@shoretobe that’s so cool. Congratulations to your grandfather!
For those still pumping, how’s it going. My supply finally took a hit. It has done so much better this time than the last few times and I really don’t know what the difference was. However, I went from pumping 20 ounces at work to only 14 yesterday. This probably means my cycle is going to be around the corner and I will be doing everything I can to make it to one year. Nursing will be fine, but pumping at work is the struggle to a year. How are you guys doing?
I guess I should be done donating too to keep whatever I pump. This is crazy that in four months I will be done pumping already.
@DDRRT1982 I had to quit about a month ago and go to formula. Pumping and nursing went down too low. So I'm proud of you for making it this far on top of donating!!
Poor babies w the croup. I'll be thinking of you all today.
I quit pumping around the 3 month mark. My supply just never really got established and it got to the point where I was pumping for an hour to get a half an ounce - combined from both sides. Made me sad but it was really stressful time away from baby. And you know what? She's fine on formula! (of course)
@DDRRT1982 I've been EPing since pretty much the beginning and am still at it. Over the summer I was able to get 7 or 8 pumps a day in and since going back to school and can only get 6. I went from pumping extra to pumping just enough. I'm thinking about dropping another pump in another week or so (the one during the drive to work because it's getting cold) and then seeing how long I can go. I try to do a few power pumps over the weekend to help things out.
Can you add in any post nursing pumps at home to see if that helps? Have you checked your tubing and changed membranes recently?
Me: 30 H: 30 Dx: PCOS Married: June 2013 TTC#1: January 2015 BFP #1 8/24/15 | MC 9/3/15 at 6w2d BFP #2: 12/12/15 | DD born 8/29/16 TTC#2: June 2017 BFP #3: 7/15/17 | DS born 3/20/18
@DDRRT1982 still pumping over here too. I just recently decided trying to pump 6 times a day was just never going to happen so I started dropping pumps. I'm at about 4 pumps per day now but each one lasts about 30 to 45 mins. I want to stop so bad but I keep telling myself to just get through flu season. I'll probably drop to 3 pumps in January (at least that's the goal). I do power pumps in the mornings on the weekends but I just dont have the time to do that during the week.
I stopped counting how many oz I was pumping a few weeks ago. I think it stressed me out more when I was freaking out if I didnt make enough for a bottle each pump. I make enough so I think I'm somewhere around 30 oz a day?
I was using a medela PISA but I recently bought the spectra S9. I love it and I am not attached to the wall!
I don’t think it’s my pump or parts, because I have two letdowns like normal and what I get is just less. If my work isn’t too busy this weekend I am going to try and add in another pump session and see if I get more.
I am still pumping as well. I am at 17-20oz a day and then supplement with formula. I pump 6 times. I think I am going to stop in January. DH and I are going to Mexico again and were going to take Declan but now I think we are going to leave him with my parents. I am getting to the point I dread it everyday and will be ready by then to stop although it will be bittersweet. How do I stop? Just keep reducing he amount of times?
From what I've read it's easier to start adding an hour between pumps until you eventually drop one then another etc (that's how I got down to 4/day). A lot of people on an EP Facebook page I follow talk about cutting pump times by 5 mins a day when you are down to 1 to 2 pumps per day and ready to quit.
I’ve never really had to watch it with weaning pump sessions because my supply usually dips on it’s own, but I imagine you need to watch out for clogged ducts and mastitis.
I increased my calorie intake yesterday and seem to have a little more this morning. I have switched to a more plant based diet and wonder if I wasn’t eating enough calories. I am five pounds away from prepregnancy weight, which is actually awesome consider how well my supply is doing, but wonder if losing more is now starting to impact my supply. Hopefully, work isn’t insane today and I can test out my supply and see what I get.
I give a lot of credit to all of you pumping moms. We tried breastfeeding when Nora was in the hospital, and she was so tiny, she just couldn't do it. I spoke with a lactation consultant who suggested I pump... I made it literally three minutes before we became a formula family lol
Opinion: Nora's had a cold for about the past week. It started with bad nasal congestion and now it's mostly moved into her chest. She's been cranky, snotty, and uncomfortable, but has no fever. My husband thinks we should take her to the doctor (her cough doesn't sound great, but it's not croup-y - I'm sorry to you ladies whose LOs are dealing with that!), I don't think the doctor will do anything - but it has been going on for a while now. Do you think we should take her?
@ashtuesday I wouldn't. I don't think they'll do anything. When we first took Nate all he had was a fever and congestion so they said use Tylenol to stay on top of the fever. They didn't do anything until it turned into croup. If she's breathing fine and just congested with no fever I wouldn't worry too much. You could try a vaporizer though to break up any mucus if you wanted to. I hope it doesn't turn into anything else!
If it continues for much longer I would take her in. Watch for fever and retractions when she breaths. Unfortunately, these little ones can go from ok to bad in a short period of time.
Coughing is a good way to mobilize secretions in the airways, so sit her up and pat her back to get them up. Sucking snot out of their nose will usually encourage coughing. If it’s really rattling in her chest tickling will usually get them to laugh and then they trip up and cough. Getting up what’s down there is key before it starts an infection. You probably know most of this, but I thought I would share what I do to help them start clearing their chest.
Thanks ladies - you're voicing all the thoughts in my head. (And holy cow @megpeg, that escalated quickly!) We've been doing everything we can to get the gross out - lots of sitting in the bathroom while the shower runs and snot-sucking - but I'll probably take her in the next day or two if she doesn't seem all the way better soon! Thank you!
Here’s hoping all the sick babies and adults get better soon! Sorry I’ve been MIA- right as I thought that things would die down at work from the hurricane, I got pulled for a “special project” that’s kept me busy. My dad worked in the healthcare field for 20 years before his most recent layoff. It can be very unforgiving benefits and hours wise. I give lots of kudos to everyone working in those fields because it takes so much dedication, compassion, and sacrifice. @ashtuesday, I’m sorry your cousin was irresponsible and your DH is basically stonewalling you. I think your option of surrendering him to the no kill is probably the best decision for you right now. Just don’t feel guilty because you couldn’t keep him, you’ve got to take care of yourself and those babies. I’m so excited that some of the babies are starting to crawl! Luna’s been scooting backwards for about 10 days now but yesterday had some forward movements. I’m glad DH and I were home to see it! I’m also soooo grateful for the community here. I’ll tell DH, oh so and so’s baby does this, look at that cute outfit, etc. He’s glad I have somewhere to go to ramble on about mommy stuff. Lol
Hi ladies! I’ve missed you and was reading back. Hoping everyone is starting to feel better. We also had my daughter sick last week for 5 days.
I am still nursing 6x a day and pumping 1x. I think my supply is starting to tank and Charlie still is up multiple times a night. One pump the other night only yielded 1 ounce in 22 minutes. I have started taking fennel a few days ago and seen a slight increase. I think I’m just too exhausted and busy that it’s affecting my supply. How are the other LO’s sleeping?
@mmom3, Luna was sleeping pretty good until she started teething. We went from usually only waking once per night to 3-4x per night. Then her bottom two teeth popped out and she was back to normal. Now she’s been congested. It’s been a rough few weeks.
@megpeg, wow, that is scary about having to be at the hospital. Glad your LO is better.
My LOs croup is gone. It wasn't too bad considering. Mostly just a runny nose at the moment. Now to wait for the next sickness to strike.
I don't pump on my days off, but when I work, I pump once and go to daycare to nurse once. Being able to go nurse him once a day really helps keep my supply. With the one pumping session during the work day, I barely get what I need for the next day. I'm always paranoid daycare is going to ask for more. I feel like in the late afternoon when/if he's fussy that they attribute it to him being hungry (even though it hasn't even been three hours since his last bottle and he's just had a couple short naps). But when I pick him up, expecting to need to nurse him asap when we get home, I go to put him down so I can bring in stuff from the car, etc. just to find him perfectly happy on the floor with his toys. So yeah...although trying to soak up the baby months...I'm also counting down until he turns one where he won't need to solely rely on breast milk.
My favorite time to nurse is after one, because it’s not their primary source of nutrition anymore and you don’t have to pump and worry about your supply. You just nurse when your kiddo wants to. Four-five more months, ladies! We can do it.
samantha sleeps well, but we co-sleep, so she nursed a few times a night.
So, it might rain on Halloween. I know I can look into mall stuff on Halloween, but any other suggestions on trick or treat venues. This is the only time I miss FB. Some of the Mom groups were really handy. I bet our local one would have been pretty knowledgeable about what to do.
@DDRRT1982 sometimes churches do a trunk or treat that will probably be covered if it rains or they may take it inside.
As for sleep we were doing so good for from about 5 to 6.5 month then he got 3 teeth and started moving more now crawling so his sleep is less interesting hes waking up 2x at night now but he is usually pretty easy to put back to sleep.
My supply has dropped since last week. If it’s goes down much more I am going to stop pumping, I know it’s good for him burn man not spending my time to get next to nothing. Declan has been sleeping with us more since He started teething. I am hoping we can start in the crib again soon.
Vinny usually wakes one time a night and then wakes up really early in the morning, which the night-owl adults here are struggling with.
Any advice on diaper rash? Vinny has it really bad. Like beat red and it seems to be getting worse instead of better. It's in the front mostly, where the diaper is always wet, and now the back is getting red too. I'm starting to think it might be something else and we have to see the doc.
@fatstagnation that happened with maeve - we were slathering her in butt paste and changing her often but it didn’t seem to be getting better - at her 6 mo. check up the dr. said it was a yeast infection and within 3 days of medicated paste it was gone. It still comes back but the dr. gave us good supply so when we notice it we switch back to the medicine 3x a day and lots of butt paste the other diaper changes. He said it’s a fairly common thing because of the diapers - it’s hard to tell the difference. Good luck.
@fatstagnation It is probably yeast. DS had it really bad a month or so ago and we had to get Nystatin from our Dr (you could try Lotrimin OTC too). We did lots of naked time and some baking soda soaks too.
Me: 30 H: 30 Dx: PCOS Married: June 2013 TTC#1: January 2015 BFP #1 8/24/15 | MC 9/3/15 at 6w2d BFP #2: 12/12/15 | DD born 8/29/16 TTC#2: June 2017 BFP #3: 7/15/17 | DS born 3/20/18
Can anyone tell me why men have no common sense with babies?
I forgot to get formula today so we ran to walmart real quick. I ran in while DH sat in the back with Nate. This was our conversation when I came back:
Ryan: "Do you wanna sit in the back and feed him while I drive, or?" Me: "Why can't you feed him?" Ryan: "I'm not coordinated enough for that going down the road man" Me: "......You literally put the bottle in his mouth."
@fatstagnation LO got one that looked like he was rubbed raw and nothing would get rid of it. Also was a yeast infection, got a medicated cream and it cleared up pretty quickly.
@megpeg I've heard that the drink Body Armor works really well for boosting supply. It's a coconut water thing. I hate coconut so I haven't tried it but I see it at the store for like $1.25/bottle
@mccurleya lol!! So confusing to put a bottle in the mouth! For some reason when I first read it I thought that he thought you asked him to feed LO while he drove at the same time. So the picture in my head was him reaching all the way back and trying to shove a bottle in LOs mouth while going over a bumpy road and you just sitting in the passenger seat. Now THAT would need some coordination.
@mccurleya my 5 year old can give Declan a bottle, lol. @sgrn18 I drink coconut water and have tried the body armor. I think part of it is I mentally don’t think I can do it anymore. Stopping every 2.5-3 hours to pump and planning my day around it is making me crazy. I will miss having the connection to him in this way but I think I need to stop.
@megpeg. I stopped exclusively pumping at 7 mo and it took about 2 weeks for my body to accept it or wean off the pump. I was sad, but no longer tied to that damn machine was the right decision for me. I went longer than I thought I could, but needed my time for me and to be with my boys more. Plus we had been using quite a bit of formula anyways...we now go through 8 cups of formula a day!!
@megpeg we can only hope you ovulated😂. That’s usually the culprit for me when I have a big dip. Make us a baby!!!
edited. Sam has a diaper rash that hasn’t completely gone away either. It didn’t dawn on me about the yeast. I need to try and treat that.
Good news, my boss told me that she got approved for full time positions for those of us TDA. She told me to enroll in benefits like I would and it will switch over when I am full time. I’ll still be working every weekend and just one day during the week, so that’s not too bad. I think this will be a good thing, even if it’s not ideal. I am thankful it will all workout.
@DDRRT1982 - glad to hear things worked out and your job had some flexibility!
@megpeg - hopefully your weaning will help get things on track.
How many ounces of BM are your 7/8 mo taking if you give a bottle? I’m nursing Charlie still and am never apart from him but he may get a bottle this weekend.
Thanks everyone. We have an appointment this afternoon. It's probably yeast as you all said.
mccurleya I don't know what is wrong with them. I think they just want something and are making excuses. This weekend, DH came home Fri night and told me (at 7pm) he had to be at work the next day for an open house, at the exact same time as my appointment, which he knew about. He texted a friend to see if she could babysit. me: she has to be here at 11am. him: couldn't you bring V there? It's right by where you're going. me: It's no where near where I'm going. him: so she'll be here when the house is dirty...
Seriously?? We've never been to this woman's apartment!!! We are not dropping V off somewhere we've never seen. WTF!?!
@mmom3 Sam takes five ounces each time. Doesn’t always finish, but we offer because she can finish five. My other daughter only took four ounces each time. It just depends on how big of an eater they are, I guess.
@DDRRT1982 I’m so happy you have an answer and that it’s a workable situation.
We have 7oz 4x a day here - but she’s been on formula since day 1. I tried pumping and worked myself up so much that she was never breastfed - plus I delayed starting solids (for no real reason) so she’s only just learning that. We make her the 7oz and let her drink what she wants of it (usually at least 6oz)
Re: October Randoms
@shoretobe that’s so cool. Congratulations to your grandfather!
For those still pumping, how’s it going. My supply finally took a hit. It has done so much better this time than the last few times and I really don’t know what the difference was. However, I went from pumping 20 ounces at work to only 14 yesterday. This probably means my cycle is going to be around the corner and I will be doing everything I can to make it to one year. Nursing will be fine, but pumping at work is the struggle to a year. How are you guys doing?
I guess I should be done donating too to keep whatever I pump. This is crazy that in four months I will be done pumping already.
Poor babies w the croup. I'll be thinking of you all today.
I quit pumping around the 3 month mark. My supply just never really got established and it got to the point where I was pumping for an hour to get a half an ounce - combined from both sides. Made me sad but it was really stressful time away from baby.
And you know what? She's fine on formula! (of course)
Can you add in any post nursing pumps at home to see if that helps? Have you checked your tubing and changed membranes recently?
Dx: PCOS
Married: June 2013
TTC#1: January 2015
BFP #1 8/24/15 | MC 9/3/15 at 6w2d
BFP #2: 12/12/15 | DD born 8/29/16
TTC#2: June 2017
BFP #3: 7/15/17 | DS born 3/20/18
I stopped counting how many oz I was pumping a few weeks ago. I think it stressed me out more when I was freaking out if I didnt make enough for a bottle each pump. I make enough so I think I'm somewhere around 30 oz a day?
I was using a medela PISA but I recently bought the spectra S9. I love it and I am not attached to the wall!
I think I am going to stop in January. DH and I are going to Mexico again and were going to take Declan but now I think we are going to leave him with my parents. I am getting to the point I dread it everyday and will be ready by then to stop although it will be bittersweet.
How do I stop? Just keep reducing he amount of times?
I increased my calorie intake yesterday and seem to have a little more this morning. I have switched to a more plant based diet and wonder if I wasn’t eating enough calories. I am five pounds away from prepregnancy weight, which is actually awesome consider how well my supply is doing, but wonder if losing more is now starting to impact my supply. Hopefully, work isn’t insane today and I can test out my supply and see what I get.
Opinion: Nora's had a cold for about the past week. It started with bad nasal congestion and now it's mostly moved into her chest. She's been cranky, snotty, and uncomfortable, but has no fever. My husband thinks we should take her to the doctor (her cough doesn't sound great, but it's not croup-y - I'm sorry to you ladies whose LOs are dealing with that!), I don't think the doctor will do anything - but it has been going on for a while now. Do you think we should take her?
Coughing is a good way to mobilize secretions in the airways, so sit her up and pat her back to get them up. Sucking snot out of their nose will usually encourage coughing. If it’s really rattling in her chest tickling will usually get them to laugh and then they trip up and cough. Getting up what’s down there is key before it starts an infection. You probably know most of this, but I thought I would share what I do to help them start clearing their chest.
Sorry I’ve been MIA- right as I thought that things would die down at work from the hurricane, I got pulled for a “special project” that’s kept me busy.
My dad worked in the healthcare field for 20 years before his most recent layoff. It can be very unforgiving benefits and hours wise. I give lots of kudos to everyone working in those fields because it takes so much dedication, compassion, and sacrifice.
@ashtuesday, I’m sorry your cousin was irresponsible and your DH is basically stonewalling you. I think your option of surrendering him to the no kill is probably the best decision for you right now. Just don’t feel guilty because you couldn’t keep him, you’ve got to take care of yourself and those babies.
I’m so excited that some of the babies are starting to crawl! Luna’s been scooting backwards for about 10 days now but yesterday had some forward movements. I’m glad DH and I were home to see it!
I’m also soooo grateful for the community here. I’ll tell DH, oh so and so’s baby does this, look at that cute outfit, etc. He’s glad I have somewhere to go to ramble on about mommy stuff. Lol
I am still nursing 6x a day and pumping 1x. I think my supply is starting to tank and Charlie still is up multiple times a night. One pump the other night only yielded 1 ounce in 22 minutes. I have started taking fennel a few days ago and seen a slight increase. I think I’m just too exhausted and busy that it’s affecting my supply. How are the other LO’s sleeping?
My LOs croup is gone. It wasn't too bad considering. Mostly just a runny nose at the moment. Now to wait for the next sickness to strike.
I don't pump on my days off, but when I work, I pump once and go to daycare to nurse once. Being able to go nurse him once a day really helps keep my supply. With the one pumping session during the work day, I barely get what I need for the next day. I'm always paranoid daycare is going to ask for more. I feel like in the late afternoon when/if he's fussy that they attribute it to him being hungry (even though it hasn't even been three hours since his last bottle and he's just had a couple short naps). But when I pick him up, expecting to need to nurse him asap when we get home, I go to put him down so I can bring in stuff from the car, etc. just to find him perfectly happy on the floor with his toys. So yeah...although trying to soak up the baby months...I'm also counting down until he turns one where he won't need to solely rely on breast milk.
samantha sleeps well, but we co-sleep, so she nursed a few times a night.
As for sleep we were doing so good for from about 5 to 6.5 month then he got 3 teeth and started moving more now crawling so his sleep is less interesting hes waking up 2x at night now but he is usually pretty easy to put back to sleep.
Declan has been sleeping with us more since He started teething. I am hoping we can start in the crib again soon.
Any advice on diaper rash? Vinny has it really bad. Like beat red and it seems to be getting worse instead of better. It's in the front mostly, where the diaper is always wet, and now the back is getting red too. I'm starting to think it might be something else and we have to see the doc.
Dx: PCOS
Married: June 2013
TTC#1: January 2015
BFP #1 8/24/15 | MC 9/3/15 at 6w2d
BFP #2: 12/12/15 | DD born 8/29/16
TTC#2: June 2017
BFP #3: 7/15/17 | DS born 3/20/18
I forgot to get formula today so we ran to walmart real quick. I ran in while DH sat in the back with Nate. This was our conversation when I came back:
Ryan: "Do you wanna sit in the back and feed him while I drive, or?"
Me: "Why can't you feed him?"
Ryan: "I'm not coordinated enough for that going down the road man"
Me: "......You literally put the bottle in his mouth."
He ended up driving. I am dumbfounded.
@megpeg I've heard that the drink Body Armor works really well for boosting supply. It's a coconut water thing. I hate coconut so I haven't tried it but I see it at the store for like $1.25/bottle
@mccurleya lol!! So confusing to put a bottle in the mouth! For some reason when I first read it I thought that he thought you asked him to feed LO while he drove at the same time. So the picture in my head was him reaching all the way back and trying to shove a bottle in LOs mouth while going over a bumpy road and you just sitting in the passenger seat. Now THAT would need some coordination.
@sgrn18 I drink coconut water and have tried the body armor. I think part of it is I mentally don’t think I can do it anymore. Stopping every 2.5-3 hours to pump and planning my day around it is making me crazy. I will miss having the connection to him in this way but I think I need to stop.
edited. Sam has a diaper rash that hasn’t completely gone away either. It didn’t dawn on me about the yeast. I need to try and treat that.
Good news, my boss told me that she got approved for full time positions for those of us TDA. She told me to enroll in benefits like I would and it will switch over when I am full time. I’ll still be working every weekend and just one day during the week, so that’s not too bad. I think this will be a good thing, even if it’s not ideal. I am thankful it will all workout.
@megpeg - hopefully your weaning will help get things on track.
How many ounces of BM are your 7/8 mo taking if you give a bottle? I’m nursing Charlie still and am never apart from him but he may get a bottle this weekend.
mccurleya I don't know what is wrong with them. I think they just want something and are making excuses. This weekend, DH came home Fri night and told me (at 7pm) he had to be at work the next day for an open house, at the exact same time as my appointment, which he knew about. He texted a friend to see if she could babysit.
me: she has to be here at 11am.
him: couldn't you bring V there? It's right by where you're going.
me: It's no where near where I'm going.
him: so she'll be here when the house is dirty...
Seriously?? We've never been to this woman's apartment!!! We are not dropping V off somewhere we've never seen. WTF!?!
We have 7oz 4x a day here - but she’s been on formula since day 1. I tried pumping and worked myself up so much that she was never breastfed - plus I delayed starting solids (for no real reason) so she’s only just learning that. We make her the 7oz and let her drink what she wants of it (usually at least 6oz)