FEBRUARY HEARTS Due in February 2015 , open group all welcome!

[Izzie74]

We're down 10% on birth weight here, so looks like we will do a bit of supplementing to fatten her back up. Breastfeeding is much more tiring than i ever imagined- i feel like I have done nothing other than nurse for the past 12 hours!!

Hoping for a valentine's baby or two!!

I agree with the tiredness from breastfeeding. I have to have snacks around - loving mum's date flapjack at the moment! Early days is all about feeding and it gets me down a hit when I'm tired. My sister pointed out that feeding us my 'job' now and it has helped me feel better about not getting anything else done! Very impressed with those doing it with little brothers/sisters. So far today she is spacing out feeds much better, so fingers crossed... She was 5% down on birth weight, but is now 1lb up. I must be doing something right. Good luck with your lo surprisebub.

 

[bubbamadness]

Good luck for tomorrow Jade.

Glad your hubby is home Captain, must be such a relief.

Your pics are adorable JM.

Good luck to everyone waiting on there bubbas to make an appearance xxx

 

[MellyH]

Is five hours too long to go between feeds overnight? Now that they are back above their birth weight we don't have to wake theme very three hours overnight, but we didn't get told a new amount. So I just let them sleep and they went five hours! Should I have woken them sooner?

 

[MiniBump]

I would say 5 hours is fine Melly as long as there are no ongoing weight concerns. They'll soon let you know if they're hungry!

Don't panic about 10% weight loss SurpriseBub, you may not need to supplement. If you received lots of IV fluids in labour that can be the cause of higher weight loss in baby so, check with your care provider but you may just be ok to wait and see for a while longer.

 

[SurpriseBub]

I would say 5 hours is fine Melly as long as there are no ongoing weight concerns. They'll soon let you know if they're hungry!

Don't panic about 10% weight loss SurpriseBub, you may not need to supplement. If you received lots of IV fluids in labour that can be the cause of higher weight loss in baby so, check with your care provider but you may just be ok to wait and see for a while longer.

We saw a lactation consultant yesterday, and she advised we were sort of on the cusp- ie. 10% is ok, but it shouldn't go any higher. Will see what is happening at the pediatrician on Tuesday!

I bought some fenugreek and just started taking it. Any other tips on increasing milk supply? I also wore a tightish bra yesterday and think that may have suppressed some milk. Will try lots of bra less baby snuggling today- leaks and all!

 

[huckleberrry]

Hi everyone,

I haven't posted on here in a really long time, but wanted to say hi and congratulations to everyone who's had babies. Hope you're all doing well. Happy Valentine's Day!

 

[SurpriseBub]

We're down 10% on birth weight here, so looks like we will do a bit of supplementing to fatten her back up. Breastfeeding is much more tiring than i ever imagined- i feel like I have done nothing other than nurse for the past 12 hours!!

Hoping for a valentine's baby or two!!

I agree with the tiredness from breastfeeding. I have to have snacks around - loving mum's date flapjack at the moment! Early days is all about feeding and it gets me down a hit when I'm tired. My sister pointed out that feeding us my 'job' now and it has helped me feel better about not getting anything else done! Very impressed with those doing it with little brothers/sisters. So far today she is spacing out feeds much better, so fingers crossed... She was 5% down on birth weight, but is now 1lb up. I must be doing something right. Good luck with your lo surprisebub.

I just never realized how much work it would be! I have seen lots of super mums make it seem so easy we will definitely stick at it, but I can see how some people end up giving up. I hope that once she is bigger, and supply is established etc it will start to be effortless!

Well done on gaining a pound! You are definitely on the road to super mum breastfeeder

 

[MiniBump]

Lots of skin to skin and frequent feeding are really the best ways to boost supply but otherwise lots of water and oats (oatmeal, flapjack, etc.)

Breastfeeding is tiring at first but it quickly becomes much easier than having to prepare bottles! It's really only the first 4-6 weeks that it's hardest (growth spurts aside) whilst your supply is being established. The initial effort (although sitting down with a drink, snacks and the TV or a magazine isn't really an effort and that's all you should be doing if you can get away with it!) really does pay off in the long run!

 

[EMYJC]

I am so frustrated with having contractions and cramps in the night and nothing come morning. 40+1 today. So wanted a Valentine's baby but looks like it's not going to happen. I've dtd and done tons of cleaning. Hoping it happens soon!!

 

[SurpriseBub]

Will bake some flapjacks this morning, minibump!

Good luck, emyjc!! I hope baby comes today after all

Good luck, jade!!!

 

[Feronia]

Minibump beat me to it again!
I just wanted to add what Jack Newman says about birth weight loss and supplementation: https://www.justbreastfeeding.com/b...ss-infants-birth-dr-jack-newmans-perspective/

 

[2nd time]

I am so frustrated with having contractions and cramps in the night and nothing come morning. 40+1 today. So wanted a Valentine's baby but looks like it's not going to happen. I've dtd and done tons of cleaning. Hoping it happens soon!!

This is exactly how I feel contrsctions at night nothing come morning 40+6 for me I have a sweep on mon

 

[SurpriseBub]

Minibump beat me to it again!
I just wanted to add what Jack Newman says about birth weight loss and supplementation: https://www.justbreastfeeding.com/b...ss-infants-birth-dr-jack-newmans-perspective/

Thanks- great article! I did have a lot of iv fluids, and my ankles were huge for a week. So, that definitely makes sense... None the less, it would be nice for her to start gaining from now.

 

[MellyH]

For Hugo, breastfeeding is pretty much as you say, MiniBump, not too much effort. But Clara fusses a lot at the boob, pulls off a lot and cries and arches to pull away. We usually take 5-10 minutes just getting her going, by which point my poor boobs are mashed. Sigh!

 

[ttc126]

Surprise, Jude lost 10% of birthweight as well. And he didn't get back to birth weight until 22 days old. Although the pediatrician felt he was behind, he didn't want us supplementing with formula if we could try other things first. We tried several things but he was just a sleepy baby and wouldn't feed effectively. My supply was going down since he wasn't taking much in. So the pediatrician had me nurse him first for no more than 30 minutes (since longer could be burning calories). Then he had me pump to empty ( so my breasts would continue to make the right amount of milk). Then offer him 2oz in a bottle. This whole circus took about an hour and I'd have only an hour before needing to wake him and do it again! So tiring especially with a toddler!

Now since he's been catching up on weight gain, I'm supposed to stop offering the bottle unless he's just had a terrible feeding. He's down to about 1-2 a day now! And I'm pumping only a few times just to keep supply up but soon I think I'll stop that too! I am supposed to weigh him weekly just to double check that he's continuing to gain appropriately and he's now allowed to go 3 hours between feeds I am so proud that I didn't quit...but man I'm so exhausted!

Melly, that's amazing! If they're gaining fine, I say let them (and you!) sleep

 

[MiniBump]

Wow ttc, well done for sticking to that regime! Sounds exhausting!

Melly, there could be a number of reasons for the fussing. Do you feel your milk 'let down' (often a tingling sensation)? If Clara fusses before let down she could just be trying to get the milk so you might want to hand express until the flow starts then put her on. If she fusses at or just after let down, the initial flow could be too much for her in which case you could catch the milk in a pot to save or just let it spray into a muslin until the flow slows a little then put her on (you could also use Hugo for these purposes if you think you'd be able to get him off again!). Here's a Kellymom page that might help https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/fussy-while-nursing/

Big to all you new mamas, you're all doing an amazing job!

 

[SurpriseBub]

Well done for sticking with it, ttc! I can very much see how people end up quitting early on. We have been giving her a bottle of breast milk at night the last couple of days, so we know she is getting 50ish ml at that point each day. It certainly is tempting to give formula once a day as well to know that a certain volume is getting in there! I think I need to pump more like you did to get my supply growing too.

She is certainly pooping a lot, so I take that to mean that she isn't undernourished... Hopefully she will be on the way up when we see the dr this week. I think I might buy a set of scales- I like hard facts and figures to deal with and it was great to see what she had eaten during our lactation consult this week!

 

[MiniBump]

Ha ha, SurpriseBub, we breastfeeders do love poop! If it's coming out it's going in so stop worrying! It's so difficult to relinquish control when our lives are all about numbers and figures but, honestly, if you can just forget the mls and ozs (unless there's a real, medical problem) and have faith in yourself and your baby, it's so much less stressful!

 

[MellyH]

TTC, sounds like what we are doing. They each get 20 minutes on the boob, then half of whatever I pumped after the previous session (at the moment 20-30ml per boob) then if they're still hungry 15-30ml of formula top-up. Then I pump for 20 minutes. As you say, the whole thing takes 1-2 hours (even with a second pair of hands to give the bottles!). It's pretty full-on.

 

[SurpriseBub]

Good advice, minibump!