All Things Breastfeeding

anne11716 · May 2017

I haven't pumped/nursed for two weeks. The last two days my right armpit area has been sore. Clogged duct? What do I do? I never was engouraged when I stopped as my milk supply was super low.

camcbeth · May 2017

well I'm jealous of those of you who are done. I'm still pumping away and it's a pain. I'd say mine has a green tint when it separates in the fridge. Then I shake it up and it's cream colored again.

erniebernie1 · May 2017

@anne11716 this happened to me when I weaned with my first even though I did it really gradually. Cabbage in my bras for 2 days along with lots of soy lecithin did wonders!

lajoliedreamer · May 2017

@erniebernie1 - cabbage?

erniebernie1 · May 2017

@lajoliedreamer yes! Cabbage is great at drying up your milk. Sometimes women use it when they are too engorged when their milk comes in or when weaning

ZoeFer · May 2017

Well done and good luck for the moms who are weaning! I am (my boobs) are still the primary source for nutrition for LO, she barely eats from the bottle or the solids from the spoon. So I am nursing all the time at night.
Two questions for the moms who are still breastfeeding:
1. What size nipple do you use for the bottles? We have been using the size 1 since birth and I have never thought of moving to a bigger size, should I ?
2. Does anyone get palpitations ? I have been having palpiations last few months and my PCP referred me to a arrhythmia specialist . They are doing more tests now. my cardiologist friend thinks it could be due to breastfeeding.

kristah2 · May 2017

@ZoeFer we are mainly using size 1. He does have some size 2 (since the 8oz bottles come with that size) and have used them sometimes but he can suck back through a 1 with no issue so we haven't bothered to increase.
I've heard rule of thumb is if the nipple starts collapsing (from sucking too hard) or they get frustrated with it then move up.

SandNStarsNJ · May 2017

@zoefer We are still BF more than anything too and are using the size 1 slow flow nipple. The palpitations are definitely not something I have experienced.

lajoliedreamer · May 2017

@ZoeFer - we just started moving up to the size 2 nipple because it has been taking her forever to finish a bottle. Also, she's been sucking so hard the nipple was collapsing. Not experiencing the palpitations, but I also haven't exclusively breastfed. I hope it's nothing serious!

kvruns · May 2017

I started using a 2 in the morning but his day care bottles are 1. It doesn't seem to affect BFing at all. He seems to eat a little faster with the 2 which is nice.

MrsMaryK2016 · May 2017

Just weaned here and I've definitely noticed an increase in palpitations the last month or so starting when I was still breastfeeding.

leighry · May 2017

We use step 1 nipples which are the slowest flow. Baby boy will really only eat oatmeal (He got his mommas bland pallet) so we are still mainly breastfeeding.

jsmai · May 2017

Mostly bf here as well. Stage 2 nipples for us. I had palpitations during the 2nd month of bfing. I think it was mostly due to my not being adequately hydrated.

Ladybug2821 · May 2017

Interesting. I didn't know heart palpitations were a thing while BF.

ZoeFer · May 2017

Thanks everyone. i never give her the bottle myself so i am not so sure how she behaves but she doesnt like bottles and I am trying to think every aspect of the bottle that she might not like.
For palpitations, they are trying to figure out if there is a risky arrhythmia or not. if it is not a dangerous type, they will let it be. i hope that it is due to bf ing and hormonal changes and it will go away soon.

Ladybug2821 · May 2017

How much BM are you taking to daycare for your LOs? I've been doing 4-4oz recently but I'm wondering if I should increase it. She went through a growth spurt and was doing 4-5oz bottles but then after the growth spurt was barely drinking 2 of those so I went back to the 4-4oz. H said now she still seems hungry after 4. My supply has leveled off at 16oz when pumping so maybe once we give her solids again now that her stomach issue is better that will help. I really don't feel like working to try and get more than 16oz.

kvruns · May 2017

Ladybug2821 said:

Interesting. I didn't know heart palpitations were a thing while BF.

me either

kvruns · May 2017

Ladybug2821 said:

How much BM are you taking to daycare for your LOs? I've been doing 4-4oz recently but I'm wondering if I should increase it. She went through a growth spurt and was doing 4-5oz bottles but then after the growth spurt was barely drinking 2 of those so I went back to the 4-4oz. H said now she still seems hungry after 4. My supply has leveled off at 16oz when pumping so maybe once we give her solids again now that her stomach issue is better that will help. I really don't feel like working to try and get more than 16oz.

mine eats 20oz for 10 hours at daycare. He's never met a bottle he won't finish and even with having cereal at daycare now he is still drinking just as much. Sometimes I've thought about dropping it to 4oz instead of 5 at daycare but I figure he's just now started chunking up so the extra calories aren't hurting him.

ZoeFer · May 2017

@kvruns how many times do you nurse at home in addition to the 20oz he gets at daycare?

kvruns · May 2017

ZoeFer said:

@kvruns how many times do you nurse at home in addition to the 20oz he gets at daycare?

He gets a bottle in the morning and then I nurse before bed and then sometimes MOTN if it is easier to get him back to sleep that way. I started doing bottle MOTN when he was little to make sure he got enough and since I pump the most during the morning I just kept with doing a bottle then. So he gets about 26oz in bottles + 1 nursing session, sometimes 2. He eats a ton!

Edit: I used to just do 3 bottles at daycare and then would have 1 extra "emergency" bottle but I found that they almost always gave it to him and I like it when he gets one just before I pick him up so he's in a good mood the rest of the evening. The days when he wouldn't get it there he'd want to eat right away at home anyway

SandNStarsNJ · May 2017

Ladybug2821 said:

How much BM are you taking to daycare for your LOs? I've been doing 4-4oz recently but I'm wondering if I should increase it. She went through a growth spurt and was doing 4-5oz bottles but then after the growth spurt was barely drinking 2 of those so I went back to the 4-4oz. H said now she still seems hungry after 4. My supply has leveled off at 16oz when pumping so maybe once we give her solids again now that her stomach issue is better that will help. I really don't feel like working to try and get more than 16oz.

LO gets 4 - 5oz bottles + 2 tablespoons of veggie puree during his 7:30-4pm stint at daycare. I had to work to get to 20oz pumping as I also topped off at 16 for a while.

rspalding001 · May 2017

@ladybug2821 I send LO with 4 4oz bottles to day care and he's there for 8 hours. He doesn't usually finish but sometimes he does so I send that much to be safe. He'll get 4-6 ozs in the morning before we go and usually 4-6 in the evening before bed. I nurse at bedtime and MOTN if he needs it.

Ladybug2821 · May 2017

I nurse before work, before bedtime, and 1-2 times in the MOTN. Just wish I knew how much she is getting when she nurses. I'm hoping when we start giving her solids again that 16 oz will be enough.

Ladybug2821 · May 2017

BFing is so hard. Just when you think you got it down something else happens. I've been consistently pumping about 16 oz while at work. I've also been drinking the tea and eating oatmeal EVERY SINGLE day basically. But today I only have one more pump left and only have 8 oz so far. No way I'll be able to get another 8 oz in one session. I have a small freezer stash but it's small so that worries me when stuff like this happens. Hopefully the let down button won't let me down.

ZoeFer · May 2017

I am sorry for the struggle @Ladybug2821. Hope this last session will ease your worries. Can you try to pump at night after the LO goes to bed ? Or use your frozen stash , it is good to replace and renew the stash anyway. Don`t stress out too much, you ll get your supply back tomorrow I am sure.

Ladybug2821 · May 2017

Thanks @zoefer. Somehow I was able to get 7 oz, so much more than I anticipated. When my supply really dips I do pump at night and grab from my stash. I just hate doing both. I just think it was weird that it was so difficult today. I wasn't stressed or dealing with anything I could think of that would cause it to be low.

kvruns · May 2017

I sometimes have a random low pumping day and can't figure it out either

rspalding001 · May 2017

I read somewhere, maybe Kelly Mom?, that fluctuations in ozs of breastmilk by day is normal and the only reason we notice is we pump, if we just nursed we would never know and it's usually not a big deal for LO. I have to remind myself that sometimes LO drinks more or less in a given day and it's all normal. I'm sure pumping less ozs for a day or two doesn't signal much, maybe drink more water to make sure you aren't dehydrated.

SandNStarsNJ · May 2017

I'm seconding the hydration. Even when you think you've drank enough, you'd be surprised what a difference more water can make in your production. Glad it worked out @ladybug2821!

RhodaMorgenstern · May 2017

Thirding the hydration. I drink a ton of water all week at work and really slack on the weekends. Monday's I definitely pump less than normal and Fridays I pump enough that I can freeze a bag or two on top of daycare bottles.

ZoeFer · May 2017

I wanted to give an update about our bottle refusal problem, i bought level 2 and 3 nipples for dr brown bottles and it helped. she still doesnot drink more than 11-12 ounces per day but at least she drinks 4-6 ounces without any stop. it used be a big fight to get her drink after 2 ounces. And she loves her veggie soups and fruit so i hope her milk intake will be enough now.

lajoliedreamer · May 2017

So the last couple weeks I amped up the weaning process instead of doing the slow phase out that I'd been doing for a month or so before that. We're down to one feed a day (evening) and I plan to cut that out by the end of the week. Already I can tell my hormones are crazy, but are there other side affects of weaning I should expect?

MrsMaryK2016 · May 2017

@lajoliedreamer Saggy, deflated boobs lol

Other than the hormones, I got a bunch of clogged ducts but nothing too terrible. The hormones are no joke though, I was sad for about two weeks.

desoky01 · May 2017

I feel overwhelmed and scared at the thought of weaning, what led to the decision to wean for those of you that have? Did you switch to formula or are you on enough solids and cow's milk or water?

MrsMaryK2016 · May 2017

@desoky01 We weaned for a few reasons.

1.) M was eating constantly and was up multiple times a night to eat and I'd had enough. We did a test night where he got formula before bed instead of nursing and he only got up once.

2.) While on vacation he ended up getting more bottles than usual because we were out and about a lot and I don't like nursing in public. As a result he was increasingly impatient with how long it took to nurse vs the bottle and would latch and unlatch over and over before getting frustrated and either giving up or pitching a fit.

3.) I've had to use shields since he was about four weeks old and while it allowed me to get to six months nursing, I was over it. I have a love hate relationship with them.

4.) I was really ready to have my body be my body again and for him to be able to be away from me for more than a few hours without pumping. Selfish? Sure but the small tickle of resentment was growing.

Sorry for the essay. M just took a 3 hour nap so I'm kinda bored!

desoky01 · May 2017

Thanks @MrsMaryK2016, I appreciate it!

kristah2 · May 2017

@MrsMaryK2016 3 hour nap = mom win!

SandNStarsNJ · May 2017

desoky01 said:

I feel overwhelmed and scared at the thought of weaning, what led to the decision to wean for those of you that have? Did you switch to formula or are you on enough solids and cow's milk or water?

I always feel like this too. I didn't wean ODD until she started to sit up and try to latch herself at random. That was when it got weird for me. And at that point she was old enough for cow's milk so that's what we did. I'm shooting for a year with this LO.

tigerfish227 · May 2017

I haven't set a definite goal for weaning V. I know that I will be really disappointed if I set a goal and don't reach it so I'm going to let him self wean (unless I get to a point where it's stressful or weird for me) for now I really enjoy our nursing relationship so I'm not in a hurry to end it yet. He was 7 months on Saturday so I'm pretty happy that we've made it this far with almost no issues. My supply took a pretty substantial hit when he was in the hospital last month because of the stress from that, him not nursing as much then having to pump instead, and I had just lost my job less than a week before that. My supply has definitely bounced back but I think it's mostly because I have been home with him and not having to pump daily at work.

lajoliedreamer · May 2017

desoky01 said:

I feel overwhelmed and scared at the thought of weaning, what led to the decision to wean for those of you that have? Did you switch to formula or are you on enough solids and cow's milk or water?

We've been doing both formula and bm since about 2 weeks because my supply has never been enough and with bottles all day at daycare, she was getting more and more impatient with my slow-flow low-supply tits. My goal was 6 months which I've more than met, and we're flying to the east coasr for my dad's 60th in a few weeks so I decided to finish weaning ahead of that trip. It's not fun for either of us anymore (let's be honest, it was never really a great experience for me), so I'm just relieved to be done. I've been wearing real bras and it's amazing.

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