The Breast Feeding Support Thread

Sligo1

So my 21 week old takes a bottle of EBM before bed. Usually around 150-200ml. We have been starting her bottle around 7.30pm but it could take her ages to drink it. Usually she wouldn't be in bed before 9pm. Last night it was 10pm (but that was exceptionally bad) with the winding and the rocking and the settling. When i think about it its prob not just the bottle but the combination of everything. But surely 1.5-2 hours is a long time to settle a nearly 5 month old? i cant remember it taking that long with my son.

I was thinking of possibly trying her with a number 2 teat? Any advice regarding this? The only thing id be slightly worried about is that she would get used to the fast flow and then not take the breast. Has anyone experience of using the number 2 teats or faster teats on a breast fed baby? Thanks

ncmc

Dr.Winston O'Boogie wrote: »

Yep just going to have to trust in the system!

Another problem is my girlfriends seems to be able to feed fine on the right breast but not the left. Our baby has no interest in the left breast, leaving my girlfriends left breast swollen and sore.

She expresses milk which then eases it up but it seems like he doesn't like feeding on the left as he doesn't get much milk out of it. Anyone ever encounter a baby that has a preferred side? And what do you do then with the supply in the other breast?

She could try the rugby hold, that worked for me when I had trouble latching the baby on to the left breast. If you google it, it will explain better but basically you hold the babies body under your arm rather than across your chest, the baby will approach the nipple from the same direction as if he is feeding off the right, so he might be 'fooled' into taking the left!

How Strange

She could also try feeding lying down. My two didn't like feeding from the right breast when in the cradle hold position but they were fine if we were lying down.

Jerrica

Dr.Winston O'Boogie wrote: »

Another problem is my girlfriends seems to be able to feed fine on the right breast but not the left. Our baby has no interest in the left breast, leaving my girlfriends left breast swollen and sore.

I'd there any clues as to why baby doesn't like one side? Could it be a fast let down or maybe a flat nipple? If you can figure that bit out there'll likely be a straightforward solution

cyning

Again with my first (contrary little Madame!!) she hates feeding off my right side when she was very small. My nipple points ever so slightly sideways so when she was small it obviously really bothered her but as she got bigger there wasn't much of a problem. I fed lying down and pumped from that side. I always favour my left side so both babas do too... For want of another slightly less crap phrase it does get easier. Slowly but surely I think by about 8 weeks (I think baby brain is blurring it all!) she fed from either side with no difficulty.

kandr10

Using different positions definitely helped me overcome the same problem. I think in my case I had a fast let down on one side and it'd make her splutter and cough. As others have said if resolved itself by the time she got to about 3 months.

Sligo it's always taken me that time to settle my daughter to bed at night when breastfed. No harm trying the faster flow to see if it makes any odds. With the trouble you had getting her on the bottle I'd be surprised if she started rejecting the breast. We actually ended up switching to the slowest flow when giving ebm cos she'd drain the bottle too quick! That said I never minded putting the few hours in cos she slept well afterwards so there was some payoff I guess.

Sligo1

kandr10 wrote: »

Using different positions definitely helped me overcome the same problem. I think in my case I had a fast let down on one side and it'd make her splutter and cough. As others have said if resolved itself by the time she got to about 3 months.

Sligo it's always taken me that time to settle my daughter to bed at night when breastfed. No harm trying the faster flow to see if it makes any odds. With the trouble you had getting her on the bottle I'd be surprised if she started rejecting the breast. We actually ended up switching to the slowest flow when giving ebm cos she'd drain the bottle too quick! That said I never minded putting the few hours in cos she slept well afterwards so there was some payoff I guess.

Thanks Kandr, it's actually a relief to know we're not the only ones taking that long to put baby to bed. I thought we were being a little obsessive or something with all the winding and rocking to sleep and making sure she definitely didnt want anymore food... Then winding her again if she did! Lol.

Last night she woke at 2.30am. Night before was 4.30am. I spose I wouldn't mind the long evenings settling her if she was sleeping a little longer....

kandr10

Sligo1 wrote: »

Thanks Kandr, it's actually a relief to know we're not the only ones taking that long to put baby to bed. I thought we were being a little obsessive or something with all the winding and rocking to sleep and making sure she definitely didnt want anymore food... Then winding her again if she did! Lol.

Last night she woke at 2.30am. Night before was 4.30am. I spose I wouldn't mind the long evenings settling her if she was sleeping a little longer....

Ah they'll come soon enough and then you'll be flying but sure it's worth a go to change the teat and see if it makes any odds.

Sligo1

Hi guys, how many feeds were your LOs taking at the 5 month mark? Lilly just doesn't seem to take much in the morning...

cyning

S is a bit all over the place 9,12,2,3,4,5,7,9,10,2,5.... Roughly! So hourly during afternoon but stretches at other times.

Sligo1

cyning wrote: »

S is a bit all over the place 9,12,2,3,4,5,7,9,10,2,5.... Roughly! So hourly during afternoon but stretches at other times.

O my gosh cyning! I hope I'm giving Lilly enough! She's Only taking maybe 5-6 decent feeds in 24 hours! She's having loads of wet nappies though.

Sligo1

Sligo1 wrote: »

O my gosh cyning! I hope I'm giving Lilly enough! She's Only taking maybe 5-6 decent feeds in 24 hours! She's having loads of wet nappies though.

And even some of those 5-6 wouldn't be that decent tbh...

cyning

Sinead is a snacker!! Only takes one side at a time and little bits I assume because of the reflux!

How Strange

Around 5 months my son started to stretch out to 5-6 hours between feeds so he was probably feeding 3 times during the day and his usual 2-3 times at night.

I assumed my daughter would do this too but she remained a 1.5-2hr snacker until around 8 months when she got more established on solids. She went without milk during crèche but snacked frequently when we were together.

The long and the short is no two are the same! As long as it's on demand she's getting what she wants/needs.

Sligo1

How Strange wrote: »

Around 5 months my son started to stretch out to 5-6 hours between feeds so he was probably feeding 3 times during the day and his usual 2-3 times at night.

I assumed my daughter would do this too but she remained a 1.5-2hr snacker until around 8 months when she got more established on solids. She went without milk during crèche but snacked frequently when we were together.

The long and the short is no two are the same! As long as it's on demand she's getting what she wants/needs.

That's great thanks! I was getting worried I wasn't giving her enough... I looked at an aptimal tin in the shop tje other day and it said for 5 months (5-6 bottles of 200ml)... and i thought theres no way lilly is taking that much from me! Always worrying about something!!

kandr10

I was feeding herself about 5 times a day at that age Sligo. Then as she approached 6 months she went through one of those feed me all the time phases for a week or so before I introduced solids. By god do they know how to tell you they're hungry so I'd say if you're not getting any signals you're prob grand :-)

ncmc

Sligo1, was it you whose baby refused to take a bottle of ebm? I think I remember you saying you tried everything, but can't remember how you got her to take it in the end. There is a girl on another board I am on and she can't get her ten week old to take a bottle at all. Would love to be able to offer her advice.

Sligo1

ncmc wrote: »

Sligo1, was it you whose baby refused to take a bottle of ebm? I think I remember you saying you tried everything, but can't remember how you got her to take it in the end. There is a girl on another board I am on and she can't get her ten week old to take a bottle at all. Would love to be able to offer her advice.

Yep indeed it was me ncmc. We tried everyday day for about 6 weeks! She was a stubborn little thing. Thank god she's taking it now tho!

In the end it was the MAM bottles that worked for us. You really can try everything under the sun with different positions and people giving it to them. Lol.

She eventually started taking it for my husband while he was standing up bopping her a little in a cradle position looking out the wonduw making sucking sounds! Lol. I know it sounds daft and it could've been any one of those things that worked no necessarily all together.

I defo think it was a combination of the MAM bottles and also just the fact maybe we wore her down a little? Make sure the milk is nice and warm also.

She takes them fine now and even for me which is great. She would never take it from me initially. But that could also be because I was getting very stressed with it which she may have sensed.

ncmc

Thanks Sligo, will pass that info on!

galah

j still not taking any bottles, but now feeding every 4 hours instead of every 3. small mercies and all that...sure he's only 7 months, it can only get better

cyning

S cut her first and second tooth together yest. My nipples are on fire: her latch is off. It was never great to begin with but oooowwwwww! Have lanolin, breast pads and multi mam on the go, and have my finger ready to detach her. Hoping it's same as my first and this only lasts a dat or two.

Sligo1

Can I still say I'm exclusively breastfeeding if Lilly is taking a bottle of breastmilk? I always thought the term "exclusively breastfeeding" meant that it was only breastmilk baby was getting and not formula? Am I incorrect? Does "exclusively breastfeeding" mean that baby is only getting breastmilk from breast and not breastmilk from the odd bottle?

kandr10

Sligo1 wrote: »

Can I still say I'm exclusively breastfeeding if Lilly is taking a bottle of breastmilk? I always thought the term "exclusively breastfeeding" meant that it was only breastmilk baby was getting and not formula? Am I incorrect? Does "exclusively breastfeeding" mean that baby is only getting breastmilk from breast and not breastmilk from the odd bottle?

No way feck that! You're defo exclusively breast feeding!

clare82

cyning wrote: »

S cut her first and second tooth together yest. My nipples are on fire: her latch is off. It was never great to begin with but oooowwwwww! Have lanolin, breast pads and multi mam on the go, and have my finger ready to detach her. Hoping it's same as my first and this only lasts a dat or two.

I feel your pain. We are going through the same thing here and her latch is really slack at night when she's falling asleep.

cyning

Some people (and it's a very small minority!) wouldn't consider that ebf. Which is absolute crap in my opinion! S had formula with her barium swallow and I consider her ebf. And she takes a dody.

She screamed for almost three hours solid today. Not even boob could help her

Sligo1

O cyning I don't know how ur doing it... I'm not sure id be able to continue bfing when the teeth came out! It must be so painful .

Lilly's 22 weeks now and I started her on a teaspoon of baby rice on Monday. I wouldn't normally be goin her baby rice... I know there's no nutritional value... It's more just to get her use to the texture of solids. She's not really grasping the whole spoon thing... And I don't hink she likes the feel of the food in her mouth either. Cutie pie keeps making year funny faces. Lols. Not sure if she's ready for it yet...

ncmc

I would consider giving an expressed bottle to be ebf. Surely almost everyone gives an expressed bottle at some stage?

cyning

Some people consider giving any other form of sustenance or comfort aside from boob not to be exclusively breastfeeding. So all suckling done at boob; no bottles or dodies etc.

But again it's a very small minority and you are definitely exclusively breastfeeding!

The problem with the teeth is the latch changes ever so slightly : c had 11 teeth when I finished feeding her! it's fine after a day or so. Just careful in case they try to use you as a teething toy

Neyite

In my mind, if the child is drinking milk that your body is producing, then you are breastfeeding. Mine got one formula bottle at bedtime but for every single other milk feed it was breast milk and therefore I consider that I breastfed him until he self-weaned all his breastfeeds.

If anyone wants to split hairs on it or try to tell me a soother or breastmilk in a bottle invalidates my quite frankly, stellar efforts, then they can fcuk right off! :pac:

Sligo1

Neyite wrote: »

In my mind, if the child is drinking milk that your body is producing, then you are breastfeeding. Mine got one formula bottle at bedtime but for every single other milk feed it was breast milk and therefore I consider that I breastfed him until he self-weaned all his breastfeeds.

If anyone wants to split hairs on it or try to tell me a soother or breastmilk in a bottle invalidates my quite frankly, stellar efforts, then they can fcuk right off! :pac:

Haha brilliant! That's what I was thinking. Was just reading another thread from yesterday about expressing and I got me wondering if I can still refer to Lilly as being EBF... As she get a bottle of EBM at night. Thanks guys.