April Munchkins 2013- enjoying our wonderful babies!

[LittleSpy]

If you don't mind me asking....when did milk come in? And when did you decide to ff instead? Im pretty 100% on breastfeeding, unless I can't (which is very rare).

Just using this comment to reiterate that breastfeeding doesn't have to be all or nothing if it's something you want to do (if you choose to formula feed instead, go for it! I don't want anyone here to think I'm judging because I'm certainly not! I know how terrible it feels to be judged about using formula, even though it wasn't even a choice for me since I had no other viable option). I really got hung up on the fact that I only produced 14-15oz a day (at best, after lots of intervention and supplements and a ridiculous pumping schedule). It appears I'm biologically incapable of exclusively breastfeeding because I have insufficient glandular tissue in my breasts. But, I'm breastfeeding this baby, damnit! I combo fed my daughter (breast milk and formula) and, assuming I have a similar situation this time (though of course I'm hoping for a better supply), will combo feed this one as well. It's true that every drop counts and it takes very little breast milk (just a few ounces a day, even) for a baby to get most all of the same benefits an exclusively breastfed baby gets! I may be a little passionate about this.

Yes, it is very rare for a woman not to produce any milk, but supply issues (not producing a full supply) are pretty common, ufortunately. Most of them can be resolved with a little (or a lot of) effort. I'd say it's less than the majority of who do have significant issues, though (which, I'll be honest, is just a guess based on the experience of people I know and people I have spoken with about their experiences), so there's really not much reason for any first-timer to just assume they're not going to produce enough.

 

[ukgirl23]

thank you so much for all your support it is really helping me through more than you could know. I's usually very strong but this is my kids and I'm terrified of loosing them or their dad getting them without supervision and them getting lost or hurt. Mommabrown I completely agree that when kids settle around new people they begin to be their real selves. I am going to raise that point and the point about them not seeing daddy much and that is why they didn't want to come out. I asked Connie today why she was hiding from me, she told me that she wanted to stay because she hadn't played with all the toys yet. Lucas didn't really care lol. I don't know how she can say they have a good bond and he doesn't need supervision after just 6 hours either especially when they don't even call him daddy! It's such a hard confusing situation to be in.
Mommabrown and littlespy I really do hope things in your own families improve, its not nice to go through shit when you need family more than ever at this point in time.

I'm sorry if I've not replied to someone who had given me advice my head is really mixed up at the moment xx

On the up side, I got my cot top changer today and a few more baby bits, the top changer is so cute, I know it's only a bit of wood but I do really love how functional and pretty it looks haha. Also brought a few bits for Connie and Lucas. And myself of course

I didn't know that milk takes longer to come in after a c-section, I thought that once the placenta had detached all that stuff came soon after..

I usually LOVE peanuts and peanut butter but since getting pregnant the smell of them makes me heave Otherwise I would be munching them down too hehe. Milk in the last trimester is best I would have thought as it strengthens bone density and lays down fat.

Can you believe we are all almost in the final trimester already!!!???? Is anyone nesting yet? x

 

[Jenny_J]

If you don't mind me asking....when did milk come in? And when did you decide to ff instead? Im pretty 100% on breastfeeding, unless I can't (which is very rare).

Just using this comment to reiterate that breastfeeding doesn't have to be all or nothing if it's something you want to do (if you choose to formula feed instead, go for it! I don't want anyone here to think I'm judging because I'm certainly not! I know how terrible it feels to be judged about using formula, even though it wasn't even a choice for me since I had no other viable option). I really got hung up on the fact that I only produced 14-15oz a day (at best, after lots of intervention and supplements and a ridiculous pumping schedule). It appears I'm biologically incapable of exclusively breastfeeding because I have insufficient glandular tissue in my breasts. But, I'm breastfeeding this baby, damnit! I combo fed my daughter (breast milk and formula) and, assuming I have a similar situation this time (though of course I'm hoping for a better supply), will combo feed this one as well. It's true that every drop counts and it takes very little breast milk (just a few ounces a day, even) for a baby to get most all of the same benefits an exclusively breastfed baby gets! I may be a little passionate about this.

Yes, it is very rare for a woman not to produce any milk, but supply issues (not producing a full supply) are pretty common, ufortunately. Most of them can be resolved with a little (or a lot of) effort. I'd say it's less than the majority of who do have significant issues, though (which, I'll be honest, is just a guess based on the experience of people I know and people I have spoken with about their experiences), so there's really not much reason for any first-timer to just assume they're not going to produce enough.

No I agree, no one should be judged for how they feed their baby, for whatever reasons they have.

I breast fed my son for 3 days, I was in labour for 28 hours, then had a section, and the nurses had to wake me up on the ward, literally shake me to wake me up, as I was so tired. So i ended up giving him a bottle from day 3 on wards.

I only ff my daughter, I didn't put her to the breast once, as when I had my son I was so drained, and caught an infection aterwards too. So I was too scared to b/f her.

I know it might be a coninsidence, but my son hardly ever gets ill, and my daughter is ill every couple of months, sometimes I wonder if it's because I didn't try with her.

This time I have more family support, so im hoping I can just b/f, unless she is a very fussy child, then I may supplement with a bottle here and there, just to recover and sleep somewhat.

 

[lily28]

Final touches today in my bedroom, a little deep cleaning and it is ready for the baby's cradle! I'm going shopping on Friday, I will order cradle+mattress plus a few sheets and maybe bedding , the stroller, bath and changing station, pump, sterilizer and accessories. Do you think the nursing pillow is any good?

I very rarely used the Boppy nursing pillow for nursing after the first few days with dd. I found a couple of bed pillows worked better for our situation and the Boppy became incredibly frustrating for me (it would shift around and squish down and didn't seem to be the right height for us in any nursing position). I am sure other people LOVE the Boppy. My LC had a Brest Friend pillow which I personally much preferred over the Boppy but I never got around to buying one since the nursing strike started pretty early on with us and I ended up exclusively pumping for so long. I'm under the impression (based on comments from others) that it's better for younger/smaller babies than older/bigger ones. I'm personally alright with that because when I finally got Maisie nursing again at 3 months, a simple bed pillow or throw pillow was all I needed to lounge and nurse in the cradle hold at that point. So, this time I'm going for a Brest Friend pillow (I kept both of my boppy pillows, though, since they're useful for propping up baby or tummy time).

I can't find breast friend locally, so I will order the boppy from Chicco. Even if it turns out it is not very useful for actual nursing, I will use it for propping and tummy time like you. Still I'm not entirely convinced, midwife said I don't need it, and I try to trim my list to things really essential. Not easy!!!


LittleSpy

I completely agree with your views on BF, I don't see it as a rant, you have every right to call things as they are. I know everyone tries to show a BF friendly face but the real support is miniscule. I'm lucky as I am involved with a group of women who have great knowledge and will support me, and I'm trying to be prepared as early as possible, so when the time comes I'm confident and focused. I can't predict any future problems so I just go with optimism.
Many misconceptions and myths, in many matters involving pregnancy and BF...


One more thing about BF: I was talking to raw foodist mommies and one said that maca powder is a good natural raw galactagogue. I still have tons of maca from ttc haha!

 

[LittleSpy]

I know I'm in info-overload mode today but wanted to add:

I want to share this because I wish it was information shared with me during my first pregnancy. I don't want anyone to think that they're absolutely going to have problems just because they appear to have hypoplastic breasts. But, I can't stress enough how important it is, IMO, to be prepared! I had NO IDEA why I was struggling so much with breastfeeding until I stumbled across those websites late one night while pumping my pitiful little supply. Talk about an awful "a-ha" moment! I thought my boobs were just weird looking -- had no idea they wouldn't function properly, too! Then I became angry -- How many effing breast exams have I had by medical professionals over the years?! And never so much as a hint that I could have problems breastfeeding. Not even from the OB who did my breast exam while I was pregnant. I saw two different lactation consultants who knew I was having supply trouble. Never a word! Ugh.

Some good indicators that you *may* have supply issues are if the women in your family (not your spouse's) have had issues producing enough and/or if you have hypoplastic-looking breasts. I feel it's important to point out that not everyone with breasts that appear hypoplastic have supply problems. But here is a link to more information about Insufficiant Glandular Tissue (my self-diagnosis). https://www.noteveryonecanbreastfeed.com/pb/wp_25ca02bb/wp_25ca02bb.html Hypoplasia can be an indicator of IGT, but people can have IGT without hypoplasia; and people can have hypoplasia (or the appearance of hypoplasia) without IGT. I have hypoplasia. Not as severe as many people, but type 2; variation D/E. And, these are examples of hypoplastic breasts (warning, bare breasts!): https://www.007b.com/breast_size_breastfeeding.php and (again, warning, bare breasts!) https://diaryofalactationfailure.blogspot.com/2011/12/many-faces-well-not-faces-of-igt.html

 

[lily28]

Can you believe we are all almost in the final trimester already!!!???? Is anyone nesting yet? x

I can hardly believe time passes by so quickly!
I'm nesting like crazy: deep cleaning 1 room at a time, and as I said my room is ready for the cradle!

 

[doggylover]

Candy so sorry to hear about the contact centre report I know it's not much help, but we all know that you are a million times the parent your ex has ever, or will ever, been to connie and Lucas. They are lucky to have you as their mum.

Maybesoon glad to hear the drs went well. I'm back on 30th and then I think it's every two weeks as well! Can you believe how quickly it's come round?!

Sorry to hear some of you are having a crappy time with family life try and concentrate on yourselves and ignore unhelpful things family do and say. This next 3 months is all about YOU and baby.

Also just want to reiterate the thanks to littlespy for all your info on breastfeeding, and the links etc that you provide us with. It is much appreciated by myself (and others too) who know nothing about it all.

Re: nursing pillows, I read somewhere (wish I knew where?) that they aren't the best idea as they don't position baby well for breastfeeding. Something to do with how they sit slightly too low so baby has to stretch up too far, or else you can hoist the pillow up yourself, or prop it up on more pillows, but in both cases it then said why not just regular pillows or your arms. I suppose it depends what height/length your torso is though.

 

[LittleSpy]

lily -- If I was going purely for essentials, I'd definitely skip the Boppy pillow. A bed pillow works as well (for me) for breastfeeding, the vast majority of dd's tummy time was just flat on the floor on a mat, and you can surely prop them up with other things (or not at all) when they're learning to sit by themselves. And I've not heard of maca as a galactogogue (actually, I've not heard of maca )! I thought considering the plant name is Lepidium meyenii that maybe it was something I've heard of called leptaden but then I looked that up and it's different as leptaden is apparently a combo of two ingredients - Jeevanti and Kamboji wacko. There are a couple of supplements associated with ttc that can also help supply (due to hormonal effects, I think). Chasteberry (which I think is aka Vitex) and Shatavari are two that come straight to mind.

Jenny_J -- As great as I think breast milk is, I think it could very well be a coincidence with your children. But if you want to give it another shot this time, we'll be here for support! And if you happen to have supply problems but want to continue, I have lots of great resources and an amazing international facebook support group to refer you to for that, too!

ukgirl -- The nesting has finally hit me -- late Sunday night of all times. I still haven't recovered from staying up super late in a whirlwind of cleaning. Thank goodness, though, because I have so much to do to get the house up for sale! I really hope the feeling sticks for the next 3 months.

 

[LittleSpy]

Re: nursing pillows, I read somewhere (wish I knew where?) that they aren't the best idea as they don't position baby well for breastfeeding. Something to do with how they sit slightly too low so baby has to stretch up too far, or else you can hoist the pillow up yourself, or prop it up on more pillows, but in both cases it then said why not just regular pillows or your arms. I suppose it depends what height/length your torso is though.

That was one of the issues I had with the Boppy (too low). The "My Brest Friend" (and no, I'm not repeatedly misspelling breast... that's just the name of the pillow ) actually straps around you so you can position it at whatever height you need which is why I'm aiming to get one this time. I may completely hate it since I only used it twice at the LC's office. I just remember thinking "OMG, this is so much better than the Boppy!" while using it. And the consignment shop near where I work has like 10 of them for under $20 (which I will of course wash repeatedly before using! ) https://www.amazon.com/My-Brest-Fri...8&qid=1357669577&sr=8-1&keywords=brest+friend

And I don't want to come across as though I think I know everything about breastfeeding because very, very far from it. I'm learning new things daily (like lily just teaching me about maca!). Soooo excited to start lactation-specific education later this year!

 

[Jenny_J]

Thanks littleSpy, your an absaloute star.

 

[maybesoon]

Jenny J.... I personally don't believe the stuff they say about children who are bf have a better ammune system it has been my experience that the kiddos I know that were bf are tons more sick & spend much more time at the doctor's office than any of the kiddos I know that were ff....

 

[maybesoon]

OMG! I think I'm driving my poor DH insane with nesting. I've been doing it since about December 21st!!! I HATE clutter! Problem with that is.... DH is a clutter magnet!!! But he's taking this all in stride and tries his hardest to not allowme to do too much. All I heard over the weekend was "You need to go take a break.... You are overdoing it".... My reply "I don't have time to rest, I have too much that needs to get done. If I sit down I won't get back up"....

 

[doggylover]

And I don't want to come across as though I think I know everything about breastfeeding because very, very far from it. I'm learning new things daily (like lily just teaching me about maca!). Soooo excited to start lactation-specific education later this year!

I don't think you come across that way at all! We all have our specialist subjects - but unfortunately my knowledge of all things geographical is pretty useless in here luckily, your specialist subject is much more useful! Ad I think you are going to be an excellent LC. Had a look and that "Brest friend" pillow does look good! Maybe wash on 90C to be safe

 

[ukgirl23]

Littlespy I think you came across as very informative and I couldnt agree more with everything you said xx

I had a basic nursing pillow from babies r us with Luke after not using one with Connie. I personally loved mine but Im not sure what a boppy pillow is? The one Ibhad was a bit bigger than others Iv seen and I used it as a barrier when he was sleeping on the sofa in the early months before rolling etc.. Connie was two when Luke was born and loved to sleep on the nursing pillow and cuddle up with it too so personally I cant rate the enough.. i found normal sofa cushions collapsed a bit as I fed Connie but if the nursing pillow was too low proping it up with a sofa or bed pillow was perfect

Im starting to nest now Ive gutted a few rooms but Aaron is annoying me I asked him 4 weeks agonto clean the hamster out he still hasnt done it!!! Soon I shall be having words! The cage reaks!!! I used to do it twice a week!!! All of Aarons jobs get left undone actually and then he moans about having to load the dish washer lol!

Sorry for any typos Im writing this from my phone as I watch my kids in the bath... thank goodness its bedtime they are tired from school and annoying eachother! Lol

 

[doggylover]

I don't know if I am nesting or not...I'm a clean and neat freak at the best of times! I'll know I am when I start cleaning the cupboards I think (one of my least favourite chores!)

 

[maybesoon]

I have a boppy pillow my bff gave me a couple of months ago... Not sure how well it will be for bf but I use the heck out of it at night while sleeping right now!!! lol.... Leave it to me to use stuff for things they weren't made for..... lol

 

[doggylover]

So get this, my dh just told me that when he was visiting with my parents earlier my mum said

"So, it's going to be a BIG baby isn't it?"



I knew everyone thought I was massive and just didn't want to tell me. now i'm terrified my baby is going to be huge.

 

[ukgirl23]

nooo doggylover bump size doesn't mean anything and having a big bump is good.. Lucas has wonky toes thanks to being too cramped up lol.. I had a tiny bump with Connie and she was an 8lb'er! DO NOT stress xxx

My kids were BF (if only for a short time) and their immune systems are excellent.. had to say it sorry lol.. breast feeding passes on anti bodies so if I get ill my body kills the virus and passes the immunity to my baby, of course babies have lower immune systems anyway so when you meet a friend in the street who has a cold you might be fine but baby who isn't up to much yet gets it easily. If you see my point. When I had my kids I was sick all the time. It sucked! after a while I hit a wall of immunity!

I meant to mention the other day I got this stuff in ASDA I use it to clean any art work off my white walls.. it's called dok power magic eraser, it is amazing it gets dirt off everything. I was on the light switches and door frames and everywhere with it!

 

[doggylover]

Thanks candy. I guess I have had it in the back of my mind this whole time that baby is going to be huge, and that's why s/he measured so far ahead at 20 weeks and I got my dates changed. So to have my mother confirm that's what she thinks too just makes me think even more I'm going to have a 10lb+ baby.

Also, that magic eraser is amazing. I used one once and it was unreal! I should actually get one for our house to get rid of dog mid stains

 

[Steph82]

Doggylover, don't worry... the size of your belly has NOTHING to do with the size of your baby! I read somewhere that how you carry just depends on your body type!
I'm a bit jealous that people around you are so careful and sensitive to your needs lol. My mom laughs at my and says: don't get your hopes up, we only have big babys in our family . She has even gone so far as to buy hardly any newborn clothes, and only 0-3 months

LittleSpy, I have decided that I will not go to a BF class, since I feel confident in all the knowledge that you have . I read from the link, that you can start taking natural progesterone during pregnancy to enhance the production of milk ducts?!? Is that something you are considering (being self diagnosed, i'm not sure the doc would let you )?

My biggest complaint at the moment is how absolutely stuffed I feel! I feel like I cannot fit any food in me, but I am constantely starving! . I also feel like my skin is now stretched to the max on my belly (which I know it still has MUCH to go lol). But the "full feeling" is also accompanied by effort to breath.