The Breast Feeding Support Thread

yellow hen

scrgirl wrote: »

yellow hen hope you can continue to feed a bit if thats what you want, must be so hard to have to stop cold turkey. After reading your post I went over to facebook and this article was in my newsfeed! It answers your questions perfectly! I love serendipity like that!

http://www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2013/04/starting-formula-doesnt-have-to-mean.html

Thanks a million. I am now doing 50:50 breastfeeding and formula which I am comfortable with. I was so disappointed to have stopped so soon. I just hope my supply doesn't wain.

june17

Hi everyone. I'm at my wits end and need some advice please.
I'm breast feeding my 6 wk old son. I started giving him a 5 oz bottle before bed about three weeks ago. This settled him for the night and he was content ed going to bed. However since last Tuesday I cannot keep him fed. He always took about 1 1/2 hours to feed but now it could take anything up to 3 or 4 hours. He's constantly stuck to me. I know babies go through growth spurts at about 6 weeks but this is the 2nd wk of this now and I don't know what to do. I've read on other replies that some babies feed for just 30 mins ata time. I'm now giving extra bottles which I don't want to do. So far today I've given him 2 5 oz bottles which he drank no bother. Thanks in advance for your advice

bauble1

Hi June, it is so tough when they give through periods like this. Sooo tiring. LOsnurse for more than just food tho, that's why the bottles are prob not helping. Could be fighting a cold, growth spurt etc. I can only give the usual advice of take to the bed with baba and get as much rest as possible. My lo is 14m. Each time we went through these freq feeding events, i would post a similar pls help post & usually she would settle back into 'normal' just when id get to my wits end. Also my Lo didn't really stretch or get quicker at feeding til more like 8/10 weeks. The magical 6 weeks mark that id been dying for came and went without a noticeable change. You are doing a great job, soon it will get so much easier.

How Strange

Every baby takes a different length of time to feed so there's no one definitive time. Could he have tongue tie? The extra long feeding times, especially if it starts after 1 month, can be a sign of tongue tie.

It means they can't get a correct latch so it takes them longer.

Look up tongue tie on you tube and you'll see lots of clips of examples. Tongue tie isn't such a problem for bottle fed babies but its definitely a problem for those breastfed. There are only 2 doctors in the republic who snip the tie but you'd need to get it diagnosed first. A la Leche league leader or ibclc lactation consultant would be able to diagnose it quickly.

dublinlady

Would offering a soother help after a feed to see if he just wants the closeness of feeding? My little one had to be sucking all the time but would be content with a soother other than when hungry - her feeds often listed an or but not usually more. It's exhausting - sounds like ur having a tough time and coping much better than I would. I hope u get some form of a break soon.

june17

Hi, maybe I just need to be more patient so! I love breast feeding but it's just so exhausting at the moment. I feel as if I never get a break from it.

I should have mentioned that he had tongue tie but it was spotted before we left the hospital. He got it snipped almost 3 weeks ago. The doc said to give it three weeks and if I don't notice an improvement he'll look at it again. I have an appointment with a lactation consultant tomorrow and I'll see what she says.

He's had a soother for about 2 weeks now. Some days he's mad for it but other days he wont take it at all even when full.

He had three bottles now today and he drank them no bother. But like I said I d would much prefer to breast feed exclusively. Maybe I might have to accept the fact that I'll have to combine both. Hopefully the lactation consultant will be some help tomorrow. I suppose a lack of sleep doesn't do much for me either-especially when I feel like crying a lot of the time!

scrgirl

My LO had TT and we had to supplement at the beginning but we are exclusively BF now, so have faith it can happen. Are you happy with supply? I ate porridge and flapjacks and drank lots of fennel tea to up my supply (which can be effected by tt) also for every bottle I gave baby I pumped as if boobs are not getting the message that babs is drinking they will not produce milk so its a vicious circle of supply and demand. And could be the reason baby is stuck to you so much as he is trying to tell boobs to produce more for his needs. I know how exhausting it is I was there constantly feeding or if not feeding pumping, so hard! but it does get easier, now I look back fondly on those days as I cant get a feed into him he is so nosey, looking around all the time!! He is 16 weeks old now and the first 6-8 weeks were the hardest I ever put in, but so glad we stuck with it as its a doddle now. I can honestly say i noticed an improvement at 6 weeks and by 10 weeks it was A1. I strongly advice going to a LLL or Cuidui meeting you will get so much good advice and support. ITs not possible to do this alone and also trust your mothering instincts too, even if they fly in the face of what docs or PHN say to you! Oh and just be aware TT can reattach, so maybe have it checked out. Also it took my baby 3 weeks to learn how to suck properly after the snip, it didnt magically improve over night. Best of luck to you the LC will be a great help to you, even just to chat and know you are not alone.

june17

Thanks Scrgirl. You should consider becoming a lactation consultant yourself as what you wrote is exactly what the LC consultant said yesterday!

She told me to stop feeding after an hour then to offer the bottle and after that to express. But Cillian is not sucking properly a lot of the time and that's why it was taking him so long to drink. So hopefully if I can increase my supply that might help him to drink more. She showed me how to massage my breast to encourage him to suck better but this will be tough going I'd say as he is used to taking his time and giving little sucks for comfort. Did you experience this? It's very time consuming and tiring but I really want to continue breastfeeding so hopefully it will come right for us soon.

scrgirl

june17 wrote: »

Thanks Scrgirl. You should consider becoming a lactation consultant yourself as what you wrote is exactly what the LC consultant said yesterday!

She told me to stop feeding after an hour then to offer the bottle and after that to express. But Cillian is not sucking properly a lot of the time and that's why it was taking him so long to drink. So hopefully if I can increase my supply that might help him to drink more. She showed me how to massage my breast to encourage him to suck better but this will be tough going I'd say as he is used to taking his time and giving little sucks for comfort. Did you experience this? It's very time consuming and tiring but I really want to continue breastfeeding so hopefully it will come right for us soon.

ha! when we have problems with something we become experts!! I cant say he comfort sucked he seemed to be working hard at getting milk all the time, it wasnt comforting for him, sheer labour! he clamped down on my nipples with his gums to extract milk as he could not suck with his tongue, the pain!! Latching him on was excruciating. I had to teach him to suck after the tt was snipped, getting him to open wide and stuffing my nipple in as far as I could!! He got it eventually.
The best websites for tips and advice are kellymom and Dr. Jack Newman brilliant articles and videos. Also i joined a facbook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/breastfeedingwithtonguetie/ got lots of advice from people going through the same thing there, hope you see improvemenys soon

june17

Thanks for you help. I've started drinking fennel tea which is supposed to help to increase milk supply and is good for baby's tummy. It tastes horrible though!

cyning

My little girl is 9 months now and i got my period back 2 weeks ago. At the time she came out in a rash of spots all across her face that went within an hour or two of a feed. She itched them like mad. This week same thing albeit not as severe when (I think) I'm ovulating. Did anyone else have the same?

How Strange

I'd say it's your hormones alright. My son was the same when my period came back and the crèche rang me in a panic. By the time I got there they were gone.

In fact he used to have lots and lots even in the early months when I assume my hormones were going crazy. My phn said it was to do with hormone levels in breastmilk so I just took it as that. It kind of makes sense when you think about it.

cyning

She never got them until then so I was wondering! Glad I'm not the only one

IvyTheTerrible

How Strange wrote: »

I'd say it's your hormones alright. My son was the same when my period came back and the crèche rang me in a panic. By the time I got there they were gone.

In fact he used to have lots and lots even in the early months when I assume my hormones were going crazy. My phn said it was to do with hormone levels in breastmilk so I just took it as that. It kind of makes sense when you think about it.

I haven't had my period back because of the pill I'm taking but L got a type of acne in the first few weeks of breastfeeding, on his face, a bit on his back and his chest as well. The midwife and the pediatrician both said it is normal and is related to the hormones in the milk (interestingly he also had more pronounced nipples/breast area, pedi said that was the same reason!)

june17

I'm going to Cork for the day next week. Would anyone know where I could express in Cork City and in Mahon Point? Thanks

Piper101

june17 wrote: »

I'm going to Cork for the day next week. Would anyone know where I could express in Cork City and in Mahon Point? Thanks

There's a feeding room in the mothercare in Mahon point afaik...would that do?

liliq

I hate blebs! Have a recurring one that I always forget about until I've been sore for a week or two and then I eventually remember and squeeze it clear as much as possible.
Think my poor boy is starting to get his back molars now as well so I'm a bit stingy from that.
Do they take long to come through? He's only 19 months now, so I'm guessing he'll be two at least before they're done.

Nead21

Its my first time posting in this thread and would appreciate some advice.

Im exclusively bf my 2week old and in the last couple of days he seems to find it hard to nap without feeding. However at the end of the feed it seems to be just comfort. I think hes asleep and i pull the boob away but he just wakes up looking for it. Apart from this he feeds really well.

I was thinking of giving him a soother but im reluctant as i read it could cause confusion for him??

Is this just a phase?

cyning

No idea about blebs or teeth liliq but that sounds sore

I had introduced a soother at5 days old: still breast feeding now at ten months. I never had any problems with nipple confusion but obviously that's never a given. They do feed what feels like non stop at 2 weeks so you need to make sure you're not interfering with that its to help establish your supply. Make sure they arent still swallowing etc. i hated being a human soother! Congratulations on your babs too

yellow hen

cyning wrote: »

No idea about blebs or teeth liliq but that sounds sore

I had introduced a soother at5 days old: still breast feeding now at ten months. I never had any problems with nipple confusion but obviously that's never a given. They do feed what feels like non stop at 2 weeks so you need to make sure you're not interfering with that its to help establish your supply. Make sure they arent still swallowing etc. i hated being a human soother! Congratulations on your babs too

I gave a soother after a week also and it never caused any problems. My little man definitely used the boob for comfort. He could disappear down there for three hours at a time!!

Neyite

A nurse told me that when they stop sucking, count to ten, if they dont restart sucking before that they are done, if they do, they were only taking a breather.

It does feel like they are constantly feeding in the beginning but they do space themselves out as they get a bit older. Get a kindle or play angry birds and settle in for the long haul

yellow hen

Neyite wrote: »

A nurse told me that when they stop sucking, count to ten, if they dont restart sucking before that they are done, if they do, they were only taking a breather.

It does feel like they are constantly feeding in the beginning but they do space themselves out as they get a bit older. Get a kindle or play angry birds and settle in for the long haul

Honestly, what did people do before smartphone?!!

How Strange

Lol! I'd be lost without my phone. Starting breastfeeding on the 2nd isn't any easier than the 1st. My little one had a frenzied 10 hours from around 2am until 11am. Looks like we're in for another night of it tonight. My milk should be in tomorrow so hopefully she'll be a little more satiated then.

Sore nips are no laughing matter!!

yellow hen

How Strange wrote: »

Lol! I'd be lost without my phone. Starting breastfeeding on the 2nd isn't any easier than the 1st. My little one had a frenzied 10 hours from around 2am until 11am. Looks like we're in for another night of it tonight. My milk should be in tomorrow so hopefully she'll be a little more satiated then.

Sore nips are no laughing matter!!

10 hours!!!!!! I used the multimalm compresses as a precautionary measure and never got sore nips at all. i thought they were brilliant.

How Strange

Yep I'm using them too and they're really fantastic. This little one could suck paint off a wall but doesn't like to open her mouth too wide. I think I've managed to minimise any damage. Hopefully!

liliq

Oh how strange, I must have missed the arrival announcement!
Congrats! Hope all went well
She'll have your supply stimulated in no time at that rate!

cyning

Oh congratulations how strange

pinkheels88

Hey mommas,
I've just tried out a medela handpump for the first time. Baba has his 2 week GP check up tomorrow and I want to have a bottle of expressed milk on me in case he gets hungry while we're out (I'm too nervous about publicly bf yet...)
I only managed to express 1.5 oz. Does that seem like very little or am I deluded in thinking I would be capable of expressing a full bottle at this stage? I will refrigerate it until tomorrow. Also might be a stupid question but will I need to warm the bottle before I give it to him? :o
I think I'll invest in an electric pump soon if anyone has any recommendations?

How Strange

pinkheels, 1.5oz is probably more than enough for a 2 week old. Feed him just before you leave so he should be ok for 1.5-2 hours.

Bring the milk in a bottle so it'll be room temp. No need to heat it up.

The Medela swing is a great electric pump. It's expensive but it's a worthwhile investment if you think you'll be breastfeeding for a while.

Piper101

It'll be an expensive investment I have to make for the second time!!! I'm just after microwave sterilising the motor along with the pump parts, the smell of burning is unreal...currently trying to hand express :-o