@whataboutscience & @rnyland1 She was 10 days old yesterday at her f/u appt. I think it was supposed to be the 2wk checkup though. I'm now nursing every 3hr and pumping after each session (except the middle of the night ones). The formula is just meant to bridge the gap hopefully until my supply increases. It does seem better today now that we're on a schedule. I was kind of at a stalemate where my supply is low so I can't get her fed but I can't get her fed unless I pump more or supplement. It's all so confusing and stressful! I hope this does the trick and I can build up a little stock in the fridge.
@sboston06 are you doing anything extra as far as diet or supplements to try increase your supply? Mothers milk tea, oatmeal, etc? How are your calorie and water intakes? I did the tea for the first two weeks, but I can't stand smelling like maple syrup all day every day from the fenugreek.
I am EP so my schedule is a little different, but if I were you I might consider adding at least one pump session for nighttime feedings somewhere between 1-5am, that is when we are supposedly the most productive supply-wise. I would also add breast massage to your pumping routine to make sure you are getting both breasts completely empty, if you aren't already doing that. You could also try adding a power pumping for a couple days?
I think I am slightly over-productive to start with, but if I keep up on water intake and make sure I get enough calories with a couple supply boosting foods each day, plus stay diligent about massaging every last drop out of both breasts, I am averaging a little more than an ounce per breast per hour now at 4w PP (so in the neighborhood of 50oz per 24H). HOWEVER, again I am EPing, so being engorged or having an oversupply isn't an issue like it would be if I was trying to BF and pump. I commend anyone who can find the right balance doing both, because I definitely couldn't.
@erin7264 last night I did do a pump at 3am because M wouldn't take the second breast and I didn't want to go another 3hr without it being stimulated. The rest of my pumping has been thtoughout the day today. I've gotten between 15-30ml with each session (total). I have been drinking 1 cup of the mothers milk tea daily and tomorrow I'm making the lactation cookies. The pedi doesn't want me taking pills to supplement. Water has been between 90-150 oz per day. I think I'm doing fine with calories. I'm not counting but I eat a lot of healthy food throughout the day. Actually I'm eating better than I was during pregnancy. I do breast massage while pumping and can see it spurting out so that's a good sign I suppose! I pump 15-20 min until it stops coming out. What is power pumping?
What the heck boobs?! Five weeks PP and plugged ducts out of nowhere. Thought I was done with this nonsense! I tried a hot compress and massage while feeding and it did nothing. Thinking about trying pumping next, otherwise I don't know what else to do. Anyone have any other really successful tricks? I'm terrified of getting mastitis again so I need these cleared up ASAP! The hot compress thing worked for me weeks one and two so I'm not sure what to think.
Married 6/1/13
BFP #1 7/2013 MMC 9/17/13
BFP #2 5/2014 MC 6/15/14
BFP #3 11/13/14 (Found in ER with ruptured cyst) Diagnosed MC 11/15/14
BFP #4 4/2015 MC 7/1/15
BFP #5 10/21/15 EDD 7/3/16 Praying for our rainbow!
Sounds like you are on the right track then, @sboston06! Power pumping is something like 20 minutes on the pump, 10 off, 10 on again, 10 off, and then 10 on. From what I've read if you do one session a day like that for a couple days, it should increase your supply. Might check kellymom to make sure I got the times right, I'm pretty sure it's three pump sessions total though.
Forgive me if this has been mentioned prior but has anyone had their LO so frustrated with BF you just give them your breast milk from the bottle with some feedings and formula for other feedings...LO will take the boob and with a great latch but about 20 seconds in, he gets antsy and impatient....we did have a setback being readmitted last week for jaundice. After he came home, I followed up with the lactation consultant within the pediatrician's office. She said to attempt the latch as many times as possible during day time feeds first before feeding him. Ultimately while I can pump 1 to 2 oz. per boob (morning usually the best supply) , I feel he wants it faster and I can't express that fast while BF him. When I try to explain that to both the pediatrician's office and when we were in the hospital, they look at me like I'm nutty. Sadly, I think I may be exclusively bottle feeding but I will continue to try and see if he will be patient with it.
@winnie1122 Have you tried taking a really hot shower and massaging your boobs to loosen the plugged duct and then pumping right after? I had a stubborn plugged duct last week and that's what I did that seemed to have helped.
@erin7264@sboston06 The LC I spoke to last week told me to power pump with 3 ten minute sessions for an hour - so 10 minutes pumping, 10 minutes off, 10 pump, 10 off, and 10 pump again - once a night between the hours of 10pm-4pm, for a few nights to help with supply.
@Jodi1980- I'm having issues getting S to stay latched and my lactation consultant suggested breaking out the pump and pumping for a minute or two to get the milk flowing... Since baby doesn't have to work as hard with the bottle they can get more frustrated at the breast and this is supposed to help. I haven't tried it yet though so I can't speak to how much it will help. Oh, and I do supplement with formula so we use a bottle daily.
@Jodi1980 I'm right there with ya! MJ has a weak suck and gets very lazy with the Boob. The LC suggested I squeeze my boob so that the flow speeds up but that doesn't really work. MJ will suck and swollow for a few minutes and then fall fast asleep. I undress him, tickle, wet his forehead and none of it works. He'll wake up a few minutes later upset and hungry. I've been pumping more now and we're all happier and less stressed out.
I have the opposite problem. My letdown starts if LO touches my nipple or cries and it seems to be faster than he likes. It sometimes takes 20 tries for him to want to latch and he's screaming mad by the time he does. Really slick when I'm nursing in public. I'm grateful he's getting what he needs and we're getting into a better groove, but it can be very frustrating seeing him so upset and feeling like he can't get what he wants.
Ugh @whataboutscience I'm in the same boat. At first the reclining back thing was working to slow things down, now it's not anymore. He gets sooooo worked up and upset and can't sleep afterwards. Which usually happens at some ungodly hour of the night like right now cuz apparently that's when milk supply is highest. I'm thisclose to giving in and pumping ahead of time so i can just give him bottles at night. I love my little nugget so much but i won't be able to take much more of this night chaos, and it bothers him so much too i feel terrible
@kellz14 Yes, he screamed until he gave up and passed out on side two. I was hoping he'd take it and sleep longer. Thankfully he pooped then and after waking up for a diaper change, got him to latch so we got a little longer stretch of sleep.
@winnie1122 you can also try taking lecithin, a supplement that can help prevent future clogged ducts. Try googling info about, it helps thin out fatty milk that causes clogs without taking away any nutritional value.
I'm so jealous about how much you ladies get per session. I get like 2 ounces per 15-20 min session on both breasts. I'm trying to pump three times a day but it's hard to get more sessions in when I'm only able to when DD sleeps. Ugh! I hope I'm able to produce enough for when she goes to daycare.
@Heathereaddy I only get 1 oz total per session, on a good session! I've been pumping after most breastfeeding attempts, so about 6-8x per day. Then I just feed it as a supplement until we can get her weight up more. So I'm not stockpiling at all yet. Pump as much as you're able and hand massage while you're pumping. I'm also drinking the mothers milk tea and going to make lactation cookies tonight.
@mrsmommya I don't pump regularly but when I do I've been freezing in 2.5oz bags. DS1 took 3oz bottles until he was at least 6 months if I remember correctly. They need about 25oz per day so dividing that by average number of feedings should determine how much per bottle.
My right breast let down is considerably slower than my left, even when I'm pumping. Typically takes 1.5-2 minutes. M gets frustrated, but I just keep trying. She eventually latches, but not before getting really upset. I do not offer a bottle though.
I started pumping 1 breast first thing in the morning this week to start to build a small freezer stash. I do it every morning. She typically wakes up between 6-7. I nurse from one side and pump the other. I have been getting 4-5 ounces. I've just been freezing it as it comes. Not dividing it in smaller increments. When I thaw it, I can divy it up according to how much she's eating at the time. I'm not going back to work until December ish. So the freezer stash (for now) is just so my husband can take the occasional feeding or we have a date night.
I remember DD1 taking her first bottle at 2 weeks and we just did it so DH could feed her and see how much she was getting. We didn't do it often but I also went to work at 6 weeks and this time I am taking 12 for FMLA. She took 2oz at 2 weeks but I think she stuck around 4oz after that for the majority of the time. I just felt 2oz would be wasting bags and I can get that the night before if I need a small amount to start introducing the bottle. I am also looking into a small deep freeze so my milk will stay longer since I will be out so much longer.
@mnkenned my LO has been bottle fed since day 1 because his blood sugar was so low and needed to be supplemented. He hasn't had any confusion and we continue to pump and give him bottles overnight since it's hard to prepare myself for breastfeeding while tired. I have to use a nipple shield and I am usually too tired to deal with all that.
@mnkenned LO had his first (and only so far) bottle a few days ago at 2 weeks (DH wanted to feed him). He had a hard time with the fast flow but besides that did fine and went back to breast fine!
I've been using a bottle for a few days now. Starting at about 9 days old because LO lost weight and needs supplementing. I think I got this from someone here but I saved it and have found it useful. LO likes the mam bottles from BRU but you will have to experiment to find one baby likes.
@mnkenned we introduced a bottle of breastmilk at about 4 weeks so my husband could feed him while I was at my chiropractors. He gives him a bottle now a few times a week now so he has no problem taking one when we start going on dates again.
@setosh how do you do it with the shield?? I can't seem to get it together. I either take too long to put it on and LO gets frustrated or LO knocks it off while getting settled in. The whole thing stresses me out because I can't seem to get it on right sometimes. Any tricks or tips?
@kellz14 and @whataboutscience - I have the same issue on my right boob. I've found hand expressing a bit of milk into his burp cloth or a towel before offering him that boob really helps. He doesn't cough or sputter nearly as much, though he does still prefer L boob.
@mnkenned we introduced a bottle at day 3 because we had to supplement while my milk came in. We didn't warm the formula past room temp and got the Medela Calma nipples. He had some minor nipple confusion, but I did eventually get him to latch on to me again. Now he prefers my boobs to anything else. We still give him a bottle of pumped milk about 3x a week - DH likes to feed him and it is nice to have the option.
@setosh how do you do it with the shield?? I can't seem to get it together. I either take too long to put it on and LO gets frustrated or LO knocks it off while getting settled in. The whole thing stresses me out because I can't seem to get it on right sometimes. Any tricks or tips?
It is super frustrating! I usually grab baby and shield then go to wherever I'm feeding. I set him down on my lap then put the shield on. I have to tuck one of his arms under my boob then hold the other arm because mine loves to grab and pull the shield off. It is stressful but typically after a few tries we get it right.
Anyone else have trouble with pump efficiency? I have an electric medela and especially during late night/early morning pump when I sm so full I can't get it to empty the breast!! I do massage and a warm toeel but haven't tried much else.
I'm also using a sheild due to nipple problems from breast reduction. I have to tuck her one arm under my breast and hold the other too or she knocks it off or grabs it lol. Some days are more challenging than others.
Ok I used my manual pump to relieve a bit from the left while she nursed from the right and I got 1 1/2 oz in a couple minutes. Again this was just to get relief until the next feeding in 2-3 hours....I didn't drain it.
So I'm a little concerned. This is the second time this has happened. After Jaxon is done feeding he will spit up a little. Today he spat up quite a bit and then straight up puked everywhere. It came out his nose, mouth and didn't stop until his stomach was empty. Has anyone seen this in their babies? I feel like he's eating too fast. He's gaining weight really good and like I said it's only happened once before this. Not sure what's going on. He was just seen by the doc a few days ago and the doc didn't want to see him back for a few weeks since he's doing so well.
@setosh does your office have a nurse line to get advice? I'd be concerned about the vomiting too, not so much the spit up. But as a FTM I have no idea what could be the cause.
@setosh My DD had bad reflux and did that a couple times when she was really little. I don't know if she ate too fast/too much or what. Was it projectile? If he's repeatedly projectile vomiting, that can be a red flag. Otherwise, if he seems comfortable, no fever, normal diapers, etc. I probably wouldn't worry too much of it happens once or twice. If it's a regular thing, talk to the doctor about possible reflux or other possible issues. Good luck.
@sboston06@whataboutscience He's actually feeding again now so I'm going to monitor him. It wasn't projectile. Looked like he was spitting up except it was a lot. He's been fine since it happened but if it happens again in the next day or two I'll definitely be calling the office. Thanks guys!
@setosh we have had spit up issues as well. No vomitting though. Just a lotttt of spit up and it's always so inconsistent. It always looked like she spit up her whole meal. Our ped said it was normal since she's gaining weight and it doesn't bother her. She also recommended we burp a lot and keep her upright for 20-30 min after. Said she could just be eating too much.
Me: 28 | Husband: 39 Married March 2016 DD: born 7.22.16 DS EDD: 6.23.18
Re: Feeding Your Baby
I am EP so my schedule is a little different, but if I were you I might consider adding at least one pump session for nighttime feedings somewhere between 1-5am, that is when we are supposedly the most productive supply-wise. I would also add breast massage to your pumping routine to make sure you are getting both breasts completely empty, if you aren't already doing that. You could also try adding a power pumping for a couple days?
I think I am slightly over-productive to start with, but if I keep up on water intake and make sure I get enough calories with a couple supply boosting foods each day, plus stay diligent about massaging every last drop out of both breasts, I am averaging a little more than an ounce per breast per hour now at 4w PP (so in the neighborhood of 50oz per 24H). HOWEVER, again I am EPing, so being engorged or having an oversupply isn't an issue like it would be if I was trying to BF and pump. I commend anyone who can find the right balance doing both, because I definitely couldn't.
She said to attempt the latch as many times as possible during day time feeds first before feeding him. Ultimately while I can pump 1 to 2 oz. per boob (morning usually the best supply) , I feel he wants it faster and I can't express that fast while BF him. When I try to explain that to both the pediatrician's office and when we were in the hospital, they look at me like I'm nutty.
Sadly, I think I may be exclusively bottle feeding but I will continue to try and see if he will be patient with it.
Edited: added
@erin7264 @sboston06 The LC I spoke to last week told me to power pump with 3 ten minute sessions for an hour - so 10 minutes pumping, 10 minutes off, 10 pump, 10 off, and 10 pump again - once a night between the hours of 10pm-4pm, for a few nights to help with supply.
ETA: THANK YOU!!! It worked, hallelujah.
July16 JULY siggy challenge
@mrsmommya
My right breast let down is considerably slower than my left, even when I'm pumping. Typically takes 1.5-2 minutes. M gets frustrated, but I just keep trying. She eventually latches, but not before getting really upset. I do not offer a bottle though.
I started pumping 1 breast first thing in the morning this week to start to build a small freezer stash. I do it every morning. She typically wakes up between 6-7. I nurse from one side and pump the other. I have been getting 4-5 ounces. I've just been freezing it as it comes. Not dividing it in smaller increments. When I thaw it, I can divy it up according to how much she's eating at the time. I'm not going back to work until December ish. So the freezer stash (for now) is just so my husband can take the occasional feeding or we have a date night.
BF moms - if you're planning on introducing a bottle, when are you going to/ did you do it?
@mnkenned we introduced a bottle at day 3 because we had to supplement while my milk came in. We didn't warm the formula past room temp and got the Medela Calma nipples. He had some minor nipple confusion, but I did eventually get him to latch on to me again. Now he prefers my boobs to anything else. We still give him a bottle of pumped milk about 3x a week - DH likes to feed him and it is nice to have the option.
Married March 2016
DD: born 7.22.16
DS EDD: 6.23.18