying a nipple shield. He latched GREAT on the shield several times last night but today he is totally fighting it again. He uses his hands to push away from the boob and flails about and cries and won't open his mouth. So frustrating.
I feel like I'm giving up by giving him a bottle but I can't let my baby starve. =/ People keep telling me to stay in bed with him all day and just keep trying the boob but after almost an hour of him crying in hunger and frustration I give in and give him the bottle. I can't stand the thought of him going hungry.
At least even if I continue to EP he's still getting breast milk
Try nursing when he just begins to show signs of hunger.... don't wait until he super hungry. At that point they have very little patience and so will u....
For those of you EPing, what's your process in getting the bottle ready? I can guess what time LO will be feeding and his average intake but we often find ourselves warming a bottle as he's crying. I hate this waiting time and usually warm a bit less to avoid wasting (we just warm up a bit more if we feel like he's gonna want it).
My LO is a HUGE eater (to the point that the pediatrician told me today I need to cut him off at 3 oz per feeding, bc he'll just keep going). I warm up an entire Avent big bottle though, and whatever he doesn't drink, I put back in the fridge to warm up again in 2-3 hours. Once that bottle is done, I make a new bottle. I know it will all be drank and the bottle cleaned/sterilized in just a few feedings, so I never worry too much about serving him an exact portion.
Unless im remembering wrong.... double warming is a no no. Just check with a LC TO be safe
For those of you EPing, what's your process in getting the bottle ready? I can guess what time LO will be feeding and his average intake but we often find ourselves warming a bottle as he's crying. I hate this waiting time and usually warm a bit less to avoid wasting (we just warm up a bit more if we feel like he's gonna want it).
My LO is a HUGE eater (to the point that the pediatrician told me today I need to cut him off at 3 oz per feeding, bc he'll just keep going). I warm up an entire Avent big bottle though, and whatever he doesn't drink, I put back in the fridge to warm up again in 2-3 hours. Once that bottle is done, I make a new bottle. I know it will all be drank and the bottle cleaned/sterilized in just a few feedings, so I never worry too much about serving him an exact portion.
Unless im remembering wrong.... double warming is a no no. Just check with a LC TO be safe
This. I was told not to reheat breastmilk. Whatever is left at the end of the feeding should be discarded.
Re: Breastfeeding Thread
Also, I've been nursing exclusively for exactly a week now and was really worried about weight gain... The doctor knew we would be giving it a try, so they scheduled a weight check. He gained 13oz in a week! He is now 8lb and 10oz! That also means he's gained 2 lbs total thin a little over two weeks... So I thing nursing is working....
WRT prenatals, I've mostly remembered them everyday with no issue. I'm taking gummy ones in case it makes a difference.
I messed up and went almost 6 hours without pumping the other day because hubby took the baby and let me sleep and when I woke up my boobs were on fire.
At this rate I'm afraid I'll never have a stash to fall back on. The way LO is eating now I usually have about a day or two worth of milk in the fridge in addition to what he needs for the day so a 2-3 day supply if needed but I would love to have more.
Have any of you used fenugreek or other supplements with success?
I'm averaging about 4 oz at a time pumping, which is just about what LO is taking at each feeding. I can't get ahead of her.
My understanding is sometimes babies don't want to take bottles from you (they recognize you by smell at a very young age) so maybe try and have someone else give it to him?
Also LO will only take a Mam pacifier... went through every brand of those too. Lol
I am trying desperately to get him on the boob. I'm trying a nipple shield. He latched GREAT on the shield several times last night but today he is totally fighting it again. He uses his hands to push away from the boob and flails about and cries and won't open his mouth. So frustrating.
I feel like I'm giving up by giving him a bottle but I can't let my baby starve. =/ People keep telling me to stay in bed with him all day and just keep trying the boob but after almost an hour of him crying in hunger and frustration I give in and give him the bottle. I can't stand the thought of him going hungry.
At least even if I continue to EP he's still getting breast milk
I hope it gets better for you. EP really sucks sometimes.
Good luck