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[TigerLady]

Aww!! Great news!!!

I know there are other ladies out there that have used them temporarily and were eventually able to wean LO off them but still continue successful nursing. Maybe post in the general forum and see how long most ladies used them and how they weaned off them.

But if they work, then keep using them for now! Like you said, better those than the bottle!

 

[tiggercats]

Growth spurt? I waited with nervous anticipation for the 6 week growth spurt but didn't notice any difference in our feeding pattern. In the last 4 days Alex has had 2 nights of waking 4 hourly again (for 2-3 weeks he has done 6-8hours), yesterday he wanted feeding slightly more often than normal and today it has been every 2 hours which is much more often than normal. I don't mind the extra feeds, if he needs it he gets it, but it does make me worry I wont be able to keep him satisfied. I want to be able to pump a bit to help increase my supply, but I just don't have the time.

Does it sound daft that I think this is his 6 week spurt a bit late? (he was born 2 weeks early) How long do these growth spurts usually last?

 

[TigerLady]

Otter never followed the "proper pattern" of spurts either. I think he forgot to read the book about when he was supposed to have them. He seemed to have one every 2-3 weeks endlessly. His also lasted longer than normal. As long as 5 days.

If it feels like a growth spurt, then it probably is one. Don't worry about trying to do other things (like pumping) to increase your supply. His constant feeding will do that better than anything else anyway. Just get in some extra skin to skin and cuddle time if you want. Spurts usually last 2-3 days, which is how long it takes for your milk to catch up. But that can vary (as Otter often proved).

Just feed on demand, let him feed as often as he wants for as long as he wants (even if he seems to get frustrated), and it will work out. Otter used to get so frustrated at my bbs during spurts and cluster feeding in the evenings that he would punch them. DH always wanted to make him up a bottle to help him. I never let him. They need to work those issues out at the bb so that your supply will catch up. And it will!

 

[Kota]

I have a question please ladies. Phoenix is currently going through his 6wk growth spurt and is doing the whole whimpering, pulling/tugging at the nipple, punching my boobs and fussing when the milk is slowing down or has stopped coming.
But I'm not sure what to do then? Do I leave him fussing and tugging at the same nipple to allow for that boob to know to produce more? and if so, how long do I leave him getting more and more frustrated for?
Or do I swap sides to calm him down knowing that I only finished feeding from that one 15-20mins ago anyway and he'll drain it pretty quickly as well?

 

[wishingonastar]

Hey Kota, is he doing the whimpering/tugging all day at the mo or only at certain times of day? If it's only at certain times (e.g. at night) it could be that he's tired but is confusing it with hunger as isabel used to get very fussy at the breast when she was tired cos she kept wanting to drink but then couldn't cos she was too full

if it's all day then as you say its likely to be his growth spurt, in which case you could try to trigger your letdown before latching him on so the milks there ready to reduce him fussing, or you could swap him back to the other side if you think the current one is empty...so long as he's drinking and nibbling at both in turn it'll give your body the right messages (and make sure you drink/eat plenty to ensure you can make the extra milk)

 

[Kota]

Hey Kota, is he doing the whimpering/tugging all day at the mo or only at certain times of day? If it's only at certain times (e.g. at night) it could be that he's tired but is confusing it with hunger as isabel used to get very fussy at the breast when she was tired cos she kept wanting to drink but then couldn't cos she was too full

if it's all day then as you say its likely to be his growth spurt, in which case you could try to trigger your letdown before latching him on so the milks there ready to reduce him fussing, or you could swap him back to the other side if you think the current one is empty...so long as he's drinking and nibbling at both in turn it'll give your body the right messages (and make sure you drink/eat plenty to ensure you can make the extra milk)

It def seems to get worse at night, last night it didn't stop, but it is during the day as well, he latches on, feeds fine and then starts once the boob is empty. I've been doing the swapping thing so far but he just keeps draining them the last day or so...

 

[im_mi]

Kota it sounds like you are doing everything right hon as long as you let him nurse/suckle when he wants to, your body will do the rest! what i used to do was let Jack empty one breast, then move him to the other one, then back to the original one, then swap again etc etc.

 

[TigerLady]

I did the switch back and forth thing with Otter during spurts. Sometimes he would do left, right, left, right, left, right before he stopped!

Remember that your bbs are never TOTALLY empty as they constantly make milk. But the flow gets so slow that it is barely a trickle and that is when they get frustrated. When you are in the middle of a spurt it seems so endless and frustrating. You start to question your supply and if you are doing things right... I always did. But in the end, you always catch up and things settle down. Eventually!

 

[Kota]

cool, thanks ladies!

 

[littleblonde]

Hello. My LO is 1 week old tommrrow. so we are very new at this. Im breast feeding. Very anxioius weather she is getting enough or feeding enough. My midwife has reassured me all is ok. When i started and before my milk came in she was on for 45 minutes every 4 or so hours. Then when my milk arrived she went from 1 day going on for 20 minutes then yesterday for 10 minutes and then today 5 minutes at a time. She seems to go 2-3 hourly during the day and about 5 hourly at night. I wait for her to wake for a feed which i assume is correct. When she has finshed she stops herself and lays back and is more or less asleep. my midwife saw me breast feed yesterday and said she looked exactly as she should after. I no after 6 days i have no pattern and no way of noing what the next day will bring. But would like surport

 

[TigerLady]

Hi, hon! It sounds like you are doing really well so far. Great job! We all worry about whether or not they are getting enough from time to time. It is the nature of breastfeeding. But there are ways to judge:

Is she content between feeds?
Is she wetting 5-6 nappies per day?
Is she gaining weight over the course of 4-6 weeks?
Is she meeting her milestones?

Obviously, only the first two apply to your LO right now. But keep the other two in mind for later. Don't worry about weight gain over the course of only a couple of weeks, it is better to judge it month by month, or even longer.

For now, as long as she is content, you are feeding on demand, and she is wetting the appropriate number of nappies, then she is doing great! It sounds like you are right on target with her.

If you want to see if she will feed more, you can try things like tickling her cheek, chin, feet or rubbing her arms or legs. If fidgeting with her like that still doesn't make her feed more, than she is truly done. Trust her to know when her belly is full! Babies are very good at working that out.

We are here if you have any other questions or concerns!

 

[OpheliaX]

Also I wanted to add that in the US my Dr recommended waking the baby up at night in the beginning after 3-4 hours. However Lucian was also a premie and they wanted to make sure he was eating regularly. So maybe if you are concerned set your alarm a few nights in a row and add a feed in then.

 

[littleblonde]

She is content between feeds and she does wet that many a day. i have tried to wake her to gove her more but she has no interest. Thanks foir reasurrance. sure i will be back soon

 

[im_mi]

littleblonde it sounds like you are doing great. the waking for feeds thing is something that people have very different opinions over. i think the general consensus is if your baby is gaining adequately and is thriving, there is no need to wake for night feeds.

 

[littleblonde]

Just saw a midwife. Not my normal one and she said that kacey is snack feeding and its not enough and if she dont feed for longer then she will be admited. She said im to pump and see if that helps. She fed 2 hourly yesterday all the way till 5am and then went 4 hours. Then this morning she had a 10 minute feed. So not sure what today will bring yesterday. Im woindering if she is windy? Im trying to wind. Would that make a difference. Need some more advise as i dont want to be admited with her. I dodnt really want to pump yet but obviousl will follow midwifes advise

 

[littleblonde]

she is only feeding 5 minutes at a time

 

[wishingonastar]

that midwife could be right or could be wrong! i have a very fast letdown so isabel has only ever fed a max of 10-15mins on one side and sometimes less (as a newborn) and now she's older she only feeds for 3-4 mins on one side for a feed and that's plenty for her

if she is happy and content between feeds, producing at least 5-6 wet nappies daily, feeding with gaps of a couple of hours and is steadily gaining weight it's no problem. sometimes if babies have green poo its a sign they're snacking and only getting the initial fore milk, not hind milk, but green poo can also be a sign of fast letdown, wind, teething and all sorts!

that midwife may be assuming all babies need to feed for 15-20 mins at a time which is the case for some women, so she would have told me isabel was snacking but she definately wasn't i can assure you!!

 

[im_mi]

Jack was a snacker too. is there something else going on with your baby that is making her talk about having her admitted? is she losing weight or something? because that seems a little extreme.... some babies just feed like that.

Its always worth bearing in mind that the majority of people, including health professionals, look upon babies' habits from artificial feeding terms.

 

[TigerLady]

I agree that the MW may be overreacting. It seems pretty silly to me that any baby would be admitted solely on the basis of how they feed??? To me, it is more important that they are gaining weight, alert, and wetting the proper number of nappies.

 

[OpheliaX]

Agreed. Waking at night is not a necessity just a suggestion for your own sanity if you are nervous. Also you could pump for a few minutes before bringing baby to the breast if you want them to get the hind milk quicker until they build up there strength. Could be they have a stamina issue? I had this with Lucian but he was a premie as I mentioned.

If no green poo and baby is alert, happy and wetting regularly you should be fine.