Breastfeeding Help and Support Part X

[Marisa]

Time once again for a new thread! The previous one is here:

http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42841

[Marisa]

Many thanks to all the moms over the years who helped put these together.

Links for Quick Tips and Getting Started:
Dr. Sears' BFing Webpage (http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T020100.asp)
http://www.kellymom.com/
Mothering.com's Breastfeeding discussion forum (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=27)
Info from the Great Dr. Jack Newman (http://www.drjacknewman.com/)
Promom.org (http://www.promom.org/)
The Notorious LLL (La Leche League) (http://www.llli.org//nb.html)
Ignore the name... the Militant Breastfeeding Cult (http://www.militantbreastfeedingcult.com/index_a.html)
Page on What Medications are "Safe" While BFing (http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/index.html)
WHO Child Growth Standards (http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/en/)


Good Books for the BFing Mom:
"The Womanly Art of BFing" by LLL (general reference, can be preachy)
"So That's What They're For!" by Janet Tamaro (funny, light read)
"The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers" by Jack Newman (good information, presented clearly, and by a wonderful doctor)
"The Breastfeeding Book" by William and Martha Sears (can be a bit simplistic for women with serious BFing issues, but generally very informative)
"Nursing Mother, Working Mother" (as the title says, it's for the working mom)
"Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or More"
"Mothering Your Nursing Toddler" (for Extended Nursing)
"Adventures in Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond" by Hilary Flowers
"Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby"
"The Nursing Mother's Companion" by Kathleen Huggins

Nursing Holds:
This site has both pictures and a description of some different holds
Here's One On Nursing Twins, which is totally doable, by the way (but very hard and admirable!)

The Correct Latch On:
A great handout from Dr. Jack Newman -- with pictures! (http://www.bflrc.com/newman/handouts/0501-HO_A-When_latching.htm)
Basically, the baby's mouth should as be as open as possible and he should have both his upper and bottom lip "out," not tucked in, if that makes sense. Make sure your baby is supported by pillows, a sling, or a Boppy. You do not want to be leaning forward or hunching. You could hurt your back or strain your shoulders. You want as much areola in baby's mouth as possible. If the baby just sucks on your nipple and not the darker part of the areola, your nipples can crack and the baby will not get enough milk. To delatch, slip your finger in the baby's mouth and break the suction before pulling him away.

You may feel some pain, but it shouldn't be excruciating. That probably signifies something wrong, be it thrush, a plugged duct, a bad latch, or something else.

Leaking:
Leaking, for MOST women, goes away within the first few months PP. Until then, invest in good nursing pads. If you suddenly stop feeing full around 3-6 months, it is probably not a cause for concern. Your body is most likely just adjusting to your baby's needs.

Plugged Duct:
Characterized by deep pain in the breast, and a red bump or pimple like thing (technical term). This can be a precursor to mastitis. To help, nurse as much as possible. Try different positions so the baby can drain all the different ducts. Warm compresses/showers will help drain the breast. Massage the area as you nurse to unplug the duct. Try pumping after nursing if the baby isn't too hungry. If white clumps or pus or blood comes out, don't freak, it's okay. The baby can still drink this milk, as long as there is only a little blood. Get a lot of rest. If you are prone to plugged ducts, the supplement lecithin can be helpful if taken regularly.

Mastitis:
Characterized by flu symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, vomiting, chills, etc. The breast is sometimes red, warm or hot, and extremely painful. Can happen when you skip feedings or wean too quickly. The breast does not drain fully, engorgement happens and an infection develops. Treatment is typically antibiotics. Nurse as frequently as possible, even if it is uncomfortable. Draining the milk is good for the infection.
If you cannot nurse, then pump if possible. Drink lots of water and take OTC pain relievers and anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen. Try not to wear anything that will restrict the breast, such as tight bras or underwire bras. Warm showers will help get the milk flowing out of the breast, and cold packs will relieve swelling and pain.

Thrush:
Is a yeast infection of the breast and of the baby's mouth. On your baby, it may look like white patches on the tongue that persist after a feeding and that are not easily scraped off, or could manifest itself as a diaper rash with raised, sometimes open sores (or you could see both, or neither).
In your breasts, it feels like a deep burning pain. It is frequently accompanied by stinging in the nipples and persistent pain. It is usually treated by a combination of Nystatin, Diflucan, and other prescriptions. If you would rather use something more natural, Gentian Violet and grapefruit seed extract are good, too.
Taking a probiotic supplement (acidophilus) at the first sign of discomfort can help your body begin to combat the yeast quickly and bring relief sooner. When you have thrush, you should try to avoid sugar and yeast in your diet, as well as caffeine.

Low Supply (or suspected low supply)
The truth is, somewhere between 90-97% of women can physically produce breastmilk to feed their children. Those women who cannot BF should be treated with respect and kindness. One's commitment to Bfing should not be questioned if she says she had low supply.
Most cases of suspected low supply in new moms are just normal variations in how much milk is produced in the newborn period. As the baby settles into a bit more of a routine, the breasts produce more or less milk to suit the child's suckling patterns and nutritionl needs. If your newborn (<4 months) is acting very huingry and fussy when offered the breast, the solution is not to offer EBM or Formula. The child is sucking more to increase your supply to meet his needs. If you do not let him suck, he will not improve your supply, and both of you will be in a cycle of needing to use more supplements. Try as hard as possible to not offer formula (if you are committed to BFing, I mean), as it will almost certainly be destructive to the BFing relationship.
link on supply (http://medelabreastfeedingus.com/tips-and-solutions/46/low-milk-supply)

Nipple Confusion:
Introducing a bottle too early can cause nipple confusion. The baby can get much more milk faster from a bottle, and so if a bottle is given before BFing is well established, he might lose his desire or ability to suck from the breast. This is not a rare occurance. The prevalence of unnecessary supplementation in hospitals greatly adds to this problem.
To avoid nipple confusion, it is best to wait until baby is 3-4 weeks old before introducing a bottle or pacifier (once they have passed their first growth spurt, typically at three weeks) -- and only if breastfeeding is well-established and going smoothly.

Jaundice:
The best thing for normal jaundice is a lot of BFing. It may be difficult if your baby is under lights or the bili blanket, but it is good for the baby. Remember that it is your baby, and the nurses cannot tell you what to do. Insist that your baby be taken out at the bare minimum every three hours to nurse. Offer supplementation only after nursing, if you decide with the pediatrician that it really is necessary. Ask more than one doctor.
Jaundice is resolved quickly by baby stooling frequently, and formula supplementation can lead to constipation -- which only makes the jaundice increase.

High Palate or "Bubble" Palate/Physical Abnormalities in the Infant
If you are experiencing persistent, mysterious nursing pain and have been checked for proper latch and thrush, please have an LC assess your baby's mouth to check for palate problems (and also a tight frenulum, under the tongue). The roof of your baby's mouth should feel approximately similar to the back of a teaspoon in terms of its shape and how high its arch is. If the arch is unusually high or goes way up and then slants sharply down again (bubble), it can make nursing very painful, because the baby cannot draw the nipple back far enough back to hit the "soft palate." Many babies do outgrow this problem, some as early as 8 weeks and others not till 6 months or beyond. There are different holds you can use, but basically you will need to concentrate on getting a HUGE amount of breast into baby's mouth, which may spare your nipple. It is best to change the holds you use frequently so that you "spread around" the abrasion to your nipple.

High arches and bubble palates can also cause Reynaud's Syndrome, a condition where your nipples react very painfully to cold and frequently blanch or turn purple.
http://mother-2-mother.com/nipplepain.htm#HighPalate


Post Partum AF While Nursing
AF can come back at any time while nursing. "Ecological breastfeeding" -- breastfeeding on demand and exclusively, sleeping with your infant -- is a method of natural child spacing that can be highly effective as birth control for the first six months only. After six months, most nursing mothers find that their fertility may return at any time, regardless of how frequently their child nurses. Still, it is individual -- you may find that she returns at 9 weeks postpartum, 9 months PP, or 19 months PP.
Check out: Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing by Sheila Kippley,
http://ccli.org/nfp/ebf/spacebabies.php
AF may be heavier or lighter than before. It can take a few cycles for it to become more regular as well, this is normal.

[Marisa]

Books to Generally Avoid, If You Want to BF Successfully
Anything by Ezzo (http://www.ezzo.info/) (babywise)
The "Baby Whisperer" Series and The "What to Expect" Series - (I am not referring to any part of these books except the BFing parts. I make no comment on the non BFing parts. They might be great books otherwise. As with any book, pick and choose the parts you like and don't like)

Links for Advocacy Clothing:
our previous list was outdated -- feel free to suggest some!
Granola Threads (http://www.granolathreads.com/store/Default.asp)
Lauroo's (http://www.normalizebreastfeeding.com/servlet/StoreFront)
Options from Cafepress stores (http://www.cafepress.com/buy/breastfeeding/-/source_searchBox)
Little Earth Angels (http://www.littleearthangels.com/catalog.php?category=3)


Politics, Controversial Issues, and BFing/Activism:
How to Be a Three Minute Activist (http://www.promom.org/3min/index.htm)
Should I give my baby a vitamin D supplement (http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d.html)?
The free gifts given by formula companies, and how they effect BFing. (http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/free.shtml)
National Center for BFing Advocacy (http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/)
Breastfeeding Education in K-12 Schools (New York State) (http://www.health.state.ny.us/community/pregnancy/breastfeeding/index.htm)
The controversy over the marketing of BM substitutes (http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boycott.html) (this is why many boycott Nestle).

BC for the Nursing Mama
Generally, the nursing mama should use barrier methods, FAM, LAM, progesterone only birth control pills, copper IUD, or some mixture of the above for reliable BC. Nursing is not reliable birth control on its own. Many women become pg while nursing, and you have no way of knowing whether you are ovulating yet. The hormones in regular BCP are harmful to nursing- they contain estrogen, which can lower milk supply.
The mini-pill is a common option, but it is not foolproof. It must be taken at the same time every day, and it has a lower failure rate than the regular pill. At least 3 women on this board have become pg while using it.

Drinking and BFing
Obviously, use your judgement. You can drink while BFing. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking. Some experts caution against having more than 1-2 drinks per week. Of course, mother's weight is only one of many variables.
There is no need to pump and dump, unless it is for your own comfort. It does not speed up the alcohol leaving your milk.

Gentle/Child-led Weaning:
There are a lot of schools of thought on weaning, which is a deeply emotional and personal decision. The AAP recommends nursing for a minimum of one year, and the World Health Organization and CDC recommend two years minimum.
The LLL's policy on weaning (if initiated by mother) is "don't offer, don't refuse." Generally, you do just that; you never offer the breast and don't say no when the baby asks. This might not work for some kids, who ask all the time anyway.
Many believe in "child-led" weaning, usually meaning that the mother will continue to BF as long as the child so desires. This can be wonderful for some nursing couples, but is difficult for many mothers to do, either practically or emotionally. Most children, if left alone, will nurse beteen 4-5 years. If you choose to nurse this long, know that it's normal and fine, you are not strange!
LLL's book "How Weaning Happens" is tremendously helpful.

Usually a mother tries to cut out nursing sessions one by one, over a period of weeks or even months. Many mothers find that it happens very quickly, and that as soon as they start cutting one session out, the rest quickly follow. It depends on the child.
In order to avoid mastitis (see above), it is strongly recommended that weaning is done gradually, with a minimum of 3-4 days between dropping each nursing or pumping session. In an older infant, following this minimum schedule, complete weaning from the breast would take roughly a month.
An additional benefit to gradual weaning, if you are weaning to whole milk at 1+ year, is that baby will be less likely to become anemic on cow's milk, as opposed to those infants who make a more abrupt switch.

If you wean after 6-8 months, you don't need to wean to a bottle. A sippy is fine for formula. Once a child is past one, whole milk (not 1 or 2%) should be offered after weaning, as it has the proper amount of "good fats" for appropriate brain development.
Nut milks, rice milk, and soy milk are all good options for babies past one year, but consult your doctor about the fat, calories, and nutrients in these milks. Soy and especially rice milk tend to be lower in fat and cholesterol, even when fortified, and you will likely have to balance the remainder of their diet to meet their nutritional needs.

Mothers Grieving Lost Breastfeeding Relationships thread:
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21398

Where to Buy Nursing Bras:
(Feel free to suggest others or offer reviews!)

Bravado Bras
Medela Bras
Leading Lady
Motherwear

[Marisa]

If there are any ongoing topics from the old thread, feel free to bring them on over here.... :)

[Annette]

I just posted a link to an article on the history of BFing and pumping.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/19/090119fa_fact_lepore?currentPage=all

[namrodda]

I have some supply questions for you experts to kick off the new thread!

DD is 3 months, started BF-ing well right away, good latch etc. But she never seem to be getting enough. Or I thought she was but she wasn't gaining weight and some other blood/thyroid issues so at 6 weeks we started to supplement some. I pretty much offer the breast and then add anywhere from 2-4 oz of formula either right after nursing or after a brief nap. She's a frequent dozer during the day. Then over the holidays, life got busy, not a good excuse I know, and she was getting more bottles. My supply didn't really seem to change though. Now that things have settled down and I'm trying to concentrate on nursing my supply seems to be lacking, or not catching up if she had a growth spurt. One reason, I have had a breast reduction in the past and I'm sure that has something to do with it as I had similar problems with DS.

My question is this: She is a great night time sleeper, like 10pm-6am most nights, sometimes more, since about week 1. I know this is a great thing but it does not help the BFing! I am horrible about waking up once asleep unless she's crying so what I've been doing is putting her down. Usually her last real good feeding is between 8-9. Then I force myself to stay awake and pump around 1 or 2. Around 6 she comes to bed with me and nurses on and off, sleeping in between until about 8 when DS needs me to get up. Lately though it seems there isn't nearly enough milk for her for that first morning session where as before I was always leaking profusely. Staying awake to pump is leaving me exhausted too. I really want to get her on a schedule instead of eat a little sleep a little, repeat.

So what would you all suggest? How many times/day should she be feeding at 3 months? Her weight is still on the low side (10.5 lbs) but if I give her more in the bottles she seems to spit up more. Do I need to keep that late night pumping session? Should I stay awake later? How can I build my supply if she drains both boobs and is still hungry, bobbing off and on my nipples getting frustrated? If I nurse her, then give a bottle of a little more and then pump my mostly empty breasts (ouch) does that help? Not sure how I could ever have time! Its like I can't normalize my supply. So I guess my real question is do I need to be pumping/feeding at exact intervals in a 24 hour period to regulate it? Anyway open to suggestions and thanks for any help!!!

[merjmo]

namrodda, can you clarify if that's 2-4oz per DAY of supplementation or 2-4oz EACH TIME you BF?

Lack ok sleep can impact you greatly, so I'm going to suggest you try to get sleep instead of staying up to pump until 1am. I think you could get back to BF, but Marisa will probably have more information for you.

[Eliezrah]

I want to share another place to get nursing bras for a great discount and they have a HUGE supply of the bigger sizes you cant find elsewhere (I'm a 38 F now and this was the only place I found nursing bras that were comfy). It's called Break Out Bras (http://breakoutbras.stores.yahoo.net)

[Eliezrah]

namrodda You definitely need to get as much sleep as you can. Can you pump a bit more earlier if you need to pump to stimulate? Also, are you judging your supply only by the fact that you are not leaking anymore? Generally the leaking (for most people) stops after a while even though your supply is still good.

[namrodda]

Oh I'm sorry, 2-4 oz formula per feeding. Depending on how long she nursed and if she's continuing to root and fuss when its obvious there is nothing left in the breast. Sometimes she doesn't need anything more and sometimes we just do a bottle if she's nursed within the last hour or I simply can't sit down at that time. I think if we could establish a schedule that would work itself out better.

Glad to know the sleep would be better! DH needs to get to bed for work so we haven't gone to bed together since she was born so thats taking a toll too! I could definitely pump earlier I was just wondering if that long stretch like 11-6 is too long to go without nursing/pumping? I was thinking if I put her down earlier, maybe she'd wake earlier because I would definitely wake like at 4 long enough to get her and attach her, lol. I'm judging my supply somewhat on the fact that my late night pumping session was dwindling (except last night was back up) and that she's still starving first thing in the morning so it seemed like they weren't replinishing as much. Or she's having another growth spurt... I guess its all about how to stabilize the supply and set a feeding schedule for her. Does having that longer stretch of nothing at night really mess with things?

[Eliezrah]

Does having that longer stretch of nothing at night really mess with things?In your case, I'm not sure. In general, it doesn't since once the baby starts to STTN the milk regulates itself.

[j*east]

Thanks for your support! Turns out I/we have thrush. The MW thinks DD changed her latch-->milk blister and cracked nipples-->thrush. So, watch out for those latch changes and sudden pain after months of painless nursing.

I can't bear to nurse anymore, so I am pumping and just keeping up. (Will resume nursing when I'm feeling better.) Ugh.

[Marisa]

What did she give you for the thrush? Watch out for systemic yeast -- infection in, ahem, other places. Try to cut back on refined sugars - yeast loves sugar.

[j*east]

Diflucan, w/ Nystatin (?) for DD.

[Marisa]

Perfect! I'm always glad when they're willing to treat w/ Diflucan, sometimes you just get the Nystatin cream and it seems like the yeast hangs around forever. You want to get it cleared up and get back to nursing pain-free! :)

[tgr68]

Help, ladies!!!

I just got back from DS's 9 month WBV. We didn't get the best news. DS has fallen off the growth chart. :( He's still up weight-wise from his last appt, but percentage-wise has dropped again. The kid eats like crazy, and I'm still pretty much nursing on demand. Apparently he just doesn't gain a lot of weight. He is at 15lbs. 5.5oz.

Our ped wants us to supplement up to 8oz of formula per day. She did ask about the consistency of my milk (which I didn't know since I don't pump anymore, but I told her I could start again to both check consistency and for supplementing) because she knows I really don't want to give him formula. She said she'd allow me to start him on regular cow's milk if she weren't concerned about the iron, which is when I told her that he's always run just a tad anemic (like me).

At that point, she sent us over to the hospital for a blood draw to test for both the mild anemia and his thyroid. I think she said she was concerned over it being hyperactive (I think that's the one where you lose weight.). :confused:

Anyway, I don't know. My head is spinning right now at the possibility of his thyroid being out of whack and the whole supplementing thing.

Any advice, thoughts, articles, etc that will help?

[Marisa]

Pumping to check the "consistency" of your milk would be an exercise in futility. Part of the beauty of breastmilk is that it changes throughout the day to meet your baby's needs. How would you ever determine the consistency? Look at the cream that rises to the top? And what if you pump for 10 minutes (let's say) and get a lot of foremilk because you were particularly full at that moment? You'd have a thin layer of cream -- but if you pumped again 20 min later you might get a full inch of cream. Who knows?

The only true way to measure the caloric content of breastmilk would be to put it into a centrifuge of some sort -- I seriously doubt your ped is planning to do that kind of testing.

If I were you I'd much rather cut back on the solids (most are much lower in calories than breastmilk) and start *forcing* him to nurse more often. I don't mean physically pushing his head down, LOL... I know that with my 8m-old, though, if I don't make the conditions right -- quiet room, no distractions, etc. -- he will pretty much go for 3-4 hours during the day without giving me the hunger signals, and that's too long. Especially for a baby who's low on the charts like that. Don't wait for him to ask. Our babies are too 'busy' right now to remember -- you might have to remind him at regular intervals for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

Go for the tests. Make sure his thyroid is ok. Know that there's no food you can give him that's higher in calories than breastmilk (even formula is only equal, not more, unless maybe it's preemie formula). Ease off the solids and nurse more. And feel good that he *is* gaining, even if he's not on the charts -- that's a good sign.

[merjmo]

She said she'd allow me to start him on regular cow's milk if she weren't concerned about the iron, which is when I told her that he's always run just a tad anemic (like me).

At that point, she sent us over to the hospital for a blood draw to test for both the mild anemia and his thyroid. I think she said she was concerned over it being hyperactive (I think that's the one where you lose weight.). :confused:?

The thing about the milk just pisses me off - she'd "allow" you to start cow's milk? You are certainly entitled to a 2nd opinion if you want.

Yes, hyperactive thyroid is where they lose weight.

I was hoping to have better news, but even on the WHO growth standards (http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/cht_wfa_boys_p_0_2.pdf) (for boys) he's below 3rd percentile. Not that it's any indication of anything really wrong in and of itself (he's not far far below or anything) but at least you did the blood draw just to be sure. Because if it IS thyroid you can treat it, and if not, you can know he's just a slow gainer right now.

Marisa rocks with her suggestions - hope that helps!

[tgr68]

Thank you both!!

Marisa~Yeah, I doubt she'd do that. I agree about the solids in that I think he's filling up on those. I've gotten in the habit of feeding him AFTER he eats his solids because beforehand I was cooking lunch/dinner for the family. I did go for the testing right after I left the ped's office.

merjmo~This thread tends to be my 2nd opinion. :p Seriously, though, my ped knows that I'm the type of patient who is going to double check if I doubt the advice she gives, and she's okay with that. :) Both of my kids have started out "big" (over 8lbs at birth) and then gain really slow. DD was right at 16lbs at her 9m WBV.

Anyway, now that I've had some time to think things over. I think I have gotten a plan of action together:
- Set my alarm to nurse him every 3 hours instead of waiting for his cues.
- Nurse hime BEFORE he eats solids.
- Track his eating, so that I have a realistic picture of what's actually going on.

Hopefully, this will help get his weight up, and I won't have to go buy any formula. Now, if I can just keep DH from doing it. :( I really fight about BFing with his family, and since things didn't go as well as planned with DD, he is quick to jump on the formula if the dr even mentions it.

[j*east]

OK, this might be a really dumb question, so I'll ask here before I call the MW...

While I'm being treated for thrush, do I keep using lansinoh, or not? I still have cracked nipples and since it's so cold and dry now, I'm not sure they'll heal without it--but I also don't want to give the yeast more moistness in which to thrive. I am airing my nipples as much as possible and rinsing with a weak vinegar solution.

Any thoughts?

[Eight]

I have been meaning to stop back and give an update (was told by LC1 that DS not getting enough (probably) and to start supplementing if need be, LC2 said go by wets and dirties, DS nurses forever)...and of course ask more questions.

We went to the pediatrician's yesterday. DS's weight was 6lbs15ozs. The ped was more than satisfied. DS was 6.3.4 at birth (1/04, so he was 11 days at yesterday's appt) and about 6.4 at discharge (three days later). We had more or less stopped supplementing on this past Sunday morning after giving DS bottles that turned in to 2ozs each, etc. I think he had two bottles since Sunday morning. So I think his weight gain is not that much at all tied to the supplementation. And that is really really good news to me!!!!

Now here is the next issue. The ped said he still could be hungry sometimes after feeding and that then we should supplement. But seriously, I just don't know. It seems like our whole feeding process now takes almost 2 hours. Except he doesn't do that for his middle of the night feedings.
I am seeing more milk and have some minor, though not much, leakage. Basically the nursing session seems to go for an hour, with a diaper change or two during it and then the next hour is a guessing game of, is he hungry, does he just want to hang, is he falling asleep, oh, he wants to suck some more. And then he falls asleep. Only to be woken up an hour or so later for his next meal.
Any thoughts on how to refine this or if there are supply issues here? I have not been able to pump after feedings since Wednesday. Should I start that again (I was getting barely nothing).
Thanks again!!!

I won't even go into the ped's advice re breastfeeding and how much to supplement with. I was shocked at how old school it seemed and was in direct contravention of the big ol' booklet of info the hospital at which she is an attending and whose logo is emblazoned on her lab coat sent me home with and taught while I was a patient there.

And yet again, thanks so much.

edited to add: I really want to call LC1 and tell her DS's weight!
edited to add no.2: DS also seems to be spitting up a lot more. Though, it does not appear to bother him.

[Marisa]

tgr -- would DH go for it more if you can give him a concrete plan? Like... we'll try things my way for (a week, 10 days) and then re-check to see if he's gaining? Your plan sounds good! You may actually find that his milk intake was on the low end, and maybe that's all that was really wrong.

j* -- I probably would avoid it at least in the early days of treatment, due to the moisture issue. You can actually express a little milk and apply it to your nipples in the same way, and it won't trap moisture the same way the lanolin would.

eight -- YAY! That is actually a fantastic weight gain, especially considering your possible "issues" (which I'm seriously thinking were not as 'dire' as they were made out to be, beyond the pesky edema thing of course). You know, many breastfed babies aren't even back to birth weight at that age -- it can take up to two weeks and still be in the range of normal -- so a gain of 11 oz. in the first two weeks of life is tremendous. While you're solely BFing, the gain should be about 5-7 oz. per week, so if you can keep this up you'll be golden. :)
Drs. like you describe annoy me so much. Of course your baby seems hungry all the time -- up until last week, he was 'eating' every time your heart beat. It takes some babies some time before they get used to the idea of eating, then taking a break, then eating again later. :) A friend of mine In Real Life was given similar advice by her ped, and luckily her husband (who's no-nonsense) spoke up. Her ped said, "Everything looks great, you can go ahead and supplement x amount," and her DH said, "And why exactly would we want to do that??" The dr. was actually flummoxed -- didn't have an answer for them -- seems like no one ever questioned it! As you can imagine, my friend and her DH said, "Yeah, we won't be doing that." It can be so hard to contradict 'authority' when you're only a few weeks postpartum and just trying to 'keep it together', but if you can take a minute to get your thoughts together it'd be wonderful for you to write something down and bring it up with the ped again at your next opportunity. Imagine all the moms out there who *aren't* as informed as you, with as much support -- they'll just do it, because the dr. said so.
The AAP's recent guidelines on breastfeeding might help: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496

Anyway, back to the practical advice -- if he's past his birth weight, I'd start letting him cue you for feedings here and there and see how that goes. Ease off the waking every two hours, just make sure he's still eating at least 8-12 times a day (that actually works out to every three hours) and having the right number of wet/dirty dipes. Maybe start with letting him go for one or two longer stretches a day, where he sleeps as much as he likes -- give yourself a little break. Don't worry about pumping unless you have the time and desire to do it -- maybe if he does wind up sleeping for a longer stretch, and you find you want to.

Things should get easier for you once he's past the three-week growth spurt (some babies want to eat even more than usual during a growth spurt! but luckily then they tend to want to 'rest' a little more than usual afterward). Six weeks is when it tends to get much easier for many moms, so if you can look forward to that short-term goal that might make things easier for you as well.

[tgr68]

Marisa~I'm going to show DH my tracking today and let him know how that compares to our normal schedule. I tried nursing him today at lunch before his solids and he screamed and cried until I gave him his other food. :( I kept him at the breast for about 10 minutes before offering him his fruit, yogurt, and cereal. Did I wait long enough before giving in? I kind of felt like I gave up because I had an upset baby, preschooler whining for her lunch, and was already stressed out from a bunch of other stuff. :( Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself, though.

[Eliezrah]

Tgr, did he know his other food was there? I know with Aaron is he sees his "real food" he ignores everything else, including me. If I want a decent nursing session, he can't see any other food or even his high chair!

[merjmo]

Marisa~I'm going to show DH my tracking today and let him know how that compares to our normal schedule. I tried nursing him today at lunch before his solids and he screamed and cried until I gave him his other food. :( I kept him at the breast for about 10 minutes before offering him his fruit, yogurt, and cereal. Did I wait long enough before giving in? I kind of felt like I gave up because I had an upset baby, preschooler whining for her lunch, and was already stressed out from a bunch of other stuff. :( Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself, though.

You can also limit the quantity that he gets of solids; at that age I was definitely restricting my DD. As she got a bit older I let her have whatever she wanted, but earlyish I only gave her small amounts so that she'd still want boob.

[jenjunum]

I'm wondering if my milk might be drying up or if my supply might seriously be tanking. My DD is almost 8.5 months. I've recently had to start supplementing with formula at daycare because I cannot pump enough to keep up with what DD eats and she's already eaten all of my freezer stash. I still pump and nurse at the same frequency, she just has to eat some formula in addition to what I give her.

DD is wanting to nurse a lot when we're together. Like she can't even make it 2 hours. Sometimes she'll nurse 3 or more times between when we get home between 5:30-6 and when she goes to sleep around 7:30. She's been waking up A LOT at night to eat. I can't say for sure how many times, but on the order of 5 or more times. I ALWAYS try to give the pacifier first, or cuddle, but she always wants to nurse. We cosleep mainly because I cannot get in and out of bed that many times all night long. I don't really feel like I'm sleeping at night anymore.

She's eating much longer stretches. She was a very efficient nurser. She'd nurse for 5 minutes and be done and full. She's been nursing for much longer stretches recently. When she would fall asleep nursing, I could unlatch her and she'd be fine. Now if I unlatch she searches frantically for the boob to continue lazy sucking.

I'm not leaking at all any more. When I'm nursing on one side the other side used to always leak. At night I would usually get some leaking during the night if DD went a longer stretch without eating. I don't think I'm leaking at all any more.

My breasts are definitely not as full any more. They never get a full feeling.

My nipples are starting to get sore from so much nursing.

DD is eating limited solids. Perhaps the equivalent of 1-1.5 jars/day over 1 or 2 meals.

Other things that could be affecting it:
I'm not getting a lot of sleep since DD is up so much to nurse. Less sleep=less milk production.
Maybe I'm ovulating/period is coming back? But DD is nursing so much it doesn't seem like that would happen now. I have not had a pp period yet.
Pregnant? We are only using condoms and I have the constant worry that I could be pregnant.
She's just teething (in some amount of pain). She has recently gotten over a cold and got her 1st tooth on Saturday. But a couple times I tried giving tylenol before she went to sleep and she still woke a lot (plus the other things I'm noticing).

I'm considering adding in a bottle of formula at night after I nurse. I have the selfish hope that it could help her sleep for a longer stretch of time too. I'm beginning to feel angry at night when my DH is sleeping and I'm up for the 7th time.

[Eliezrah]

9 month growth spurt maybe?

Is there an 11-12 month growth spurt? Aaron was just 11 months yesterday and in the last week has gone from nursing 5 times a day to 6 or 7 times a day! He's still eating 3 full meals and 3 big snacks of table foods as well.

[tgr68]

Eliezrah~Well, the food wasn't in site. DS is very much a schedule baby though, so he knew it was lunch time and I think knew the solids were coming.

merjmo~I gave him less food at lunch today and nursed him before putting him down for his nap. He didn't eat for very long at that time either but did eat for 5-10 minutes (normally doesn't eat right before nap unless he's acting hungry).

[Eliezrah]

Is it possible for you to try to nurse him about 20 mins before his usual lunch time? That might help him nurse w/o screaming for food!

[Eight]

Marisa-- Yeah, I was really happy with the weight gain. The info on what the average weight gain amounts is quite helpful. Thanks! And yeah, we are so not listening to the ped on the supplementing, it just didn't sit well with us. I am going to check out the link you gave. Thanks so much.
As for the timing, we do every three hours...it is just that DS seems to take one hour for the feed and after it is hard to tell if he is satisfied. We spend another hour of either letting him stay at the breast or trying to soothe him otherwise. That is where my supply concerns come in. I keep reminding myself about the weight gain and just try to let it go as it develops. But it is really hard.
I will keep that 6 week milestone in my head!!!

Ok, I just reread what you wrote re it taking some babies a while to figure out eating. That makes a lot of sense. I will keep that in mind. Thank you.

[tgr68]

Eliezrah~No. He goes down for his morning nap around 10am and sleeps until noon-ish. I tried nursing him right when he got up today, but he's so used to a solid lunch right away. I'm going to keep with nursing him first, and hopefully he'll adjust to the new schedule.

[Eliezrah]

I'm sure he will adjust. {{HUGS}} We'll fatten him up!!

[isign]

Jen- I'd do a pg test just to be on the safe side. That sounds like us when I got pg.

[MichelleRenee]

Since Tuesday Ava has not been projectile vomiting anymore and she has actually been spitting up a little less than she used to. I have noticed a few other differences in her as well - she has just seemed more calm and instead of a dozen tiny poops a day she now has few bigger ones every day. She has pretty much stopped pooping overnight too, which is good news for her poor bum.

So our issue at night now is that she will no longer sleep in her bassinet and wants to use me as a pacifier all night long. I am torn on this - while I want to be there and be a source of comfort for my baby I am also in pain from sleeping in the same position all night. I have tried several different brands and sizes and she just will not take a pacifier. On occasion she will find the back of her wrist and suck on that, but she mostly just wants me. I know she's not hungry because she doesn't even suck - she latches on and then just lays there ith my nipple in her mouth.

Any ideas for how else I can soothe her at night? I don't mind her being in our bed but I would rather not be her pacifier, especially since we both fall asleep and I end up leaking all over the bed.

[first-time mom]

Michellerenee-I had the same problem with Collin several weeks ago. What brands of pacifiers did you try? I literally had to buy every one ever created until I found one he liked. At first he kept spitting it out but I just kept giving it back and it took about a week of this and now he is addicted to it. He likes the MAM. But there is a binky out their by playtex I believe that is supposed to be shaped like mothers nipple. I thought for sure he would love this one but he didnt care for it.

Collin is now in my bed and I cannot get him out. Ha I dont mind but I just worry it will only get harder to get him out. My DD never needed me like he does but she wasnt breastfed. She was bottle breast fed.

[sake]

DD is 5 weeks old. Nursing has been going relatively well so far. We had problems with latch, which I worked on with help of a LC, and the right breast is no issue anymore. The left side has continued to be more of a problem but was improving until about 2 days ago. All of a sudden during feeds on the left side she gets really mad. She'll latch, suck a couple times, then pull off screaming. She does this over and over again and it's killing my nipple. We both get so frustrated after a certain point that I put her back on the right side, so she hasn't really been feeding on the left. This happened all of a sudden. I don't think it's my supply (or at least wasn't in the beginning) because I seem to have a lot of milk there and I'm also taking fenugreek and blessed thistle. I called the LC and she said to try different positions and if things don't improve, then maybe she'll just have to be fed from one side from now on. I don't know, that doesn't seem like a good solution to me. I don't know what to do - feeding was getting easier like everyone says it does, and now it's getting harder again. Any advice?

[MichelleRenee]

We have tried:

MAM
Playtex
Gerber
Avent
Circo (Target brand?)
Soothie

I think she just doesn't like pacifiers. I thought for sure she'd like the Gerber Nuk ones because those are the same as the nipples on her bottles. It's actually kind funny - sometimes I just sit there with this "binky buffet" and try each one to see if she'll take one but we've never really had success.

[maplekitty]

michelle - will ava suck on your finger? i stick my pinky finger in O's mouth, nail side down, and he'll happily suck on that when he keeps spitting his soother out

[jenjunum]

MichelleRenee - I had to "help" my DD learn how to use a pacifier a little bit. When it was in her mouth and she was sucking on it I had to push down on it a little bit like I was pushing it out of her mouth so she would learn to keep it sucked in. Of course if your DD won't keep it in her mouth at all that won't work. My DD preferred the pacifiers with straight nipples like the Avent and the MAM. But it doesn't look like your DD likes those. She might just need a little while to get used to it. Good luck!

isign - I guess I will get a pregnancy test. Honestly, I think I might have just not gotten one yet because I'm afraid it could be positive. That is not a good way to go through life. It wouldn't be very good timing though since we're moving across the country in August. Or maybe it's just a growth spurt like Eliezrah mentioned. Last night was a bit better.

[JessicaT]

I need a little bit of help from the breastfeeding experts. My daughter is only 2 1/2 weeks old, so far it is going not so bad, all things considered, but we are having a couple of issues.

I have a fair amount of milk and a decent letdown, and in the last few days she has started clicking for the first few minutes of each feed. My nipples are doing ok, so it's not causing major problems there, but I think she is taking in a lot of air when she does this, which is causing problems for both of us later on. Any ideas on how I can fix this? Her latch seems to be beautiful, otherwise, I think the clicking is related to the strong letdown - it's like she needs to catch her breath a little bit before continuing.

She's been getting pretty fussy the last few days, which I think is the air/gas, and I think she had her first growth spurt early a few days ago because she had a day where she was eating constantly, so maybe it is still the growth spurt tapering off.

We've been giving mylicon since yesterday or the day before, but it's not having a huge effect, and I'm trying to burp her thoroughly but that is not always successful. Not to mention the nighttime burps usually defeat the purpose of having a sleeping baby at the end of the feed which is also causing problems for me! I can't burp inbetween breasts because she usually eats only on one side, the second side is a lost cause so although I try to offer it, she almost never wants any more (also, I think related to the letdown - she gets full on one).

Second, although related to the fussiness, is that sometimes towards the end of a feed, she gets super fussy, and starts kicking or punching me, trying to pull back off my nipple (ow), and screaming, but then after she is off, she is usually desperately looking for the nipple again (while screaming). But if I manage to latch her back on she usually won't suck or will make a half hearted effort and then scream some more. I can't tell what to make of this at all - still hungry? gas pain? getting tired? love hate relationship with my boobs? needs to comfort suck? but it is also very trying. This has also just started in the last few days. She doesn't generally scream that much, so it's really hard to tell what she wants - she goes from fine to screaming very quickly so I always think it's gas but really I have no idea.

Any ideas? My husband is in the next room trying to soothe her right now, she's all pissed off from her last feed, which ended in screaming, which is killing me.

[Crystal_Orchid]

Jessica, DD also has a love hate relationship with boob. Maybe it is the weak let down at the end of the feeding that pisses her off. Maybe she wants to sleep but is pissed that boob is still in her mouth.. we'll never know. Even at almost 10 months, my DD tonight decided she didn't want to wait 30 sec for my let down (that's how long it usually takes). She started biting me after 10 secs..and when I pulled her off, she decided she didn't want to latch back on..and screamed/cried for 30 min before falling asleep thus pretty much skipped that nursing session.

That leads me to a question.. I have a biter. She started doing it recently. Besides pulling her off, and stop feeding her, any tips on how I can stop her from biting? She has both her upper and lower teeth so it really hurts.

[Crystal_Orchid]

sake: this also was my DD when she turned 4 months. I just tried to give her the side she didn't like in different positions and eventually she would take it.. but as a result of favoring one side over the other, one boob is still bigger than the other.

[MichelleRenee]

The projectile vomiting started up again yesterday. I just can't figure it out. There is no rhyme or reason to any of it - she will throw up like crazy for a couple of days and then be fine for a couple of days. Since she is gaining weight OK do I just accept the fact that she is a puker or is there some underlying problem that we need to figure out? I'm waiting on a call back from the ped but I am sure they won't have much advice at this point.

[MichelleRenee]

The ped's office did not have any specific advice and they are OK with the vomiting as long as she is gaining weight, which she is.

They did recommend that I take her for an upper GI, which involves drinking a barium solution and then an x-ray of her stomach, I think.... I asked them if it was something that really needs to be done or if it is more of a test that is done just so a worried mom can stop worrying. They said that I don't HAVE to have it done and that there is nothing wrong with just keeping an eye out for further problems.

I'm torn. I don't really think there is anything seriously wrong with her but I would feel really terrible if we missed something potentially serious by not doing the upper GI. I really don't want to put her through that.

[KRL626]

MichelleRenee My first was like that. I know it must be alarming because your first was not a puker. We debated doing all those tests and had him on and off meds. Honestly nothing really helped except time. He gained weight fine and once he started sitting up the spitting stopped.

Now for my issue I'm wondering if DS is hitting his 3 month growth spurt. He will not sleep during the day. Yesterday we got maybe an hour and forty five minutes out of him the whole day from 7:15 until 10 pm. If he was eating all day I would say for sure it's the spurt, but yesterday I headed out for lunch with a girlfriend and left a 5 oz bottle with DH. During the 4 1/2 hours I was gone DS drank only 2 oz and he ate that right when I left. In the evening he has been nursing frequently but during the day not so much. He seems to take boob or bottle without preference so I don't think it was just because I was gone. Is anyone else experiencing this or has in the past? I think I'm looking for some reassurance that this will pass. He was such a great sleeper up until now. He's also a big boy (16 lbs at nearly 3 months which is double his birthweight). Advice, reassurance? TIA

[chi]

Michelle Renee- my DD had the Upper GI barium swallow x-ray done at 6 weeks due to ridiculous amounts of vomiting. It was really WAY more traumatic for me than it was for her. In fact, I am pretty sure she didn't mind, as she loved the flavor of the barium mixture! She's a nut, I know. They also did an ultrasound to rule out plyoric stenosis. Has the doctor talked to you about that?

Just wanted to let you know that it sounded way worse than it really was. I was just too worried about missing some GI abnormality or problem.

[MrsR]

can someone tell me if augmentin is safe while breastfeeding. i called my doctor today as my sinus infection seems to have re-appeared -- I told them I was breastfeeding and they just left me a message saying they called in a prescription for augmentin. I feel like I read somewhere that this is not safe while breastfeeding . . .

[Marisa]

MrsR - Augmentin is actually category L1, which means it's one of the safest drugs you can take while BFing. Just be sure to take a probiotic supplement (acidophilus) while you're on the Rx to ward off yeast/thrush.

[MrsR]

MrsR - Augmentin is actually category L1, which means it's one of the safest drugs you can take while BFing. Just be sure to take a probiotic supplement (acidophilus) while you're on the Rx to ward off yeast/thrush.

Thanks Marisa -- I was in the car when I got the voicemail about the prescription and on my blackberry I could not find the info on Kellymom and the few pages that turned up on google seemed to indicate that it was not safe. . . is the probiotic supplement something I can get over the counter at the drugstore or do I need to go to a place like The Vitamin Shoppe?

[Marisa]

Any supermarket, CVS, Walgreens should have it -- it might be called Probiotics or it might be acidophilus, but it's all the same thing -- live active cultures that will maintain your body's balance of "good" bacteria that might be killed off accidentally by an antibiotic. If you have a health food store with a refrigerated case for supplements (Whole Foods has this) -- that's even better -- refrigerated acidophilus has more live cultures.
The recommended dose is usually something like 1-2 capsules a day, but when I'm worried about yeast I will take something like 2-3 capsules, two or three times a day, and taper down to 1-2/day once the antibiotic cycle is done.

[jenjunum]

Marisa- Can you also check what Dr Hale says about Anusol? WebMD says it's probably safe, but I just want to be sure. My primary care doctor told me some pretty incorrect things about breastfeeding, so I just want to be sure.

FWIW, she told me that babies really only need to be breastfed for the 1st 2 weeks of life to get the colostrum and once a baby gets teeth at 6 months that means it's ready for regular food and left me with the feeling baby no longer needs BM OR formula. (I had said that if I weaned now, I'd have to wean to formula, so why not just breastfeed until I can wean to regular milk?) She seemed shocked that I was breastfeeding and pumping at almost 9 months and surprised I was going to do it to 1 year. She was also shocked that I delivered an 8lb 13oz baby without an epidural and without tearing/getting an episiotomy. She had to clarify that my doctor did not stitch me up at all. Like I would forget this? Thank goodness I don't go to her for my breastfeeding advice. I think she was presenting her parental choices rather than the current medical thinking. Nice! :rolleyes:

[Marisa]

jen -- Anusol looks like it's just hydrocortisone, and Hale says that steroids tend to pass into the milk in very very small amounts anyway -- especially when used topically. It shouldn't be a problem at all.

And I'd have something to say about your dr., but I'm in a good mood right now and don't want to spoil it. Suffice to say I hope she doesn't have kids, and if she does, I hope they don't mind having digestive issues for their whole adult lives on account of having been switched to foods (rather than breastmilk/formula) way too early. :mad:

[Mickey&B]

I'm going to have to come back and get caught up when I am not dog tired :o

subscribing....

[Bloomwood]

I am in the process of weaning and have a question...is it normal to have pains in the uterus area during this process? I have super faint cramping every once in a while. It could be due to imminent AF(first visit pp) or paraguard still getting settled, I tend to be paranoid with regards to my reproductive system so I freak out. Thanks.

[Mickey&B]

I am in the process of weaning and have a question...is it normal to have pains in the uterus area during this process? I have super faint cramping every once in a while. It could be due to imminent AF(first visit pp) or paraguard still getting settled, I tend to be paranoid with regards to my reproductive system so I freak out. Thanks.

FWIW I had Mirena inserted about 2 months ago and I still get that faint cramping your describing.

[BeachBum]

Hi guys.
Couple of quick questions....I've got newborns...
My milk just came in yesterday, but I've already got a bleeding nipple. The problem is in the area where the milk actually comes out. Do I need to kind of peel that blood/ scab part out? and keep at it?

With our latch... If my nipple comes out of their mouth sort of pinched and flat looking, is that an indicator that we had a bad latch?

It will hurt even if I'm doing it correctly, right? But then after a few minutes of them nursing it wont anymore?

thanks.

[jenjunum]

Thanks Marisa. Unfortunately, I'm not taking the topical version. I'm sure this is too much information but, I have an internal hemorrhoid nagging around since the end of my pregnancy. I still think it's not a big deal though. :o

[Eliezrah]

I have a question. I've been trying to keep track of how often DS nurses. Lately he's been waking up super early and I end up nursing him in bed. He'll pull off after about 10 mins or so and seem to want to half play and half try to sleep in my bed. If I offer for him to nurse again 10-30 mins later he will (and then he'll go back in his crib willingly even if he doesn't go back to sleep). Does this count as 2 feedings or 1? I know it's not a big deal, but I like to keep track of things.

Thanks!

[Crystal_Orchid]

I don't know if you should peel the scab, but definitely use Lasinoh cream every time you BF. Also, if you are still bleeding after a week or two of BF, you should go in to see a lactation consultant to check your latch.

BF actually hurt for me until about 6weeks. Partly because of my engorgement, partly because of my nipples just had to toughen up.

[Crystal_Orchid]

Elizrah, sounds like 1 long feeding?

[cc8]

For moms whose kiddos are starting to sleep for long stretches during the day AND night.... are you guys getting up to pump? How often do you pump?

While DS sleeping for 4-5 hours at a time sounds great, I've done A LOT (pump like mad in the beginning, fenugreek, MMT) to start and keep up my supply - I don't want it to decrease. Thoughts?

ETA: DS is 3 months old...

[Annette]

CC8-I don't wake up to pump. What I do instead is pump before bed and then again in the morning after I feed him.

[Eliezrah]

Elizrah, sounds like 1 long feeding?Thanks!

[cactus]

cc8, I don't really have advice, but I can't figure this out either. Granted, DS is only 7 weeks old and isn't sleeping more than 3.5/4 hours at a stretch but right now I have more milk than I need (though I know this won't be true forever) and he only eats on one side per feeding...so nighttime is hard because there's always one side that goes 6 or so hours and that starts to be really uncomfortable. I pump before I go to sleep (right after he eats) and of course when I wake up, but I'm not trying to stimulate milk production at the moment so I don't want to pump too much. The LC at the breastfeeding group I go to told me to just pump in the middle of the night to relieve the pressure if I feel like I need to, and don't necessarily "pump to empty." I guess that seems like good advice, but I always second-guess.

[Eliezrah]

Cactus, I also do 1 side per feeding and your body will get used to it. The side that's uncomfy will just get used to going a bit longer and the baby sleeps more and it'll stop hurting.

[MichelleRenee]

I chose not to schedule the upper GI just yet and I am glad. Today is the first Monday that Ava has not projectile vomited at the daycare. I *think* that after spending her weekends BFing that the bottles on Mondays were just too fast for her to adjust to. I used slow flow nipples form Gerber but those made her throw up. I switched her to generic bottles from K Mart. The nipple flows much slower and she hasn't thrown up much at all with those bottles.

Hopefully she won't start vomiting again and we won't have to reconsider doing the upper GI. I am pretty confident that it was the bottles though....

[ThreeYell]

I've got a teething 3-month-old whose poops have come to a screeching halt. He used to poop multiple times a day and now he's pooped twice in 4 days. He's gassy as all get-out and seems pretty unhappy. I know they slow down at some point. Do you think this is just the normal progression? Does the teething have anything to do with it? Any ideas on how to make him more comfortable?

[KRL626]

Threeyell I can comiserate. My DS also has gone from pooping every feeding to every few days. My older DS was the same way so I'm not too worried about it. It does always seem like on day 3 of no poop he is more uncomfortable and won't sleep. No advice, but I think it's totally normal.

[cc8]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice on my question re: waking up at night to pump...Thanks!

[ThreeYell]

Thanks, KRL. It's good to hear other babies the same age are doing the same thing. My older DS did this but it was later, and it also corresponded to a drop in my supply so it made me nervous.

[mak]

I have a question regarding the amount of feedings per day...
Let me first say, I really like my ped....but was unsure about what to do here. I went to DS 4 month check up yesterday and she asked how often he was eating. I told her in the day he goes every 2.5 hours (sometimes even shorter) but then at night he goes from 10- 6:30 (most nights:)). He is gaining great...he is 50% across the board (height, weight and head)..so everything looks good. However she thought that he could be going longer now- and that I have created a bit of a snacker and that I should try to spread the feedings out more at this point. She said it will be hard to put him off at first but he should adjust....don't know if this will work seems he seems ready to eat after 2, definitely after 3 hours... but if it does will he be getting more at one feeding than if I fed him sooner. I know he gets between 3- 4.5 if I go every three hours (I pump once in a while), so if I went every 4 hours would he get closer to 6oz. Would my body adjust to that? I thought the more you emptied the more you made...would this screw my supply.....

[Marisa]

mak -- you're right, and your ped is wrong. This is terrible advice for a breastfeeding mom, for so many reasons!

First, breastmilk is easily digested (unlike cow's milk/formula) -- so it makes sense that a breastfed baby will be hungry again in 2-3 hours. Second, your baby is giving you a fantastic stretch of sleep! -- It sounds like he's really tanking up and meeting his needs during the day; messing with your current routine could result in more nightwakings (which no one wants!). (And FWIW, the experts agree that babies may require nighttime feedings through 6 months and even beyond, so if he does start to wake at night again, like during a growth spurt, know that that's perfectly normal!)

Pumping is not really a good indication of how much your baby is getting, though you can probably conclude that you have a good supply currently if you're getting that much at each session. Your body responds differently to the baby than to the pump, so the only real way to know exactly how much he's getting is to weigh him, then feed him, then weigh him again -- you'd see the scale go up so many oz. and that would be the amount of milk he took in. The thing about spreading out feedings is that it's not like he'd get 4 oz. every 2 hours, or 6 oz. every 4 hours... once you start trying to spread out feedings to every 4 hours, your body will stop making as much because the demand is going down. You'll start having 4 oz. every four hours instead. It's a great way to ruin the wonderful pattern you've been on already.

Listen to your instincts. It sounds to me like your dr. sees a lot of formula-fed babies, but breastfeeding doesn't work the same way at all. You've been doing a great job so far -- just keep it up! :)

[miaclear]

BeachBum.....Congrats!!! I can't wait to hear the birth story and see some pics over in the multiples thread! I'm not expert here but I remember BFing my son and the first week I did have some bleeding. I started picking at the scab and came to realize it was more bloody dried milk than an actual scab.

[numberlady]

First time poster to this thread and am looking for advice. DS is 2 weeks old and will routinely sleep for 4 hours. He was BFing 7 times per day but the last couple of days he is down to 6. I have an oversupply of milk and when I pump I routinely get over 4 oz per breast. So when he eats he only eats from one breast and usually it is for at least 20 minutes. He rarely has 10 minute eating sessions.

I know the recommendation is for 8-12 feedings per day. His wet and BM diapers are more than adequate given everything I have read. Also, at the end of each feeding, typically he will spit up after eating, so I know he is really full. My question is, should I wake him for feeding?

I think he is starting to look fuller in the face (cheeks and chin), but it is hard to say and of course I worry about making sure he is gaining enough weight.

Thanks for any input.

[Marisa]

Have you been back to the ped for a weight check?

It sounds like you have plenty of milk, but one concern with a strong supply is that baby fills up on the thinner 'foremilk' and stops the feeding before he gets to the fattier 'hindmilk'. It sounds like he's staying on long enough to get to the fattier milk, so hopefully this won't be a concern, but in that situation the baby would still be having plenty of wet and poopy diapers -- he just wouldn't be getting the rich calorie-laden milk that will help him pack on the 5-7 oz. a week (minimum) a breastfed baby would normally gain.

If he has not gotten back to his birth weight in two weeks, then I would start one-sided feedings, otherwise known as block feedings -- this often helps in cases of oversupply, since the baby stays on one side only he has better access to the fattier milk, and your supply will calm down a bit as well (you may feel full on the other side at first, but your body will adjust). In 'block' feedings, you nurse on one side only for a block of time, say anytime he nurses in a two- or three-hour block.

Stop pumping. It's not a great indicator of what baby is getting, and it's only encouraging your oversupply. Pick it back up again once you see that your son is gaining properly.

At this age, since you don't know what his gain has been for sure, I wouldn't let him do too many four-hour stretches without eating. Maybe *one*, overnight, but honestly I wouldn't be comfortable with less than 8 feedings per day without seeing a good pattern of gaining first. The fear, of course, is that he's sleeping so much because he's actually conserving energy -- he's taking in just enough to get by, but he's sleeping a lot so as to not burn calories by being awake and eating more. It's a vicious cycle (and one I know too well, I had all these issues with my first son for the first three weeks or so -- great diapers, but no gain and lots of sleeping).

[merjmo]

the only real way to know exactly how much he's getting is to weigh him, then feed him, then weigh him again -- you'd see the scale go up so many oz. and that would be the amount of milk he took in.

Yes, that would be the amount of BM he took by WEIGHT. But BM does not have a specific gravity of 1.0, meaning it would weigh in oz the same that it is in volume (so 1oz volume would = 1oz weight). It's definitely close, and I did the calculation once, but it's still not exact until you put in the specific gravity. WHICH, (to add complication) changes each time you pump IIRC based on how much fat is in it. :D

[SpelKen]

I have a few questions about my 7 month DS.

One, I feel so much suction when he's eating that it's almost like I'm being bit. I know that he's eating, so he can't be biting me but it's hurting. Not HURTING yet but not too far away.

Secondly, since we started solids last month, he doesn't eat more than a tablespoon or so at dinner. We're trying to move up but he doesn't seem interested. I don't care because he's nursing well. BUT he's been irregular, like going 2-3 days without going. We started giving him an apple/prune juice and he eats applesauce almost every day but still just has some days when he's not going. This is not like him. When soley BF, he was a baby that went everyday. He never became that kid that only went every few days. Any idea of what I can do to help him?

[mkvh]

SpelKen--I have no advice about the suction issue, but if he's constipated, you need to stop applesauce. Try a "p" fruit instead or sweet potatoes or another veggie, but stay away from applesauce and bananas as they can be binding.

As for the quantity he is eating, follow his lead. DD2 never was much for purees--she hated being fed--and probably never took more than a couple spoonfuls for any meal until she could pick things up to feed herself.

[Marisa]

Spelken -- is he teething? He may be changing his suck to accommodate the new teeth, which might be causing that painful sensation to you. If you can change positions that might help, and usually babies adjust to their new teeth pretty quickly.

I think you're doing the right thing by following his lead on the solids -- both of my boys were very disinterested in solids until they could feed themselves, and that's just fine. My DS1 didn't eat much in the way of solids 'meals' until after a year, while DS2 just started getting really into eating dinner with us in the last few weeks (he's 9 mos today). He will eat 'snacky' things like soft cooked veggie chunks or cheerios though, because he can pick them up himself. You can also ease off of all solids for a couple of days until you see that he can have a bowel movement again.

[numberlady]

Marissa - Thanks so much for the quick response and advise. I am going to try to get a weight check either today or tomorrow to see how his growth is. In the mean time I will stop pumping. I haven't been doing too much, maybe 1 or 2 times per day, but I will cut it out until I know what is going on.

[tgr68]

Well, we had our weight check today. DS still isn't on the charts :(, but he did gain 8 oz in the last two weeks! The dr wants us to come back at 11 months to do another and said we are aiming for a weight of 19 pounds by his first birthday. That gives me 2 months to pack on 3 pounds! :eek:

I seriously don't know how I'm going to manage this! The last two weeks have been such a struggle. I've upped how often I'm nursing him, and he hasn't slowed down on his solids at all. It was recommended to me by a twin mama to add powdered formula to his solid food, which I've been doing to up the calories he's getting there. I've also been nursing him BEFORE he eats and giving juice in a sippy (which I hate doing) in place of the very little water he got with his solids.

I told the dr how much he's eating. Lunch and dinner are typically nurse, slice of cheese, 2 stage 3 jars w/ powdered formula, 2 oz of juice, and nursing again if he still acts hungry! :eek: I don't know how to get anymore calories in this kid without seriously ignoring my eldest!

Any advice? Suggestions for high-calorie foods?

[Eliezrah]

Any advice? Suggestions for high-calorie foods?I don't know if it makes any difference but does he eat any table foods yet besides cheese? Is it whole milk cheese or low fat cheese? Does he eat cereal for breakfast? Maybe try making it with the same formula instead of water, if that's what you do.

[Mickey&B]

I
Any advice? Suggestions for high-calorie foods?

Avocado, how about adding olive oil to his food?

[Eliezrah]

Oh I can't believe I forgot about the oil thing! We had to do that for Seth when his allergies were so bad he could only eat 10 foods!

[Marisa]

Juice is high-calorie without being high fat. If you're giving him anything in a sippy it should really be milk (pumped or formula). Sugary juice won't help with the weight gain, not like you want it to.

You can add flax seed oil or olive oil to his food to increase the good fat/calories. If he's eating a jar of veggies, warm it up first and stir in a tablespoon or so of oil. Flax oil is great for omega 3's (the good fats). You can typically get it in most drug stores if not at the supermarket.

Avocado is a great high-fat, nutritious food -- just mash it up with a little formula or milk if it needs to be thinned out. Full-fat yogurt is good too -- if he's having cheese then he shouldn't have a problem with yogurt at this age.

Having this weight goal is just not realistic. Breastfed babies just don't gain three pounds in two months at this age. Look at my kid -- he gained a pound a week for a while there in the beginning. Now he's 9 months old and he's gained maybe half a pound since November -- he's crawling, moving around, pulling up -- and he's getting taller and taller every day. So your guy is not on the charts -- but gaining 8 oz. in two weeks is right on target for this age! You should be concentrating on keeping his gain steady and consistent in this curve, and maybe even getting a second opinion -- I am really surprised that your dr. would say that 3 pounds in 2 months is realistic for a guy with a growth pattern like your DS.

How much is he nursing outside of breakfast, lunch and dinner? Most babies will still be nursing at least five times a day at this age -- if he's sleeping through, can you sneak in a 'dream feed' right before you go to bed, to get one more good meal in?

[tgr68]

Thanks, ladies!!

I'm already mixing his cereal with applesauce and formula, so I'm not sure that there's anything more I could do with it.

I hate giving him juice, but it eases DH's mind and keeps the pressure to quit BFing off me. I think I give it to him more for my sanity. Probably a bit selfish of me.

Marisa~He occasionally gets yogurt in place of one of his stage 3 jars. It's just not an everyday thing right now. I thought the 19 pounds was a little up there. I just looked at the growth chart, and around 17 pounds would put him on the chart. That is a much more realistic goal in my mind and one I think we can meet.

His usual pattern is to nurse in the morning, after his two naps, and at bedtime. Sometimes he'll get a second session in with his meals, and a couple of times a week he'll eat again before his morning naps. So including meals (one his new schedule), he's nursing anywhere from 5-8 times per day. I'm rarely able to get in a dream feed because he's such a light sleeper that he wakes and wants to stay awake.

I've got to do grocery shopping tomorrow, so I'll be sure to check out avacado and flax seed oil. If I can't find the flax, I know we have olive oil on hand.

[SpelKen]

Thanks for the responses.

I thought that applesauce was full of fiber and would help him go which is why we've been giving it to him. I think we are going to lay off solid food the next few days.

[cc8]

I have a terrible yeast infection and got a Rx for Terazole today, which I'm supposed to apply topically "down there".

Is this contra-indicated for BFing?

I specifically asked the nurse if I could still BF safely while using this and she said YES - but I did some googling today and read stuff to the contrary. Anyone know??

[Marisa]

cc8 -- according to Dr. Hale it's an L3, but "when administered intravaginally, only a limited amount is absorbed systemically." The milk levels are probably too small to be clinically relevant, but I believe the L3 comes from the limited amount of data currently available. He compares it to two other antifungals which have been more studied and are currently rated L2.

If I were you I would probably continue with the currently prescribed meds, but if you are uncomfortable you can ask about having the prescription changed to fluconazole (Diflucan) -- it's commonly prescribed for nursing moms.

[cc8]

Marisa, thanks so much for your reply!! I hadn't filled the Rx yet and I was worrying about it this evening. Based on what you wrote and also my discussion with the nurse today, I will go ahead and fill the Rx tomorrow.

[Pookie]

tgr I just wanted to pop in and say my DS was 18 pounds at 1 year. He was also ffed. It was absoloutely no big deal to our ped. He's always been around 25% weight and 50-75% height, just his growth curve. I haven't read back further than this page, so you can just ignore me if something else different was said, but I just thought I'd mention that.:)

[ellebelle]

DS is 2 and half weeks old now and I'm still waking him up to nurse every three hours in the day and fours hours at night. At what age do I not need to worry about waking him up to eat at night? I can't wait to get more than two to three hours of sleep at a time! ;)

[Marisa]

ellebelle -- has he gotten past his birth weight yet? If you are seeing a good pattern of growth, at least 5-7 oz. in a week, then you can start letting him go for longer stretches at night.

I *personally* would continue to encourage him to tank up more frequently during the day, since it encourages him to get his days and nights straight -- be awake more in the day (and hopefully asleep more at night!). But that's entirely up to you.

[Pookie]

Question: DD has the croup right now. Because she's so congested, she was having a really hard time latching on and feeding. We've been doing bottles for the last few days because I felt it was more important to keep her hydrated then to have her bf. I've been pumping, but one problem is that I'm only able to get a max of an ounce/pump session. I'm afraid my supply is seriously suffering and that DD wouldn't latch again. I'll be forced to be away from her during the day tomorrow due to traffic school (:o) and I'm not sure she's healed well enough to be able to breath while nursing. What should I do? TIA

[isign]

Meds question - I have a nasty cold. I'm EBF my 2m old - what can I take with out it affecting my milk supply?

[Eliezrah]

Pookie, can you nurse her while you hold her semi upright so she's not as congested? Or maybe aspirated her nose before you nurse? Aaron was very congested last week and he had trouble as well. I help him as close to upright as I could and it seemed to help him a bit.

[isign]

Can you nurse in the bathroom with the hot water running? I've done this a few times with both of mine and it helped.

[tgr68]

Pookie~Whenever DS gets congested, I saline and suction right before I nurse him. He tends to eat really good right after that because he can breath and because he's really ticked off and wants to cuddle.

Insign~I've always taken DayQuil (knock-off Dollar General brand) and haven't had any trouble. Hope you get to feeling better!

[ellebelle]

Thanks Marisa. DS is over his birth weight now and I'm still waking him up every three hours to nurse in the day. Although, yesterday he was up every 2.5 hours to nurse. Last night he went 4.5 hours between one feeding and fours hours for the next, so I feel pretty rested today!

[isign]

Thanks. Kellymom.com also said benadryll. Both make me so sleepy, but I'm a SAHM, so I'll take it and skip church tomorrow :)

[mmeblue]

Can anyone give me some tips for getting my DD to latch on?

Here's the backstory: she's 9 days old today. In the hospital, she had low blood sugar & was given formula to supplement. Since my milk came in (last Wednesday night), I've been pumping and giving her the expressed milk, followed by formula if she's still hungry (we haven't had to use formula in a few days now b/c my supply is enough for her - 2-2.5 oz per session). Met with an LC yesterday, and the LC was able to get her latched onto me, at which point she nursed beautifully. Problem is that *I* cannot get her to latch. We've tried offering the breast at different stages of hunger - not hungry at all, just starting to get hungry, really hungry, and having eaten half a bottle of expressed milk to get the edge off...while the 2nd and 4th stages make her the most cooperative for trying to latch on, it just isn't happening, and then she ends up too mad to try productively. Any suggestions? I looked at the link from the first page for Dr. Newman's "When Latching" tips, and I think I'm doing everything that site suggests.

[Crystal_Orchid]

mmeblue: You might have done this already..but express some milk then tap your nipple on her lower lip. You can also try stroke her cheek. When she opens, just bring her to you really fast. It'll look like you are hurting her by slaming her against your breast but you're not.

[Marisa]

mmeblue -- 2-2.5 oz. can be kind of a lot for a 9-day-old... her stomach is only about the size of her fist, so just plan accordingly when you're making her bottles. It's great that you're able to keep up with her though! I'm sure you're doing this, but make sure she's getting 8-12 feedings a day as you would if she were nursing directly. Smaller, more frequent feedings might help.

Have you considered (or discussed w/ your LC) using a nipple shield? I had to use one for a couple of weeks with DS1. They are available at Target and BRU I believe. Anyway, she's getting used to the bottles, no doubt, and you're having trouble getting her to want to work for her milk. The shield might be a good transition because it's similar in texture to the bottle nipple, but it will teach her to open wider and actually make an effort to get the milk out. I used to express a little milk into the tip of the shield to get my DS interested, and then he'd start sucking well on his own.

Is there any way to talk to the LC again? One visit might not be enough, if you can't get the hang of things on your own. Does your area have LLL or any other kind of BFing support group?

[boilermaker]

Marisa, do you know how much ibuprofen I can take at one time (and how frequently) and still be safe for BF? I broke my toe and foot yesterday and it hurts. I declined the pain meds they offered in the ER and said I'd stick to OTC. But I'd like to take as much of those as possible :)

The dr said I could do up to 4 tylenol or ibuprofen at one time, every 4-6 hours. But that seems like a lot.

[MichelleRenee]

boilermaker: when I had DD they told me I could take up to 3 Ibuprofin at a time or 2 Tylenol when I was BFing and to alternate every 3 hours betwwen the two (which meant it was 6 hours between each dose of the same med).

Sorry about your foot.

[Marisa]

I was told the same as Michelle after my c/s, though it was three ibuprofen or three Tylenol. They don't want you taking two of the same meds within less than 4 hours, so this way you can take something a little sooner (3 hours) but not have the bad side effects of overdoing either one.

If you're in pain, though, don't feel bad if you do need something stronger. My family is full of nurses (all advocates of natural living, etc.) and they all say, 'don't be a martyr' when it comes to this sort of thing. But it's up to you, of course. ;)

[numberlady]

I just wanted to post that DS went to the doctor and in the 2 weeks since his last visit he gained 1 lb 6 oz! We were so excited. I never got more than 7 feeding in him per day even with waking him. Thanks Marissa for all your help.

I would like to start pumping, but don't really want to increase my production. Is there a way to do that?

[mkvh]

boiler--Don't forget that c/s moms take 800mg (= 4 regular) ibuprofen along with narcotics like percoset when nursing newborns.

[MichelleRenee]

I have another plugged milk duct. This is 4 of them in 2 months. Why do I keep getting them??

[Marisa]

:( Some women are just more prone to them than others. It could be a diet thing, eating more foods with "good fats" or taking a DHA/flaxseed supplement regularly can help. Since you're seeing so many I would absolutely recommend adding a lecithin supplement to your daily vitamin routine -- lecithin helps make the milk less 'sticky' so it will move more easily through the ducts. According to Kellymom you'd want to take 3600-4800mg per day (could be anywhere from 3-4 to 7-8 pills depending on the size you get) and then slowly wean down to 1200 mg as you see the plugged ducts aren't coming back.

[katmg]

Okay, what do I do for cracked/bleeding nipples?? I never had this with DD but DS is a week old and my left nipple is bleeding with every nursing. Can I put neosporin on it or is it better to just use lanolin? I know I can keep nursing him on that side despite the blood but I'd like to give that side a chance to heal up a bit, would it be terrible to make him eat only on the right side for a day?

I don't think we have a latch problem but dang, his latching on either side makes my toes curl for at least 20 seconds or so.

TIA!

[Wrighty26]

Can anyone recommend a nipple cream that doesn't have lanolin in it? I (painfully) discovered last time that I am actually allergic to lanolin -- and I'm currently getting everything in line for baby #2...


Thanks!

[RobynScott]

Kat - congratulations on your DS! Have you tried expressing BM on it and letting it air dry? I'm sure there must be other options as well - but that's the one that comes to mind as having helped me the most. Hope you get some relief soon!

wrighty - sorry - I have no idea!

[Mickey&B]

I have a question

DS is 8 months and I am wondering how much or how many times throughout the day should he be nursing? I don't really watch the clock I just follow his lead but I am asking because he is still waking at night to nurse and I while I was stuck in traffic today :rolleyes: I was counting how many times he had nursed and it was only 6 times it doesn't seem like enough to me. He does get two meals a day breakfast and dinner.
should I be trying to get in more sessions?

[Marisa]

Six times sounds right, my 9 month old often nurses that much. It's impossible to tell for sure, but if he gets 5-6 oz. each time (which is very plausible at that age) he might be getting 30-36 oz. of milk each day.

kat - you can use Neosporin if you need it, just be sure to wipe it off if there's any left when you go to nurse again.

Wrighty -- Earth Mama Angel Baby makes a Nipple Butter (http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/products/product_pages/breastfeeding/Natural%20Nipple%20Butter.php) that's got shea butter and no lanolin.

[LKMang]

Wrighty - I've been using Motherlove Nipple Cream (contains calendula, shea butter and beeswax). I found it at Whole foods.

[boilermaker]

Thank you all for the tips on the drugs. I've been doing ok with 3 ibuprofen every 6 hours but it is nice to know I could up it if need be. Maybe next week when I try to wear real shoes.....

[Monty]

I have a question

DS is 8 months and I am wondering how much or how many times throughout the day should he be nursing? I don't really watch the clock I just follow his lead but I am asking because he is still waking at night to nurse and I while I was stuck in traffic today :rolleyes: I was counting how many times he had nursed and it was only 6 times it doesn't seem like enough to me. He does get two meals a day breakfast and dinner.
should I be trying to get in more sessions?

Mickey: I average 5 feedings a day, and two large solid meals. DD eats snacks around the clock as well! I've noticed a decline in supply as well, no matter how much I feed her, I can't get it back up....so I'm thinking maybe it's my bodies way of slowly weaning her to solids??? Who knows! Also, I don't nurse at night now, I get those in during the day.

[Wrighty26]

Marisa and LMKang - Thanks for the suggestions! I will check both out :)

[katmg]

Thanks Robyn and Marisa! It seemed a bit more healed this morning although totally engorged. I was able to nurse without pain this morning on that side so hopefully it is on its way to healing.

I forgot that these first few days aren't the easiest. Luckily, I know it gets so much better. :D

[Mickey&B]

Thanks ladies, my big fear is that my supply is dipping. I am really hoping to make it to a year this time. He seems satified when he nurses, but he is so distracted I don't think he gets in a good session. At night I can tell they are better sessions so I am thinking he is getting more? I just wish he would give me a good nights sleep at this point!

[Marisa]

Monty (and Mickey&B too)-- do you mean you get less when you pump? I notice that your baby is around 7 months, is that right? A lot of women (myself included) find that they stop responding as well to a pump around that point, and it doesn't mean they don't have 'enough' -- it means that they don't have as much extra as they used to. This is a common time for cycles to return as well, which can often bring temporary dips in supply, so if you haven't seen AF yet, keep an eye out and be sure to use a BC method if you're not looking to get pregnant again soon. :)

There are also lots of reasons for increased nursing around 6-8 months, including growth spurts, teething, something developmental -- doesn't have to be supply-related.

[miaclear]

Question: I'm determined to have as successful of a BFing relationship with my twins as I did with my son (EBF for 15 months). In the hospital with him he was close to loosing 10% of his birthweight, I think my milk came in on day 4 or 5. The nurses gave us a hard time as we wouldn't let them use a paci or supplement so yeah....he was kinda fussy. We did end up giving him some Similac water at one point which he chugged down and then threw up (yeah .... that did a lot of good). I hate how everyone in the hospital has something different to tell you and I was so glad to get out of there (it was a C so I was there 4 days I believe).

So I guess my question is when do I really have to worry that I should be supplementing before my milk comes in? Is 10% birth weight a good rule? If my twins are little does that make a difference (DS was 9lb 2oz)? Will my milk come in sooner this time (even with another C)?

[Marisa]

10% is a good rule across the board, it may be different if your twins are very early, but I think that 10% is generally the limit for all term babies. I had a c/s with both boys and my milk came in on day 6 with Joey, but was in the morning I left the hospital with Teddy, beginning of Day 3. In general you will have more milk, and sooner, the second (and subsequent) time.

Sorry so brief, running out the door... :)

[KRL626]

miaclear Agreeing with our expert Marisa! My milk came in on day 3 with #1 and within about 36 hours after birth with #2. Your so right about everyone having something different to say. I pretty much ignored everyone in the hospital both times and did what I knew to be right, trusting in my body. A mom in my first moms group, angelgirl EBF her twins. She might still be in the multiples group and would be a great resource.

[jenjunum]

I think I might be getting my 1st PP period. DD was 9 months yesterday. My nipples are super sore when I pump or nurse (I don't notice it until the sucking). My skin has also been breaking out a little bit and I've recently had some EWCM (is that the right abbreviation, it's been a while). Does that sound right? I just trying to put the pieces together of what's going on with me. DD still isn't STTN and still nurses at least twice at night.

[Mickey&B]

Marissa I haven't pumped in forever so I wouldn't know if it did go down. It's just seems that sometimes he doesn't seem satisfied after nursing. He has never unlatched on his own so it's not like he pops off when he is done. And lately he has been devoring his solids!! His diapers are wet but not as wet as when he gets EBM that's the biggest thing. But then at night it also feels like he is swallowing for longer periods of time. Does that make sense? Can it be that he is not as distracted at night so he gets a better session in and that's why he keeps getting up?
I dunno today he was such a crank and he wouldn't sleep and it's days like this that I immediatley start to think it has to do with me ya know.

[mkvh]

jenjunum--Sounds like it! I get nip pain around ovulation as well as right before AF. What spurs her return is beyond me...it's different for everyone.

[amyloo]

Hi Ladies!

I'm expecting my first child in June and am planning on BFing him. Is there a thread for beginners? I looked for one but couldn't find it... I have been reading up on bfing/pumping, but I still have a ton of dumb questions. :o

Thanks!
Amy

[tgr68]

amyloo~Congrats on your Junebug! ;) This is the place to ask all those beginner questions. You can ask some pumping questions here, but we do have a whole thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42811) devoted to that as well! Don't worry if your questions have been asked before because they often serve as a reminder for those of us who have been doing this a while!

[Eliezrah]

Amy, congrats!! I was also going to say this is the place for you to be to ask anything you want! And there are no dumb questions!!!!

[amyloo]

Thanks guys!!

Here's my big one from yesterday: If I pump, I can put it in one of those medela bags to freeze. Then what? I mean I know I have to thaw it, but do I thaw it in the bag and then heat it as well before I feed the baby? So, does that mean I need a bottle warmer, or can I just nuke it in the microwave?

And how do you know what kind of bottle to use? I just stood at Target yesterday and thought "I have no idea what to do!!" Do you need separate bags for feeding like the playtex bottles?

I've also gotten a lot of strange advice from friends/family. My aunt told me to start pinching my nipples so they won't hurt, and a friend told me to be careful not to squeeze my boobs or milk will shoot out of them. Not that I believe everything I hear, but some of this makes me feel intimidated. (Although the fem-bot shooting milk action does sound like a great self-defense technique...)

My mom fed us formula, so she's no help, and my sister gave up after 6 weeks out of frustration so I kinda feel like I'm out on a limb here. But I just know I want to try. I even had a dream about nursing- which was weird since that's the first time I've dreamt about the baby at all!

Sorry for the novel- but thanks for helping out a rookie!! :)

[PookiePrincess]

Thanks guys!!

Here's my big one from yesterday: If I pump, I can put it in one of those medela bags to freeze. Then what? I mean I know I have to thaw it, but do I thaw it in the bag and then heat it as well before I feed the baby? So, does that mean I need a bottle warmer, or can I just nuke it in the microwave?

If you're feeding the baby, the easiest way is to just nurse. My DD is almost a year old and I've probably not fed her more than 5 bottles myself. It's counterproductive to feed a bottle when you then have to pump.

When you freeze milk in a bag, just thaw it it water (running water or water in a bowl) or in the fridge the day before you need it. Then the bottle can be warmed up in a bowl of water or running water or you can use a bottle warmer. Bottles should never be warmed in the microwave as it creates hot spots in the milk that can burn the baby.


And how do you know what kind of bottle to use? I just stood at Target yesterday and thought "I have no idea what to do!!" Do you need separate bags for feeding like the playtex bottles?


I would buy a couple of several types and try them out when the time comes. Some babies are picky and you just never know what your's will like. The playtex bottles take liners, but you can buy an adapter and pump directly into those.

I've also gotten a lot of strange advice from friends/family. My aunt told me to start pinching my nipples so they won't hurt, and a friend told me to be careful not to squeeze my boobs or milk will shoot out of them. Not that I believe everything I hear, but some of this makes me feel intimidated. (Although the fem-bot shooting milk action does sound like a great self-defense technique...)


Don't worry about these things. The old thought that you have to toughen up your nipples is unnecessary. The squeezing your boobs and getting milk is possible, especially if you're engorged, but normally any little squeeze won't make milk shoot out.

My mom fed us formula, so she's no help, and my sister gave up after 6 weeks out of frustration so I kinda feel like I'm out on a limb here. But I just know I want to try. I even had a dream about nursing- which was weird since that's the first time I've dreamt about the baby at all!

Don't feel intimidated. I was formula fed and have no one I'm close to who breastfed. I read several books while I was pregnant and lurked in this thread for a long time. The nurses and lactation consultants at the hospital were also a big help, though I was lucky and had a pretty easy time. I think a big part of success is determination to do it (though I know this isn't true for everyone). I was hell bent on proving my mom wrong, who told me I should be prepared to supplement with formula just in case.

Good luck!

[giry76]

Here's my big one from yesterday: If I pump, I can put it in one of those medela bags to freeze. Then what? I mean I know I have to thaw it, but do I thaw it in the bag and then heat it as well before I feed the baby? So, does that mean I need a bottle warmer, or can I just nuke it in the microwave?

I can answer this one! Take the madela bag and put it in the fridge to thaw or if you need it more quickly put it in some warm water. NEVER in the microwave. Even if you thaw it in the fridge you will probably still need to warm it a bit with some warm water. I never had a bottle warmer so I can't speak to that.

I would recommend getting the La Leche League book _The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding_ and also checking out if there is a LLL group close to you. The more you arm yourself with knowledge now the better it will be when baby comes. I am trying to do the same myself, due in July with #2, didn't do so hot with #1. I have been to 2 LLL meetings so far and I would highly recommend it if it is available.

[Marisa]

Welcome Amy! :) I think it's great that you're thinking about these things and reaching out now -- you'll be that much better off in terms of knowledge and support when you're in the thick of it in a few months. :)

Take a little time to figure out what kind of in-person support you can muster up as well. Maybe it's a lactation consultant or a breastfeeding support group at the hospital where you plan to deliver, or maybe there's a La Leche League group near you. (If so, try out a meeting before you deliver, my old group always loved to have PG moms show up!) We will all do our best to help you when the time comes, but it also helps to have someone to help in person, in case you need them to show you a position, check the latch, or just give you a pat on the back. :)

As far as your questions go -- don't worry too much about pumping and bottles right now. The best plan is to avoid bottles (and pacifiers -- artificial nipples really) for about 3-4 weeks in the beginning, as you establish your supply and you and baby learn about breastfeeding. If you plan to return to work and pump throughout the day, a double electric pump is ideal (you can pump both sides at once). These pumps typically come with small (4 oz) bottles and caps where you can insert a nipple to feed -- any standard nipple would do. If you decide to use a pacifier usually you can get the same kind of bottle nipple -- but I wouldn't worry about getting too many of anything in advice since babies can be particular about the nipple they'll take.

Once you feel like you've got a good routine down and BFing is starting to feel more natural, you can begin to pump and store milk (some moms who are returning to work like to have a 'stash'). I advise storing the milk 2 oz. at a time in freezer bags -- newborns typically won't take much more than that, and you can always thaw two bags if you need it -- but freezing in small amounts means less waste. Freeze the bags lying flat so you can stack them once they're frozen solid, and always write the date in permanent ink on the bag -- milk can be good anywhere from 3-6 months after it's frozen, typically.

[katmg]

amy - Ha ha! I was just talking to my mom and her best friend today about BFing and they both were aghast that I didn't bother to "toughen up" my nipples ahead of time. I tried to tell them that there is no need to do that and that it is not recommended any more but they weren't buying it. I didn't do it with my DD and never had a problem, now with DS I certainly didn't bother!

[amyloo]

Thanks for the reassurance! It feels like there is so much to learn, but a lot of it has to wait until the little man actually gets here!

On a slightly TMI level- how do you tell if you have flat nipples? Sometimes mine are flat and sometimes they stick out. FWIW I'm a large chested girl- can that affect BFing?

There is a LLL group in my city, and they have a meeting on Wednesday. I thought you had to be a member to go, but the person I spoke to said they don't require you to join to attend meetings! (Not that I mind the $$, but it's just nice to know that they'll help you anyway. :))

[merjmo]

amy - go to the meeting! If you're really lucky you'll be able to see someone latching a young baby. A blog I read was just talking about this and how useful it is for us to see people latching those new babies!!!

Sounds like yours might be "semi-flat." So they're not REALLY flat (which would always be that way) but can be a little bit challenging sometimes for the new baby. But others may not have had the same experience I did.

Big boobs don't inhibit BF, but large nipples can - and honestly, how many nipples have you seen in your life in person? :D I can't remember what the comparison is, maybe like dime-sized? So bigger than that is big? But anyway, you ABSOLUTELY CAN BF with flat nipples, big boobs, and big nipples. It just might take some experienced help (like LLL) and working on it.

[MrsBeckyLP]

On a slightly TMI level- how do you tell if you have flat nipples? Sometimes mine are flat and sometimes they stick out. FWIW I'm a large chested girl- can that affect BFing?

I was told by my doctor at my 8-week appointment (when they did an internal and thorough exam) that I had flat nipples, and that I should remind her later on in my pregnancy. I brought it up when I was about 32 weeks, and she didn't seem concerned at that time. Our insurance requires us to meet with the OB coordinator, the nurse we saw when I first got pregnant, again around 34 weeks. She also is an LC, so I showed her my nipples, and she told me they looked like "average Caucasian nipples." She said they shouldn't be a problem, and they weren't. In the beginning, I rolled my nipple between my thumb and forefinger before latching DD on, and that helped draw it out a bit. But I only did that for a week or two, and by then my nipples had been drawn out permanently. My guess is that your "sometimes flat" nipples won't be a problem!

[Marisa]

Amy - I have/had both issues, so I can tell you --

Mine were like you describe, and got 'flatter' when my milk came in -- it was hard for my son to find something to latch on to! If your nipples are truly flat, you can use something called a nipple shield to help baby latch on. Basically it's a thin silicone nipple that goes over your own nipple. After a few weeks of using one with my first son, my nipples were permanently drawn out and I didn't need it again with my second.

I also have large breasts -- 34G right now -- and it's not really a problem. You'll have to hold your breast in place for a newborn who doesn't have good head control, etc. It's called a 'sandwich hold' -- basically make a c-shape with your hand and hold your breast like you would a cheeseburger :D -- with the thumb on top you can also gently compress the breast to keep the milk flowing during a feeding.

[katmg]

amy - I also find that using a football hold instead of cradle hold helps with big breasts, especially when they are little tiny newborns.

[jenjunum]

amy I would recommend the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding too. I found it so helpful. It's really comprehensive. You may be able to purchase a copy at your LLL meeting, or if you become a member you may be able to check it out from your group's library (for free). At least that's how my group worked.

mkvh - Thanks for your input!

Now I'm wondering if I could possibly have thrush or something and it's not just nipple sensitivity. My nipples still hurt. It's been about 5 days I think. If anything DD has been nursing less (trying to get her to sleep a little longer at night, she'd been waking and wanting to eat up to 6 times, trying to get that to 1 or 2). I am not engorged and it's not breast pain, just nipple pain. They hurt pretty much all of the time, much more when I nurse. Every once in a while I get a stabbing pain, like a needle going into my nipple. My nipples also seem to be more erect lately. And once after DD came unlatched my nipple was very long (I have never seen it like that before, like maybe 1 1/2" or even 2" long). It's painful and I've considered weaning because of it. AF has not started yet but can I have nipple pain for all of the days in between ovulation & AF? That gives new meaning to the 2 week wait. I have not had a PP period.

[Annette]

amy-I would also recommend getting a My Brest Friend pillow. Using this pillow made BFing so much easier.

[j*east]

jenjunum--I had thrush a few weeks ago. It started with cracked nipples and a blister and general nipple pain, and I too thought my cycles were returning. The pain got worse and felt like it was deep inside my breast. One day the pain was so bad I realized I was breathing the way I had in labor. I called my MW who diagnosed thrush and prescribed diflucan for it. It took a while, but I'm finally 100% better now. The bummer was my supply dipped too, probably due to the pain. I pumped and gave DD bottles for a couple days until I was over the worst of the pain, but I couldn't pump enough to keep up, so we gave her some formula too. Luckily, my supply has since rebounded.

So...if you think it's thrush, get checked out! It was soooooo painful and I would not wish that on anyone.

Also, for anyone reading this, DO try to keep a BM stash, even if you're a SAHM. I wish I had had two or three days' worth on milk on hand so I wouldn't have had to supplement with formula.

ETA: jenjunum, mine started just as nipple pain, and the LC I spoke to thought DD had changed her latch due to teething or possibly just developing bad habits over time. That led to cracked nipples/blister, and that's how we think I got thrush. So even if you don't think it's thrush, you might want to get your latch checked to avoid more pain. Sorry this is garbled--I just remembered other possible causes for nipple pain.

[jenjunum]

j*east - Thanks for this feedback. I think it might be getting better. Today it only hurt for a little bit on the initial latch and then when she came off and re-latched that didn't hurt at all. Before that was killing me. Yesterday I pumped out a little yellow glob on one side and I think I may have had a plugged duct or something. I've never seen anything like that and I'm not sure if a plug could cause soreness in just the nipple area or the plug could actually be in the nipple? Whatever the case it seems to be almost 50% better just overnight. I'm hoping that by tomorrow it might be better. The stabbing pain has also gone away.

[Ilovemysoldier812]

I have a question.... DS is 7 weeks old and I planned on returning back to work but decided I would stay home with him. Well I as pumping after every session so I have a good freezer stash. I stopped pumping after each feeding and I do it on the side he doesn't eat off in the moning and at bedtime. Well I hate pumping and he refuses the bottle anyways. If I cut out those two pumping sessions will that do anything to my supply?

[Marisa]

Nope! :) Your supply will settle down a bit to be just what he needs now, and not so much "extra". You may feel full for a couple of days since your body is used to producing more, but you'll be able to adjust within a couple of days. If you do feel overly full, express only enough to make yourself comfortable. Your body will still respond to your son's demand and make plenty of milk for him.

And hang onto your wonderful freezer stash! He may change his mind about the bottle, or you can start trying a soft-spout cup around 4-5 mos. Milk will keep at the back of the freezer or in a deep freeze for up to 6 months, so you could even use it to thin out pureed food or cereal when you start solids around 6 mos.

[Ilovemysoldier812]

Thanks Marisa.

[Pink_Converse]

I have a question for you ladies. I would like to wean my son (11 mo) and get him out of my bed. Which should I do first? Any suggestions on how to gently do both? He is VERY needy, very much a mama's boy and very into bf'ing AND sleeping with me so I am scared!

[Marisa]

PC -- I would say to look into Dr. Jay Gordon's writings. He's got a book called "Good Nights" (which I lent out and never got back, or I'd flip through for ya :)). It's very much about the family bed, gentle nightweaning, etc.

This is his article about nightweaning, while the child is still in the family bed: http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/ap/sleep.asp

Alternatively, I would imagine that if you can get him to the point where he's sleeping independently, it would be easier to nightwean. The No Cry Sleep Solution has some ideas about that (again, I've lent out my copy... jeez, I really should track down some of my books!).

[Pink_Converse]

Thanks Marisa. I will go check those out :)

[Eliezrah]

I DID IT!!!!! It only took me 3 kids but I BFed exclusively for a whole year! WOO HOO GO ME!!!! Aaron is a year today and we're still BFing!!!! I'm off to start posting more in the extended BFing group (but will still pop in here once in a while). I'm so proud of myself and so excited! Jackie was a 28 weeker and couldn't BF and I was only able to pump for her for 9 weeks. Seth was full term and we BFed but found out he only had 7 safe foods so I weaned him VERY quickly at 11 months so I could eat but here we are on Aaron's birthday and we're still BFing!!!!! :D:D:D:D

[Annette]

That's awesome Lisa!

[Eliezrah]

Thanks Annette!!!

[tgr68]

Congrats, Lisa!! :D

[Eliezrah]

Thanks Tigger!!!! :)

[MichelleRenee]

Congrats Lisa!

I am just stopping by real quick to update my BFing goals. These were my first 3 "mini goals:"

First four weeks after Ava is born - ALL BFing, no pumping. (success!)
From the time she starts daycare until she is 3 months old - no bottles at home, only at daycare and only with BM (She will be 3 months old in 10 days so I am calling it - success! The point of this goal was to not start EPing like I did last time and now that we made it this long I intend to continue reserving bottles for daycare and only BFing at home.)
First 6 months - no formula or solids (well on our way....)

Long term BF goal:
I was really uneasy with the idea of saying "I am going to BF for xx months" in the beginning but I think I am ready to say that I plan to make it to a full year this time around. So far it has been a lot easier this time around. I can't believe it has been almost 3 months already and I haven't had any feelings of wanting to just be done with it. I am enjoying it, Ava is enjoying it and I don't see any reason why we wouldn't make it to a full year.

[jenjunum]

I just wanted to post back that my nipple sensitivity was in fact due to my cycle returning. :( I had forgotten what it's like to have a period it's been so long. A big bummer, but I can safely say that the it was ovulation sensitivity. I get my DD to sleep through the night 1x and my cycle returns--no fair! I did also notice a significant supply dip right before my period started but I think it might be coming back up again now. It's hard to know for sure though. I almost needed to supplement because my DD didn't seem satisfied but I think we're OK now.

[Eliezrah]

Michelle, thanks and congrats to you for reaching your goals so far! It's a great feeling, isn't it?!

[MichelleRenee]

It's a great feeling, isn't it?!

Yes, it is! That's why I tried to set smaller goals at first - it is such great motivation to know I set a goal and reached it! It really makes me excited to move on to new goals.

[Eliezrah]

That's fantastic!!! Good for you!!

[NotDesperate]

I am looking for a good BF book and I was wondering which ones you recommended? I see the links one page 1, but which books did you like most? I want one that gives all the info you need to learn to BF correctly and also tells you how to fix problems. Any ideas?

Also on page 1, there is a spot that says "Nursing Holds" and mentions a website but there is no link... does anyone have it?

[Annette]

michelle- that's great that you reached your goals!
I know for me, once I got passed the first 6-8 weeks, things improved dramatically. We're at nearly 6 months now. I pump because I work, but now my goal of BFing for a year doesn't seem that difficult.

[tgr68]

NotDesperate~The two book I reference most for BFing issues/information (when I'm not coming here for help ;)) are The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League and The Complete Book of Breastfeeding by Marvin S. Eiger. I prefer the LLL book, but since I rely on the local library, I had to have a backup for when it was checked out! :p

I have a minor dilemma here. I've always said that I wanted to BF for a year, but now as one year is approaching, I'm not so sure I want to quit. The issue I'm having is that I don't totally have DH's support in this. He is under the impression that DS is going to be fully weaned by his first birthday, whereas I'm wanting to start weaning at the 1 year mark at the earliest. My mom didn't BF (and just doesn't get the appeal) and MIL only BF'ed for 6 months believing (despite the info to the contrary) that it does no good after that point. :( Any advice on convincing DH otherwise? I'm not sure that presenting him with facts and figures on the health benefits will do any good because he is of the opinion that nursing a toddler is just weird. :rolleyes: Plus, MIL isn't doing any favors by constantly trying to convince me to quit now.

[NotDesperate]

tgr68, thank you!

[MrsBeckyLP]

tgr- I'm thinking your household might be a bit different than mine, but my husband pretty much doesn't have a say. I will do what I want WRT to extended BFing, and DH's opinion simply doesn't matter to me! I always thought I'd wean at a year, but now I know we'll be going longer than that, at least in the morning and at bedtime (since I work FT and don't want to pump for much longer). If DH has a problem with it, he hasn't mentioned it to me, but I think he knows better than to bring it up. ;)

[merjmo]

I have a minor dilemma here. I've always said that I wanted to BF for a year, but now as one year is approaching, I'm not so sure I want to quit. The issue I'm having is that I don't totally have DH's support in this. He is under the impression that DS is going to be fully weaned by his first birthday, whereas I'm wanting to start weaning at the 1 year mark at the earliest. My mom didn't BF (and just doesn't get the appeal) and MIL only BF'ed for 6 months believing (despite the info to the contrary) that it does no good after that point. :( Any advice on convincing DH otherwise? I'm not sure that presenting him with facts and figures on the health benefits will do any good because he is of the opinion that nursing a toddler is just weird. :rolleyes: Plus, MIL isn't doing any favors by constantly trying to convince me to quit now.

Have you had an honest conversation with him about his views? One in which you can probe a bit more to ask why he thinks it's weird? DH and I had that conversation pretty early (but I'll also admit I didn't give a rats arse what DH thought, I was going to nurse as long as DD and I wanted to) and I just challenged him and kept asking "WHY" to everything he said. It was a bit amusing, actually.

But it did open his eyes to the idea that it does happen, and is recommended to BF until at least age 2 by the WHO, and that they do need some source of "milk" until age 2 whether it's BM, formula, or milk. And we talked about the attachment issues and how weaning is really emotionally traumatic on some kids, etc.

Nursing an older child is interesting, because really not many people need to know. Especially if it only happens at home or around sleep times. I mean, that's for you and your DS to determine, but you can really set limits as to when it's ok to have milk, KWIM?

[merjmo]

tgr- I'm thinking your household might be a bit different than mine, but my husband pretty much doesn't have a say. I will do what I want WRT to extended BFing, and DH's opinion simply doesn't matter to me! I always thought I'd wean at a year, but now I know we'll be going longer than that, at least in the morning and at bedtime (since I work FT and don't want to pump for much longer). If DH has a problem with it, he hasn't mentioned it to me, but I think he knows better than to bring it up. ;)

LOL, this is pretty much my view too. But I know that a lot of women disagree and think the DH is a valid part of the parent/child relationship too.

[RobynScott]

LOL, this is pretty much my view too. But I know that a lot of women disagree and think the DH is a valid part of the parent/child relationship too.

I'm assuming you mean part of the BFing relationship? Dh is definitely a part of the parent/child relationship, but when it comes to BFing that's (mostly) my domain. I say mostly b/c there have been times when DH has been like - "can you please nurse him?" - just to help calm him down / back to sleep / hydrated, whatever. It's funny, b/c if you had asked me when I was pregnant if I would be nursinga 19 month old, I probably would have laughed in your face! I know DH never inagined it either and now is really supportive. I agree with merjmo - have a conversation with your DH about why he is against it?

DH couldn't come up with any reasons, so we're still nursing. I probably hope to be done by 2, but I said the same thing about only BFing till a year ;) At this point, we only BF before and after bed - and he's even gone to bed without it a couple of times. I stopped nursing him in public when he was old enough not to NEED to be nursed in public (maybe like 10 months?) - so really - what you do in the privacy of your own home - why should it matter to anyone else?

Michelle - congrats on meeting your goals - it's such a good feeling, I know! Glad it's going easier this time.
Eliezrah - congrats on making it to a year (and beyond)
Not Desperate - my favorite book is/was the Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins - SO HELPFUL in the beginning (but I think you've got some time to figure it out ;)) Congrats, btw!

[tgr68]

Thanks ladies!!

As far as our family dynamics go, DH and I view ourselves as a team where both people have a say in household dealings, parenting choices, etc. (The only thing he doesn't even want a say in is curriculum choice for our homeschooled daughter because I have teaching degree, and that makes me the "expert" in his opinion.) It is ultimately MY decision as to when to cut off the BFing relationship, but I know it will be a lot more stressful w/o his full support primarily due to our extended family views. As I said my mom didn't BF, and his mom quit at 6 months.

I imagine the reason he thinks it's weird is because we don't know anyone personally who has ever nursed beyond a year (or at least has admitted it). People in our area consider extended nursing, attachment parenting, homebirthing, use of midwives, etc. a "big city" or "coast" thing. It's just not done around here. I was the first VBAC in the local hospital in years. Only a few members of the nursing staff had ever seen an unmedicated birth and maybe one had ever done a VBAC. I tend to be a bit of a pioneer on these things here, which is cool but can also be kind of lonely.

Anyway, sorry this got so long, but hopefully that helps answers some of your questions.

[boilermaker]

tgr, you can change your BF relationship once you don't need it to be your DC's main source of nutrition. Many of us over in the extended nursing thread stopped BF on demand around 13-14m. We switched to a more regimented schedule..before naps, before bed, first thing in the morning. I'm going to guess that your extended family is not around during those times on a normal basis. So why they even need to know you have continued nursing? Maybe your DH would be ok with that type of extended nursing. One that is kept in the home. It is very much possible to do!

I do find it funny though that he leaves homeschooling decisions to you because you have a teaching degree. Does he have BF experience to be involved in that decision?

[tgr68]

I do find it funny though that he leaves homeschooling decisions to you because you have a teaching degree. Does he have BF experience to be involved in that decision?
Good point. I don't get it!

I did forget to add that he does have concerns regarding DS's health. I quit nursing DD at 4 months because she started losing weight and switch to formula - a decision I have always regretted. DS fell off the charts on the low end at his 9 month appt and while everything else is right on par, he can't help but wonder if the nursing isn't the problem. Both his mother and grandmother claim that their milk "wasn't rich enough" to sufficiently nourish a baby, and all 3 try to put that diagnosis on me whenever we have the slightest sign of a weight issue. From what I've read on LLL's website, there is no such thing as "bad milk". *shrug* I don't know though.

[boilermaker]

But doesn't that arguement go away when BM takes a backseat to other nutrition?

[Crystal_Orchid]

tgr68: would it help your DH if he read up on the benefits of extended nursing? Not sure where you would find it..but I would imagine there are literature out there. In my household, it doesn't even cross my mind to talk about it with DH. I just assumed that it's my decision to make when I will wean although I work FT so will wean from the pump starting yr 1 and will wean from BF whenever DD decides she doesn't want it anymore. Here is some I found on http://parenting.families.com/blog/b...ng-is-too-long


The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all babies be breastfed exclusively - that is without pacifiers, formula, solid foods or other liquids - for the first six months of life and that, after solid food is introduced, breastfeeding should continue for a minimum of the first 12 months of life and, thereafter as long as is mutually beneficial to Mother and Child. They also suggest that "there is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychological or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer" (AAP 2005).
The American Academy of Family Physicians issued a position statement on breastfeeding which recommends: "Breastfeeding beyond the first year offers considerable benefits to both mother and child, and should continue as long as mutually desired." They also note that "If the child is younger than two years of age, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned." (AAFP 2001)

The World Health Organization also recommends "exclusive breastfeeding for six months as a global public health recommendation, taking into account the findings of the WHO expert consultation on optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and to provide safe and appropriate complementary foods, with continued breastfeeding for up to two years of age or beyond, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life with continued breastfeeding for at least 2 years" (WHO 2002)

2004 Health Canada Recommendation on Exclusive Breastfeeding Duration says "Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of life for healthy term infants, as breast milk is the best food for optimal growth. Infants should be introduced to nutrient-rich, solid foods with particular attention to iron at six months with continued breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond."

[MrsBeckyLP]

I say mostly b/c there have been times when DH has been like - "can you please nurse him?" - just to help caqlm him down / back to sleep / hydrated, whatever.

I get that comment or question from my husband often, too! It's his answer to everything.

tgr- I'm really the first in my family or group of friends to BF, so I know where you're coming from there. However, I've been lucky enough that my mom has been really supportive and interested to learn about it, and MIL -- thankfully -- keeps her nose out of my business.

[MichelleRenee]

Originally Posted by RobynScott
I say mostly b/c there have been times when DH has been like - "can you please nurse him?" - just to help caqlm him down / back to sleep / hydrated, whatever.

I get that comment or question from my husband often, too! It's his answer to everything.

Haha, I hear that a lot too, except it's "can't you just put her on your boob...?" when he can't calm her down and I am busy. :rolleyes:

tgr: I have the same "issue" with my DH. He doesn't know anyone else who has ever BF. I stopped BFing DS around 3 months and I think DH thinks that is when everyone is supposed to stop because that is all he has ever experienced. I have explained it to him so many times and he doesn't see anything wrong with me BFing now but I know that as DD gets older I will have to continue explaining to him that if the choice is between BM and formula that I choose BM! And after she turns 1, if I decide to keep nursing I will explain that if it is between cow's milk and BM I am still choosing BM. He does admit that he thinks it is "weird" to BF older babies and toddlers, but he has come to that conclusion with VERY little knowledge about BFing and BM so I take it upon myself to teach him those things. With DD turning 1 in November I keep thinking I will want to keep BFing to get her through the next cold and flu season so I am already bringing it up occasionally with him just so that when the time comes it's not a huge shock to him that I don't plan on weaning.

I am definitely a mom who believes the dad should always have equal say in parenting decisions, but I can't really think of anything DH could say that would physically stop me from BFing before I am ready to stop.

[RobynScott]

I get that comment or question from my husband often, too! It's his answer to everything.

tgr- I'm really the first in my family or group of friends to BF, so I know where you're coming from there. However, I've been lucky enough that my mom has been really supportive and interested to learn about it, and MIL -- thankfully -- keeps her nose out of my business.

Ditto! I don't know anyone else IRL that has BFed this long. Or that exclusively BFed for the first 6 months. I jsut do what I want, I guess :) I don't hide the fact that we are still BFing, but neither do I advertise it. (DH is actually a bit more open about it than I am).

My grandmotehr asked me once when we're stopping - and I know my IL's wonder as well -my mom too - but they all know I will do my own thing anyway ;) When people ask, I usually say something like "maybe before he leaves for college" - so far out of the realm that they know I'm not serious, but it dodges having to come up with a 'real' answer.

As far as the weight thing, my DS has always been a peanut (3%er) - and his weight dropped at 6 mos so we were concerned - but that's when we added solids (I refused to do it before then). Around 9 months we added yogurt which really helped with DS's weight gain. I did eventually supplement with formula b/c I wasn't pumping enough, but it wasn't a reason to stop BFing. Even if your milk were not 'enough' (which I don't agree with) - doesn't he know you would have to use formula now anyway? I would wait till he's one and just add in whole milk (and add whole milk yogurt in now). There's nothing that says DS can't drink whole milk and still nurse. Good luck with your decision and 'convincing' DH. I know mine thought it was strange before DS turned 1, but liek I said to him, it's not like I can just flip a switch on July 17 and he'll be done nursing (and done needing to nurse), kwim?

[Crystal_Orchid]

I want to add that although I have a supportive DH, my mother is not as supportive. She watches DD while I'm at work, and consitently tell me that my milk is no good anymore because it's been so long and that formula is better. I've been doing some researching on the internet to educate her that there is no such thing as no good milk. I don't think it'll change her mind, but at least it'll let her know that it's not only my opinion, it's the expert's opinion.

[Eliezrah]

Eliezrah - congrats on making it to a year (and beyond)Thanks!!

Tgr, Scott's sort of the same way. He had once told me I should have Aaron fully weaned by his bday, not start to wean him then and take 3-4 months to do it. I think he's starting to get used to the idea of me nursing until 15-16 months. I also think part of it is because we don't know anyone who nursed this long (as far as we know at least).

I am definitely a mom who believes the dad should always have equal say in parenting decisionsMe too!

[Grenouille]

Thanks ladies!!

As far as our family dynamics go, DH and I view ourselves as a team where both people have a say in household dealings, parenting choices, etc. (The only thing he doesn't even want a say in is curriculum choice for our homeschooled daughter because I have teaching degree, and that makes me the "expert" in his opinion.) It is ultimately MY decision as to when to cut off the BFing relationship, but I know it will be a lot more stressful w/o his full support primarily due to our extended family views. As I said my mom didn't BF, and his mom quit at 6 months.

I imagine the reason he thinks it's weird is because we don't know anyone personally who has ever nursed beyond a year (or at least has admitted it). People in our area consider extended nursing, attachment parenting, homebirthing, use of midwives, etc. a "big city" or "coast" thing. It's just not done around here. I was the first VBAC in the local hospital in years. Only a few members of the nursing staff had ever seen an unmedicated birth and maybe one had ever done a VBAC. I tend to be a bit of a pioneer on these things here, which is cool but can also be kind of lonely.

Anyway, sorry this got so long, but hopefully that helps answers some of your questions.

Well, As others have said you need to explore why he thinks there is something "Weird" about nursing beyond the first birthday. For some men, its a sexual thing, is that what's bothering him?

tgr, you can change your BF relationship once you don't need it to be your DC's main source of nutrition. Many of us over in the extended nursing thread stopped BF on demand around 13-14m. We switched to a more regimented schedule..before naps, before bed, first thing in the morning. I'm going to guess that your extended family is not around during those times on a normal basis. So why they even need to know you have continued nursing? Maybe your DH would be ok with that type of extended nursing. One that is kept in the home. It is very much possible to do!


This is what happened with me, though it wasn't a conscious decision. As DS was eating solid foods his eating habits changed. He loved eating food, and was eating 3 meals a day plus snacks, so he didn't want or need to nurse all the time. For a while I would nurse him first thing in the morning,
before and after naps, and at bedtime. It wasn't a matter of whipping out the boob to nurse him at a birthday party, Thanksgiving dinner, or whatever, it was all done in his room or my room when no one else was around. Not because it was a shameful or secret thing, but because my son was either just waking up or just going to bed, and who needs an audience during either of those times?

I am definitely a mom who believes the dad should always have equal say in parenting decisions, but I can't really think of anything DH could say that would physically stop me from BFing before I am ready to stop.

I totally agree with this. I don't really see extended nursing as a "parenting decision" though, its more of a feeding/comfort decision.

[numberlady]

I have another question and just hope that I can make it to 1 year of BF as you all are discussing.

I think I have an overactive letdown. DS is 5 weeks and I have been using a nipple shield due to latch problems. We started weaning from it last week, but now when he starts nursing he is coughing and partly refusing the breast. I can usually get him to take it without the shield if I lean back. But my question is, how do I get my letdown to slow down? I really want to start pumping in the mornings, but I certainly don't need and more production until I get this sorted out.

[Lizzy]

Tgr, I am sorry for your predicament. I would try to reason with your husband. Find out exactly what bothers him and address those issues. I would try to also show him that babies have been breastfed since the dawn of time, and a natural weaning age is somewhere between 3 and 5 years old. It doesn't matter if we live in an industrialized society - breast is still best and there's plenty of research to back you up on that.

Could you tell your mothers that the WHO recommends BFing until two years? That your ped. wants you to continue to breastfeeding? Would either of these have any weight? I was thinking that maybe if your extended family wasn't giving you a hard time, your husband would be easier to reason with.

numberlady, my overactive letdown slowed down with time and was gone by about 3 months. My son never minded it too much so I didn't think much about it. That probably doesn't help you much, sorry! Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[tgr68]

Thank you all for your advice. I'm going to take a few days to reread over it all and look at striking up a conversation with him. I'll let you know how it goes.

numberlady~I had overactive letdown, and DS reacted much the way you are describing. I just kept trying to put him to the breast and was very patient with him. Like Lizzy, it eventually slowed once my supply started to regulate, and that really helped with his frustration.

[Marisa]

tgr - the American Academy of Family Physicians is particularly supportive of breastfeeding and has a great position paper that might hold some weight with DH: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/policies/b/breastfeedingpositionpaper.html

In the section NURSING BEYOND INFANCY they point out that

The longer women breastfeed, the greater the decrease in their risk of breast cancer..... If the child is younger than two years, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned.

Among other things. :) Citations are included.


numberlady -- are you doing one-sided feedings, or switching back and forth? Doing one-sided, or "block" feedings will help control your supply a little, though it will take a couple of days for things to settle down even more. You can either feed on one side for a full feeding and switch at the next feeding, or you can do a "block" of two hours -- any time he eats during that block, goes on the left side... then the next two hours is all righty.

[lady1297]

tgr- You are weaning your son as soon as he has anything other than breastmilk. So, like I told my DH, he is weaning, just not real fast because I'm not going to get sick from a quick weaning. DH had objections mostly to the use of nursing as a cure-all after 1 year. So around 15 months, I worked on hugs/kisses/cuddles rather than nursing in situations that weren't naptime or nurishment times. That satisfied hubby a bit. Now that DS2 has weaned (in the last two weeks :(), DH hasn't even asked if DS has been weaned or where we are in the process, he has no clue and he's the closets person to DS and me. So I would, if I were you, just do what you want and ask DH to accept that it will happen when your child and you are ready. And then have him spend some time researching on his own the benefits of extended breastfeeding and the detrements as well. I think he'll realize it's not a bad thing. Good luck.
----
I want to pop in and out of here more frequently. I just weaned DS2 and am pregnant with DC#3, so I want to reaquaint myself with newborn breastfeeding. I also wanted to tell you all that "YOU CAN DO THIS". I've had very rough journey's with breastfeeding my boys, but I breastfed them for 2 years each. DS2 was failure to thrive at one point, and my breastfeeding was blamed. He went from not on the charts at 2 months to 75%-tile at his 2 year checkup. DS1 had similar issues, and was getting 2 to 3 oz of formula after each nursing session at 3 months, and I weaned him off the formula except one bottle at night by 5 months. He's in the 95% for height and 75% for weight. He nursed for two years as well. So I just wanted to tell you all to stick with breastfeeding. The complications you may have at 2 or 3 weeks won't be there at 2 or 3 months and you'll be nursing for 2 or 3 years if you dig in your heels now and just keep at it!! Good luck, Ladies!!

[ambula704]

Hey everyone! I apologize that I havent read through this entire thread yet...so this question might be answered somewhere that I havent seen yet!

I am 32 weeks pregnant and trying to get things ready for my first baby. I hope to breastfeed and was wondering what I needed to get to prepare BEFORE she gets here. Here are some questions I have-

1. Where can I get affordable but comfy nursing pj's/tanks/bras? I know my cup size will change so I dont want to invest in a lot before the baby comes, but I also dont want to be empty handed at the hospital when I deliver.

2. What necessities do I need to take to the hospital? Creams, pads, etc? I know NOTHING and dont have anyone breastfeeding around me to ask. Im thinking of things you need on hand during those first days home, as well.

3. I plan on waiting to get a pump until AFTER I see how BF-ing goes. Is that a good idea? I know there are strict policies about returns and such.

I live in a small town (we dont even have a Target or BabiesRUs :o( ) and so Im guessing I will have to get these supplies online before my due date, as its not something where DH can run out and get them for me when the need comes up. So help prepare me for the initial days of breastfeeding!

Thanks in advance!

[MichelleRenee]

1. Where can I get affordable but comfy nursing pj's/tanks/bras? I know my cup size will change so I dont want to invest in a lot before the baby comes, but I also dont want to be empty handed at the hospital when I deliver.
I went to Motherhood Maternity and got a "sleep bra" after DD was born and that is the only bra I wear when I am at home. It is super comfy and super easy to nurse in it. I wear that and pajama pants and my robe around the house and then just take my robe off before I go to bed. I do not like any other nursing bras so for when I go out or go to work I wear a regular bra that closes in front. It is good to wait until after you deliver to see what size you will be and what style is most comfy.

2. What necessities do I need to take to the hospital? Creams, pads, etc? I know NOTHING and dont have anyone breastfeeding around me to ask. Im thinking of things you need on hand during those first days home, as well.
This depends. At my hospital they provided everything - lanolin, nursing pads, etc. I got to take all of that home with me as well. It is always a good idea to have at least 1 box of breast pads waiting at home. Lanolin can go either way - I used it every day with DS and haven't used it once with DD but it is a good thing to have on hand.

3. I plan on waiting to get a pump until AFTER I see how BF-ing goes. Is that a good idea? I know there are strict policies about returns and such.
It's fine to wait. If you see a good deal now and buy one you can always keep it sealed in the box until you are sure you will need it. I don't think you can return it either way, but I think most pumps sealed in the box sell for full value on eBay.

Do you know if your hospital has a lactation consultant? Are you taking any BFing classes? I took a class when I was PG with #2 (didn't take one the first time) and learned SO much. The instructor was also the hospital's LC and one of the L&D nurses so it was great that I met her in advance and already knew her when DD was born and I had questions. She has been a great resource. In fact I just got off the phone with her about 10 minutes ago. It's good to have someone you can go to if you have questions of concerns.

Good luck!

[katmg]

1. I personally never liked nursing shirts. I have found just lifting up my shirt easier and gives me better ability to see DC. I bought a few button down pj tops that I didn't really like either. You might wait and see what you prefer before you spend too much money on "nursing" clothes.

2. My hospital provided lanolin and the little tubes they provided were more than enough for me. I only used it the first week or two. With DC #2, I brought some nursing pads with me in case my milk came in before I left the hospital - it didn't and so I didn't need the pads. I would certainly have some nursing pads on hand at home. My favorite are the disposible Lansinoh ones. I didn't like the washable/reusable ones.

[numberlady]

Thanks Lizzy and tgray. I hope that mine will get better as is regulates as well. I forgot to post that DS is also squeezing my nipple when he first latches on if the letdown is too fast. That hurts like crazy! I just try to bear it for because I know he will stop once the flow slows.

Marisa - we are doing one sided feedings unless he feeds for over 20 minutes and still seems hungry, then I will move him to the other side. Since he doesn't usually get a full feeding on that side, then next time he feeds I put him on that incomplete side. Those 2 sided feeding are usually only 1-2 per day and he eats about every 3 hours during the day.

Ambula - I got my nursing bras and tanks at a specialty store, so that is not much help. I would recommend only getting 1 bra before you deliver though. I bought a nursing bra about a week before I delivered and it was totally the wrong size after I delivered and my milk came in. I actually just went today to get the right size and have been wearing some of my pre-pregnancy bras around the house and just pulling the whole thing off when it was time to nurse. I just brought my nursing bra and Boppy (I recommend My Breast friend rather than a Boppy for nursing) to the hospital. I also had my cream but didn't use it and didn't need pads because my milk hadn't come in. Good luck with nursing, it is not always as easy at it seems it should be. I should have known this because several of my friends tried and just couldn't stick with it for various reasons, but as someone above said, get some supportive people (LC, support group, etc.) around you and you can work through whatever issues may arise.

[KRL626]

ambula These are things I wish I had when I began nursing #1 and did have when I began nursing this time around:

1. I don't know how big your bb's are, but mine are not large (full B while nursing) I don't bother with bras, but rather use tank tops with the built in bra. At home that's usually all I wear and when I go out I just layer a top over it. When DS is hungry I pull the top shirt up, pull the tank boob side down under my boob and pop him on. You can't see a thing. I also have a Hooter Hider. I didn't use one for #1 but I nurse a lot in public and it was good to have for those early days when DS needed a little help to get latched on. I honestly have never felt I needed it but use it sometimes if I want to be a bit more discreet (i.e. for the old man sitting next to me in the doctors office etc ;) )

2. I did use lanolin on the nips at the hospital and wore nursing pads, not for leaking but because lanolin actually stains your clothes so I wanted to prevent that. I also had a nipple shield on hand because I really could have benefited from that with my nursing struggles with #1. I didn't end up needing it but it was something I wanted to have in a pinch. I also used some gel soothie things from Medela when my nipples were very sore in the begining. I also totally recommend taking a BFing class and having a couple of books on hand for reference that you can read when an issue arises. I recommend Dr. Sears Breastfeeding Book.

3. I agree with Michelle about maybe having the pump on hand but not opening the box. I didn't have it when I first had #1 and I ended up having major nursing issues and really needed it. My father and DH ended up rushing out to a store to rent me a hospital grade one right after having the baby and it was a bit disasterous. Luckily I live in a big city where I could quick get my hands on one but in your situation I would have it just in case. If you're really committed to nursing you'll likely need it eventually anyway.

HTH! :)

[IzzyJune2006]

I need support...

I rarely see it described that BF takes a lot of energy. I know they say that you need to consume more calories to make up for the production. But I am talking about the physical drain and the fatigue associated with BF and pumping. I am looking forward to weaning because of this. (DD2 is 12 weeks, DD1 was weaned at 9 months.)

Am I imagining things; do others feel that drain too? I know it's hard to tease out what is the cause of your fatigue but you feel like a lump immediately after pumping, it is pretty obvious to me. DD is a great sleeper, so I can't blame her for keeping me up all night either.

numberlady
I have an overactive letdown on one-side (my good supply side). It is horrible for DD. When it is very full, she simply cannot nurse on it. It makes her choke up really bad, she gets way too much air and it's impossible to get her to burp. It has resulted in her spitting up her entire feeding several times (not pretty).
A couple of things that I am working on.
1. If my bb is too full, I pump a little bit (less than 2 minutes) before feeding her. I try to pump both sides so I don't encourage the high supply side to keep making more.
2. I am trying to exclusively feed her from my low-supply side to encourage that one to produce more and discourage the other one from making so much. I still pump from both sides. When I know she has spent a lot of time on the low side with not much swallowing, I let her go on the high side.
I'm not sure if I am being successful yet. For some reason I think my supply has tanked on both sides since yesterday. ??? (now I'm worried that I might be coming down with something.)

[jenjunum]

ambula704 - I prefer nursing camisoles over bras. I got these at Target, you might be able to get them online. It's a little easier since they just come in S,M,L,XL rather that cup sizes. In the beginning 1 size up from my pre-preg size was good and now I wear my pre-preg size. I still wear these almost every day since I find them easier to pump in as well. I like them because they keep your stomach covered as well. Like someone else said, it you layer another shirt over them, you pull up your t-shirt and it keeps your boob covered and then the nursing camisole covers your stomach. It was nice to have these in the hospital too, I wore one the whole time under my hospital gown so I had to worry less about accidentally exposing myself. :)

Definitely have nursing pads at home. In the beginning I had to use the disposable ones because I would leak right through the washable ones. I also liked the Lansinoh brand.

I bought my pump ahead of time because I found a great deal on it. It was nice not to have to worry about getting it afterwards though.

The hospital gave me soothies and cream for sore nipples.

IzzyJune2006 - Usually breastfeeding releases serotonin into your system which makes you feel better. For me personally, breastfeeding often made me feel trapped. Not necessarily tired but angry that my husband could do whatever he wanted and I *had* to breastfeed. I find pumping especially frustrating just because it's annoying and you don't even get the benefit of that bonding time. I don't get a drained feeling immediately after pumping/bfing but that's not to say that isn't a normal feeling. My feelings are more of dread rather than a feeling I get after the fact.

[lady1297]

ambula- I loved Target's nursing tanks, but I don't think they have them anymore. Otherwise, I just had ones from Walmart. Nothing fancy, but worked well enough. I never owned a nursing shirt or PJ's. I would layer a tank with a loose top or a button down shirt for some privacy when nursing. Supplies? I didn't have anything. The hospital gave me Lanolin and I asked for nursing pads. I even asked the second time for a pump and they brought me a hand held manual pump which worked fine until I got home to my good one. (btw way, I love the one from here: www.baileymed.com). I'd have the pump at home, but don't open it until you know you will use it. Honestly, don't hope to nurse, decide you will, and any obsticules will be easier to get through. Get thyself to a La Leche Meeting BEFORE baby comes. And have the number to your local leader with you in the hospital, they can and do make hospital visits. Getting off to a good start will help all the other things fall into place. Best wishes!

[MrsBeckyLP]

Amber-

1) I'd stick with a few sleep nursing bras to start off with. I think all I actually took to the hospital was a nursing tank from Target; I spent a lot of time completely topless, to be honest. I don't wear nursing PJs, and everything I've seen is quite pricey. I even gave up on the nursing tanks after a few weeks, because they're just not comfortable.

2) My hospital had Lansinoh lanolin for me, but I brought a tube also. You'll want to have lanolin on hand at home for sure. Others have mentioned Lansinoh nursing pads. Go for the "Ultra Soft" Lansinoh ones versus the regular Lansinoh ones. WAY more comfortable, not at all itchy, etc. In fact, they were the only nursing pads I ever liked. I tried reusable cloth pads, but they never stayed in place.

3) Since it doesn't sound like you will be able to get a pump quickly, it might not be a bad idea to have it unopened, like the others said. Or, if you really need one and don't have one, you always can rent from the hospital until you get yours. I didn't get mine until later on, but I waited because of insurance reasons.

And I agree with Lady. Being determined to nurse (dammit!) really helped me get through those first few weeks when it seemed so "hard."

[j*east]

Nursing wear: Target bras and tanks. Much cheaper and IMO better than others I've tried. I still wear a tank with a t-shirt over it almost every day. Also stock up on pads and lanolin.

Izzy: I completely understand. In the beginning I felt like nursing was really hard work, as if DD was really eating me alive! Over time that feeling got less and less and now at 7m+ either it's better or I'm just used to it. Hang in there. BFing can feel like a full time job (and is, at times). Make sure you're eating and sleeping as best as possible and doing other things to take a break and take care of yourself.

[giry76]

ambula- I loved Target's nursing tanks, but I don't think they have them anymore.

My target still has some nursing tanks. Just saw them a couple of days ago. I lived in mine 24/7.

[Marisa]

ambula -- I like Target's tanks too. They come in size XXL which is good for me -- I feel like my chest got comically large after my milk came in this time! I also have one Bravado bra, but you're right to only get one or two at first until you see what's comfortable for you. I personally require underwire, and started wearing UW nursing bras again as soon as the engorgement stage was over this time.

Izzy -- I think I know what you mean. For me, the second time around, I feel like I got a double dose of the hormones that are released -- especially in the evening. It was especially bad in the early weeks, not as much so now after 9+ months. I would feel sleepy and a little nauseated after a letdown. I think that as your supply regulates and your body adjusts (soon! usually around 4 mos) you'll see less of this. On the chance that it's something to do with you and your health (perhaps you're not taking much time to look after you, with a new baby and a toddler?) -- try to make your meals count -- eat plenty of protein and omega 3s, that will prevent you from crashing too hard when your blood sugar is low... If you're not taking a DHA supplement anymore you might consider adding that back as well -- it's good brain food!

[merjmo]

ambula - I agree with everyone about getting the pump in advance. You never know if YOU are the one who is going to need it at 9pm on a Friday, and if you live somewhere such that rentals are hard to get it might be a lifesaver. Hopefully it won't be an issue for you (and I didn't get one in advance, but rather got one for free through my health insurance) but I was VERY grateful for my pump when I needed it.

[Annette]

1. Where can I get affordable but comfy nursing pj's/tanks/bras? I know my cup size will change so I dont want to invest in a lot before the baby comes, but I also dont want to be empty handed at the hospital when I deliver.
I had to go to a specialty store to get these because I have large bbs. I started with a nursing tank and sleep bra. I also had some loose fitting sports bras lying around that I still use to hang around the house in and for sleeping. Don't bother with the pajamas. They're expensive and its pretty easy to just lift your shirt.

2. What necessities do I need to take to the hospital? Creams, pads, etc? I know NOTHING and dont have anyone breastfeeding around me to ask. Im thinking of things you need on hand during those first days home, as well.
I think I took some pads and some cream and that's it. Chances are your milk will come in when you get home, so you won't really need the pads. Take a breast feeding pillow. I prefer the My Brest Friend over the Boppy and wish I had bought that before I had him. Take some of your own pillows cause the hospital ones suck.

3. I plan on waiting to get a pump until AFTER I see how BF-ing goes. Is that a good idea? I know there are strict policies about returns and such.
I bought a manual pump to have on hand and it came in handy. When my milk came in I was so engorged and they were hard as a rock, that he couldn't latch on, so I had to pump a little to soften them up a bit. I bought my double electric 2 weeks after he was born since I knew by that point I wasn't having any milk issues and I needed one for work.

[numberlady]

What department are these nursing tanks from Target in? I found them online but would love to try one on first and have never seen them at my Target. I just purchase a $50 Bravada nursing tank and it is pretty supportive, but definitely give the uniboob appearance, so I can't see wearing it out of the house as my daily bra. Of course I have gigantor boobs, so a cheaper one(s) to wear around the house with PJ bottoms or whatever sounds great.

[MrsBeckyLP]

I found them by other camisoles in the bra/underwear area of Target.

[MrsR]

What department are these nursing tanks from Target in? I found them online but would love to try one on first and have never seen them at my Target. I just purchase a $50 Bravada nursing tank and it is pretty supportive, but definitely give the uniboob appearance, so I can't see wearing it out of the house as my daily bra. Of course I have gigantor boobs, so a cheaper one(s) to wear around the house with PJ bottoms or whatever sounds great.

I found them in the intimate apparel section -- there was a row with the nursing bras and nursing tanks. I believe they are by Gilligan O'Malley -- I have gone up to an "H" and have both the XL and XXL tanks. I only wear them around the house and to sleep in due to the "uniboob" situation.

[MichelleRenee]

I never knew Target sold nursing bars or tanks but I stumbled across some Medela sleep bras on clearance in the baby section on the endcaps with the other clearance stuff.

[numberlady]

Thanks guys. I found them today.

MrsR - I am probably an H right now, bought a G nursing bra and it is truthfully probably a little small, especially when my boobs get full, so I'm glad someone else has that "situation".

[MrsR]

MrsR - I am probably an H right now, bought a G nursing bra and it is truthfully probably a little small, especially when my boobs get full, so I'm glad someone else has that "situation".

I have used the Medela seamless underwire bras from the beginning and I LOVE them -- for us ladies with larger "assets" the whole no underwire thing is not an option. . .
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/intimate-apparel/325/seamless-underwire-maternity-nursing-bras-nude

I got fitted at a specialty store and then have bought them online elsewhere once I knew my size.

[numberlady]

Yep, thats the same one I have as my main nursing bra, MrsR. I can't say that I love it, but like I said, I think I probably am wearing a cup size too small.

[cactus]

While we're on the topic, can I just express my frustration that my Target NEVER EVER has the Gilligan O'Malley nursing tanks in stock? I bought one in a L before I had the baby and it's the best one I have--so I wanted to get some more, plus I think I could now get some smaller ones...and I have checked about 5 times and nada--only XL and XXL and it's like they never restock! I was ready to buy in bulk, but I guess they don't want my business. :)

/rant

[Allegra]

While we're on the topic, can I just express my frustration that my Target NEVER EVER has the Gilligan O'Malley nursing tanks in stock?

Have you tried Target online? (http://www.target.com/Nursing-Maternity-Intimates-Clothing-Women/b/ref=nav_t_spc_1_31/184-1122699-5535322?ie=UTF8&node=13768271)

[LKMang]

While we're on the topic, can I just express my frustration that my Target NEVER EVER has the Gilligan O'Malley nursing tanks in stock? I bought one in a L before I had the baby and it's the best one I have--so I wanted to get some more, plus I think I could now get some smaller ones...and I have checked about 5 times and nada--only XL and XXL and it's like they never restock! I was ready to buy in bulk, but I guess they don't want my business. :)

/rant

Cactus, mine doesn't either. I got tired of checking so I ordered a few of them online.

[jenjunum]

My Target never has them in stock either. And I'm just annoyed that I would have to pay for shipping when they should have them in stock. But I have two white and two gray and at 10 months pp I think I'm about done wearing them. I've been wearing them probably 6 days a week since DD was born.

[lady1297]

And I'm just annoyed that I would have to pay for shipping when they should have them in stock.

Depending on how many you are ordering, a $50 order gets free shipping. I know I had four nursing tanks with DS2 and wished for more because he would spit up on them, or I'd leak on them and then have to run laundry when I wasn't feeling up to it. Post partum, I feel more is better! :)

[shouldaeloped]

will someone please tell me I can throw away my pump? the only way I will do this is if I can still nurse DS when I am with him. mornings, after work, bedtime and weekends. he is already on 2 half bottles of formula everyday but I am pumping 4 or 5 times a day for 45 minutes each time and only getting about 6 ounces. I just don't have time or patience for that anymore. so. . if I quit pumping, will I be able to keep my supply for the times that he nurses? even during the times on the weekends when he would normally have bottles during the week?

I have been either nursing or pumping or pregnant for 4 years and I only have 3.5 months until he's 12 months. I just don't think I can do it anymore. the pumping that is.

[RobynScott]

shouldealoped - I can't tell you to throw away the pump (though I would! ;) ) but I can tell you my story, and let you decide from there. I stopped pumping when DS was 10 months. I was pumping 2x/day and getting less than what I needed for daycare so he was getting formula anyway (started supplementing around 9.5 months). He's now 19 mos and we still nurse morning, night and weekends. So, for me at least - it worked. I know he get s alot less milk now (and we're getting close to weaning) but the supply / demand process still works. He had strep thoat when he was 16 months and he wouldn't eat or drink, but he would still nurse. I was able to go back to nursing him multiple times a day and it worked.

So - I can't say for sure what will happen for you, but for me, there's no way I would have the patience (or time) to pump 4-5 times/day for six ounces! I have a friend though that stopped nursing shortly after she stopped pumping b/c of supply issues. For me, we did it so gradually (weaning down the pumping) - I think that's why it worked. You should check out the MWP thread too - I'm sure there are others like me that stopped pumping and continued nursing.

You've done great!

[Marisa]

shoulda -- you don't dry up completely all that quickly, actually. Most women find that they can express a little milk weeks or even months after baby is completely weaned from the breast. There are plenty of moms on here who have stopped pumping at a year and continued to nurse on weekends/evenings, and that has worked out just fine for them.

As long as you are making sure that he is getting enough supplemental bottles of formula, plus complimentary solid foods as it becomes appropriate, you should be fine. Nursing is about more than just the milk, and keeping up with your regular routine in that sense should be a nice compromise. :) On the weekends, just keep an eye on him -- both in his diapers (he should continue to have a number of wet ones every day) and in his demeanor, to judge whether or not to offer a supplemental bottle at that time.

And remember to wean off the pumping during the day, even if you haven't been getting much. Plan to drop a session every couple of days for a week or so. I know it's a pain, but if your body is used to being stimulated at regular intervals then you run the risk of getting engorged if you're suddenly not doing it anymore. Tapering off gives your body the chance to adjust more naturally and should prevent you from getting sick.

[shouldaeloped]

thank you so much Robyn and Marisa. I really appreicate the honesty and the information. I just feel like I am at that point where I dread it so much that I am probably affecting my supply anyway. it's good to hear that the body responds when it needs to. what an amazing thing the body is.

and I agree marisa that nursing is so much more than just pumping- that's why I can't bring myself to move to 100% formula. it's definitely our special time together and I think he looks forward to is just as much as I do.

thanks again!

[ladyco4]

To everyone loooking for the Target tanks, you can ask a team memeber to check other Target stores near you to see if they have what you are looking fir. You would have to go to that store to get them as they don't do store transfers. Good luck everyone!

[MichelleRenee]

I am trying to figure out why DD is eating a LOT less than she used to.

Up until now she has BF on demand when at home. She would usually eat for 10-15 minutes on each side every 2-3 hours at home. During the day at daycare she would always take 5 bottles throughout the day with 3-3.5 ounces in each bottle. (all BM)

Starting Saturday she had very little interest in BFing. She would latch on and latch off and just seemed to have no interest in eating. She wouldn't show any hunger signs - no crying or anything so I would just try to feed her every few hours and she wouldn't eat. I started to give her pumped EBM because I wanted to see how much she was eating. She only took 8 ounces in a 24 hour period between Saturday and Sunday.

Since then I have been hoping she would start eating more, but she really isn't. At home I have been trying to BF her and she will only eat for 1 or 2 minutes onone side and then be done with it. At the daycare yesterday she only took 3 out of her 5 bottles and then only ate once for 2 minutes between coming home yesterday in the evening and leaving again this morning. She did not eat overnight or before leaving this morning.

I took her to the ped Monday. She has no signs of illness - her throat looks fine, heart, lungs, etc all seem fine - no ear infection. She is not dehydrated. They weighed her and said to watch for obvious signs of illness. If her eating is not back to normal by next Monday I am supposed to take her back in to be weighed to see if she loses any weight and we will take it from there.

I am not really sure what could be causing this. She is very happy and smiley and not showing any signs of being sick. I don't want this to end up ruining my milk supply so I have just been pumping and freezing all the extra milk. Has anyone experienced anything similar to this?

[Marisa]

Michelle -- have you had any sign that she's gone through her 3-month growth spurt recently? A lot of times babies will eat a ton before a spurt, then cut way back for a couple of days afterward. The short nursing sessions aren't an indication of a problem by themselves, because an older baby can typically get a couple of oz. in only a couple of minutes -- what I'm interested in is whether she's still producing dirty/wet diapers, etc.

[MichelleRenee]

I don't think she just had a growth spurt, but I guess it's possible.

She is having wet and dirty diapers, although fewer than usual.

She did a little better at daycare today - 12 ounces total. I am hoping she is just slowly working her way back up to her usual amount.

[Monty]

Okay guys, the search function isn't helping me much tonight....sorry, I'm sure this has been asked a million times!

My DD is almost 9 months now, and is quite the "foodie" so I'm trying to make sure I'm nursing enough. She seems to really only want to nurse 3 times a day (morning, lunch, night) and is sleeping through the night. She is getting 3 solid meals as well. She is nursing on both sides, but is this enough? One book says 3 to 4 times is normal and then the other says 7 times...BLAH!

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[PaisleySloan]

Hi ladies,
I'm currently going through my second bout of mastitis. It hit me yesterday and up until then, nursing has been going relatively well (despite the cracked nipple which led to the mastitis). I'm on antibiotics again and taking Tylenol for pain.

My problem is that the infected boob is now so engorged. I know *they* say to nurse through mastitis, but I wanted to give myself (and my nipple) one more day to heal a bit more before I attempt a feed. Anyway, I have been pumping since yesterday and I can't seem to get anything out. A little bit of almost clear fluid, but no hind milk at all. I don't know what to do. I've been massaging and applying heat, well, I've applied the heat sporadically. Perhaps I need to do it more often?

Does anyone have any suggestions?

TIA!!

[Marisa]

Monty -- if she's getting three good sessions in per day, she's probably close to a good amount of milk. Babies this age might average 5-6 oz. per session, so she might be getting 15-18 oz. of milk per day. On the low side, though -- if I were you I'd be looking to sneak in at least one more session per day to get her up over 20 oz. Until she's much closer to a year it's important that she not cut back too much on the milk in favor of her solids.

PS -- it sounds like you need to be taking a lecithin supplement (available at just about every drug store or supermarket that carries vitamins). This might be something you take regularly from now on, along with your daily multivitamin. While you're suffering from mastitis/plugs, the dosage would be 3600-4800 mg. per day (usually 3-4 capsules, you can spread it out over the day). Once you're feeling better, taper down to one capsule and keep that as part of your vitamin routine to prevent future recurrences.

For right now, clearing that milk out is going to be the most important thing for clearing out the infection. How are you doing this morning? Can you try nursing on that side today? There's nothing better for getting the milk moving! If not, pump frequently and use a warm compress during the pumping session, massaging the area in downward circles to try to get things moving. Try Motrin for the pain -- I also had mastitis twice this time and Tylenol never helped me as much as ibuprofen -- you can alternate the two every couple of hours.
If you can try nursing, you can try different positions (something that'd be tricky with the pump!) so that baby can help you access different areas of the breast as well.

[Monty]

Thanks Marisa! I'll try and bump it up to one more session and see how my supply does (I've been taking Fenugreek with a little success....but every since that dreaded AF started it's been a battle!). Thanks for the help, I appreciate it!

[motray36]

Paisley - I agree with Marisa, make sure you are expelling as much as possible. I had a clogged duct (never got to mastitis stage), and at the advice of my LC, nursed frequently, applied heat (hot showers help too), did massage, and tried different positions. The position that was most helpful was kind of like a football hold, only I was much more leaned over so I was feeding him straight down. Felt sort of like a cow, but at that point I was willing to try anything and it really helped...gravity maybe?

ETA: I also read somewhere - maybe in my LLL book, to try to position the baby so his/her chin is facing the part that is clogged. I hope you feel better!!!

[katmg]

Is there some sort of 4 week growth spurt? It feels like DS has been eating non-stop - almost every hour for 2 days now. My boobs are worn out and I'm exhausted. It seems like anytime I put him down he starts crying and the only way to settle him is to feed him. It is at its worst in the evenings. This is when I nursed him yesterday:

8:30 am, 11:00, 2:00pm, 4:00, 5:30, 7:30, 8:40, 9:15, 10:00, 11:00, 2:30am, 5:00, 7:30

Now that I write it out, I'm at least getting one good stretch at night - but he has to sleep laying on DH or me so it's not really "good" sleep. Any advice or tips? Do I just need to suck it up for a few more weeks and hopefully things will normalize? It seems like DD was on a pretty regular schedule of eating by this point.

[Marisa]

kat -- did you see a growth spurt last week (three weeks)? Usually it's 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months, but every baby is so different. My first had his growth spurts within a day of the "usual" timing -- my second was so mellow I never even noticed a particular "spurt"!

This age is a common time for "colic" to show up, which is sort of a catch-all diagnosis that usually actually describes some sort of GI issue. Do you have any other indication that he might have reflux or a food sensitivity? If you tend to have a lot of dairy/soy (common culprits) in your diet, you might try cutting back for a few days and see if it improves his sleep and his general demeanor. Since you say he's worse in the evenings, maybe it's something you typically have in the early part of the day that makes it into your milk around the afternoon/evening. You can also make sure that he's lying in a semi-upright position (swing, carseat) when possible after a feeding, to prevent the feeding from coming right back up. Often when a baby has some GI distress, they will want to eat more frequently because it's soothing. Of course, they then experience more distress as they try to digest the meal, and it turns into a cycle of eat, fuss, eat, fuss, etc.

[BTB]

Happy to be back in this thread!

Give me your best tips, please, for preventing thrush. I had it with DD, for over a month, and it drove me batty. DS is only nine days old and I would really, really like to not get it. A big help is that I was GBS neg with DS; was GBS pos with DD and had a marathon labor so I got like five doses of penicillin.

I'm a little worried we have it already because I have a stabbing pain when he latches (goes away after a minute) though kellymom.com says this can also be normal the first few weeks. I use lansinoh disposable nursing pads and change them frequently, air dry my nipples after feeds, and wash nursing bras in hot water. What else can I do? I'd like to start using lanolin cream regularly but am nervous this will contribute to a 'moist environment'.

Any thoughts/advice appreciated. :)

[Marisa]

Congrats BTB! :)

I would start taking acidophilus regularly -- I usually take 1-2 wafers a day (chewable kind) but if you're worried about thrush, you can do that 3-4 times a day until you feel you're out of the woods, then taper down to a more "normal" dose.

Also try to avoid yeasty foods and sugary foods, both of which would create a great environment for yeast to thrive in your body. You can get a decent overview of the types of things to avoid and what to eat instead if you google "yeast diet" or "candida diet".

Hopefully it's just your typical new latch pain -- yeast tends to cause a more deep, tenacious pain that doesn't really go away that quickly.

[MichelleRenee]

pak (pumping at keyboard..)

Well I think Ava is on her way back to normal. Last night she woke up twice to eat overnight and she wanted to nurse non-stop this morning before I left for work. It made it hard to get ready to leave but I was just happy she seemed so hungry. Hopefully she will eat well for DH today.

BTB: congrats! I'm not an expert, but I can give you my experience. When DS was BFing I had the worst pain when he latched on. For the first 30 seconds of each feeding it was like a toe-curling pain and it made things very difficult for me. I never figured out what caused that at the time but I did talk to an LC about it while preparing to BF DD. She said that it sounded like when DS first latched on he was latching too shallow but then would "suck" my nipple further into his mouth so then the pain would go away (or just be less severe). I will never know if that was actually correct or not so I never had the same issue with DD, but I guess it makes sense.

I am not really sure how else to avoid thrush - maybe by taking probiotics? My LC actually told me I could make a paste out of the powder in the probiotic capsules and apply that to my nipples if I started to suspect thrush but I haven't had to do that yet.

[katmg]

Thanks Marisa! I wondered about colic since I know it is common at this time. He spits up some but not whole feedings. I think since it started a few days ago, it may just be a growth spurt. I seem to remember DD not doing her growth spurts exactly on schedule either. :)

I'm off to try and relax before the little chomper gets hungry again!

[cactus]

Alrighty, here's my latest issue:

DS is 12 weeks old (3 months next week) and he's generally been a great, enthusiastic eater and has gained *a lot* of weight. I've noticed lately that as he becomes more alert and excited about looking around, he's more distractible at the boob--looking around, occasionally popping off, etc. It's annoying (and sometimes painful for me, as he does this head-whip thing occasionally and forgets to let go of the nipple), and it's also leading to (I think) less efficient and therefore more frequent feedings. I know there's also a 3 month growth spurt, so maybe the frequency is more an issue with that.

I'm sure this has happened to others as well as their babies have gotten older, so can anyone give me any tips on how to keep DS focused on eating while he's eating? He's not really a fan of the Bebe au Lait, though he will use it if we're in public, and I don't think I need to cover him up when we're at home.

Not surprisingly, he eats voraciously and efficiently at night when the lights are off and he's half asleep (and so am I...I'd love to not have frequent nights like last night where he woke up to eat 5 times!).

[LeslieR]

Hi ladies, I need help. Talk to me about weight loss. We just got back from Kyle's 9mo appt and he went from 21lbs 4oz at 6mos to 20lbs 2 1/4oz today. His dr gave me a can Nutramigen to supplement him and wants us back for a weight check in 2 weeks. I asked about giving him some higher fat foods like avocado and she said to do that as well and also for me to drink more water (I've always been guilty of not drinking enough, but I never thought it was an issue since both of my kids have been big babies). Obviously he's still very healthy, but I know he shouldn't be losing weight. She said it could be a variety of things and asked me a million questions, of course. I'm at a loss-I think he nurses more than he should (i.e. he doesn't usually go the 3-4hr stretch between feedings that he should at this stage) and he still nurses at least twice a night. This all went onto other issues of his fontanelle not being closed up as much as it should, his prominent forehead, and wide set eyes. Those could just be his features or it could be something else (two big words which I cannot recall right now-one of which being the condition Jorge Posada's son had and the other being fluid). Which could or could not contribute to the weight loss. We have to go for an ultrasound on Monday now to get the head thing checked out. I'm trying to hold it together on that topic;) and thought I could see if I could at least get help on the weight loss part. TIA!

ETA: One more thing I forgot, his iron was a little low, so she wants us to start giving him vitamins.

[PaisleySloan]

Marisa and motray36 - Thank you so much for your responses. I feel much better today. Woke up and fed DS on the good side. After that, I pumped with heat and nothing. Same weird clear fluid. I popped on one of those soft shells for inverted nipples, then applied heat and massaged. Latched DS on and voila!!! Wouldn't you know it, the little sucker fell asleep and I was like of all times to be full. So, I pumped and got almost 8 oz out. Can you believe it. My boob actually moves when I touch it now. I'm so happy. It's truly amazing how these issues can affect your life.

Thanks again!!

[Ilovemysoldier812]

I'm leaving Ds with one of the girls I worked with this weekend for like 2 hours. I was wondering how many oz do I give him if she needs to give him a bottle? He's 9 weeks old. I'm going to feed him before dropping him off and hoping I'll get back to him before his next feeding.

[MichelleRenee]

I would probably leave 2 bottles with 3 oz in each one. I always leave extra in case there is some sort of delay in getting back.

[Ilovemysoldier812]

thanks!

[MrsR]

Help me ladies -- I have been suffering through a GI bug for the last 48 hours -- constant vomitting (sorry if TMI). I have been trying to drink powerade and goatorade to help keep hydrated but I am pretty sure I am dehydrated (when I pumped yesterday when DS was at daycare I got about 3 oz each session when normally I get 7 or so). I am trying to stay away from DS as much as possible to try to ensure he does not get my bug but I nursed him last night and I am going to nurse him this afternoon too -- it seems as though when DS nurses he is not getting enough (due to my probable dehydration). I am taking fenugreek and I am just hoping that once this bug goes away that my supply will come back -- will it??? My doctor told me yesterday that it may never recover from this:(:(. I really don't want this to be the reason why I stop BF.

[j*east]

I'm sure this has happened to others as well as their babies have gotten older, so can anyone give me any tips on how to keep DS focused on eating while he's eating? He's not really a fan of the Bebe au Lait, though he will use it if we're in public, and I don't think I need to cover him up when we're at home.

This went on for a long time with us and still does, to some extent. I try to nurse DD in the same place (her room), which seems more calming/less distracting--no dog, TV, or DH. I also realized ~5 months or so that she was nursing 12-15 times a day--which meant every hour or more when awake. Her focus got much better when I gradually stretched her out a bit between nursing. I did this by not offering to nurse first--I'd do other things to make sure she really was hungry. (I didn't torture her or anything; it was very gradual.) Now she goes 3-4 hours between sessions, which is appropriate for her age, and is much more focused.

This all may not apply to your kid, but for me, it helped a lot. :)

[merjmo]

I am taking fenugreek and I am just hoping that once this bug goes away that my supply will come back -- will it??? My doctor told me yesterday that it may never recover from this:(:(. I really don't want this to be the reason why I stop BF.

That's really awesome and helpful advice from your doctor. :mad:

Your supply CAN recover from this, but you will have to be diligent. Offering the breast more frequently than normal to your DS will help (and would probably help with him feeling that he can't get enough if that's really true) and if he won't nurse more often then more frequent pumping for a few days can help. I'm so sorry you're feeling awful - I hope it gets better soon.

[MrsR]

Your supply CAN recover from this, but you will have to be diligent. Offering the breast more frequently than normal to your DS will help (and would probably help with him feeling that he can't get enough if that's really true) and if he won't nurse more often then more frequent pumping for a few days can help. I'm so sorry you're feeling awful - I hope it gets better soon.

Thanks merjmo -- I was pretty sure my doctor was smoking cr@ck when she told me that my supply would probably never come back, but after non-stop vomitting for almost 2 days, I did not have the energy to search this thread to reassure myself that she was wrong. . .

[PookiePrincess]

MrsR: I had a stomach bug back in November that lasted about a week. It affected my supply, but it rebounded. merjmo is right, nurse as much as possible and when you start to feel more normal it should pick back up.

[BTB]

MrsR: I can totally understand why you're trying to keep away from DS, thinking this will keep him from getting sick. But the cruel truth of most viruses is they're at the peak of contagiousness BEFORE you show symptoms of illness; that's why viruses do so darn well for themselves. Your DS has likely already been exposed, and so keeping away from him won't change much but does keep you from doing the #1 thing that will protect your supply: nurse, nurse, nurse!

The amount you can pump isn't as good an indicator of your hydration status as is the color of your urine. Drink enough to keep your urine clear or light yellow and you will take that factor out of the equation. Women have gotten sick while nursing since the dawn of time, it's ridiculous to think each illness is the death knell for your nursing relationship. I hope you feel better soon!

[KRL626]

MrsR I agree with what everyone has said. I also had a nasty stomach virus while nursing DS1. My supply did dip a lot but it came back no problem when I was feeling better. I nursed DS through the whole thing and I think the nursing helped him to not get AS sick as me. He only threw up once the day after I first got it and I was really sick.

cactus I recommend nursing when he is sleeping. I had to switch over to this almost completely with my first when he was around 7 or 8 months old because he was way to busy to nurse when he was awake. I know nursing to naps and sleep isn't popular with some, but it's what worked for us when the kids literally would not eat during the day.

[BTB]

What's the preferred nursing cover around here? (i.e hooter hiders vs bebe au lait vs whatever). Do people tend to like the boning that lets you see baby that lots of brands now seem to have?

[MichelleRenee]

What's the preferred nursing cover around here? (i.e hooter hiders vs bebe au lait vs whatever). Do people tend to like the boning that lets you see baby that lots of brands now seem to have?

A friend of mine bought me one off of eBay and it has the boning. I really like the boning because I can glance down and see the baby. I don't know the name of the seller of mine but it does have a tag on it that says Joanna Design.

Overall though - DD doesn't like it much. I don't know if she gets too hot or if she just doesn't like being covered.

[KristieW]

What's the preferred nursing cover around here? (i.e hooter hiders vs bebe au lait vs whatever). Do people tend to like the boning that lets you see baby that lots of brands now seem to have?
I made myself one of these: http://nursingcovers.com/catalog.php?category=60. I have it hooked on the key loop in my diaper bag, and I never have to worry if it's in the wash or something. I've found that if I fold it with the corner folded down in between where I hook the clips, I can see DD just fine. I also like it because I can tuck the blanket behind me... I feel no need to show off my back fat to the world. :p

[Annette]

I have the peanut shell cover that I bought at BRU. It works well and has the boning so I can see DS.

[Yolanda]

I hope nobody minds if I post my question here...this seemed like the best place.

I am due with #2 in due weeks. I am GBS+ so I will have antibiotics during labor. What is the best course of treatment to prevent thrush?? I am currently drinking a glass of drinkable yogurt that has pre & probiotics. Acidofilus, right? How much should I take before and after labor/delivery?

TIA!! This thread has been a great resource!

[tgr68]

I rarely use a nursing cover, so I didn't by anything. On the rare occasion I do, it's just whatever blanket I have around.

One of my close friends, though, swears by her cover with the boning. She told me the other day that it was one of her best investments.

[Marisa]

Yolanda -- for the acidophilus, I typically take 2-3 capsules, 2-3 times a day when I'm trying to combat yeast (you can taper down to 1-2 capsules/day as part of your normal routine once you feel like the danger has passed).

You would probably do well to modify your diet a little to deprive the yeast of its "favorite foods". Your yogurt is fine, but probably sugary, which yeast actually loves. You want to try to cut out refined sugars and "yeasty" foods, at least for the early days after the birth. I just googled "Candida diet" and this was the first result; it looks like a good place to start as far as what to avoid and what to limit: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/candidadiet.htm