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

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I'm still here!

Congratulations to all the recent babies!
 
SurpriseBub, I can't comment on the bottle but, certainly on the breast, a baby will cough/splutter/choke when you have a 'let down' as the flow is much faster - mine certainly does! This can happen more than once a feed and you may feel a tingling sensation when you have one (although some mums don't feel anything). Laying back can help as gravity slows the flow but once your supply regulates around 4-6 weeks, it should happen less and less.

All babies have reflux to a degree as the valve at the top of the stomach (I think) is open until around six months so some of the contents can easily flow back up. Spitting up isn't usually a medical problem unless baby is projectile vomiting, in distress and not gaining weight or having sufficient wet and dirty nappies.

I suppose with the bottle, if baby sucks hard on that like they do on the breast that could make them choke because the milk comes out quite easily?
 
Thanks, minibump! i will try lying backwards and see if that helps. The fact that she does it on both breast and bottle has me wondering whether it is something she just needs to learn- ie. To slow down! It will be interesting to hear what her dr thinks on reflux or whatever else it could be.

I really appreciate all your breastfeeding insights... It definitely is not easy!
 
This might sound really flippant but it is easy, we make it complicated! If it was difficult mankind would've died out long ago!! (I don't mean to trivialise any problems that anyone's having by saying that, I know it doesn't go smoothly for everyone)

If you can feel your let down coming you can take baby off, let the milk spray into a cloth and put baby back on once it's slowed down. Feeding laid on your side can also help because the excess milk will dribble out the side of baby's mouth. It will either slow down or they get used to it eventually. I wonder if your baby has a degree of nipple confusion but instead of not working hard enough at the breast (as is the usual problem), yours is working too hard at the bottle?

If you're worried about reflux (true reflux is actually quite rare in babies) keeping them upright for 30-45 mins after a feed can help.
 
Nope- I don't feel anything at let down, which is a shame... Interesting theory on the nipple confusion. I can see your theory making sense. Luckily I think I have more milk now, and she is gaining weight, so we are tapering off the bottle use to an extent. I also would like to try a different bottle design, as she drains the Medela slow flow bottle pretty fast. I think she might do better with a colicky design model (in reality I am sure we will do a bottle every day, as that schedule works for everyone!).

I did get the keep baby upright advice- and she does spit up much less if she stays upright for a good while after a feed.

I think it is hard to get a good latch (at least for me!) and from there every attempted adjustment seems challenging.
 
I'm curious- for those of you home with a first baby... What do you do during the day? (Especially if your baby wants to be held a lot?) Do you have the TV etc on? I try not to, but occasionally I really find it impossible to resist.
 
surprise i have that problem too with Ollie especially, he has a really strong sucking action and i think he just gets too much initially but finds a good rhythm quite quickly now. I have a problem when they latch to the breast because initially my milk comes really quickly and chokes them! i can feel my breasts tingling and if they are too full i just express into breast pad or muslin and hope i've got enough off not to drown my children lol

As for during the day my TV is on all day even while they nap, if people are here we chat and don't hush either. I found this helps with the night and day differences, during the night the night light is the only light, i feed by that and only put a lamp on briefly to change nappies. x
 
Nothing wrong with relaxing in front of the TV and enjoying cuddles! Your baby needs nothing else from you right now (apart from food and a clean bottom!) :thumbup:

What is it that you find difficult about latching? Do you not feel like baby is taking enough breast in? Is it uncomfortable for you or is baby just too wriggly? I'm sure there are some hints and tips we could offer to help if you'd like?
 
Great advice about day/night Shells, same here!

This graphic might help explain the choking. It shows how breastfed babies suck hard and fast at the beginning to bring on a let down, then move onto long sucks with pauses in between and end a feed with fast 'flutter' sucks. You can imagine how easy it is to choke at the beginning if they use the same technique on a bottle which doesn't really require any sucking to get the milk out!
 

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2 days late here and no signs... Surprised. Was always told 2nd babies usually come early... and also read that babies conceived so closely to another pregnancy tend to come early.
 
Thanks for the graphic MiniBump. Little H is a great latcher (comes at the boob wiiiiide open and wad bobbing!) and great sucker and chokes and splutters a lot and does spit up more after a feed. Little C is not a good latcher - it takes quite a few tries to get her to open her mouth wide enough - she just likes to mouth/lick the drops on the tip! So I get chomped a lot trying to push in what I can. I agree with SurpriseBub, once I have her even halfway decently attached, even if it's not great, it's so painful to imagine trying to reattach her a bunch more times to improve it that I'd rather leave it!! She doesn't choke or spit up though.
 
Thanks for the feedback, ladies! I'm glad you have a system that is working for you, shells. I also enjoyed a good laugh at your drowning comment ;) interesting that Ollie does the spluttering more than Sam... I guess that means it is more to do with his technique than yours!

I would love tips!!! I think the problem is that she doesn't open her mouth really wide, so it is hard to get her on well. No matter how hungry, how much i rub her lip/nose etc she never really has... though she does latch onto her hands like a champ! I have been watching videos etc and things have improved. I seem to do ok on the left... less so on the right, which is very sore at the moment.
 
And great advice on day/night shells!

Your daughter sounds just like mine, melly! Also interesting that your two have such different approaches...

And great graphic minibump. Funny to see it as that definitely is her approach ;)
 
My little one doesn't always open wide enough either. Make sure you're not restricting the back of their head as they're latching (easier said than done with all the head bobbing!) so they can tip it back to open wider. Remember to bring baby to the breast too not breast to the baby. They may well bob about a lot and use their hands but, left to their own devices, they will eventually latch on (you'll probably be spraying them in the face by then!) If they still latch onto the nipple rather than the breast just try gently pressing their chin down whilst they're attached and they may just open enough to make it comfortable.

There's also a trick you can use where you roll the nipple - I haven't personally tried it but apparently it works. I may have posted this before but here it is again! https://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/breastfeeding-latch-trick.html

If you try a more laid back position, gravity can help them latch deeper and they'll naturally get better as they get bigger too. Trying different positions might help too if you're sore. Perhaps try under the arm?
 
Yes, I have tv on in day too when I'm feeding, and don't worry about noise from chatting hair dryer washing machine etc. I turn it off if lo is wide awake and we are singing and playing. If I'm night feeding I have the news channel on with subtitles and no sound. I only turn bigger light on for nappy change. Between 7-7 I keep room as dark as possible, talk only if necessary and put her down as soon as possible after each feed.
 
Thanks, ladies! I feel very reassured that a lot of you have the TV on too. I am going to keep trying to avoid it... but sometimes that is easier said than done! ;)

Thanks for the tips, minibump. I will give them a try for sure :) i have been doing the lip adjustment. I am coming to loathe the breastfeeding videos as they (of course) use a baby who responds perfectly! ;) everyone says it gets easier... so I hope that if I keep working at it, she will get bigger and it will eventually be a little less of a to do.
 
Catelyn Victoria Wardle arrived this morning at 8:05 am weighing 8lbs 4oz. Third induction, ten days late, ten hours of labouring and 100% in love and awe at this little one.

Feeling much better than I thought I would post labour just need to get a bit more sleep. Baby's doing great, was like a champ on her first feed!

https://imgur.com/ZOeHbkb.jpeg

https://imgur.com/wfVtCpE.jpeg

https://imgur.com/jqKziYD.jpeg
 
Congrats Captain!!! She is so beautiful! Love all of her dark hair!
 
Congratulations, captain! she is lovely :) :) :) and great that you are feeling good!!!
 
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