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[summer rain]

Just wanted to share our small success as everyone was so supportive, esp my buddy blondeshorty!
Weighed again today at 19 days - 6lbs 11oz so above birthweight (6lbs 7oz) for the first time and a gain of anothe 150g since Monday! Have given back the hospital pump and managing about 50% of the time on one side without shields so feel like we've started to make progress at last. My husband is going back to work on monday - straight into a 7 day stretch - and I'm pleased I won't be having to sterilise and top up. Always said that things had to be on the up by now to continue and thy definitely are.

Brilliant news Hun! Xx

 

[BlondeShorty]

Just wanted to share our small success as everyone was so supportive, esp my buddy blondeshorty!
Weighed again today at 19 days - 6lbs 11oz so above birthweight (6lbs 7oz) for the first time and a gain of anothe 150g since Monday! Have given back the hospital pump and managing about 50% of the time on one side without shields so feel like we've started to make progress at last. My husband is going back to work on monday - straight into a 7 day stretch - and I'm pleased I won't be having to sterilise and top up. Always said that things had to be on the up by now to continue and thy definitely are.

Yay!!! You have been doing amazing!! Things can only get better from here

 

[Jokerette]

beanhunter that's fantastic!!! Good for you!

 

[ericacaca]

Hi there... I'm going crazy at the moment with breastfeeding and I really don't want to stop. I want to try and deal with it but really need help....

Little Oscar is 3 weeks and 2 days old. Morning and evening he has a phase when he wants constant feeding... usually 3 hours worth on and off. He gets wind and rather frustrated about it but not to the point that he won't feed or anything so I don't think it's colic. He poos and wees very frequently.... poops have been the expected yellow mainly but since yesterday they've been green and I'm just worried that an oversupply has caused this and if it is what to do about it?

I have no idea either when he has finished on one breast or not. Is it when he latch's off? Is it when he falls asleep (which he does - he feeds for up to an hour some times)? Should I offer the same breast to him if he does latch off?

Sorry ladies... just so stressed with it all! xxx

 

[TheNewMrs]

Hi there... I'm going crazy at the moment with breastfeeding and I really don't want to stop. I want to try and deal with it but really need help....

Little Oscar is 3 weeks and 2 days old. Morning and evening he has a phase when he wants constant feeding... usually 3 hours worth on and off. He gets wind and rather frustrated about it but not to the point that he won't feed or anything so I don't think it's colic. He poos and wees very frequently.... poops have been the expected yellow mainly but since yesterday they've been green and I'm just worried that an oversupply has caused this and if it is what to do about it? If it is oversupply, the best thing to do is block feed.

I have no idea either when he has finished on one breast or not. Is it when he latch's off? I usually try to relatch LO after she latches off the first time. I burp her and relatch. If she pops off again quickly then shes done. Is it when he falls asleep If he falls asleep let him sleep/./ (so long as hes feeding 6-8+ times a day(which he does - he feeds for up to an hour some times)Feedng up to an hour at his age is 100% normal. Dont worry about it. Enjoy the snuggles.? Should I offer the same breast to him if he does latch off? If the breast isnt soft after a feeding then yes, it is a good idea to offer the same breast to start with at the next feed.

Sorry ladies... just so stressed with it all! xxx

Dont be sorry! Thats what were here for.

 

[Jokerette]

Hi there... I'm going crazy at the moment with breastfeeding and I really don't want to stop. I want to try and deal with it but really need help....

Little Oscar is 3 weeks and 2 days old. Morning and evening he has a phase when he wants constant feeding... usually 3 hours worth on and off. He gets wind and rather frustrated about it but not to the point that he won't feed or anything so I don't think it's colic. He poos and wees very frequently.... poops have been the expected yellow mainly but since yesterday they've been green and I'm just worried that an oversupply has caused this and if it is what to do about it? If it is oversupply, the best thing to do is block feed.

I have no idea either when he has finished on one breast or not. Is it when he latch's off? I usually try to relatch LO after she latches off the first time. I burp her and relatch. If she pops off again quickly then shes done. Is it when he falls asleep If he falls asleep let him sleep/./ (so long as hes feeding 6-8+ times a day(which he does - he feeds for up to an hour some times)Feedng up to an hour at his age is 100% normal. Dont worry about it. Enjoy the snuggles.? Should I offer the same breast to him if he does latch off? If the breast isnt soft after a feeding then yes, it is a good idea to offer the same breast to start with at the next feed.

Sorry ladies... just so stressed with it all! xxx

Dont be sorry! Thats what were here for.

This is all great advice!!! Just in case you dont know... block feeding is when you offer the same breast for a series of feedings if they are close together. So you pick a block of time... say 8am-11am and anytime LO wants to feed between those times you offer the left breast first. Then 11am-2pm anytime LO wants to feed offer the right breast. This will ensure they get the hindmilk and it will also help balance an over supply. Green poo can be an indicator of baby getting more foremilk.

I block feed and I love it. Since my little guy eats every 3 hours i just offer only one side per feeding and he never wants the other side. This ensures he always gets foremilk and hindmilk. Once i started doing that his poops went from green to yellowish orange!

 

[ericacaca]

Thank you ladies. I've only had to block feed for 3/4 hours (lost track!) 3 times round left, right, left back on right and I saw a yellow poo! Woop woop at the poo! (oh the glamour!)

I'm going to keep block feeding for another couple of rotations to be on the safe side.... is that ok? xxx

 

[Jokerette]

Yes you can block feed forever if you want! I do and have for months

 

[ericacaca]

Thanks again ladies... probably another silly question but how long can I let my LO sleep for during the night? Some ladies have said their LO's have slept for 7 hours??? Can breastfed babies do that or just formula babies? I don't want to wake him up if I don't have to! lol xxx

 

[NickyNack]

My bub is 5 weeks and sleeps right through from 10pm-5am every night for the past three nights she wouldn't do it if she was starving IMO... She feeds ever 1-2 hrs in the day though x

 

[BlondeShorty]

DS was sleeping through the night when we brought him home..

I was told not to let him go longer than 5 hours to start with as he was gaining weight slowly and was very sleepy whenever he ate. (was recovering from being on antibiotics..)
But as he liked his sleep so much another HV told me that if baby is eating at least 8-12 times a day (or else having feeds that stretch out for over an hour long) then it shouldn't be an issue.
.. If your baby is eating plenty through the day and you are having plenty of wet diapers, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Also from the sounds of it, little Oscar feeds quite frequently during the day so if he sleeps through I think you'd be fine.

 

[Jokerette]

If your baby is gaining weight well then I'd say dont wake him to eat. Let him sleep! As long as he is not underweight then he will wake himself up when it is time! i used to worry about that too, but my mom said youre crazy "never wake a sleeping baby"! But, just to reiterate,... premies and teeny tiny babies are different

 

[jenniferttc1]

Thanks again ladies... probably another silly question but how long can I let my LO sleep for during the night? Some ladies have said their LO's have slept for 7 hours??? Can breastfed babies do that or just formula babies? I don't want to wake him up if I don't have to! lol xxx

I would not wake him up in the middle of nights for feeds as long has LO is gaining weight and has already regained birth weight. After birth weight is back on I would feed purely on demand and when baby wants too.

 

[katrinalorien]

Having a problem with two things, and baby is only a few days old!

Lily was born premature (36 + 4, so not so bad) I was induced due to pre-eclampsia.

1. Lily seems to fall asleep ALL THE TIME at the breast. I can't get her to feed sometimes for more than a couple sucks, then she falls right to sleep, and I put her down, and she wakes back up, and its a frenzy until we both get very tired.

2. I will catch her rooting in her bassinet. Anytime she roots or begins to make the food cry I pick her up to latch on. She roots towards the breast but suddenly starts to scream and cry, turning away from the breast and fllailing her arms like I have just offered her the worst thing possible! Then I calm her down, lay her in the bassinet and she begins to root again...

3. Baby is latching really shallow! I will get her on a great latch, but she detaches and then will relatch shallow and try to suck as fast as possible. it is extremely painful! We are having to supplement with hand expressed colostrum because of Jaundise... (spelling may be off on that one).

She seems to have enough we.dirty diapers everdya!

Note, these two problems seem to happen the most at night! i don't know if that means anything, but hopefully!

 

[caro103]

Having a problem with two things, and baby is only a few days old!

Lily was born premature (36 + 4, so not so bad) I was induced due to pre-eclampsia.

1. Lily seems to fall asleep ALL THE TIME at the breast. I can't get her to feed sometimes for more than a couple sucks, then she falls right to sleep, and I put her down, and she wakes back up, and its a frenzy until we both get very tired.
Try taking a few clothes off to keep her cool, tickle her feets/neck if you catch her drifting and she's only just latched on

2. I will catch her rooting in her bassinet. Anytime she roots or begins to make the food cry I pick her up to latch on. She roots towards the breast but suddenly starts to scream and cry, turning away from the breast and fllailing her arms like I have just offered her the worst thing possible! Then I calm her down, lay her in the bassinet and she begins to root again...
I wonder if shes got a bit of trapped gas that is painful when you turn her for bfing, maybe try winding first

3. Baby is latching really shallow! I will get her on a great latch, but she detaches and then will relatch shallow and try to suck as fast as possible. it is extremely painful! We are having to supplement with hand expressed colostrum because of Jaundise... (spelling may be off on that one).
um, alex used to do this, i used to spend a lot of time re-latching him, try not to just put up with it when her latch slips or you'll get sore (which is what i did and it really hurt for a long time after!), with time her latch will get better on her own, especially as her mouth gets bigger

She seems to have enough we.dirty diapers everdya!
that's fab, shes getting enough!

Note, these two problems seem to happen the most at night! i don't know if that means anything, but hopefully!

nighttime problems are quite common as you're both more tired, try to make sure shes latched correctly and just keep at it

sounds like you're doing great! xx

 

[jenniferttc1]

Having a problem with two things, and baby is only a few days old!

Lily was born premature (36 + 4, so not so bad) I was induced due to pre-eclampsia.

1. Lily seems to fall asleep ALL THE TIME at the breast. I can't get her to feed sometimes for more than a couple sucks, then she falls right to sleep, and I put her down, and she wakes back up, and its a frenzy until we both get very tired.
Try taking a few clothes off to keep her cool, tickle her feets/neck if you catch her drifting and she's only just latched on

2. I will catch her rooting in her bassinet. Anytime she roots or begins to make the food cry I pick her up to latch on. She roots towards the breast but suddenly starts to scream and cry, turning away from the breast and fllailing her arms like I have just offered her the worst thing possible! Then I calm her down, lay her in the bassinet and she begins to root again...
I wonder if shes got a bit of trapped gas that is painful when you turn her for bfing, maybe try winding first

3. Baby is latching really shallow! I will get her on a great latch, but she detaches and then will relatch shallow and try to suck as fast as possible. it is extremely painful! We are having to supplement with hand expressed colostrum because of Jaundise... (spelling may be off on that one).
um, alex used to do this, i used to spend a lot of time re-latching him, try not to just put up with it when her latch slips or you'll get sore (which is what i did and it really hurt for a long time after!), with time her latch will get better on her own, especially as her mouth gets bigger

She seems to have enough we.dirty diapers everdya!
that's fab, shes getting enough!

Note, these two problems seem to happen the most at night! i don't know if that means anything, but hopefully!

nighttime problems are quite common as you're both more tired, try to make sure shes latched correctly and just keep at it

sounds like you're doing great! xx

Caro said everything I would.

 

[katrinalorien]

Ok I have a few more questions!

1. I still have issues with baby latching correctly, but I think that's just a patience thing. Unfortantely while I was in the hospital I expressed as much milk all the time as I could, and now my breasts are engorged all the time, Lily can only really take the edge off, and I worry that it affects how well she can latch. I literally drip milk constantly, which also makes me worry Lily isn't getting enough to eat (although she seems to have enough dirty/wet diapers...). I don't want to pump because then it will just fill up again.. do you have any advice?


2. I am pretty sure one of my bbs has a flat nipple and its why she prefers the other one. She will barely latch on to the flat nipp'd breast, and will often refuse to feed at it... please any advice?

Sorry about asking so much but I want to make sure this works! We barely got to meet with the lactation consultant at the hospital because of my pre-eclampsia, and we were always seeing doctors and stuff, so you guys are one place I would love to turn to!

 

[KerryGold]

I think you need to manage the tricky balance between making sure the breast is soft enough for baby to attach (particularly so on the flat nipple side) which should be done by expressing and then not taking too much milk to help reduce your supply.

At my peer support training they recommended hand expressing over pumping but said getting a good latch was more important early on than worrying about over supply.

Just perservere with the flat side - maybe always start baby there? You could also think about a shield but I can't advise on that. My LO sucked my inverted nipples fully out by about 3 weeks!

xXx

 

[KerryGold]

Oh and when I was really engorged I emptied the breasts once by pumping v(I couldnc't hand express with the inverted nipples) then baby latched much better afterwards.

xXx

 

[KerryGold]

Having a problem with two things, and baby is only a few days old!

Lily was born premature (36 + 4, so not so bad) I was induced due to pre-eclampsia.

1. Lily seems to fall asleep ALL THE TIME at the breast. I can't get her to feed sometimes for more than a couple sucks, then she falls right to sleep, and I put her down, and she wakes back up, and its a frenzy until we both get very tired.

2. I will catch her rooting in her bassinet. Anytime she roots or begins to make the food cry I pick her up to latch on. She roots towards the breast but suddenly starts to scream and cry, turning away from the breast and fllailing her arms like I have just offered her the worst thing possible! Then I calm her down, lay her in the bassinet and she begins to root again...

3. Baby is latching really shallow! I will get her on a great latch, but she detaches and then will relatch shallow and try to suck as fast as possible. it is extremely painful! We are having to supplement with hand expressed colostrum because of Jaundise... (spelling may be off on that one).

She seems to have enough we.dirty diapers everdya!

Note, these two problems seem to happen the most at night! i don't know if that means anything, but hopefully!

I just wanted to note that when babies slip.off it often means mum is not sitting in a comfortable position to begin with. You are probably hunching or bending over your LO and as they settle into the feed you begin to relax and they slip off. Make sure you're sitting upright or even leaning back slightly and raise LO up on pillows or whatever to brung them close to the breast. Also make sure they're lying with most of their body in contact with yours.

Good luck!

xXx