I've been absent because I've been busy at work, but let me warn you to be careful with the silicone pump. I bought one and every time I use it, I end up with a bruised nipple.
Norah had a hard time at first because she was pre-term, had poor facial muscle tone, and a small mouth. I used a nipple shield, but she didn't like it. So I mostly pumped and bottle fed at night and we breastfed during the day. Now she's a pro. She's been at daycare for 5 weeks and takes pumped bottles there and breastfeeds at home.
Good luck to all of you. It's tough at first but it gets better.
When does the redness from mastitis go away? I've had 10 days of antibiotics + IV antibiotics and my breast is still red? It's not like it was but there's definitely a color difference? There's no lumps anymore either so I'm positive I'm in the clear. Still seems odd it's red though... Was it just that bad or is this normal?
@marshmallowfarts I really don't know. You had a serious case. Both times I had mastitis I treated very very early and avoided the hard lumps. Really hoping you're back to 100% soon!
Ok I broke down and ordered a Haakaa. I seriously have too much pump equipment! My husband saw me ordering and rolled his eyes. Anyway, I'll report back!
Anyone else have the spectra s1? I cannot get it to pump. It worked yesterday and I took it apart to wash it . I think I messed up the white part somehow? It's moving but I'm getting no suction on the breast ... infuriating
Yes I have the Spectra (and too many other pumps!) I love the Spectra the best. Glad you figured out the septum thingy. Now here's my question! How in the world do you use a hands free bra with it???
@Cbeanz I've just been shoving the whole thing through the hole on my hands free bra. I have the lanisoh bra. I agree that I like the spectra so far and I love that it works with the avent bottles, but yeah getting the medela parts into the bra is way easier.
Speaking of the Spectra, I have one too. I had the Medela PISA with DS. I just started pumping three days ago but anyone have advice on what settings you use? I know it's probably partly personal choice but what have you found that works for you? I was hoping to get more than I did when I pumped but I'm also wondering if my flanges are sized right. Right now im kind of missing my PISA. I also think that my hands free bra is a little too big and doesn't hold the flanges that well. I pumped for over a year with DS you'd think I would know what I was doing but I guess I've forgotten in 5 years!
@IloveAlbert For letdown I use a rate of 70 level 3 then after things get moving I change to rate of 40 level 4. Everyone is different but if that gives you a ballpark to start from. With my PISA I used to turn the dial about 1/3 of the way up.
I use 40 and level 4 for 20mins. I think my hands free bra is a little too big too. I've started leaning over and let gravity pull my nips through the flanges for like the first 5 seconds and that gets a better suction for me.
@Cbeanz I've just been shoving the whole thing through the hole on my hands free bra. I have the lanisoh bra. I agree that I like the spectra so far and I love that it works with the avent bottles, but yeah getting the medela parts into the bra is way easier.
Wait, avent bottle fit the spectra pump? With no conversion supplies? Game changer.
Well Molly didn't gain as much as the doctor wanted her to gain, so now we start supplementing. Top her off after eating 1 oz of breast milk if pumped or 1 oz of formula if not enough pumped.
I feel defeated. Like I'm doing everything I can, but she just won't gain at the rate the dr wants. Let's hope this weekend the supplementing helps.
@mecoats Try not feel defeated. You are doing the best you can for your baby. Breastfeeding is so hard...for something that is "natural" you have to work awfully hard to do it. Keep up the good work...you are doing great!
So last night I gave DS his first bottle of pumped milk. I wasn't sure how much he normally eats in one sitting, so I first gave him 2oz and he SLAMMED it. He kept asking for more, so just in case his brain hadn't registered that he was full yet bc he ate it so fast, we gave him a pacifier and had him sit for 5 min, then gave him 1 more oz. then he kept asking for more... so we gave him 1 more oz again... then he asked for more... but at this point I thought this has to be way too much milk for him so I just gave him the pacifier and rocked him to sleep. Does 4oz seem like a lot for a 3.5 week old baby? I feel like most people were saying their LOs only drank about 2oz per feeding usually?
@npaulie I think 4 oz is just about where he should be at that age.
For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 1 Samuel 1:27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@npaulie since we exclusively pump I know how much our little guy drinks. Right around that time he was drinking over 3oz but now he drinks 3 or less per feeding at 9 weeks old. Not sure if that's normal or not but at his checkup on Wednesday the doctor didn't seem concerned and said he was doing well.
i think as long as they are gaining the amount isn't a big deal. typically breastfed babies 1-6 months take in about 25 oz. Dividing that by the number of feedings LO does in a day can give you an idea of about how many ounces baby needs a feeding. of course, growth spurts are an entirely different beast. my babe likes frequently eating so she tends to take less per feed.
@mecoats I'm in a similar situation. Jackson was/is gaining more slowly than the doctor would like and didn't get back up to his birth weight until almost 4 weeks. I am pumping at least three times a day and giving that to him along with regular feedings. It's hard work and feels like I am nursing/pumping all freaking day long. It has been really helpful for me to be working regularly with a lactation consultant who is doing weight checks every week and more than anything is just encouraging me.
It's easy to feel defeated and frustrated but you are doing awesome! Keep it up!
@mecoats - so I've been through this too with the nicu. Keep in mind I exclusively pump too so we can do these things.
1) pump for 2-3 minutes and throw out the foremilk - keep the hindmilk to give (higher calories).
2) refrigerate your milk and take the cream off the top - higher fat content - and make a few bottles with higher fat. We still saved the "thinner" milk for later with this technique too because we plan on making baby food with it at some point. We just named it "skim milk" in our freezer stash.
3) if needing to supplement you can use a high caloric formula and use one teaspoon (5 ml) of the formula and the rest of the bottle is breastmilk. It ups the kcal a lot and most of baby's food is still yours.
Just some ideas for you - don't be discouraged - I went through it with both babies. You're doing great!
Any strategies you use to get LO to not gulp when nursing? She gulps so much and swallows so much air and it makes her so gassy. She is uncomfortable so much of the time because of it. She doesn't sleep very well and I think it's all gas bubbles in her stomach and then the rest of her digestive tract. You can hear the air bubbles in her stomach and she passes gas a lot. She's always pulling her legs up and moving around in her sleep and grunting. She also spits up a lot...it's rare that she doesn't spit up after a feeding. I try to burp her but she is really hard to get to burp. She is getting a little better with it now but still doesn't always burp especially if she's asleep. I started using gas drops and it might be helping. I know overactive let down causes the gulping but when she starts to gulp and I pull her off it doesn't seem like that because it doesn't go shooting out...milk does trickle down my boob but not shooting out. I think our latch is fine I'm not uncomfortable and it looks good. I just think she'd be so much happier and sleep better if I could figure out how to get her to get less air. I know the big thing is just time for her digestive tract to mature and her to handle let down better but anything else?! Or anything I can do to help with the gas besides drops? I'm going to ask the ped. about probiotics at her one month on Tuesday and talk to him about it but I know you mamas know more than the doctor most of the time!
I try to recline when I feed her and kind of put her on top of the boob.. im also starting to experiment with a ventilated bottle for her last feed of the night and see if that does anything to reduce spit up
My boob hurts no lumps or redness just soreness when I touch it on one side. It feels better when LO is nursing. Is this a sign of a plugged duct? I have been massaging it and I'm going to put a heating pad on it before I go to bed. LO started sleeping longer at night so wondering if the duct is plugged as I haven't been nursing as much the last 2 nights
My boob hurts no lumps or redness just soreness when I touch it on one side. It feels better when LO is nursing. Is this a sign of a plugged duct? I have been massaging it and I'm going to put a heating pad on it before I go to bed. LO started sleeping longer at night so wondering if the duct is plugged as I haven't been nursing as much the last 2 nights
Sounds like a plugged duct to me. You want to take care of it before infection develops. Do you have a manual pump? I've found taking my manual into the shower with me has helped me clear a plugged duct. My LC told me to start each nursing session on the affected side and empty the breast as often as possible to move things through.
Thanks @Cbeanz I have an electric pump. I will try pumping in between feedings. Bummer as I was enjoying those longer sleep stretches I will also start feeding on that side first. Thanks!
Yeah sounds like a plugged duct to me too. I had the same thing a couple weeks ago. I put heat before feedings, fed on that side first (like you said) and massaged toward the nipple as LO was nursing. Took a couple feedings but it got better...I read it can stay sore for a little after and not be clogged anymore just feel bruised.
Also for plugged duct, what really helped me was applying a warm compress for a few minutes before nursing or pumping (I went ratchet and just filled and old sock with white rice and microwaved it for 60 sec)
So I'm over a week in on a schedule trying to get my milk to come in, it was recommended at the hospital that every 2.5-3 hrs I breastfeed DS, then we give him formula, then I pump. The whole cycle takes over an hour. I've been doing it religiously- and we just got a baby scale to see if he is getting much at al from me. Last feeding he only got .6oz.
I'm getting so discouraged. I felt like my milk was slowly starting to come in, too. My boobs are heavier and one of them feels crampy at times. They are firm the loosen up when DS eats. I feel like each day that passes it is more and more unlikely and it's making me really sad! Not only is pumping after every middle of the night feed getting exhausting but also I'm sad to potentially lose this connection to him.
@jenny0228 How much are you able to pump at a time? Can you give him pumped milk instead of formula for one of his feeds? The more time baby is at the breast the more milk you'll make. Not everyone responds as well to a pump as they do to a baby. It's exhausting I know! But you're doing great and so dedicated to making this work!
@jenny0228 A couple of things: 1. Try a couple of weighs: babies nurse different amounts at different times. 2. Has he been checked for tongue tie? That could cause poor milk transfer.
@jenny0228 Don't be down on yourself! Nursing is hard and sometimes our bodies do crazy things. My best friend really struggled with nursing (he did have a tongue tie) and was able to for 11 months. However.. she honestly kept doing it from the pressure she felt and actually felt more bonded to him when he was getting a bottle from her.
For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 1 Samuel 1:27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@jenny0228 don't feel discouraged, you're doing great!! I know that's easier said than done, but you really are doing great! The fact that you've been able to keep up with nursing AND pumping like that is amazing (even if you have only been home a few days- those are some of the hardest days). Just keep doing what you're doing mama!! Hugs!!
Does anyone have one boob that's more full than the other? My left boob is CONSTANTLY more full than the other. I've been starting every feed on that side to get it drained, but I'm worried I'm making the problem worse?
He has been checked for tongue tie, and when I pump directly after feeding I get drops and maybe the bottom of the pump bottle covered. So he's getting what little milk I do have at least. Good suggestion to weigh him at different feedings though. And I do BF between feedings if he starts to show signs that he wants to cluster a bit. Im planning to attend the next meeting of my local BF support group, and I learned that my post partum high BP could be a factor too, so hopefully if I can keep pumping and feeding through this until BP goes back to normal, my milk will come in then.
I had a total breakdown yesterday, feeling like my body is failing me again, from having a low egg count and requiring IVF, to a failed induction that ended in c-section--- i just felt like my body was never meant for this like other women. I was going down a pretty awful path, then my husband pointed out that I grew a healthy 9.2 lb baby that we now get to love and I did realize that's all that matters.
Re: Breastfeeding rants raves and support
Norah had a hard time at first because she was pre-term, had poor facial muscle tone, and a small mouth. I used a nipple shield, but she didn't like it. So I mostly pumped and bottle fed at night and we breastfed during the day. Now she's a pro. She's been at daycare for 5 weeks and takes pumped bottles there and breastfeeds at home.
Good luck to all of you. It's tough at first but it gets better.
Baby #2 - March 2017
Ok I broke down and ordered a Haakaa. I seriously have too much pump equipment! My husband saw me ordering and rolled his eyes. Anyway, I'll report back!
kind of missing my PISA. I also think that my hands free bra is a little too big and doesn't hold the flanges that well. I pumped for over a year with DS you'd think I would know what I was doing but I guess I've forgotten in 5 years!
For letdown I use a rate of 70 level 3 then after things get moving I change to rate of 40 level 4. Everyone is different but if that gives you a ballpark to start from. With my PISA I used to turn the dial about 1/3 of the way up.
I think my hands free bra is a little too big too. I've started leaning over and let gravity pull my nips through the flanges for like the first 5 seconds and that gets a better suction for me.
Married: 04/14/12
DS: 10/15/13
BFP #2: 7/22/16 EDD 3/25/17
I feel defeated. Like I'm doing everything I can, but she just won't gain at the rate the dr wants. Let's hope this weekend the supplementing helps.
DH: 37
DD: 03/17/17
DS: 12/06/19
1 Samuel 1:27
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Baby #2 - March 2017
It's easy to feel defeated and frustrated but you are doing awesome! Keep it up!
Baby Boy: coming March 2017
1) pump for 2-3 minutes and throw out the foremilk - keep the hindmilk to give (higher calories).
2) refrigerate your milk and take the cream off the top - higher fat content - and make a few bottles with higher fat. We still saved the "thinner" milk for later with this technique too because we plan on making baby food with it at some point. We just named it "skim milk" in our freezer stash.
3) if needing to supplement you can use a high caloric formula and use one teaspoon (5 ml) of the formula and the rest of the bottle is breastmilk. It ups the kcal a lot and most of baby's food is still yours.
Just some ideas for you - don't be discouraged - I went through it with both babies. You're doing great!
Baby #2 - March 2017
Sounds like a plugged duct to me. You want to take care of it before infection develops. Do you have a manual pump? I've found taking my manual into the shower with me has helped me clear a plugged duct. My LC told me to start each nursing session on the affected side and empty the breast as often as possible to move things through.
I'm getting so discouraged. I felt like my milk was slowly starting to come in, too. My boobs are heavier and one of them feels crampy at times. They are firm the loosen up when DS eats. I feel like each day that passes it is more and more unlikely and it's making me really sad! Not only is pumping after every middle of the night feed getting exhausting but also I'm sad to potentially lose this connection to him.
The more time baby is at the breast the more milk you'll make. Not everyone responds as well to a pump as they do to a baby. It's exhausting I know! But you're doing great and so dedicated to making this work!
1. Try a couple of weighs: babies nurse different amounts at different times.
2. Has he been checked for tongue tie? That could cause poor milk transfer.
1 Samuel 1:27
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He has been checked for tongue tie, and when I pump directly after feeding I get drops and maybe the bottom of the pump bottle covered. So he's getting what little milk I do have at least. Good suggestion to weigh him at different feedings though. And I do BF between feedings if he starts to show signs that he wants to cluster a bit. Im planning to attend the next meeting of my local BF support group, and I learned that my post partum high BP could be a factor too, so hopefully if I can keep pumping and feeding through this until BP goes back to normal, my milk will come in then.
I had a total breakdown yesterday, feeling like my body is failing me again, from having a low egg count and requiring IVF, to a failed induction that ended in c-section--- i just felt like my body was never meant for this like other women. I was going down a pretty awful path, then my husband pointed out that I grew a healthy 9.2 lb baby that we now get to love and I did realize that's all that matters.