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[Maid Marian]

anyone have any tricks to pumping more? i only get out a little and i would like to be able to pump some for emergencies. i have a couple dr appts coming up and i can only get out about an ounce and a half on a good day. im ok with giving him formula if i need to, but would like to use bm if possible. i had a cheap pump and was only getting about half an ounce. got a good pump now but still not getting much more.

Look at your baby/ a photo of your baby while pumping ... warm your boob up first ... massage it while pumping ...

 

[loopy82]

Blessedmomma, atmosphere is everything! Make sure you are as relaxed as possible, apparently shoulder massages can really help, maybe mention that to your oh... and as pp have said, looking at pictures of your baby, smelling something they've worn or actually having them with you and even feeding on the other side can also help. Preparing your breasts is also really important as others have said, hot compresses, massage and nipple stimulation can all help the milk to flow. Once the flow stops repeat all those steps to get it going again. Try not to express for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time, it's best to do that,stop and try again in half an hour or so rather than express for say a whole hour, all you'll gain by doing that is sore nipples. hth

 

[lilmills]

Hi,
im not pg yet heres hoping soon but I was just curious i have a two year old who i bottle fed which was good because i didnt produce any milk. will that be the same next time or not? just wondering if anyone knows if this is going to be a problem.

 

[loopy82]

Hi,
im not pg yet heres hoping soon but I was just curious i have a two year old who i bottle fed which was good because i didnt produce any milk. will that be the same next time or not? just wondering if anyone knows if this is going to be a problem.

Just like every pregnancy is different so is every breastfeeding journey, there is every chance that next time you'll be over flowing with milk! That said, knowing that you had problems last time means it might be a good idea to be prepared. Maybe find out what support there is in your area, like an infant feeding team, NCT, LLL or support groups and go along or get in touch when you are pregnant, I know all the support in my area are more than happy to help women antenatally. There are also a few good books that can help you prepare like the food of love by Kate Evans. Good luck for when the time comes

 

[blessedmomma]

thanks so much for the info ladies!!!!

my LO is getting thrush in his mouth and im starting to get it now too. i went to my family dr who gave me a nystatin cream and him an oral nystatin. they said the cream isnt safe for him and i should not nurse him for a few days til it clears up. anyone hear of this??? im nervous my milk will dry up, i already had low supply in the beginning from a bad latch and then oversupply after that. things were just getting normal. they also said i would only need it 2-3 days and could stop using it after that. that doesnt seem right. my other son had a yeast rash quite a bit and if i stopped using it when it looked better it would come back. i always had to use it at least a week after

 

[loopy82]

That sounds wrong to me too, there is absolutely no reason to stop nursing while treating thrush unless you feel it is best and you need to continue to use the treatment for a week after the symptoms disappear otherwise it will likely keep coming back like you experienced with your other son. Nystatin isn't the best treatment either, Daktarin is thought to be much more effective. You can find more info on the UNICEF site here: https://www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFrien...-Baby-Friendly/FAQs/Breastfeeding-FAQ/Thrush/, there is also a pdf on there you can download, print off and take to your doctor if you like. Hope it clears up soon x

 

[loopy82]

P.s. If you're expressing while you've got thrush don't store it to use at a later date as the yeast may still be alive even if you freeze it, it's fine to use the same day though. Sorry if you already know that! x

 

[Lownthwaite]

thanks so much for the info ladies!!!!

my LO is getting thrush in his mouth and im starting to get it now too. i went to my family dr who gave me a nystatin cream and him an oral nystatin. they said the cream isnt safe for him and i should not nurse him for a few days til it clears up. anyone hear of this??? im nervous my milk will dry up, i already had low supply in the beginning from a bad latch and then oversupply after that. things were just getting normal. they also said i would only need it 2-3 days and could stop using it after that. that doesnt seem right. my other son had a yeast rash quite a bit and if i stopped using it when it looked better it would come back. i always had to use it at least a week after

Sorry to hear you're struggling with thrush.

Do NOT stop feeding. If you do your supply will suffer and you'll leave yourself open to engorgement, blocked ducts, possible mastitis etc.

As loopy82 says - Daktarin is the prefered and more successful treatment.

You need Daktarin gel for LO's mouth and Daktarin cream for your nipples. A full course of Fluconazole will help clear the internal infection.
Also - get hold of some acidophilus. Start taking it alongside the treatment. Continue taking it once the infection has gone to help stop it coming back.

Make sure you change breast pads often, don't let your nipples sit against wet breast pads - thrush loves damp, dark, warm environments.

Follow loopy82's advice on expressed milk too

I hope it clears soon for you

 

[summer rain]

Blessedmomma is in the US; from my understanding neither the daktarin cream (or miconazole cream in general), nor the oral gel are licensed over there xx

 

[cheese lover]

There is a prescription pill you can take too. I can't remember the name right now but I was prescribed it and it worked great. I think it was a 10 day course.

 

[blessedmomma]

thanks ladies

cheese- online it says difulcan (sp) is good while bfing, but my dr said it couldnt be used while bfing. i think my dr just doesnt know what she is doing. im gonna have to get a new dr not gonna stop bfing while i wait for this nystatin to work either

 

[cheese lover]

yes it was diflucan. I couldn't remember. I used it when LO was about 4 weeks and my midwife was the one that prescribed it. They weren't sure what my issue was so they put me on diflucan and an antibiotic just in case. They didn't treat LO but she wasn't showing any symptoms and we never had any problems after that. I'm sorry your dr. isn't very knowledgable! My GP even knows what drugs can be used when Bfing

 

[shelbie1313]

Hi
I'm looking for some help. My DD is 10 weeks on Tuesday and every feed is still agony. The first 2 weeks were fine, then I don't know what happened. She seems to nipple feed.she's putting on weight nicely, half a pound a week, so she's getting enough, it's just agony. I have been to a local BF clinic, and got.told I'd get a second layer of skin at six weeks and her mouth will get bigger so it will be easier. I have the LLL book which I have avidly read and tried techniques to get her to latch properly. She just won't open her mouth wide to get more than nipple. I have spent days crying and dread every feed. My swear words pre BF were 'pants and piddle' now we use 'f**k' routinely, I'm glad she doesn't understand yet!
I have fairly large boobs and flattish nipples which I have to squeeze slightly b4 feed, after feed they are all distorted. It feels like my DD has a tongue made of.sandpaper. Any advice on getting her to open wide would be appreciated. Not sure how much more of.this I can take but I really wanted to.do.it.for at least a year. Please help x x

 

[Leopard]

Hi
I'm looking for some help. My DD is 10 weeks on Tuesday and every feed is still agony. The first 2 weeks were fine, then I don't know what happened. She seems to nipple feed.she's putting on weight nicely, half a pound a week, so she's getting enough, it's just agony. I have been to a local BF clinic, and got.told I'd get a second layer of skin at six weeks and her mouth will get bigger so it will be easier. I have the LLL book which I have avidly read and tried techniques to get her to latch properly. She just won't open her mouth wide to get more than nipple. I have spent days crying and dread every feed. My swear words pre BF were 'pants and piddle' now we use 'f**k' routinely, I'm glad she doesn't understand yet!
I have fairly large boobs and flattish nipples which I have to squeeze slightly b4 feed, after feed they are all distorted. It feels like my DD has a tongue made of.sandpaper. Any advice on getting her to open wide would be appreciated. Not sure how much more of.this I can take but I really wanted to.do.it.for at least a year. Please help x x

Lanisoh for the sore nipples and look into nipple sheilds.

 

[Maggs]

Hi Shelbie--have you ruled out the usual things such as thrush or tongue tie? Definitely agree with the lansinoh and the nipple shields may help more with your LO's latch. Before & after a feed, coat your nipples in it. It's fine for baby to nurse while it's on your nipple too. With all that out of the way, it took a good 6 weeks or more for me to finally be able to get rid of that 'stamp my feet and swear' pain when he latched on. Do you just have initial pain or is it pain through the whole feed?

 

[summer rain]

Has your LO been checked for tongue tie? Xx

Hi
I'm looking for some help. My DD is 10 weeks on Tuesday and every feed is still agony. The first 2 weeks were fine, then I don't know what happened. She seems to nipple feed.she's putting on weight nicely, half a pound a week, so she's getting enough, it's just agony. I have been to a local BF clinic, and got.told I'd get a second layer of skin at six weeks and her mouth will get bigger so it will be easier. I have the LLL book which I have avidly read and tried techniques to get her to latch properly. She just won't open her mouth wide to get more than nipple. I have spent days crying and dread every feed. My swear words pre BF were 'pants and piddle' now we use 'f**k' routinely, I'm glad she doesn't understand yet!
I have fairly large boobs and flattish nipples which I have to squeeze slightly b4 feed, after feed they are all distorted. It feels like my DD has a tongue made of.sandpaper. Any advice on getting her to open wide would be appreciated. Not sure how much more of.this I can take but I really wanted to.do.it.for at least a year. Please help x x

 

[shelbie1313]

Hi, thanks for replies. Have been going through lansinoh like its going out of fashion, also given chamomile cream from Dr. Tried nipple shields while feeding DD just chewed the ends, using medela breast shells between feeds for protection as I wince if anything touches my nipples. DD checked for tongue tie, also had thrush meds just in case. Bizarrely DD does do better on left side than right at the moment, on the right I can barely get her to open mouth, take her off and try again but after few goes she gets distressed. Done rugby ball hold, getting a bit long and heavy now though, and fed lying down,nothing seems to make much difference. Today I have decided to give the right a break end just express from that one and feed off the other. I keep thinking it must be something I'm missing but I don't know what. Argh.

 

[loopy82]

It really doesn't sound right but you seem to have tried most things and I can't think of anything else to suggest, can you get to a lactation consultant? Sounds like you may need some extra help x

 

[cheese lover]

I agree with Loopy. I think its time for some in person help. There is just only so much we can recommend over the web. Is there a lactation consultant you can see or visit your local LLL.

 

[futuremama88]

I'm having troubles with getting my baby girl to accept my breast. She either gets angry and upset and refuses to latch, or she latches and takes 2-3 swallows before dozing off. She lost too much weight in the hospital so they started her on formula on her second day of life. She is 8 days old now. I so badly want to breastfeed her and would do anything to make it happen. She fed brilliantly from the breast on her first day of life, but I've never been able to get back to that point.