The Breast Feeding Support Thread

implausible

Agh, spoke too soon - gave her her "last feed" on Thurs, but have been gradually getting more engorged since. Am scared of getting mastitis over the Christmas, so gave her a quick feed today to ease the boob. Think I might have to do this every second day or so, until it calms down. It's very strange as I didn't stop suddenly, she was only taking a wee sup in the evening by the time I finished.

lounakin

Hey all, wonder if anyone's had this before: I started having pains on my right nipple one day as I was feeding my 7 months old. Because she's been biting a little I thought it was just a bit raw but the pain went on, quite bad in the first minute of the feed. Only then I decided to have a look and saw a white bit on the nipple. It was very sore to touch and didn't look like a blister, it looked like a discolouration! Anyway, I tried to apply hot compresses and see if I could 'pierce' or remove it but as I said it just looked like it was part of the nipple, nothing to pierce or remove. A couple of days ago a tiny spot of red appeared on it. Now it looks a bit red, still some white, hurts loads... Should I do nothing and it'll pass?

How Strange

lounakin I've no idea. Perhaps ring a local Cuidiu or la Leche league leader for advice. I know its Stephens Day but they won't mind. I'd be wary of just leaving it and seeing what happens.

Implausible I hope you got the engorgement sorted out. It's tough when you get it at this stage.

lounakin

I was just trying this thread as I am not in the country and the phone is quite shaky here!

How Strange

Hopefully someone who knows will be along soon.

Julo12

Lounakin I had this and it cleared up after about a wk. Pretty sure it was a blocked duct as I could almost feel it being cleared when baba fed a certain way. I just made sure to feed her as much as poss from that side and put facecloth over it in shower and bath. Hope it clears up for u soon.

liliq

Lounakin if its sore I'd initially guess a bleb or thrush.
A bleb can nearly be squeezed like a spot but is very sore, white stringy gunk would come out. Sometimes it's best to soften the skin with warm olive oil first, or do it when you're in the shower.
Thrush... Is Z showing any signs of discomfort when she's nursing? Thrush apparently feels like glass coming through the nipple at the start of a feed.
Also.., 7 months?!?!? Can't believe it!

scrgirl

Ok so feeding has improved a good bit but is still difficult to get him to latch and sleep at night. Me and my oh look like the walking dead! Just wondering how others got on with breast feeding in general? Did others have a tough time with it? When did it get easier? Did people have any tricks suggestions to make it easier and when did people supplement some formula? Did it have any positive or negative consequences ? General feedback on your experience would be appreciated. Thanks!

How Strange

scrgirl there shouldn't be a problem with the latch so if there is you need to get it looked at by a qualified lactation consultant. We had a few bumps at the start, up to 10 weeks, but then it was great. It became like second nature for us. Ok the growth spurts are tough going but you just have to chill out, sit on the sofa for a few days and feed on demand.

I didn't supplement with formula because I didn't have to. Other people do/did with success.

However I'd really recommend getting the latch checked as the first step.

lounakin

liliq wrote: »

Lounakin if its sore I'd initially guess a bleb or thrush.
A bleb can nearly be squeezed like a spot but is very sore, white stringy gunk would come out. Sometimes it's best to soften the skin with warm olive oil first, or do it when you're in the shower.
Thrush... Is Z showing any signs of discomfort when she's nursing? Thrush apparently feels like glass coming through the nipple at the start of a feed.
Also.., 7 months?!?!? Can't believe it!

This thing doesn't seem to want to be squeezed and when I do I can't see because milk comes out. I hope it's not thrush! Don't think it is as there's hardly a reason for having it. It doesn't feel like glass, just burning when Z nurses. She doesn't seem bothered when feeding. Yes she's almost 7.5 months! Standing up on her own and saying mama and papa hardly a little baby anymore!

How Strange

Just to add there is a certain amount of exhaustion to be expected in those first few weeks. You're recovering from giving birth and you're learning how to feed your baby. It's tough going at the start and don't underestimate how tired you'll be. That's why you have to nap whenever you can and make the visitors useful by looking after you.

I see from another thread here that your little one is 2 weeks. It's too early to introduce formula if you want to continue breastfeeding as the baby needs to feed from you as much as possible to create your milk supply. Your supply is usually established around 6 weeks. Introducing formula now could have a negative effect on your milk supply which would lead to a lower supply and then using formula more until you're using formula for every feed.

Get the latch checked as a priority, take your baby into bed with you so you can feed and rest and really take care of yourself for these first few weeks.

Years ago women used to stay in bed and nurse for 6 weeks and there was a reason for it. Nowadays it's almost like a competition to see who's back in their skinny jeans and out in the shopping ce tre first.

Neyite

Srcgirl, I didn't introduce formula until 3 months, and even then only the bedtime bottle at 8pm.

Nap when your baby does and ignore the housework- even if you don't feel particularly tired, by the evening you will feel it if you don't rest. Both of you learning the skill of breastfeeding is more important right now and will get easier and quicker per feed in a few weeks and that's when you both can really enjoy the bonding time.

pushkii

src girl
+1 for bringing baby into bed with you to nurse. co-sleeping makes breastfeeding so much easier . i don't think id have been able to continue if i didn't do it but that's just me. As others said try not to introduce formula too early your baby will train your body to produce the milk he or she needs. try to eat eat eat! its hard to find time with a newborn to prepare food but you have to look after yourself too and drink a lot of water. keep bottles by your bed. my lo is 4 and a half months now and im enjoying feeding her now more than ever it is so tough at the beginning but once you come to 8-10 weeks it is just a joy :-)

scrgirl

Thanks for all the replies, seems I need to develop my patience a bit ! On co sleeping do we need to get rid of duvets and pillows to co sleep safely? Anything we need to be careful of? As it is I do fall asleep while nursing but my oh is very nervous about this and always puts baby back in crib if he (oh) wakes up. What can I say to reassure him?

liliq

To co sleep safely, neither yourself or your partner should have had a drink/ smoke/ any mess which will make you extra sleepy.
Pillows are fine, but no duvet over baby. I wear something with long sleeves to keep my upper body warm, and leave the duvet down at my waist. If I'm lying in my left side, I have my left arm raised and curled around the top of babies head and my right arm down across legs with the duvet hooked under my thumb so it doesn't get pushed up. You could push the crib/ Moses basket up against the side if the bed for extra reassurance.
I find it an absolute life saver to co sleep as well. It's just important to do it safely. The easier nights will make days a lot better.
I found the first four/ sue weeks a total blur. Having a baby is like running into a wall on a daily basis, it just knocks you flat, no matter what way your feeding your baby. I remember the midwife at my antenatal classes telling us that mums used to check into some place nearby for two weeks after having heir babies to just be able to lie in bed and feed their baby. The staff would bring their meals, do laundry etc. sounded like heaven!!!
Give yourself 6 weeks and breast feeding will be a lot easier. It's also hard to imagine now, but your baby won't feed like a newborn for too long, soon he will become more effective at nursing and feeds will be shorter and at longer intervals.
If you have any pain thigh, there's something not quite right. He might just latch himself on not quite the right way. If there's pain, a cuidiu breast feeding councillor, la leche league leader, or a lactation consultant would be a good call.
Sorry for such a long post!

How Strange

scrgirl we were all nervous exhausted wrecks at the beginning. I was terrified of cosleeping and everyone (family etc) warned me how it was dangerous and I'd regret it. Look back to my posts in January 2011 and you'll see i was pretty much the same as you are now; exhausted and overwhelmed by the whole thing. In the end it was a case of cosleep and stay sane or go crazy trying to juggle feeding baby with catching as much sleep for myself as possible.

I did as liliq described. I think it was our life saver too and I definitely wouldn't have continued breastfeeding without sleeping together. My husband was also very nervous because he thought he'd roll over on him in his sleep but somehow we all instinctively knew he was in the bed and he was fine. If my husband or I had a drink we'd put him in the Moses basket as alcohol (even in small quantities) and exhaustion aren't a good mix.

xiwang

Hi girls, I have graduated from the Due Dec thread to this one, just wanted to drop in a quick hello, as I am sure I will be here quite a bit for the next six months at least!

Looking forward to getting to know some of you breastfeeding mommies in here, hope all of you will have a great end of the year

lazygal

For a few reasons, mainly health related which I won't go into, I've decided to introduce bottle feeds for the day and only do BF in the morning and afternoon/early evening. I know supply will go down but I don't have a choice. My main issue is feeding to sleep to get baby to nap. She will not nap during the day unless I BF her to sleep. I've tried letting her self sooth, pick up/put down and some other techniques but nothing has worked. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Its a bad habit I need to break at this stage.

liliq

lazygal wrote: »

For a few reasons, mainly health related which I won't go into, I've decided to introduce bottle feeds for the day and only do BF in the morning and afternoon/early evening. I know supply will go down but I don't have a choice. My main issue is feeding to sleep to get baby to nap. She will not nap during the day unless I BF her to sleep. I've tried letting her self sooth, pick up/put down and some other techniques but nothing has worked. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Its a bad habit I need to break at this stage.

I was worried about feeding to sleep, but find its really the path of least resistance. When I went back to college I was totally freaked out as I was sure he wouldn't nap without being nursed to sleep, but he did, very happily.
In still doing it, and he still falls asleep without boob happily enough when I'm not there, so no tips from experience. I've heard mostly good reviews about Elizabeth pantleys no cry sleep solution, maybe that might have some ideas for naps?
I hope you find something that works for you

Julo12

lazygal wrote: »

For a few reasons, mainly health related which I won't go into, I've decided to introduce bottle feeds for the day and only do BF in the morning and afternoon/early evening. I know supply will go down but I don't have a choice. My main issue is feeding to sleep to get baby to nap. She will not nap during the day unless I BF her to sleep. I've tried letting her self sooth, pick up/put down and some other techniques but nothing has worked. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Its a bad habit I need to break at this stage.

When I introduced daytime bottles I was able follow baby whisperer rough routine of eat activity sleep. When I saw she was ready for a sleep I used to nurse her for a little while (she wasn't really hungry so didn't matter that she wasn't getting much) then when she was sleepy put her in the pram or carseat and head out. I did that at roughly the same times each day. Now I don't nurse for those two naps during the day and she'll still nod off in the pram or carseat. Course ideally I should be able to put her in her cot for naps without the need for movement!!
I find even tho I started daytime bottles 2 months ago I can still nurse her to sleep if necessary - its more a case of being a human dummy for me tho I think as she won't take a soother!
Best of luck with it and try not to worry too much as I think babies are very adaptable.

KGLady

I'm currently BFing my 12wk old, she's baby 3 so I'm a fair old hand at the BFng at this stage. I've had an unfortunate hitch of having my first period over the Christmas, and I think that in tandem with the general busy time of year leaving me tired, I've had a marked drop in milk supply which is also overlapping with a hungry growth spurt for herself. Poor baby has been feeding but when she's drained them both she was crying, latching on and off repeatedly and crying big wet tears when no more would come - absolutely heart wrenching for me.

We've supplemented her with the sparse stock of milk I had frozen and then had to use formula, and I'm now trying to do all I can now that the period is finished to be able to fully feed her myself again - so any tips would be great!

I have increased the time she stays on and have been shoving the boobs at her at every opportunity to get increased milk signals and its helping, I've also gone with porridge and green veg, I've even had a bottle of beer with my evening meal the last 2 nights which is immense help (genuinely don't have the time to buy brewers yeast and bake cookies etc with it atm so don't judge me too harshly for getting it the easier way!). Is there any other tips any of you found helpful for increasing supply when periods return?

Oh, last notes I'm also trying to sleep and rest more, keeping hydrated and taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement with Omega 3 & 6 too.

How Strange

KGlady you seem to be doing all the right things really. Oats and fennel are good at boosting supply. It might be an idea for both of you to snuggle up in bed naked for a few hours for a few days (if you can!). It will encourage your little one to feed more which will increase your supply.

I think it's natural for you to feel less full around 12 weeks so don't assume it means you've less milk. The growth spurts can really knock your confidence because you naturally assume the crying and agitation means they're not getting enough. A few days of rest and snuggles and you should feel better again. I know you probably know that already but sometimes we just need to be reminded.

emer_b

Welcome xiwang (I'm new(ish) here too!).

KGlady, I had concerns about low supply a few weeks ago, don't think it was related to a growth spurt but I just felt quite empty all the time. I've been taking fenugreek tablets since then and I noticed a massive difference within 2 days. Really worked for me and I haven't exoerienced any down sides.

kvicka

hi emer b...how many tablets of fenugreek do u take? ive started taking them yday and hope my milk supply will increase. dont seem to be producing enough...lo pulling at my nipple in agony (me being in agony too 1. with the pain and 2. with the awful feeling of not being able toprovide for my lo)

KGLady

Skin snuggle time is wonderful alright Over the Christmas I've done as much as I can with a 5yo and 4yo about the house too but with himself back to work tomorrow I won't have the second parent to cater to them so my options and time are limited. However the fenugreek tablets I will try out if I can get to a health food shop tomorrow, so thanks for the tip.

skit490

just wondering how many times a day does everyone's little ones nurse. Mine is 13 wks n still feels like every hr apart from wen she is napping. It's hard work.

emer_b

kvicka wrote: »

hi emer b...how many tablets of fenugreek do u take? ive started taking them yday and hope my milk supply will increase. dont seem to be producing enough...lo pulling at my nipple in agony (me being in agony too 1. with the pain and 2. with the awful feeling of not being able toprovide for my lo)

I've been taking 2 different brands of fenugreek but both were around 600mg per tablet. The recommended dosage was between 6 and 12 tablets per day, so I've been taking 6 (2x3 times daily) over the past 3 weeks.
I have read online that once your supply increases you can stop taking the tablets and your supply should stay up, but I've just kept taking them with no ill effect. To be honest I was just a bit worried that if I stopped my supply would drop off again. I don't know if I would still be breastfeeding without those tablets as my baby is quite small and wasn't gaining weight well but she's doing so much better since my supply increased.
This is just my experience, hope it helps! good luck

kvicka

at night my lo nurses every 3 hours. during the day depends on our routine. we usually walk in the morning for 2 hours thats when she sleeps about 3 hours after that she nurses in shorter intervals sometimes she nurses for 2 hours solid but again id say i dont have enough and sge s trying so hard to get something out.

kvicka

thx emer, must try this. right now i was only taking 2 or 3 a day. the package says one tablet a day. they are at 600mg. was ther any side effects on the baby like colic? dreading that as my lo seems to have colic.

skit490

kvicka wrote: »

at night my lo nurses every 3 hours. during the day depends on our routine. we usually walk in the morning for 2 hours thats when she sleeps about 3 hours after that she nurses in shorter intervals sometimes she nurses for 2 hours solid but again id say i dont have enough and sge s trying so hard to get something out.

Yes getting 3 hrs at night now. But spends the eve tanking up for it I think. Hehe. Hard work having her 24/7 on my own. But all the smiles r worth it.