The Breast Feeding Support Thread

cyning

Neyite wrote: »

Oh, I know that's what the books say, but I'm wondering why its not recommended. Like, what problems does it cause for breastfeeding? Can anyone explain?

The thinking is that it can dry up the matural lubrication of your nipples, and makes you more prone to cracked and infected nipples.

Neyite

cyning wrote: »

The thinking is that it can dry up the matural lubrication of your nipples, and makes you more prone to cracked and infected nipples.

Ah, that makes sense. I never did it when I started to feed - God no!

It was when pregnant and even then it was 2-3 times a week in the shower, and not much more than a brisk rub with a face cloth, like you would on your face.

I thought it made sense because your nipples are tucked away and are very delicate, then all of a sudden they are wet and being sucked on contstantly and no wonder women get sore and cracked and bleeding. But if they were a bit less sensitive by the time you start to feed, it might make feeding easier.

I wouldnt necessarily dismiss the old wives tales though especially when it comes to breastfeeding - That generation had vast knowledge and experience that we in this generation are trying to re-educate ourselves with. I had midwives "help" but to be honest, unless they have breastfed themselves, they are just passing along theory rather than experience. And experience is everything.

I got the best help from the midwives and women in my family who had experience breastfeeding- one showed me how to cure hiccups, another showed me how to position the baby's lip, and explained about your nipple looking like "lipstick" shape after feeding you were positioned incorrectly, and a heap of other things that I've probably forgotten. But I'm lucky in that all my nieces and nephews were successfully breastfed, as was my own baby, so it felt very natural and familiar when it was my turn. And I promised myself that if it didn't work out for some reason, that like Das Kitty says - a happy mother is paramount, and baby would be fine on formula and that I would not put a guilt trip on myself if I couldn't breastfeed.

Some things will work for one woman, but not for another. I only read up on breastfeeding once I was comfortable with it. I felt overloading myself with information would make me feel daunted and doomed to fail. That worked for me, but other women might feel they need to know as much as possible about breastfeeding.

dublinlady

Ohhhh how do u cure hiccups?!?!?!!!

icescreamqueen

dublinlady wrote: »

Ohhhh how do u cure hiccups?!?!?!!!

Aw I have the same dilemma. My baby has a bout of hiccups 2-3 times a day. I said it to the public health nurse and she asked if the baby had bad hiccups in the womb and she did.

Is a snotty nose something I should be worried abou? She just woke up with a snotty nose but isn't sneezing or coughing or anything.

Neyite

dublinlady wrote: »

Ohhhh how do u cure hiccups?!?!?!!!

icescreamqueen wrote: »

Aw I have the same dilemma. My baby has a bout of hiccups 2-3 times a day. I said it to the public health nurse and she asked if the baby had bad hiccups in the womb and she did.

Is a snotty nose something I should be worried abou? She just woke up with a snotty nose but isn't sneezing or coughing or anything.

Put baby back on the breast for a little sip. Works every time.:) An old neo-natal nurse gave me that tip about 3am when baby was 4 days old.

cyning

I personally think one of the reasons that so many of us experience cracked and sore nipples is that years ago babies who had lip and tongue ties had them snipped at birth routinely. Now even trying to get a diagnosis of them is next to impossible. There's only a few (3 afaik) docs or dentists snipping them now.

C severed her lip tie in a fall but has a gap between her two front teeth because of the lip tie.

On a totally different topic someone please tell me my milk will start to dry up soon. I don't have the energy to wean C right now, getting out of the house is an ordeal and she's feeding worse than a newborn I'm 10 weeks now.

MurdyWurdy

I was also told to feed through hiccups - apparently it doesn't bother the baby and I can confirm that with my LO. He just feeds for a minute or two and then they're gone.

icescreamqueen

Is it possible to have a non windy baby, in terms of she doesn't seem to burp but seems to be more gassy in terms of farts (sorry). I try to wind her but nothing comes out but she seems to fart a lot! Is that ok I wonder 8-/

Das Kitty

icescreamqueen wrote: »

Is it possible to have a non windy baby, in terms of she doesn't seem to burp but seems to be more gassy in terms of farts (sorry). I try to wind her but nothing comes out but she seems to fart a lot! Is that ok I wonder 8-/

Yup.

I became an expert, not in burping my baby, but farting him. Look up baby massage and leg cycling.

aknitter

LOL, farting a baby - I spat tea at the monitor!! I thankfully have no bother with wind, but the farts get smelly when he's due a poo.

wolfpawnat

I have a farter too. And she is a loud one at that. V gassy today. I am worried she has reflux. She has screamed the last 24 hours. Or could it be that someone gave her a bottle of formula. My stepmother arrived yesterday and rather than using the bottles of expressed milk in my fridge she purposely used the little carton formula I had hidden at the back of the press in case of an emergency. I came out of the shower and saw the carton, I went nuts. She was mouthing how can they take her for weekends if she is bf. I wouldn't ask her to post a letter let alone take my child for a weekend. That cow turned up at my door unannounced and did that. I am infuriated. Sorry had to rant

iguana

God, I'd be fuming Wolfpawnat, absolutely fuming. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why she's having pains, formula is heavier on the digestive system and her little tummy isn't used to it. Hopefully she'll be better in a day or so. In the meantime try cycling her legs to help her.

icescreamqueen

My poor baby has been so unsettled last night and most of this afternoon . She cried for 3 hours straight last night. It's not like her at all, she's usually so placid. The public health nurse just happened to be around earlier and I asked her about it. She said it was either an unsettled stomach due to something I ate or I wasn't supplying enough milk to feed her. How would I help to improve my milk supply?

MurdyWurdy

icescreamqueen wrote: »

My poor baby has been so unsettled last night and most of this afternoon . She cried for 3 hours straight last night. It's not like her at all, she's usually so placid. The public health nurse just happened to be around earlier and I asked her about it. She said it was either an unsettled stomach due to something I ate or I wasn't supplying enough milk to feed her. How would I help to improve my milk supply?

Fenugreek seed capsules - I swear they work. I told a girl in my bfeeding group about them because she wasn't sure about her supply and the following week she couldn't wait to tell me how good they were! I stopped taking them due to oversupply on one boob. You get them in health food shops.

Also oats are meant to help

dublinlady

Wolfpawnat that's horrendous!!!! I am so angry on ur behalf!!!! My little miss has the occasional bit of formula if I haven't managed to express and have to work but only under my clear instructions!! She deliberately went against your decision - I would be so angry!

Nead21

Wolfpawnat what an absolute b*tch for doing that. Deliberate sabatage! Clearly a selfish move on her behalf. You're right to be furious particularly after the effort you put in to get breastfeeding started.

sunshiner

im gobsmacked that someone would actually do that. i hope you told her were to go.

wolfpawnat

I spent a while crying over it yesterday and everytime she screeched and scrunched up in pain I just became infuriated. That formula was there for emergencies only. I always have 2 meals expressed in the fridge and an extra ounce just in case. There was never need to use that. She chose to for reasons beyond my understanding. I know it's not right but I just told her to get up out of my home before I chose between a Hurley or a 3 wood to swing at her with.

If bf fails I can accept it. I'd be saddened but you get on with life but to go and try and ruin it for personal gain!!!! I am baffled. Did she honestly think I would thank her, or that after showing such a lack or respect I would let her care for S?

Poor little girl was so cross and sore last night. She barely slept yesterday so she was in agony and exhausted. She is settling again now thank goodness. She was suspicious of the expressed milk I gave her earlier, but as soon as she realised it was her normal milk she was happy.

aknitter

wolfpawnat wrote: »

I know it's not right but I just told her to get up out of my home before I chose between a Hurley or a 3 wood to swing at her with.

Why choose, use both.

What is it with people wanting to take small babies away from their Mammies overnight? Fair enough if you have to you have to or you choose to do it. But to be so underhand is crazy. My man was very unsettled after his first visit to my Mothers and he was just held by different people, at this stage he'd be some job to settle with no mammy boob.

sunshiner

well at least she is feeling better today wolfpawnat, thats something. i think you have every right not to have that lady in your home again until she grovels and begs.

liliq

Wolfpawnat I can't believe the gall! How unbelievably disrespectful.
I don't know you managed to keep it together enough to be able to tell her to leave. I am SO infuriated on your behalf.
Are you going to talk to her about it? I would have to tell her that after undermining you like that and putting pressure on your babies little tummy and causing her that pain, that it will be a long time and a lot of work on her behalf before you trust her again.

wolfpawnat

sunshiner wrote: »

well at least she is feeling better today wolfpawnat, thats something. i think you have every right not to have that lady in your home again until she grovels and begs.

I had no right letting her in in the first place. I have nothing to do with her ordinarily, it was solely because my teen brother was with her and because I was so shocked to see them in Dublin that I let her in. I specifically said there was expressed milk in the fridge. I had been planning that shower all day, I finally was able to get it, so guests or not I was taking it. And she had to actively root in my press to find that milk, it was right at the back behind everything else.

liliq wrote: »

Wolfpawnat I can't believe the gall! How unbelievably disrespectful.
I don't know you managed to keep it together enough to be able to tell her to leave. I am SO infuriated on your behalf.
Are you going to talk to her about it? I would have to tell her that after undermining you like that and putting pressure on your babies little tummy and causing her that pain, that it will be a long time and a lot of work on her behalf before you trust her again.

I only kept it together because I didn't want to go insane in front of my kids. But as soon as she left I broke down. My partner nearly went insane, at first for them arriving unannounced, something we thought nigh on a cardinal no-no with new mothers and secondly for the assumption they would get to mind my kids in a house that we think is filthy, with an untrained dog, filled with cigarette smoke, to two people I barely know (my father left when I was 4) and to do that I would happily give up all my hard work. The pain I went through to be able to feed my child myself, the cracked nipples, the bleeding, the horrible skinning on one side, that I would give up for no reason when I went through all that!!!!!! Oh great, I've gotten myself all mad again now.

I called my father and told him I don't want to even hear from her except for her apology (which I know I won't get) he said the same as her, they want to take the kids for weekends and I can't express that much milk so it's a problem, so I told him they were not welcome, my decision on how to feed S is mine and mine alone, even her father doesn't get a full say, if I had chosen formula then that too would have been my prerogative, I am the one doing the work. There will be no discussion, she now knows she is not welcome around my kids, if I had not told her about the expressed milk I would be annoyed at myself, and would get over it, but to go out of her way to dismiss me, well that proves she is too negative to have around them.

wolfpawnat

aknitter wrote: »

What is it with people wanting to take small babies away from their Mammies overnight? Fair enough if you have to you have to or you choose to do it. But to be so underhand is crazy. My man was very unsettled after his first visit to my Mothers and he was just held by different people, at this stage he'd be some job to settle with no mammy boob.

I am seeing this a bit recently, people wanting to take the newborns away from their mammy's for even a few hours. S is 4 weeks old on Sunday and I have never left her for more than the length of a shower and I have done every single night and nappy, not because my partner won't help, but because I won't let him. He takes our 4 year old out and about, but if he leaves the room with our daughter, I go after him, I am not sure is it the bfing or what, but I don't feel right away from her yet.

MurdyWurdy

Power is out here - hubby normally gives the baby formula at 2am to give me a longer sleep but can't warm the bottle with no electricity.. Luckily I'm breastfeeding, so handy at times like this - all he had to do was wake me up!

Really hope the power comes back soon - worried about all the meals we froze when I was pregnant!

How Strange

Wolfpawnat what an awful thing to do. I'd be livid too if someone did that to me. it just makes it worse that they don't understand that they consciously interfered with your way of parenting.

I don't get the fascination with taking a little baby from its mother either. There's years and years ahead where you'll be delighted to hand them over for a nights rest but a newborn needs to be close to its mother.

lazygal

We're judged because we've never spent a night without our lass. We have no desire to, we're so happy spending family time when they're this young I feel zero need to have a 'break' from her. Some people seem to pawn their young children off on family any chance they get, its not something I'm a fan of. I don't remember my parents offloading us like that. I think its something modern parents and grandparents are into.

Blueskye

My mil is only itching to take babies from me. It doesn't suit her at all that I'm bf. I'm so glad I am as it means she can't disappear for long periods with the babies. Although she has tried several times.

She told me I'd kill myself bf twins so basically start on the formula and she'll take them for the night. Why would I want to spend a night away from my newborn babies?? And how would it impact on them to be away from their mother for so long? Now that I've successfully bf for 3 months she wants to know when I'm stopping. Why would I stop now? She tells me she bf her children for 3 or 4 months but I just don't believe her.

aknitter

The most I've been away from my new baby is 2-3 hours. He was left with Daddy while I did stuff with our oldest girl (she's 14 and it was definatley a mother daughter thing to do). I'll either leave expressed milk or formula and instructions on which to use - even hubby does whats he's told on this issue. I do feel a bit guilty leaving him but I do have other kids and sometimes they need the indvidual attention - no matter how old!

When I had our eldest I was living at home and my mother did not do the night feeds - why would she have? My baby my job. She'll gladly take the older 2 kids (14 & 2) but is happy to leave the baby with me and rightly so.

He was just asking today about when I was thinking about weaning as he wants to give me a night off so I can go out - truth is I have don't want to go and stop bf, I feel that at the moment its the only thing I am good at for the kids and I need it for my confidence!

holding

Someone on here recommended The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding book before, and I've just finished reading it and wanted to say thanks. It's amazing!! A total treasure trove of information, really really helpful.

MurdyWurdy

holding wrote: »

Someone on here recommended The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding book before, and I've just finished reading it and wanted to say thanks. It's amazing!! A total treasure trove of information, really really helpful.

That was me I think

It is fab! I read it while pregnant and then again when I started breastfeeding. Got completely different things from it both times. A lot of it had no relevance when I was pregnant but so familiar and useful when I was actually feeding