The Breast Feeding Support Thread

Neyite

Dolbert wrote: »

Any tips on how to stop a 7 month old biting? The last time he did it I took him off, looked him in the eye and said firmly "no biting!" His reaction was to laugh and make a biting motion back at me :eek: Little mentaller!

Mine resolved itself by accident. The baby did exactly what yours did the first time when I told him off. Thought it was great craic.

Second time it was accidental as he was dozing off, I couldn't help but yelp loudly with the pain, and that gave him a fright and he burst into tears. I took him off the breast and sternly said 'no biting' - felt bad but had to show him it wasn't on. He never did it again though.

tinkerbell

I also had this for a bit and I had read to say No and then take away the boob briefly. So all I did was said No, covered my boob for about a minute and then offered it again. Baby stopped doing it then - hasn't really happened much since. It's worse though when they bite down and then pull back. OMG a few times I thought my nipple had come off!!!

madeinamerica

Mine did this too. He thought it was a bit of a game for a while, looking up at me with a grin going to bite my nipple. Once, like neyite, he really nipped me badly and i let out a roar from the pain. He started bawling! I felt so bad! Saying 'no' didn't really work for us. I noticed that he only really did it toward the end of a feed, so I tried to watch for signs that he was finishing and take him off before he got to the biting stage.

madeinamerica

Sitting here at lunch hooked up to the pump for the last few minutes. Then I realised I hadn't turned it on... sigh.

tinkerbell

Oh no

Cunning Stunt

Hi all,
well I am due baby no. 2 in october and I am hoping I will be able to breastfeed better than last time. Last time I had a touch of post natal depression and I couldn't get my milk flow going properly, I stressed about it so it just went down and down. It was like a vicious circle... After a few weeks, on advice of the doc, we moved to formula which was better for mammy and baby.
I am hoping it will work out for me this time, but has anyone any tips? I know the main one would be 'dont stress' but how not to do this?

The hospital have said I can stay as long as is necessary to get comfortable with the breastfeeding before I go home, so maybe I should take them up on that offer?

lazygal

I found it easier second time. I learned from the first time and kept my older child in her minder so I could take to the bed as much as possible and cluster fed for days. I organised food so I could sit and feed on the couch and took it much easier.

tinkerbell

I know I've said this a million times on this thread, but honestly go seek out a lactation consultant before you have your baby so that you can call them up and arrange a visit as soon as possible. In my experience, the majority of midwives I encountered (I went private) were too busy, not clued up on breastfeeding facts and all they wanted to do was push formula. Gosh, when I think back, I had a truly awful time in the hospital. I didn't think I'd manage to breastfeed for a week, yet I'm still breastfeeding now.

If I was doing it all again, I'd have had a private LC visit me in the hospital, a few times if necessary. Of course there are some good midwives who are well clued in on breastfeeding but I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket tbh.

On staying longer in hospital - I couldn't wait to get home because I felt so unsupported so I guess see how you go. The day after I got home, an LC called to me and that was the start of breastfeeding getting better for me.

Best of luck with it and I'm so sorry to hear you had to suffer the horrors of post natal depression. I hope you are ok when your second baby comes.

Happydippy

I agree with advice about talking to a lactation consultant. A midwife looking after me when i had my baby was an lc. She was so helpful. Also try talking to public health nurse. the phn in my area was fantastic, called to my house every day for first week to make sure baby was feeding well. She also put me in touch with other breastfeeding mums in my area.
it's easy to say, but don't worry about milk supply. After birth milk sometimes takes many days to come in. Important thing in first few days is let baby nurse as often and for as long as they need. Milk is produced on a supply and demand basis.
Try to relax and enjoy the time with you're baby.
Get as much help as possible with everything else, cooking, cleaning etc.

The first few weeks are the hardest, after that breastfeeding is easier,
Good luck

fall

I bought bottles and formula and had them in the press to take the stress feeling away. I felt like I needed the safety net and I just said to myself it was my journey and that I would take it day by day. I just weaned my second baby this weeks and she is almost seven months. I made sure to have supportive non judgemental people to share with and my husband was also very supportive. my advice is take it day by day and don't be afraid to spend the first six weeks with the baby nursing very very often, I think those six weeks are when your body and baby figure out what they need to do so they need to be together to do that. Good luck and be kind to yourself.

Happydippy

fall wrote: »

I bought bottles and formula and had them in the press to take the stress feeling away. I felt like I needed the safety net and I just said to myself it was my journey and that I would take it day by day. I just weaned my second baby this weeks and she is almost seven months. I made sure to have supportive non judgemental people to share with and my husband was also very supportive. my advice is take it day by day and don't be afraid to spend the first six weeks with the baby nursing very very often, I think those six weeks are when your body and baby figure out what they need to do so they need to be together to do that. Good luck and be kind to yourself.

i also bought a few bottles and borrowed a sterilizer before little one was born, but didn't buy formula as I was determined to give breastfeeding a go. i thought formula be easy for hubby to buy if we needed it.

Yes, very important to have supportive partner and family.

Fagashlil

Id build up your support before having baby, find your nearest LLL or cuidu group, go to a meeting. Of see if FOB have any mum to mum advisors in your area, normal BF mammys who are there for advise. Stay as long as you need in hospital, I was 4 nights post section as baby refused to latch.

Remember that a newborns stomach is the size of a cherry when born, so they'll feed little and often, this does not mean you have a hungry baby or are not producing enough milk. Babys feed little and often, and feed on demand to establish supply. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Colostrum is all baba needs for the first few days until your milk comes in.

Don't be afraid to ask for help, ask them I check for tounge and/or lip tie if you're in pain, it's so overlooked in the hospitals here. There was one particular midwife in the Coombe who was amazing, if it wasn't for her we wouldn't be still feeding 9 months later and no plans to stop.

Stock up on lansinoh cream and multi mam compresses (keep these in the fridge), they'll soothe any nipple problems.

Ask to be shown different feeding positions, lying down is the easiest, especially at night (no moving out of bed if you co-sleep)

The first 6 weeks are tough, don't let people tell you ah sure you tried. It gets so much easier.

Aveen

Hey ladies, I'm ttc #2 and hoping to bf. However I had difficultly on my first and felt completely on my own and give up after 10days and have felt so guilty since. I was told feed very three hours, is it more often? I had a big boy 8lbs 9ozs And I had a emc. I had reaction to the drugs, huge fuild build up, no trousers for days because my legs were huge but thankfully it settle itself. My milk supply didn't really come in ( I only had cream watery liquid when I expressed, again on the advice of a midwife). spoke to someone who told me, women post sections shouldnt be encourage to bf but our body's are going though enough. Please tell me it can be do and I just was poorly ready with my DS.

fall

Every three hours is more like a bottle fed routine. Especially in the first six weeks you can expect the baby to nurse very often sometimes every hour. There will be days where it feels like they don't stop feeding. As Fagasill said learn about different techniques and positions. Line up your box sets and movies and just go with it. I loved the laid back technique. I learnt how to set up my pillows so we could dose off together. I stocked up on easy to eat foods like cereal bars, froze portions of dinner and left the house work to one side for a few weeks ( kept the basics going with husbands help). Don't let anyone tell you you are giving the baby bad habits. They are too young to create habits in those early months. My daughter slept on my chest for the first few weeks. She gradually spaced out her feeds and At seven months she is now sleeping in her cot in her own room. Even on the tough days try to enjoy the closeness with your baby. It goes so quick before you know it that stage of their life has passed.

tinkerbell

Every 3 hours is more for bottle fed babies - for bf, you just gotta feed on demand. I was feeding non stop all day long in the early days, 3 hours is the absolute max between start of first feed and start of second feed, etc. Since feeds took so long in the early days, (60-90 mins), I was starting next feed around 60 mins later! It was tough.

The first 6 weeks are very hard going buy stick with it. Baby feeds non stop so as to build up your supply. Unrestricted access to the boob is absolutely necessary in order to be a success at it.

spottybananas

I'm having a pretty bad day with regards to my boy's sleeping pattern, and while on good days I want to feed him myself until 1 year right now even the 6 month mark is looking impossibly far away, he's almost 16 weeks now. If someone thinks this would be best posted elsewhere just let me know. I don't know where or who to ask really.

He feeds every 2-3 hours day and night, at night is usually bang on 2 hours when he wakes up to feed. We brought him swimming yesterday evening and while he conked out immediately afterwards and slept for 3 hours he then woke every 2 hours between 12am & 6am, then he's up for the day as far as he's concerned, napping again about 1.5 hours later for a little while but he wants out of the cot at 6am. How can he still need to feed every 2 hours at this age? I thought this was just the first few weeks

During the day he has gone 3-5 hours sometimes without a feed if we're busy, but at night not a hope. I've tried getting him to settle back to sleep without being fed in case I was reading it wrong and he wasn't hungry but just woke and couldn't get back to sleep, but he's not a baby that can wake, whinge a bit and calm down again to sleep. Once he starts making noise it will escalate into big sad crying if you don't intervene, and the longer he cries the more agitated he gets and the longer to settle (I've never left him to cry at all at home, I can't bear it, this knowledge of what he does if left to cry is gotten from when we've been driving or out in the buggy and I can't get to him straight away). It takes just minutes really to pick him up, feed him, put him back, but the frequency is killing me, and I'm back to work next week and feel very trapped and tired right now Expressing for a feed for my husband to do it isn't an option, by the time he'd even hear him I'd be wide awake, and he has a very loud cry which goes through me at night when my husband is even just changing his nappy. I also wouldn't be able to build up enough expressed milk to cover even one feed a night without about 2-3 days to do it. Cosleeping makes no difference, still wakes at same intervals. Really struggling today.

Aveen

Thanks ladies, feeling that I was very unprepared for bf my first 😳😔, is the any books that I could read to help prepare myself better for number two?
Oh does a c section make it harder? I was advised that's the like case for me, as I don't progress after 3cm.

fall

You can go to your local breastfeeding groups when you are pregnant and the womanly art of breastfeeding is one I have heard recommended. On the 3 cm thing I dilate literally just as the baby is being born. Everything else happens, my waters bulge, I am fully effaced but dilation doesn't happen. Then pop waters go and baby comes. I did my last birth drug free and intervention free because I did gentle birthing hypnobirthing. So different from my first birth where the poor baby was dragged out of me after three days. They have a private Facebook group and the advice on there is the best ever ( set up by a mid wife).
So sorry you are having a tough day spotty bananas. I found the vicious cycle of no rest sometimes made my milk seem less satisfying and it was only if I got a good sleep that my supply built up and baby was satisfied. i gave one bottle of formula a day from about four months. Meant I could do something nice with my other child too.

Cunning Stunt

Thanks from me too, for all the advice.
I am living in Denmark and don't know if they do breastfeeding consultants or support groups. But breastfeeding is the norm here so they must have something...I will ask my midwife about it at my next visit.

Aveen

Thanks for the advice, I did head to a workshop before my DS but it was about latching, which I got straight away, only my DS kept pulling away from because he was starving in the hospital so they top him up to help but I don't think this helped my supply. Couldn't drive for 6 weeks ans my Dh was working so I was house bound.
Fall: my water broke nearly two days before my first constant ions and half later I'd they'm every 1mins went to 3cms and stop to emcs was only way.
Thanks again all!

bovril

I had an emc last November and I managed to successfully bf my baby and we're still going strong at 8.5 months. As the posters say above is important to just let the baby feed feed feed in the early days. For me I learned to feed lying down as it was less painful for me with my wound. I remember some feeds would last 40 minutes plus and i'd put the baby in the hospital crib and almost immediately she'd make the signs to feed again so I'd feed again from the other side. It's tough going but your baby is feeding non stop to tell your body to produce milk. My milk came in on day 3. I kept ringing the bell looking for help when I needed it and tried to sleep when the baby slept. I know no different as this is my first baby but I don't see why you'd be told you can't or shouldn't feed after a c section. I did have latch problems after week 3 and I went to my local support group. I'd recommend attending any local groups before the baby arrives.

fall

That's mad Aveen my first was the same waters broke on a Friday baby born on Sunday. Baby number two I stayed at home til 7.30pm in labour ward and birthing pool at 11 pm baby in my arms 12.21. On the first they gave me every drug under the sun to make me dilate, in the end ventouse and forceps were used. I was minutes away from a section. Number two was an amazing empowering experience. The midwife went on her tea break because I hadn't dilated but I knew my body and knew baby was on the way. She came running back in as head was crowning :-) Bovril sounds like you have done fab.

cbyrd

I'm trying to wean, baba is 8 months (and a week). My ligaments are in ribbons and I can't do ANY exercise, I'm still having physio since the birth and at this stage a shotgun is the only solution!
Only problem is that the little one has no intention of weaning.. normally I'd be thrilled but I'm at the stage of not being able to walk very far.
I've tried everything from giving her water, giving her to dad at bottle time to not being in the house but she'll refuse and has ended up constipated. She has my stubbornness anyway! Anyone have any advice?

Happydippy

Hi spottybananas, lack of sleep is very hard to cope with. I can't remember exactly what my daughter's sleep pattern was at 16 weeks but I know she did nurse during the night. At this age your little boy should be able to go 5 or 6 hours at night without a feed but not the whole night.

Is he actually feeding every time or just looking for boob for comfort? It could be more habit than hunger.
If it is habit, switching to bottle feeding probably won't solve the problem.
If you think he is hungry at night, make sure he is getting enough feeds during the day.
Is this a new pattern? Could he be teething? My little one looked to nurse more when teething.
A bedtime routine and being consistent are important. I don't like leaving my lo to cry either. I found the pick up-put down method helped. But there's no such thing as no cry method! It's hard at first and you might get no sleep first few nights, but stick with it. It will be easier to do before you go back to work than after.

Hope some of this is helpful. it does get easier.
When I first went back to work, I loved coming home and breastfeeding straight away. It's lovely way to reconnect after long day apart. To bf you have to sit still and have a cuddle.

Fagashlil

spottybananas wrote: »

I'm having a pretty bad day with regards to my boy's sleeping pattern, and while on good days I want to feed him myself until 1 year right now even the 6 month mark is looking impossibly far away, he's almost 16 weeks now. If someone thinks this would be best posted elsewhere just let me know. I don't know where or who to ask really.

He feeds every 2-3 hours day and night, at night is usually bang on 2 hours when he wakes up to feed. We brought him swimming yesterday evening and while he conked out immediately afterwards and slept for 3 hours he then woke every 2 hours between 12am & 6am, then he's up for the day as far as he's concerned, napping again about 1.5 hours later for a little while but he wants out of the cot at 6am. How can he still need to feed every 2 hours at this age? I thought this was just the first few weeks

During the day he has gone 3-5 hours sometimes without a feed if we're busy, but at night not a hope. I've tried getting him to settle back to sleep without being fed in case I was reading it wrong and he wasn't hungry but just woke and couldn't get back to sleep, but he's not a baby that can wake, whinge a bit and calm down again to sleep. Once he starts making noise it will escalate into big sad crying if you don't intervene, and the longer he cries the more agitated he gets and the longer to settle (I've never left him to cry at all at home, I can't bear it, this knowledge of what he does if left to cry is gotten from when we've been driving or out in the buggy and I can't get to him straight away). It takes just minutes really to pick him up, feed him, put him back, but the frequency is killing me, and I'm back to work next week and feel very trapped and tired right now Expressing for a feed for my husband to do it isn't an option, by the time he'd even hear him I'd be wide awake, and he has a very loud cry which goes through me at night when my husband is even just changing his nappy. I also wouldn't be able to build up enough expressed milk to cover even one feed a night without about 2-3 days to do it. Cosleeping makes no difference, still wakes at same intervals. Really struggling today.

There's a sleep regression at 4 months. We'd a horrific time as it also coincides with a developmental leap, fun times! Just remember it passes, it's well know to be the worst leap, but it doesn't last forever. Think ours lasted nearly 2 weeks, only solution was to camp out and sleep with him in the bed, and feed lying down. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but at least you know you're not alone!

bovril

Hi Spottybananas,

Just to echo the other posters, there is a sleep regression and leap (see The Wonder Weeks app) around then so your baby will usually feed more regularly then. Also one of the posters mentioned making sure the baby is getting enough during the day. If they don't get enough during the day they can reverse cycle which is to go longer hours without food during the day and feed more frequently at night rather than the other way around. I know you said giving a bottle of expressed is not an option but that was how I got a head start on the sleep in the early days. After one of the evening feeds say 7pm I'd shower and go to bed. Daddy would give a bottle of expressed at the next feed and I'd get 3ish hours sleep until the next feed. It meant going to bed mega early but it was only for a few weeks. Perhaps you could make it to a local support group to see what worked for others in the same boat. It's very tough especially with going back to work too.

spottybananas

He has been doing this pattern since he left scbu at 5 days so not a regression. He feeds every 2 hours during the day until he can feed no more so I don't see how I can increase that. He actively feeds everytime he wakes at night given the chance, massive gulps for about 10+ min. Last night he woke every hour, not hungry every hour but waking, feeding every second hour still.

I go to 3 bf/mum & baby groups, the lc at the bf group and all the other mums know his pattern, as does phn, nobody offers tips or advice as all the other mums babies stopped this type of interval much earlier and the lc and phn said he's feeding and putting on weight brilliantly so he doesn't need any help. He is teething now but as I said this had been consistently the same since almost birth, I can't vouch for nights 1-5 because I wasn't there.

Last night he went to bed early for him at 7 but he just conked out. Woke at 8.30 hungry (fed at 6.30), woke at 9.45 but I got him back to sleep. Woke to feed at 10.30, woke at 12 but I got him back down, woke at 1 to feed and cried and cried everytime we tried to put him back down, so at 2.30 he came into the bed as he was so agitated, and woke 3.45, 4.45, 5.45....and on and on. He's punctual and precise I'll give him that anyway.

All I ever hear is it passes, but like, that's fine except I haven't slept more than 2-3hr at a time since I was admitted to hospital in March, he was born April 6th, this isn't something that will "pass" in 2 weeks clearly! That was fine and comforting when he was 10, 12, whatever weeks, but now I think he's just going to be one of those kids who does this til 18 months or something, while I slowly die at work.

Marz66

Has baby been checked for tongue tie? Are your breasts empty after a feed? Might not be that but frequent feeding and even weight gain can be connected with it.


Could be a sleep issue that he can't get back to sleep by himself. If he falls asleep by himself at the start of the night he is more likely to fall asleep by himself SOME of the times he wakes up during the night. That would involve some sleep training but some methods are gentler than others. I have a book called the baby whisperer solves all your problems. It's not bf friendly but she has some good points. She says if baby wakes at same time/intervals every night it's a sleep problem, if it's at different times every night it's probably hunger.

cbyrd

spottybananas wrote:

Last night he went to bed early for him at 7 but he just conked out. Woke at 8.30 hungry (fed at 6.30), woke at 9.45 but I got him back to sleep. Woke to feed at 10.30, woke at 12 but I got him back down, woke at 1 to feed and cried and cried everytime we tried to put him back down, so at 2.30 he came into the bed as he was so agitated, and woke 3.45, 4.45, 5.45....and on and on. He's punctual and precise I'll give him that anyway.

spottybananas wrote:

He has been doing this pattern since he left scbu at 5 days so not a regression. He feeds every 2 hours during the day until he can feed no more so I don't see how I can increase that. He actively feeds everytime he wakes at night given the chance, massive gulps for about 10+ min. Last night he woke every hour, not hungry every hour but waking, feeding every second hour still.

I hear you, my little girl is 8 months and still wakes 3 times a night. She has 3 bottles during the day, 2 spoonfeeds and I feed her in-between.
This is why I'm trying to wean her, getting up so often at night is killing. I've 4 other kids and I don't have the luxury of having a lie in!
I have a chicco next to me cot but cosleeping is the only way I can manage. Like you, my little girl spent 9 days in scbu but I never managed a routine with her, but, my eldest girl was the same. She was breastfed too til about 9 months.

Regarding the expressing, would you consider a hospital grade pump? Double pump which makes it easier to get a good few ounces per go.
I was told to pump one side when feeding from the other, then feed from the other side and pump from the first side, then whatever you get in the bottle to feed.
This will increase your supply and let you pump more in order to get enough to freeze. I never successfully pumped before this girl, but Google is great!

Persevere, but if it all becomes too much don't feel that you have failed, your body needs rest to produce milk.
Would you try sleeping in a different room one night and see does it make a difference.
For me, it got better with time. She's now able to latch herself on at night if I turn over and pull up my jammies top
She'll feed for about 15 minutes and then fall asleep. I couldn't cope with getting up out of bed, it's too much disturbance. I fall asleep quicker in my warm bed.
I also have a twenty minutes nap about 6pm when I feed her and she falls asleep in my arms..
Pm me at 3 4 5 am if you want to rant.. I should be awake too

spottybananas

No tongue tie, yep empty after a feed, the only thing that went right from Day 1 (well Day 2) was feeding him, absolutely no issues there. I do think it's a sleep issue, but that when he does wake he then realises he's mildly hungry and that sets him off. He does get himself to sleep at first at night, he's always happy to go to sleep by himself at first, we never put him to bed asleep always sleepy. But then the problems start with the night wakings where ideally he'd wake, be comforted and drift back off, it's like he can't/won't do it so wails, whereas at bedtime he's tired and has been busy so is happy to go down originally. He's also able to latch on himself but again it just doesn't seem to be a technical feeding issue. He can't comfort himself once he wakes, and I have no idea how to get him to, any of the patting, shushing, comforting I've tried falls on deaf (hysterical) ears. He's the same with daytime naps, never wakes peacefully, always wakes/gets woken with a big sad wail.

I'll beg for some advice at the bf group this week but generally just get the head tilt and "yeahhhh, some babies just don't sleep as long between feeds".

Just discovered that the cotbed doesn't raise high enough to go right up to the bed, that was my new plan to basically extend the sleeping space to cosleep, gutted. Looks like one of us will be moving into the spare room while I work, I really didn't want to resort to that. It didn't even help last night when he woke every hour.

God I wish I had "normal" maternity leave to be coping with this! Thanks everyone for the support anyway.