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[Lownthwaite]

hi lownthwaite,

Cngrats on d pregnancy!

no he wasnt full term. he was born by elective section at 37+6. I hated the section and recovery! i had low lying placenta and alot of bleeds from 32 weeks so they were happy to get it that far. i think my latch is better now. i was told recently to look at my nipple when it comes out to check the shape to make sure its a good latch. ive found it really useful doing that.

im bummed out today as doc weighed baby and he hasnt gained weight since last week so she says i need to give him formula. i really dont want to but not sure what im doing wrong. im going to nurse like crazy and weigh him thursday to see if theres a difference. Then I'll have to supplement asi don't know what else to do.

Thanks bbygurl and nervous1,

I would defo like to be paired with someone. Defo need help. Im stuck in d house not driving after my section so cant access any support groups in the area. No one i know has breastfed so am just googling everything. Havent a clue what im doing really!

He has only just returned to his birth weight but my latch wasnt good. I didnt realise i had to wake him to feed him either at d start. (Still not sure on this point). Im feeding on demand during d day and waking him at night every 3 and a half hours. Do i need to do this?

Thanks again for d replies ladies.

Hi Nuff,

Congratulations on your new little one.

Was your baby born full term?
Is your latch correct now?

I had an emergency section with my DD so I understand how it is to be stuck in feeling unable to get out.

Thank you!

Checking the nipple isn't blanching is good it can help to give you a confidence boost to and reassure you that your latch is most likely correct.

I honestly wouldn't worry about baby "not gaining weight" at the moment. Babys generally do lose some of their weight after birth and then recover it. There's a chance baby lost the weight and then recovered which would account for the "none increase" - if that makes sense?

You're not obliged to have baby weighed - remember that. I would take babys lead. Make sure he's feeding well and on demand. Coming off the breast himself and is happy and alert when awake. I used to only get my DD weighed once a month - that way there is no constant questioning or unnecessary worrying about weight gain. xx

 

[Lownthwaite]

I really hope someone can help me as I'm at my wits end here. My son was born full term but had to spend the first two weeks in the NICU. He's now 9 weeks and I pump and give him the bottle. Occasionally he will nurse, but for the most part he refuses the breast and only takes the bottles of expressed breast milk. I really want to exclusively breastfeed, but I have no idea how to get him to take the breast consistently. I've tried only offering the breast, but he either flat out refuses to suck or he'll suck for a few minutes and stop. I thought maybe he was full, but I offered a bottle after he finished nursing once and he took down 2 ounces in a matter of minutes. I've tried just offering the breast and not supplementing with a bottle but after he goes a few hours without a good feed I give him the bottle because he's so hungry.

Is there anything I can do to encourage him to take the breasts? Could I be doing something wrong? He only has a good nursing session if he's very sleepy. I really want to exclusively breastfeed because it is so difficult trying to find the time to pump and clean while taking care of him but I can't just let him go hungry when he won't nurse. Anyone successfully make the switch from bottle to EBF? Any tips for how I can make the transition?

I don't have experience of bottles myself but I would advise stimulating let down before offering the breast. (Either manually or with a pump)
If the milk is free flowing once baby latches there is more of a chance he will accept it and feed - as apposed to having to stimulate and wait for the let down himself.

When offering bottles I would avoid holding him in the cradle position - don't let gravity help with the feeding meaning he has to learn to try that little bit harder as he would do with the breast. Give it a go and see how you get on to begin with.

 

[CupCakeFairy]

Hi,

Don't know why it's taken me 12 weeks p ask on he forums for advice!

Anyway, I posted in the main part of this board about my baby not being able to latch and having to use shields at every feed.

I was hoping to maybe get advice about how to wean her off the shields, but seeing as no position or hold has ever worked, I'm not sure if it's possible now. I've had lots of help but it seems that my LO just won't stay attached!

Thanks for any help,

Cake x

 

[Lownthwaite]

Hi,

Don't know why it's taken me 12 weeks p ask on he forums for advice!

Anyway, I posted in the main part of this board about my baby not being able to latch and having to use shields at every feed.

I was hoping to maybe get advice about how to wean her off the shields, but seeing as no position or hold has ever worked, I'm not sure if it's possible now. I've had lots of help but it seems that my LO just won't stay attached!

Thanks for any help,

Cake x

I've not used them myself but Nervous has experience of using shields - I'm sure she'll be along soon to offer advice.

 

[suze12]

Hey I have been EBF for nearly 10 months now, how do I get one of those flashy badges on my comments xxx

 

[bbygurl719]

Are u talking about the milestone ones???

 

[bbygurl719]

Or the bf champion one??

 

[roni_75]

Hey I have been EBF for nearly 10 months now, how do I get one of those flashy badges on my comments xxx

I have a lot on my Photobucket profile Ronda_75 if you want to make a profile and take some. That's how I got mine, but it was two years ago so I am not sure whose profile I used.

 

[theraphosidae]

Here are the milestone badges:

https://s1233.photobucket.com/user/milky_mommy/library/?sort=6&start=all&page=1

ETA: Also, just wanted to introduce myself as a new addition to the BF champion team, my name is Cassandra, I've EBF since birth, have lots of experience with bad latch, nipple fissures, and cutting out dairy/soy due to suspected intolerance/eczema. Looking forward to being able to help and offer advice!

 

[suze12]

Here are the milestone badges:

https://s1233.photobucket.com/user/milky_mommy/library/?sort=6&start=all&page=1

ETA: Also, just wanted to introduce myself as a new addition to the BF champion team, my name is Cassandra, I've EBF since birth, have lots of experience with bad latch, nipple fissures, and cutting out dairy/soy due to suspected intolerance/eczema. Looking forward to being able to help and offer advice!

Thank you ladies
Also, how do you 'become' a bf champion? I also have experience with suspected dairy allergy and cutting out dairy (this has now been confirmed along with a wheat and egg allergy! ) xxxx

 

[Nervous_1]

Hi,

Don't know why it's taken me 12 weeks p ask on he forums for advice!

Anyway, I posted in the main part of this board about my baby not being able to latch and having to use shields at every feed.

I was hoping to maybe get advice about how to wean her off the shields, but seeing as no position or hold has ever worked, I'm not sure if it's possible now. I've had lots of help but it seems that my LO just won't stay attached!

Thanks for any help,

Cake x

I would try to start each and every feed without the shields. Even if baby only latches on for a moment or two longer than the last feed and then you put the shield back on again that's progress! And this way she'll get used to the idea that feeds start without a shield, and eventually forget that the shield should be there at all. Well, that's the theory, but there is always one baby who will break the rules!

Another thing you could try is distraction. Go for a feed without shields, and if she unlatches distract her for a minute or two, then try again. Good luck!

 

[CupCakeFairy]

Thanks!

Now for the hard part... How can I teach my baby to latch correctly? She's never ever done it! Regardless of how I hold her or myself, she's never latched on properly

She will point blank refuse the nipple sometimes and so I relent (when she's screaming the house down) and give her the shield, but if there's something more going on (reflux?) she'll refuse that too and then it's a bottle followed by me having to express

Sorry to be so complicated!

 

[theraphosidae]

When Callum was having a tough time latching, there was a technique I saw and it really helped. Basically, using your thumb and index finger, you pinch your nipple and flip it up toward the ceiling. Then, using your pinky finger on your LO's chin, you open their mouth as much as you can, put your nipple in their mouth and let go. This gets all of the nipple as far into the mouth as possible, as it puts the bottom of your areola in their mouth and THEN the nipple so it all gets in there. This technique really really helped me until Callum's mouth got big enough to latch properly. There's a video of it I'm trying to find, I'm not very good at describing what I mean, haha.

Also, I found the football hold to be really really helpful with proper latching.

Hope this helps!!

 

[CupCakeFairy]

Than you! Will give this a go!

 

[MissPolley]

i have a few questions bout pumping; when is the best time to pump and how often should i pump, should i combine a days milk together or freeze separately?

 

[misslissa]

Hi,

I'm not sure where to start really. My LO is 5wks and had oral thrush pretty much from birth. I had it and assume I passed it on during delivery.

Anyway, he was treated with nystatin for 3 weeks and after lots of pestering different Drs they eventually have me clotrimazole for my boobs. I went back to Drs about 10 days ago after lots of discussions with lactation consultant (over phone) and bf helplines to try and get fluconazole oral tablets and to change lo onto miconazole gel and the cream for me. I explained my nipples itched and boobs hurt but he said he couldn't see anything wrong. To be fair he wanted to swab baby and refused to prescribe anything different until we got results.

Well the swab came back clear which is great but I'm not convinced its gone. I'm getting pain deep in my one breast and my nipples are itchy. The nipple on the same side as the pain looks a bit odd too compared to the other, it's a bit dry and misshapen.

I've also noticed I now have vaginal thrush again. I don't think it ever cleared, I have used pessaries since birth. My body just seems full of thrush

So long story short, I am going to go back to Drs Monday, no appointment so I'm going to have to pester. I want the tablets and different cream. I feel bad for lo as he doesn't seem to have symptoms at the mo and I guess I'll have to treat him again?

I know the Dr is going to be reluctant to help me, how can I convince him? I took the leaflet from the bf network but he wouldn't even look at it.

Do you think I defo have thrush? I do but I don't want to jump to conclusions.

My lo is v unsettled this last couple of days, screaming while feeding, not sleeping etc so I'm v emotional and tired.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Lownthwaite]

i have a few questions bout pumping; when is the best time to pump and how often should i pump, should i combine a days milk together or freeze separately?

If you want to pump regularly to build a stash you need to pump at the same time every day. So pick a time when you know you'll be at home and undisturbed. I used to express at 22:30 every night - LO would be asleep and I knew I'd be home and not disturbed.

You can combine expressions over the course of a few days just store the milk in the back of the fridge and combine it when all the expressions are the same temperature (fridge).

Or you can combine cold milk from the fridge to frozen milk. Just make sure you don't add warm milk to milk that's already chilled or frozen.

 

[Lownthwaite]

Hi,

I'm not sure where to start really. My LO is 5wks and had oral thrush pretty much from birth. I had it and assume I passed it on during delivery.

Anyway, he was treated with nystatin for 3 weeks and after lots of pestering different Drs they eventually have me clotrimazole for my boobs. I went back to Drs about 10 days ago after lots of discussions with lactation consultant (over phone) and bf helplines to try and get fluconazole oral tablets and to change lo onto miconazole gel and the cream for me. I explained my nipples itched and boobs hurt but he said he couldn't see anything wrong. To be fair he wanted to swab baby and refused to prescribe anything different until we got results.

Well the swab came back clear which is great but I'm not convinced its gone. I'm getting pain deep in my one breast and my nipples are itchy. The nipple on the same side as the pain looks a bit odd too compared to the other, it's a bit dry and misshapen.

I've also noticed I now have vaginal thrush again. I don't think it ever cleared, I have used pessaries since birth. My body just seems full of thrush

So long story short, I am going to go back to Drs Monday, no appointment so I'm going to have to pester. I want the tablets and different cream. I feel bad for lo as he doesn't seem to have symptoms at the mo and I guess I'll have to treat him again?

I know the Dr is going to be reluctant to help me, how can I convince him? I took the leaflet from the bf network but he wouldn't even look at it.

Do you think I defo have thrush? I do but I don't want to jump to conclusions.

My lo is v unsettled this last couple of days, screaming while feeding, not sleeping etc so I'm v emotional and tired.

Any advice appreciated.

It sounds like you're having a rough time right now!

It does sound like it could be thrush - possibly ductal as you've still got the pain within the breast tissue.

When you go to the doctor insist on a prescription for a full course of Fluconazole for the internal infection, Daktarin gel for babys mouth and Daktarin cream for your nipples. If the GP is reluctant just remind them they have a duty of care and surely the NHS and WHO would like you to continue BF?!

You'd be best to treat the vaginal thrush too - clearing it from your entire body will help.

Have you had your latch checked? You say it looks misshapen? Is it blanching?

Keep your breast pads dry as much as possible - if they are damp and warm this is the perfect environment for thrush infection. If you're using dummies I'd make sure to sterilise them every few hours.

 

[misslissa]

Hi,

It sounds like you're having a rough time right now!

It does sound like it could be thrush - possibly ductal as you've still got the pain within the breast tissue.

When you go to the doctor insist on a prescription for a full course of Fluconazole for the internal infection, Daktarin gel for babys mouth and Daktarin cream for your nipples. If the GP is reluctant just remind them they have a duty of care and surely the NHS and WHO would like you to continue BF?!

You'd be best to treat the vaginal thrush too - clearing it from your entire body will help.

Have you had your latch checked? You say it looks misshapen? Is it blanching?

Keep your breast pads dry as much as possible - if they are damp and warm this is the perfect environment for thrush infection. If you're using dummies I'd make sure to sterilise them every few hours.

That's exactly what I want to be prescribed, I just find it do hard to get through to the dr. I'm going to have to really work hard to get it.

Will the oral treatment sort my vaginal thrush, I've presumed it will or would I need pessaries for that aswell?

I'm not using dummies or anything no, thankfully.

I wear disposable breast pads but I don't really leak much so it's the same ones all day then I put fresh at night. I do try to go braless at night but end up with a leak at some point so end up in a bra. Was trying to air my boobs a bit. Should I be changing the pads more?

I'm concerned its ductal, is this possible in one boob?

I have had the midwives watch a feed and they thought I was doing well. I think I'm going to have to travel and see a lactation consultant about his latch on that side as it isn't as good as the other. My nipple is sort of on an angle and harder than the good one. It stings when he goes on, toe curling, knives then eases a little but I get the deeper breast pain. It's not excruitiating but it hurts. It's the deep nipple itch both sides too than is horrible. I think the bad nipple is a lighter pink constantly but not really blanched I don't think. Not sure though.

Other question, I've been using lansinoh lanolin but I've just read that can make thrush worse. Shoukd I stop and risk sore nipples? I'm so confused.

 

[Lownthwaite]

Originally my GP only prescribed me with the Daktarin until my midwife called him and told him I needed the Fluconazole too. Is there an understanding midwife or health visitor who could back you up?

I would get separate treatment for the vaginal thrush and double hit it to be honest.

As soon as you tell your pads are damp I'd change them. Airing is the correct thing to do as much as possible.

I had ductal thrush in both breasts but I don't see why it's not possible to only be in one.

The toe curling pain upon latching is typical of thrush.

I would stop using the lansinoh whilst you're treating the thrush. Personally I'd say the better option would be to let your nipples air dry and ensure a perfect latch upon every feeding.