I've always wondered what nursing feels like? For example, can you feel the milk leaving and what does that feel like? I've read that a baby can "empty" your boob so what does an "empty" boob feel like?
I've always wondered what nursing feels like? For example, can you feel the milk leaving and what does that feel like? I've read that a baby can "empty" your boob so what does an "empty" boob feel like?
You may be able to feel your "let down" but I couldn't feel the milk actually leaving my breast. An empty boob feels softer to the touch than when it is full.
I've always wondered what nursing feels like? For example, can you feel the milk leaving and what does that feel like? I've read that a baby can "empty" your boob so what does an "empty" boob feel like?
Pretty much what @doodleoodle said, but I'd also add that there really is no "empty" boob. There's always more milk, IF baby continues to nurse even when he's not really getting anything. Eventually you'd have another letdown. I did not, however, have a baby who would continue to nurse after he wasn't getting anything.
I've always wondered what nursing feels like? For example, can you feel the milk leaving and what does that feel like? I've read that a baby can "empty" your boob so what does an "empty" boob feel like?
You may be able to feel your "let down" but I couldn't feel the milk actually leaving my breast. An empty boob feels softer to the touch than when it is full.
Exactly this. An empty boob feels very soft to the touch. A boob that is full feels hard to the touch. I personally could never feel my let down.
Let down is such an odd feeling I'm not sure I even know how to describe it. It was kind of like a tingling throughout my breasts and more concentrated in the nipples, but that's not the best description.
Let down is such an odd feeling I'm not sure I even know how to describe it. It was kind of like a tingling throughout my breasts and more concentrated in the nipples, but that's not the best description.
I had a very painful letdown, every time. That's not all that common, so hopefully it doesn't scare anyone...
I had a little over supply with my second so I could definitely feel the let down and sometimes it was a sharp or painful feeling. Full boobs feel hard and sometimes achy and as they empty I felt relieved and softer/ more comfortable.
Also not everyone does feel a letdown, so don't worry if you don't. As long as baby is peeing and you can hear her gulping, your good. I had crazy letdown that would drown her when she was a newborn. And to prove an empty boob is never really empty, by the time she was 2 years old I was back to a size a (dd when milk came in) and yet still had a crazy letdown. And she weaned last January, but I could still get some milk out until I got pregnant with this little guy. My body really loves making the milk I guess.
Letdown kind if feels like tingling. I also had a forceful letdown and oversupply at first so milk would spray everywhere. Later when supply was well established I didnt feel it as much. Full boobs feel heavy and hard. Sometimes I would forget what side I left off on and I could easily tell by feel.
I'm wonderiing how normal it is to not have sex when this (30+ weeks)pregnant. I know it's a personal preference probably or a matter of comfort or even safety. I feel like a whaleeeee . A tired whale. I just know once baby comes sex will still not be on the table(for a while). My husband hasn't asked for it in weeks. Wondering if he's starting to see how uncomfortable and tired I am. :
I'm 33 weeks now and we haven't had sex in about 2 weeks. And it was only like once a week before this. I'm thinking I might be done til the baby is born now. It was a good run. I'm just really ucomfortable and not into it.
I have never felt a let down sensation, and my dd wanted to nurse continually, whether she was getting anything or not. Breasts are technically never "empty," because you are always making more milk, but they are pretty close to it sometimes. After a couple weeks of nursing for about 2.5 out of every three hours and every doctor and lc telling me that was "fine" (it wasn't fine for me!), I finally saw an old-school pediatrician who said there was no reason she needed to be nursing more than 40 minutes (20 on each side) out of every two hours and that she wouldn't be getting much milk out anyway if I let her nurse longer than that. That seriously changed my life. I'm all for feeding on demand and realizing that the milk is never totally gone, but sometimes I just needed an hour with no one sucking on my boobs, and dd honestly never unlatched of her own volition, ever.
@ellie111227 I absolutely agree! When DS was a a tiny newborn he kept wanting to suck even when he wasn't hungry (and who can blame him, there was a ton of milk in the beginning so he was always getting milk) so we introduced the pacifier. Game changer! Mama needed a break.
I'm wonderiing how normal it is to not have sex when this (30+ weeks)pregnant. I know it's a personal preference probably or a matter of comfort or even safety. I feel like a whaleeeee . A tired whale. I just know once baby comes sex will still not be on the table(for a while). My husband hasn't asked for it in weeks. Wondering if he's starting to see how uncomfortable and tired I am. :
I'm 33 weeks now and we haven't had sex in about 2 weeks. And it was only like once a week before this. I'm thinking I might be done til the baby is born now. It was a good run. I'm just really ucomfortable and not into it.
Our sex life has kinda ebbed and flowed during the pregnancy (prior to getting knocked up, I was a 2x/week kinda gal.) Husband went on to a Zika country four weeks ago, so we've been abstaining since then. TBH, mixed feelings about it, but it has become more oncomfy as my belly has gotten big.
Has anyone been unsuccessful BFing one child, but went on to successfully BF another?
I haven't had success actually BFing (high palate, inverted nipples, etc.) so I've EP'd, I think BFing directly would be much easier, but I'm kind of already counting it out as a possibility due to the other kids inability to BF. My inverted nipple issues have resolved thanks to EPing.
Agree with PP that I never felt letdown while nursing. I have had friends say it felt like "tiny orgasms" which I was kinda jealous of (orgasm part) but freaked out it was while nursing their child.
My sex life has been non-existent until last week. I finally had a meltdown and told my husband I felt like he wasn't attracted to me anymore, and I guess he felt bad because he's been up for it since then.
Has anyone been unsuccessful BFing one child, but went on to successfully BF another?
I haven't had success actually BFing (high palate, inverted nipples, etc.) so I've EP'd, I think BFing directly would be much easier, but I'm kind of already counting it out as a possibility due to the other kids inability to BF. My inverted nipple issues have resolved thanks to EPing.
My friend did. She said with her first her milk never came in, but she I is still successfully nursing her second at over a year old. It's possible!
I wish I could let sex go. I'd be so much happier but DH is actually the one uncomfortable and as of right now I feel like I'd be good for it until the last possible moment. He's too weirded out now that he knows she's so active. We abstained entirely first tri after some early bleeding scares, managed roughly once a week most of second tri, and since third tri it's been more like once a month. With us being in the home stretch I really don't want to imagine 2+ months with nothing.
Does round ligament pain feel better with pressure? I've had a sore spot on my right side for the past 2 days, particularly when I'm walking but also much sharper pain once last night when I rolled over in bed. It feels better when I press my hand on it. Trying to figure out if that's RLP or something else.
Does round ligament pain feel better with pressure? I've had a sore spot on my right side for the past 2 days, particularly when I'm walking but also much sharper pain once last night when I rolled over in bed. It feels better when I press my hand on it. Trying to figure out if that's RLP or something else.
Mine did. With DD1, I walked every day on my lunch break, and almost always had to rub the sore sides of my belly.
Has anyone been unsuccessful BFing one child, but went on to successfully BF another?
I haven't had success actually BFing (high palate, inverted nipples, etc.) so I've EP'd, I think BFing directly would be much easier, but I'm kind of already counting it out as a possibility due to the other kids inability to BF. My inverted nipple issues have resolved thanks to EPing.
I was only marginally successful BF my first, I was producing milk, but it was painful for the entire 7 weeks, and led to a crazy infection, which makes me think maybe there was something wrong with his latch. I successfully and easily BF my second for 13 months. I insisted on seeing a LC consultant the day he was born (he was born early in the morning), but had to push for it because the nurse said it was too soon/ he was doing fine, so make sure to utilize your available resources and advocate for yourself.
Formula feeding mamas...anyone know if Enfamil newborn is necessary or if we can just skip to Enfamil infant? I don't see much of a difference. Also, when you formula feed a newborn do you use those nursette bottles or go straight to the powder? I didn't start formula until 6 months last time, and I'm not sure what I'm doing this time, but I'm super confused about the logistics.
@meilay I get it! I ALMOST take it personally that DH is freaked out (but only when I'm feeling exceptionally emotional). I sometimes think he figures we're in "the home stretch" but forgets about the month+ after! 2 months seems like a long time...
@meilay@roo1381 My h is the same way. I kind of want to remind him of last time when a couple weeks after the baby was born he was regretting abstaining the couple months before. It's a long time all added up.
Dumb question...but if people(not medical professionals) comment on how much baby has dropped, is early pregnancy likely? I feel pressure on hips a lot and cannot put on shoes easily at all.
@ellie111227 I'll have to try and see if I can reason with his future penis about how long it'll be if we stop now.
@jennas312 If they aren't medical professionals I wouldn't give it much thought. Any person who has ever been within a few feet of a pregnant person seems to have an opinion on all sorts of things and must state it as irrefutable fact. I'm a FTM but your struggles are echoed by many here (including myself) and it doesn't necessarily mean baby will come early.
Dumb question...but if people(not medical professionals) comment on how much baby has dropped, is early pregnancy likely? I feel pressure on hips a lot and cannot put on shoes easily at all.
Not necessarily, though I think it is (at least said to be) more common for FTMs than STM+ to go into labor sooner after baby drops. Some people just drop early though. I carried low my entire pregnancy with DS and then he dropped at about 32 weeks. Then again at about 38. So uncomfortable! I do not know if he could have possibly been any lower without me actually giving birth.
@jennas312 I was opposite. I carried really high and even on the day I went into labor had a person tell me, "oh, he's in there for another week at least!"
Do you need to clean your boob before feeding the baby each time? I'm assuming sweat and product need to stay away from both baby and pumps?
No not really. Nursing products are usually baby safe, you might want to wipe off in the early days when you drip and leak and stuff, but eventually you don't need to do anything at all.
@Knottie42089123 I learned in my BF class tonight that your boobs basically leak anitimicrobial agents and not to clean your nipples with soap. Just plain water is sufficient.
@Stankonia2014 I pretty much exclusively pumped the first year with my son. Partly because his prematurity and NICU stay got him on the bottle and partly because I have flat, inverted nipples. My goal is to feed from the breast mainly with this one. Now that I'm back in the same situation (NICU stay) with this baby, I've begun advocating for myself to feed exclusively from the breast once the time comes for him to start eating. I know I will be using a nipple shield for a quite a while to try to help with the flat nipples. I hope others have a little more hope in this situation too!
Do you need to clean your boob before feeding the baby each time? I'm assuming sweat and product need to stay away from both baby and pumps?
No, your breasts do all of the work. If you use nipple cream or most of that is safe, but I alswats wiped it off, but as swan said, your breasts clean themselves basically, so never use soap to clean them.
I find breasts and breastfeeding to be the coolest thing when it comes to what the human body can do. I read that your breasts tailor your breastmilk to the baby's needs based on the baby's saliva. So if your breasts sense that baby is getting sick, then it creates milk to help them fight off the virus. So cool.
Do you need to clean your boob before feeding the baby each time? I'm assuming sweat and product need to stay away from both baby and pumps?
No, your breasts do all of the work. If you use nipple cream or most of that is safe, but I alswats wiped it off, but as swan said, your breasts clean themselves basically, so never use soap to clean them.
I find breasts and breastfeeding to be the coolest thing when it comes to what the human body can do. I read that your breasts tailor your breastmilk to the baby's needs based on the baby's saliva. So if your breasts sense that baby is getting sick, then it creates milk to help them fight off the virus. So cool.
I find it amazing too. I'm always reading little articles I find about it. I just read the other day that your milk changes to tailor the sex of your baby. I don't know how true this is really, but it was interesting. I also read years ago that every species milk has one main goal- cow babies need to grow fast, walrus babies need fat... human babies need brain growth so our milk is really good at that. Pretty cool.
Has anyone used the Owlet or Snuzza baby monitors? If so, would you recommend it? I keep going back and forth between having peace of mind vs it being another potential to stress me out over false alarms.
@jennas312 my son dropped when my water broke. He was born at 39 weeks. It was very visible and I could physically feel it bc he was in my ribs before that. Like cervical dilation it means next to nothing. You could be like tgat for weeks.
Has anyone used the Owlet or Snuzza baby monitors? If so, would you recommend it? I keep going back and forth between having peace of mind vs it being another potential to stress me out over false alarms.
I used both the snuza and owlet. Snuza was great when he was really little but as soon as he started moving around more and came close to rolling over it started coming loose and causing false alarms. Owlet was fantastic. Never had a false alarm with it and I could just look at my phone to see his stats instead of compulsively going over to check on him. We will use the owlet from day one with this baby and use the snuza when we travel.
Used a Snuza. Only a couple of false alarms but we had to buy replacement batteries and change them every two days after a couple of months of use. Super annoying.
Re: The big stupid questions thread
I'm 33 weeks now and we haven't had sex in about 2 weeks. And it was only like once a week before this. I'm thinking I might be done til the baby is born now. It was a good run. I'm just really ucomfortable and not into it.
BFP Oct 2011 - DD born July 2012
TTC again since July 2014
First IUI 9/26/16: BFP!
EDD 6/19/2017
It's a girl!
Born 6/26/17, 9lb 5oz
Our sex life has kinda ebbed and flowed during the pregnancy (prior to getting knocked up, I was a 2x/week kinda gal.) Husband went on to a Zika country four weeks ago, so we've been abstaining since then. TBH, mixed feelings about it, but it has become more oncomfy as my belly has gotten big.
I haven't had success actually BFing (high palate, inverted nipples, etc.) so I've EP'd, I think BFing directly would be much easier, but I'm kind of already counting it out as a possibility due to the other kids inability to BF. My inverted nipple issues have resolved thanks to EPing.
My sex life has been non-existent until last week. I finally had a meltdown and told my husband I felt like he wasn't attracted to me anymore, and I guess he felt bad because he's been up for it since then.
Mine did. With DD1, I walked every day on my lunch break, and almost always had to rub the sore sides of my belly.
I feel pressure on hips a lot and cannot put on shoes easily at all.
@jennas312 If they aren't medical professionals I wouldn't give it much thought. Any person who has ever been within a few feet of a pregnant person seems to have an opinion on all sorts of things and must state it as irrefutable fact. I'm a FTM but your struggles are echoed by many here (including myself) and it doesn't necessarily mean baby will come early.
Some people just drop early though. I carried low my entire pregnancy with DS and then he dropped at about 32 weeks. Then again at about 38. So uncomfortable! I do not know if he could have possibly been any lower without me actually giving birth.
I find breasts and breastfeeding to be the coolest thing when it comes to what the human body can do. I read that your breasts tailor your breastmilk to the baby's needs based on the baby's saliva. So if your breasts sense that baby is getting sick, then it creates milk to help them fight off the virus. So cool.