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[loopy82]

She's right about pumping for a short time and stopping, you express until the milk stops flowing and then spend some time preparing the breast again i.e. massaging, nipple stimulation, smell something your babies have been wearing, etc. and start again. You can keep repeating this process as many times as you want

Are your babies having around 6-8 wet nappies a day a about 2 dirty nappies a day? that's one of the best ways to know whether they are getting enough. Although I'm not sure if the quantities are different with prem babies as I guess they might not take as much in, maybe check with your LC. Are you able to try and get them directly on your breast at the moment or at least have some skin to skin time?

Congratulations on your babies! Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job, be proud of what you have achieved so far x

 

[Lownthwaite]

I am in desperate need of help, advice, and encouragment and I really hope there is someone willing to take me on.

I had my twins two days ago at 29+5. They are in the NICU so I am pumping as much as I can. The night they were born, I pumped 20cc of colostrum. For 24 hours after that, I didn't produce a single drop of anything. Today I've slowly been working my way back - First session I got 1/2cc. Second I got 3cc. Third - 5cc. But this milk is a lot more watery and clearer and I don't know what kind of milk this is or if it's good enough. My lactation consultant told me to only pump for 15 minutes and then stop. But the last few times I've pumped, there's still been a bit of milk left after that point. So I don't know how long I really should be pumping for.

I really just have no clue how things should be going right now or how to best help my babies. I am so worried that what I'm producing isn't right or that I'm pumping wrong. I guess I just need someone to answer the questions I will surely have over the next week or two and some advice/reassurance.

Thank you

Congratulations on your new arrivals!

Your milk is perfect for your babies - please don't have any concerns about that.

The main problem with expressing in the early days it to find the happy medium between getting enough milk and the possibility of creating an oversupply problem.

I would recommend you speak to some of the ladies in here who have EE (exclusivly expressed) as I imagine you'll be expressing for some time before properly being able to get 29 / 30 weekers at the breast. I'd enquire too about getting a SNS (supplemental nursing system) this will enable you to feed the babies EBM (expressed breastmilk) at the breast whilst encouraging them to feed naturally and also providing nipple stimulation which will help with milk supply and eventually latching.

I'd also pop by the multiples thread. There are a number of mummies in there who have breastfed - try to find Wind. If I remember rightly she successfully breastfed her twins past 6 months.

You're doing brilliantly - don't loose confidence. There's lots of us here to help you.

 

[likeaustralia]

Congratulations on your babies, ShelbyLC!

I didn't have twins, but I did have a baby in the NICU. I know how hard it can be, so while it may seem scary and daunting, please know that you will get through it! As far as pumping goes, just keep at it. It sounds to me like your supply is just starting to come in and will get "milkier" over the next few days. I barely had any colostrum and then all of a sudden on day two (or three.. I can't remember anymore), the milk came pouring out! I'm sure you are doing great. Just keep at it and bring everything you can to the hospital for those little babies.

 

[BertieBones]

Hi all, well I feel like a bit of an idiot as I BF my son for 18months and he had a dairy allergy and reflux! This time DD is a dream, she sttn, she has no allergies that I know of and yet I am having trouble!

She is 14 weeks and when weighed today she has only gained 6oz in the last 4 weeks and over 8 weeks has dropped 2 centiles! the HV is now concerned and told me to wake her at night, which as she is happy in her routine I am wary to do! I feel like I am failing her and worried she is being starved!

Any help is welcome as I feel so low today that I have even thought about switching to FF!

 

[loopy82]

Hi all, well I feel like a bit of an idiot as I BF my son for 18months and he had a dairy allergy and reflux! This time DD is a dream, she sttn, she has no allergies that I know of and yet I am having trouble!

She is 14 weeks and when weighed today she has only gained 6oz in the last 4 weeks and over 8 weeks has dropped 2 centiles! the HV is now concerned and told me to wake her at night, which as she is happy in her routine I am wary to do! I feel like I am failing her and worried she is being starved!

Any help is welcome as I feel so low today that I have even thought about switching to FF!

How is she generally? Is she alert and happy? Is she having plenty of wet nappies? If she wasn't being weighed would you be worried about her? She's not loosing weight which is great, keep an eye on things but try to relax as much as you can. It might be an idea to add a feed during the night like your HV said and let her feed if she so much as looks at you funny and see how it goes My lo dropped just over two centiles between birth and 6 months, I tried everything to get her gaining faster, including formula, and nothing worked. After 6 months she did start gaining faster of her own accord. Summer Rain is another one with slow gaining babies so you might like to speak to her too x

 

[BertieBones]

Thanks hun, she is very alert and mostly happy although is teething so does have grumpy moments! If she hadnt been weighed I would have been happy with how she was doing as she has just outgrown her 0-3 clothes and is now in 3-6 so in my eyes is growing well. She feels solid too, not skinny or boney, it is hard not to worry though when the HV plants so much doubt in your mind! Thanks though hun, will try not to worry and will feed, feed, feed! x

 

[loopy82]

Thanks hun, she is very alert and mostly happy although is teething so does have grumpy moments! If she hadnt been weighed I would have been happy with how she was doing as she has just outgrown her 0-3 clothes and is now in 3-6 so in my eyes is growing well. She feels solid too, not skinny or boney, it is hard not to worry though when the HV plants so much doubt in your mind! Thanks though hun, will try not to worry and will feed, feed, feed! x

No worries, it's easy to tell you not to worry but I do remember the feeling as my HV did exactly the same to me. Luckily I had a HP who supported me all the way and I figure at least I know not to worry quite so much next time! x

 

[Jokerette]

6oz doesn't seem like much of a gain in 4 weeks, but if she's content and seems healthy of trust your baby instead of the scale

 

[Sanka7]

Hello all, I am first time mum to 4 1/2 month boy. Seeking advice, I live in France in the country and find it hard to find anyone that can help me.
I am EBF but pretty much only on one side. I have an inverted nipple on the left breast and although the little man tries to get milk he usually falls asleep after a while or gets frustrated.so I give up on the left and go on to righty where it's so overflowing with milk that he nearly drowns in it !the last few weeks I have really been insisting on lefty, I have cried, bled and cried some more and it's almost pain free now so I leave him as long as he will stay. The thing is, the only time I had a very full left breast was when my milk came in the day after giving birth. He had trouble latching on so the hospital gave me a nipple shield. He didn't like it. But I persisted. Unfortunately I have only ever had a few drops from that breast. Every time I put him on the right I hand empty the left. I have tried breast pumps but nothing seems to get much out. I am worried that I will not be able to EBF my boy for long as he wants just on one breast. Is there any chance now that the inverted nipple isn't painful, that I will have the BIG LET DOWN of milk one day or will it always stay half the size of righty ?
My man weighed 3.3 kg at birth and 6.5 kg at three months. He regained his birth weight with in two days so righty is working very well for now.
Co sleeping , sometimes in our bed but he sleeps longer in his crib next to me. Sometimes too long for my liking. 9 pm til 5or 6 am. Is this bad for my milk supply leaving him this long ?
Also baby wearing and feeding on demand despite all those disagreeing looks from in laws ! I don't leave him to cry it out. In the day he rarely goes to sleep alone. In the scarf he ll easily sleep two to three hours.
Am I doing the right thing ? I feel very lost. Would love to feel confident about the way I am bringing up my child, I feel I am doing the right thing but this unsure feeling doesn't help my sleepless nights. It sleepless because of baby feeding or crying. He sometimes wakes for a feed at 3 am but never cries for it. I have always given him when I see the signs before he gets to cry.
Also trying out Elimination communication. Working well on the days when I concentrate enough on him. We do have days where it's 3 or 4 nappies ! Have been doing this since he was one week old.
Sorry it's so long. I could go asking questions for weeks I think. My main one though is will I ever get more milk in my left breast or isn't too late ?

Thanks

Nicola

 

[Sanka7]

I meant " not sleepless nights because of baby, he only wakes sometimes for a feed at 3 am and never cries for it " .

 

[Sproglet]

If your little boy can't feed off one side, you need to get a decent hospital grade electric pump to empty, not just by hand. This may stimulate your milk supply and will also help to pull the nipple out so baby can feed.

But if all else fails, you can EBF on one boob- that's what mums of twins do!

 

[NicoleLJ]

Where do we get those breast feeding milestone things for our signature. I have been breast feeding for 6 weeks and would love to put one in my signature.

 

[KatVM]

Need advice please! My son is almost 4 months old and is only taking 5-7 minute feeds ranging from every 30minutes to every two hours. I pump after almost every day feeding and get maybe 5ml. The problem is in the last month and a half he has only gained 9 ounces. I was pumping and formula feeding for a while then switched to just formula feeding the end of October. 3weeks ago I switched back to exclusively bf. I can tell he is not getting enough and I'm starting to see the weight loss in his belly. I started him on banana baby food - one baby scoop a day to see if it would help him gain weight and stuff.


So my question is how can i get my baby to get enough milk and have longer more satisfying feeds?


*i know I am weaning early but he likes it and it was what I thought was best

 

[Sproglet]

The length of the feeds isn't a problem- my 2 month old with tongue tie only has 10 minutes every 1-2 hours, after the nurse at the TT clinic watched a feed she said she is getting enough because she has loud swallows with every suck.

However, after combi feeding, then formula feeding, then back to breastfeeding your supply will have taken a huge hit! It's supply and demand, because your little boy wasn't demanding any more milk you won't have been supplying it. Did you pump or anything to stop yourself losing your milk?

Best thing you can do now, is start doing everything you can to increase your supply. Fenugreek can help, as can eating oats. I would stop giving baby food and put baby to the breast as much as possible to stimulate supply (even if he's not feeding, skin to skin contact with him at the breast can help). Keep up with pumping after every feed- even if you're not getting anything out, you are sending the message that more milk is needed. And you could try a pumpathon in the evenings, this stimulates cluster feeding.

Good luck!

 

[TheNewMrs]

Need advice please! My son is almost 4 months old and is only taking 5-7 minute feeds ranging from every 30minutes to every two hours. I pump after almost every day feeding and get maybe 5ml. The problem is in the last month and a half he has only gained 9 ounces. I was pumping and formula feeding for a while then switched to just formula feeding the end of October. 3weeks ago I switched back to exclusively bf. I can tell he is not getting enough and I'm starting to see the weight loss in his belly. I started him on banana baby food - one baby scoop a day to see if it would help him gain weight and stuff.


So my question is how can i get my baby to get enough milk and have longer more satisfying feeds?


*i know I am weaning early but he likes it and it was what I thought was best

If you've only just relactated you probably need to still be taking galatogauges. (fenugreek, fennel, oats, Domperidone) Whatever works for you. Breast compressions help get the hind milk out. If you are at home with LO can you offer breast more often? In those early days we fed, fed, fed!!!! I was literally stuck to the sofa with baby on boob.

Giving food isn't going to help. Your milk is much more calorific than "baby food". It may make baby uncomfortable, cause digestive problems and have lifelong effects. I'd really suggest you thinking long and hard about introducing solids this early.

Signs of readiness for solids are-
-Tongue thrust disappears.
-Baby can sit unaided.
-Is at least 6 months old
-Can move food from hand to mouth themselves.

 

[KatVM]

Need advice please! My son is almost 4 months old and is only taking 5-7 minute feeds ranging from every 30minutes to every two hours. I pump after almost every day feeding and get maybe 5ml. The problem is in the last month and a half he has only gained 9 ounces. I was pumping and formula feeding for a while then switched to just formula feeding the end of October. 3weeks ago I switched back to exclusively bf. I can tell he is not getting enough and I'm starting to see the weight loss in his belly. I started him on banana baby food - one baby scoop a day to see if it would help him gain weight and stuff.


So my question is how can i get my baby to get enough milk and have longer more satisfying feeds?


*i know I am weaning early but he likes it and it was what I thought was best

If you've only just relactated you probably need to still be taking galatogauges. (fenugreek, fennel, oats, Domperidone) Whatever works for you. Breast compressions help get the hind milk out. If you are at home with LO can you offer breast more often? In those early days we fed, fed, fed!!!! I was literally stuck to the sofa with baby on boob.

Giving food isn't going to help. Your milk is much more calorific than "baby food". It may make baby uncomfortable, cause digestive problems and have lifelong effects. I'd really suggest you thinking long and hard about introducing solids this early.

Signs of readiness for solids are-
-Tongue thrust disappears.
-Baby can sit unaided.
-Is at least 6 months old
-Can move food from hand to mouth themselves.

I should have said I only stop completely breast feeding for a total of maybe two days before I switch to doing it just a night then a week later went back full time. So my milk supply has never fully dropped to a low amount. I have him on the boobs every hour or so as long as he is actively sucking, once he starts. Gnawing down or kicking off of me I stop. He is currently drinks 80% of the night waking up frequently. I have been pumping everytime he finished eating. He comes off the boobs happy and smiling and seems to stay that way the whole day. I will try to pump more at night and keep him on the breast as much as possible.


As far as solids go he has one scoop of something a day along with 4 ounces of pumped milk a day. He has no tongue reflex, grabs the spoon from my hand and puts it in his own mouth. You can introduce solids safely after 17 weeks and at the latest start at 6 months i know the danger and do my best to give my baby exactly what he needs and respond to his cues. Thank you both for your advice.

 

[duckytwins]

Hi! I was wondering if someone could help me please? I'd love to be paired with someone, otherwise just some advice would be appreciated! Baby was born last Tuesday at 36+4 and latched on like a champ immediately! I tried breastfeeding exclusively (putting him to breast pretty much all day for the first few days) until I was told he lost 11% of his body weight and I had to start supplementing. At first, I had him on the SNS system while I nursed, but he didn't like the tube and would freak out sometimes while I tried to get him to latch. He spent more time being upset than he would at the breast, so I stopped the SNS and we tried a syringe. That took forever to get him to even take 20 ccs, so I stopped that too, and now I am putting him on every 3 hours, for 15 minutes per side, then DH is supplementing with finger feeding.

My problem is that I don't think he's getting enough from me because he takes 40-50 ccs from DH as a supplement. I was going to try pumping to see if I get anything, but I'm not sure if I should. I feel like my breasts are bigger, but they don't feel full or heavy. I can hand express and get a few drops, so I know at least a tiny bit is there.

I posted a while back about how I desparately tried to breastfeed my twins, but couldn't. Now I desparately want to breastfeed Christian and I'm so afraid my milk won't come in and I won't be able to again. Please, if someone could help me, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!

 

[Sproglet]

I'm not a champion, but I hope you don't mind a bit of advice anyway!

11% loss is not that big, they like it to be under 10% but I know babies that have lost up to 15% and been fine.

How were baby's nappies before you started supplementing? Were his poos changing from meconium? Was he weeing frequently? If so, there may not have been as big a problem as you thought.

Please don't time your breast feeds. Keep baby on the breast for as long as he is happy to be there. Skin to skin if possible. And only supplement when he is starting to get frustrated. If you can, get a pump and pump while OH supplements baby. This will help stimulate your milk supply, otherwise when baby is supplemented your body thinks as baby isn't hungry you are producing enough milk. You can feed anything you get out to baby.

You might want to seek professional help with this bit- a lactation consultant or breastfeeding support worker or similar. When baby is at the breast, is he sucking and swallowing? (Look for a wiggle in front of his ear). Is your latch absolutely spot on? Has baby been checked for tongue tie? (When DH is finger feeding, does baby's tongue go over the gum?)

Above all- keep trying! Robyn started off latching but not sucking, it took us 3 weeks to get to the point where she could consistently take full feeds off the breast.

 

[chrissie33]

Having fed dh until 18 months, I thought it would be a breeze this time with ds but he had probs in the beginning with firstly not wanting to latch (fast labour made for shocked baby i think). I had to hand express with mw help and give it to him in a syringe. It took about 2weeks before he got more into feeding and has been making up for his slow start. I agree with sproglet, try not to obsess over time at the breast, I was told to get ds to feed for 45 mins (15mins per side, offering1st sideagain) but he has never fed that long and I go very paranoid. Baby will take what they need so the more you can get them to the breast in the early days, the better imo as their tummies are so small. Do try pumping where you can and get dh to top him up if needed but I think the more you can get baby to feed from you, the moreyou will stimulate your milk production.
Its easy to get paranoid that you arent producing enough (I was on the phone to a close friend of mine every day for the first 2 weeks!!) so try not to worry and feed him as much as you can. good luck hun x

 

[duckytwins]

Thanks for the help! I don't think he's tongue tied. I'll ask DH about his tongue though. He had a few good wet diapers from what I understand (anytime I ever changed him in the hospital, it was only dirty, not wet, but the nurses and DH had some pretty good wet ones). I think I changed his first diaper that wasn't meconium. That was Thursday or Friday.

He seems to be swallowing. I'll have to check next time.