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[thelilbump]

WTT - sorry coming in half way through but sounds like ou are doing a fab job well done

 

[im_mi]

thats wonderful WTT! well done to you!

 

[pinkbow]

The only reason i asked is that i have *never* been able to get more than a few drops from expressing, ever. Except for the first couple months of Jack's life. Expressing is absolutely no marker for the amount of milk a woman is producing. have lots of skin to skin contact with LO but with no pressure to feed, just enjoy the contact and make the breasts available and im sure he'll come back to the one he has decided he doesnt like. Its likely that, like you said, he was put off by the teething pain and will take a little while to realise that its okay and that particular booby isnt trying to hurt him

Thanks for that, i think you're right there ive never gotten anything, like you before so just going to have to show him my boobie isnt scary lol. I dont think its helping im putting this pressure on myself either.

 

[im_mi]

ive just got this lovely, funny image in my head of you trying to convince your son that your booby isnt scary and him with this really suspicious look on his face

You're right hun, dont put any pressure on yourself like we've discussed, one boob is perfectly capable of producing enough milk for a baby so there's no need to panic. just take it steady, have lots of lovely naked cuddles and he'll come back to it

 

[tiggercats]

Quick question - How long do I take fenugreek for? I'm taking it to try and up my supply and hope that Alex will sleep better at night. He feeds every 3 hours in the day and anything from 2-6 hours at night (but lately more like every 2-3 hours). I only give 1 boob per feed otherwise I end up with most of the second boob's worth back again.

 

[TigerLady]

If he doesn't take both per feed (because it will be overfeeding for him), but you want him to take a bit more to see if he will go longer -- can you just offer 1 boob and half of the other? Then start the next feed on the one you ended the last feed on?

 

[tiggercats]

Thanks TL. I'll try that again, it just feels like a step back because then I'm glued to feeding for almost an hour a time. I can't judge how long he actually feeds for, I'm aware he just stays latched on for as long as I let him. I'm very conscious of the fact he is only very slowly gaining weight and I want to make sure he gets plenty of hind milk. I don't have the time (to do separately) or the knack (to do whilst feeding) to express the foremilk first. I'm just feeling a bit negative because I'm completely exhausted and I don't have any help

 

[TigerLady]

hon! The slow weight gain makes it a bit more tricky. However, I got to the point were I realized Otter was comfort sucking, feeding slowly, generally dwaddling, etc. I decided to put an end to it. I got to where I would take him off once he started to slow down his sucking. If he was still hungry, he would throw a fit and he would be allowed back on. If he wasn't hungry, he wasn't bothered to be taken off. This quickly (a week or so) taught him to feed fast and mean business. Now he finishes both boobs in less than 5 minutes. He doesn't dwaddle anymore. I know another lady that was in a situation similar to you and tried this, it worked for her, too.

Do you think it would work for you?

 

[tiggercats]

I'd be terrified of starving him if I limit his time at the boob. Sometimes when I try to take him off (even after 20mins) he makes it almost impossible to break the suction so he is obviously still enjoying it. Also I like him snuggled up to me for a feed, it is lovely to look at his gorgeous little face when he is enjoying his dinner. I haven't had him weighed for a couple of weeks, last time he was weighed he had slipped beneath his line on the chart and he is only on the 2nd percentile line anyway.

I'm going to have to discipline us both and try 20mins first side and 10 the second side. Then maybe we can cut down to quicker feeds if his weight is going up enough.

 

[TigerLady]

Don't deny him the milk... just deny him the dwaddling if that makes sense. And try not to stress too much about the chart and centiles. I makes me batty how much doctors encourage us to worry about those! The important thing to look for his that he is well hydrated and meeting his milestones. If those two things are true, then don't worry about his weight!

 

[pinkbow]

ive just got this lovely, funny image in my head of you trying to convince your son that your booby isnt scary and him with this really suspicious look on his face

You're right hun, dont put any pressure on yourself like we've discussed, one boob is perfectly capable of producing enough milk for a baby so there's no need to panic. just take it steady, have lots of lovely naked cuddles and he'll come back to it

at the mental image.

Thank you though for your help. Ill be sure to update if he trusts that boobie again lol!!

 

[happyface82]

Hello girls! What an amazing thread! I am very new to this!

Can I please please please get some advice?

I had my little girl on 25.04 at 36 weeks. She weight 2.400kg. In hospital she wouldn't latch on, and the nurses said its cause she's too small and weak and to express. So I've been expressing. . .

1 week after birth she went back in as she had an infection and stayed in for 1 week so I've only had her here at home for the past week. I've been exclusively expressing which is exhausting as she fees every 3 hours. It just takes so long. I've still try bf every day but she hasn't managed it yet although she seems to be closer.

Yesterday I bought some nipple shields and she latched straight on for 20 min but still she had quite a lot of EBM so I'm not sure how much milk she actually got. Today she tried a bit with the shield but again get tired very easily. . .

Any ideas of what I can do or when she will be strong enough? She now weights 2.810kg, she has put on a lot of weight after coming home the 2nd time from hospital! 400gr in 10 days!

I'm just really confused, I try to express as much as possible as its just enough for her needs but then I'm worried there's nothing there for when she does try. . .

Hope all this makes sense! Any advice would be veeeery helpful!

 

[Hen]

Hi ladies, I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some advice. My little girl is now 16 days old, and I managed to exclusively breastfeed for the first 8 days but there was something wrong with her latch and she was causing me serious pain. The midwives said that she'd hyperstimulated a nerve as well as causing real damage to the nipples which was causing me all the pain and that I should express for 24 hours to give me some time to heal. I ended up expressing for about 3 days as I wasn't healing and parts of my nipples actually came off. (not recommended, quite painful!)

So in order to let me heal I stopped expressing about 5 days ago. I spent an hour and a half with an NCT lactation counsellor on Friday to see if we could solve the latch issues which (fingers crossed) we have. But obviously my supply has now decreased and I'm having to top Lottie up with formula otherwise the poor little mite is starving.

I'd be happy if I could breastfeed her 2 or 3 times a day (night feed plus one or two in the day) and do the rest with formula, as I was so sure that I was going to end up formula feeding her.

Does anyone have any advice of how I can increase my supply to be able to feed her a couple of times a day? I am probably producing about 2 oz from theLHS (less from the RHS) based on what I can express and what she is leaving at some feeds. but can I "save it up" for some feeds or will that decrease my supply even further?

Thanks for any advice or help. xx

 

[rocemom]

I need a breastfeeding champion.
Im 33 single mom (its complicated) of two children my oldest is 15 and my youngest is 11 weeks.
I went to work at the beginning on may and I have been pumping but by the end of the day my supply is so low Im not getting enough to feed her through the next day
Also I have one nipple that is larger than the other and is very painful during latching on and pumping. We think its from my daughters thrush which she has had for 6 weeks now but Im lost.
I really could use the extra support as with my son I didnt make it this long and Im really hoping to last thru 12 months
If anyone can help I would love it becasue Im really feeling like there is no hope

 

[Nic1981]

Is it too late for me to get some support?
My little boy is 12 months old and I desperately need some support and encouragement to let me know that I'm doing the right thing in still breastfeeding him!
Everything seems to be against me!

 

[thelilbump]

Hello girls! What an amazing thread! I am very new to this!

Can I please please please get some advice?

I had my little girl on 25.04 at 36 weeks. She weight 2.400kg. In hospital she wouldn't latch on, and the nurses said its cause she's too small and weak and to express. So I've been expressing. . .

1 week after birth she went back in as she had an infection and stayed in for 1 week so I've only had her here at home for the past week. I've been exclusively expressing which is exhausting as she fees every 3 hours. It just takes so long. I've still try bf every day but she hasn't managed it yet although she seems to be closer.

Yesterday I bought some nipple shields and she latched straight on for 20 min but still she had quite a lot of EBM so I'm not sure how much milk she actually got. Today she tried a bit with the shield but again get tired very easily. . .

Any ideas of what I can do or when she will be strong enough? She now weights 2.810kg, she has put on a lot of weight after coming home the 2nd time from hospital! 400gr in 10 days!

I'm just really confused, I try to express as much as possible as its just enough for her needs but then I'm worried there's nothing there for when she does try. . .

Hope all this makes sense! Any advice would be veeeery helpful!

Hiya.

admittedly i am no expert when it comes to expressing, however it sounds to me like you are doing it right some pumping and some natural feeding getting her used to it. It can be difficult expressing, some women get put off by the little amounts they produce in the early stages but it is likely with her to the breast she is getting more than you think as she is a natural stimuli. You say pumping takes a while? What kind of a pump are you using? An electric one might be useful?

Would you like me to see if i can get someone to chat with you further?

 

[thelilbump]

Hi ladies, I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some advice. My little girl is now 16 days old, and I managed to exclusively breastfeed for the first 8 days but there was something wrong with her latch and she was causing me serious pain. The midwives said that she'd hyperstimulated a nerve as well as causing real damage to the nipples which was causing me all the pain and that I should express for 24 hours to give me some time to heal. I ended up expressing for about 3 days as I wasn't healing and parts of my nipples actually came off. (not recommended, quite painful!)

So in order to let me heal I stopped expressing about 5 days ago. I spent an hour and a half with an NCT lactation counsellor on Friday to see if we could solve the latch issues which (fingers crossed) we have. But obviously my supply has now decreased and I'm having to top Lottie up with formula otherwise the poor little mite is starving.

I'd be happy if I could breastfeed her 2 or 3 times a day (night feed plus one or two in the day) and do the rest with formula, as I was so sure that I was going to end up formula feeding her.

Does anyone have any advice of how I can increase my supply to be able to feed her a couple of times a day? I am probably producing about 2 oz from theLHS (less from the RHS) based on what I can express and what she is leaving at some feeds. but can I "save it up" for some feeds or will that decrease my supply even further?

Thanks for any advice or help. xx

ooooh ouch that sounds painful

I think the best thing to do is keep her to the breast and skin to skin contact whenever you get a good oppurtunity. The more she feeds the more your body will hopefully increase its supply. As i just said above, becareful with using expressed milk as a measurement, it is likely that your baby will get more than pumping will acheive as she is a natural stimuli. Keep an eye on all the usual signs aswell, wet nappies, alertness, crying etc. Don;t stress yourself over it, breastfeeding is supposed to be a joyful experience (although the first 6 week can be difficult admittedly but there is a light at the end of the tunnel) Good luck!

 

[thelilbump]

Is it too late for me to get some support?
My little boy is 12 months old and I desperately need some support and encouragement to let me know that I'm doing the right thing in still breastfeeding him!
Everything seems to be against me!

never too late!

I know how you feel, i breastfed past 12 months aswell and tsarted getting the 'err ok' expressions! I choose to ignore them and carried on, my LO was happy and i knew it was best for her at the time and no one elses business. I simply stopped discussing it with people and I'm not sure many even know that she I left her to self wean and she has ony just stopped bfing now If you and your baby are happy thats all that matters hunny

 

[supriseBump_x]

Posted this already then noticed this thread Any help/ suggestions welcome!!

Hey,

For the past week iv been expressing and bottle feeding Riley as my boobs were so sore, cracked and red that i was crying in pain.
Now that they have healed I've started feeding him myself again but im finding that once Riley has fed on both boobs, and they are all soft, he's stil hungry
I noticed a few days ago that they weren't getting as full as they used to, and even when expressing i wasn't getting enough for 1 bottle

Is there anything i can do? Im really not wanting to stop breastfeeding him as i'm really enjoying it

Also thought i'd add this, Before i stopped feeding him myself, he kept loosing weight and when he finally started gaining it, it was very little at a time (the health visitor was keeping a close eye on his weight) Since i started on the bottles, a mixture of breast milk and formula he's been gaining weight much quicker, this week he's gained 1pound 1ounce. Could it be that i was never able to feed him enough in the first place xxx

 

[OpheliaX]

How old is Riley? Formula does make them gain more and they tend to overeat from a bottle so he possibly got used to that and the faster flow. You can put him to the breast more often and try taking fenugreek or drinking a mother's milk tea to boost your output. I also find that there are just certain times of the month like around ovulation and the start of my period that my supply drops a little.